Awarded annually, when merited, on the recommendation of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, to full-time students in any discipline who have shown exceptional potential to conduct independent, innovative and high quality research in Public Policy. Endowed in 2006 by Zuhair A. Hassan who served the Government of Canada for over 30 years in various capacities. During his years of service at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, he made longstanding efforts to nurture and mentor staff emphasizing the fundamental importance of carrying out scholarly research projects as the first step in the formulation of top quality policy advice.