Canada's Privacy Commissioner Launches 6th Annual Privacy Research Contributions Program

The Commissioner has launched the sixth year of the research contributions program. From the Government of Canada website:

Canada's Privacy Commissioner Launches 6th Annual Privacy Research Contributions Program

Ottawa, December 1, 2008 — The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) today announced the launch of the 2009-2010 privacy research Contributions Program. This is the sixth year for the annual program, and up to $500,000 in funding will be available for research, as well as public education and awareness initiatives.

The OPC is inviting research proposals focused on four key privacy priority areas: 1) national security; 2) identity integrity and protection; 3) information technology; and 4) genetic privacy.

Last year, for the first time, the OPC expanded the program to include funding for public education and regional outreach initiatives as well. The response to this new aspect of the program was very positive and yielded a number of innovative initiatives across Canada. In recognition of this success, the Office will continue to provide public education and regional outreach funding as part of the 2009-2010 Contributions Program.

Created in 2004 to support non-profit research on privacy that furthers the development of a national research capacity in Canada, the Contributions Program is highly regarded internationally and considered one of the foremost privacy research funding programs in the world. To date, the program has allocated over $1.5 million to more than 40 initiatives in Canada.

In an effort to give researchers and organizations more time to complete their projects, the OPC is launching this year’s program earlier than in the past. The new deadline for applications has been set for January 30, 2009. We expect to have agreements in place by the end of March 2009.

Information about the four priority areas and how to apply for funding is posted on the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s Web site. Project summaries of past successful applicants are also available on the site.

All proposals will be evaluated on the basis of merit by OPC officials, and the maximum amount that can be awarded for each research or public education project is $50,000. The maximum any single organization can receive is $100,000.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is mandated by Parliament to act as an ombudsman, advocate and guardian of privacy rights in Canada.