Public Servant-in-Residence Initiative

How to apply

Step 1: Define your project

The first step is to think about the parameters of the project. During this step, ask yourself what you want to accomplish and what the impact of your residency will be, both personally and on the federal public service as a whole.

The role of the School's PSIR team is to help applicants prepare their applications to meet the criteria for the initiative, including whether the project fits within the current needs and priorities of the federal government and the applicant's plan to share the knowledge gained following their residency.

Contact the PSIR team by emailing: psirifr@csps-efpc.gc.ca

Step 2: Seek endorsement for your project

Once your project is defined, it is important to ensure that you have the support of your senior management. Since the costs of your residency will be covered by your home department and the type of research or teaching you will be doing may have an impact on your department, you will need to inform your management of your plans and ensure that they endorse your project.

For this reason, applications must be endorsed by two deputy ministers (the President of the School and the deputy minister of the applicant's home department) to ensure credibility and the advancement of departmental or federal government priorities. The applicant obtains the endorsement of their home department, while the PSIR team obtains the endorsement of the School's President.

Step 3: Submit your application package

Once you have defined your project and obtained endorsement, you can submit your PSIR application online.

There is no specific date to submit an application; however, we encourage you to take into consideration the important dates in the academic calendar, as well as administrative delays in processing applications. For example, we suggest a submission by July 31 for a September start date, or November 30 for a January start date.

A complete application will consist of the following:

• The completed and signed online application form. The description of the project should be as detailed as possible.
• Curriculum vitae demonstrating the applicant's relevant academic and work experience and attesting to the applicant's potential for success in an academic environment.
• Deputy minister letter or email of support, which must include a commitment to pay the applicant's salary, benefits and reasonable moving expenses (if applicable) while on assignment, in addition to a commitment to support the applicant's reintegration back into the federal public service following the assignment.
• Host university letter or email of support, which must include a commitment to host the applicant and provide them with office space, equipment and administrative support.

Step 4: Get approval for your application

Applications to the PSIR are reviewed and approved by the President of the School. In approving applications, the School will consider:

• the applicant's relevant academic and work experience, which should show strong abilities and a commitment to excellence
• how well the project is aligned with federal government and School priorities, and how it will support these priorities
• the applicant's demonstration of how they intend to share the knowledge, skills and abilities they acquire upon their return to the federal public service
• if appropriate, the applicant's commitment to support their host university's DMUC^Note* activities (for example, working with universities to facilitate lectures and presentations by senior federal public servants, advising graduate students of employment opportunities within the federal public service and promoting the public service as a career choice, assisting faculty members in the development of research projects and activities to increase the relevance of their work for the federal public service
• the applicant's commitment to collaborate with the School (for example, to develop learning products or events, to support potential PSIR applicants)
• the relevance of the project to the applicant's career plans

Once the application is approved, the PSIR team prepares a draft Interchange Canada agreement. The applicant completes and signs the Interchange Canada agreement and has it signed by the deputy minister of their home department. The applicant then returns the document to the School for the president's final signature.

The full approval process for a PSIR application may take between 4 weeks and 3 months, depending on the complexity of the file. It is always better to expect a longer rather than a shorter approval time when planning the starting date of the residency, and to take into consideration the academic and annual calendars (for example, holiday season breaks).

Expectations for participants during and after their residency

Participants are expected to:

• complete the project described in their application form
• honour the commitments made to the host university
• return to the federal public service after their residency
• share the knowledge gained with their colleagues and the broader federal public service

In addition to these commitments, the School expects residents to:

• participate in individual follow-up meetings
  Depending on the length of the residency, the School will have a number of follow-up meetings with the participant. These meetings are intended to support participants in their journey and to help them realign, if necessary, the objectives and expected outcomes of their residency.
• attend biannual meetings
  The School hosts biannual meetings with potential, new and current participants, as well as with recent PSIR alumni, to leverage their experience, share best practices, and network among themselves.

These activities are intended to strengthen the sense of community among new and returning participants and allow them to share experiences and best practices. Ultimately, the goal is for these public servants to become part of a network of individuals engaged with Canadian universities.