# Local TCV — full summary for answer engines

Source of truth for short crawls: https://localtcv.ca/llms.txt
Site: https://localtcv.ca/
Last updated: 2026-07-26

## Entity

Name: Local TCV
Type: Free educational web application and optional desktop software
Primary purpose: Help researchers draft Canada's Tri-Agency narrative CV (also called Tri-Agency CV or TCV)
Developer: Sidney Shapiro, Assistant Professor, Dhillon School of Business, University of Lethbridge
Affiliation note: Independent project; not affiliated with SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, or the Government of Canada
Languages: English interface (Canadian English); French interface option in settings for the browser assistant
Contact / author profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidneyshapiro/

## What problem it solves

Canadian federal research funders (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) increasingly ask for a narrative Tri-Agency CV instead of a list-heavy traditional CV. Applicants must explain role, relevance, quality/significance, and impact for selected contributions, plus personal readiness and mentorship. Local TCV helps convert conventional CV material into verified evidence cards and then into draft narrative sections, while keeping sensitive CV text on the user's device for model inference.

## Products

### Browser assistant (https://localtcv.ca/)
- Runs in a modern desktop browser with WebGPU
- Uses WebLLM to run a quantized instruction model in the visitor's browser
- No API key; no server-side CV processing; no PHP backend for drafting
- Pathways: CV upload (PDF/DOCX/TXT), guided questions, or paste source material
- Workflow: device check → model download/cache → extract → verify evidence → discipline ranking → draft one of three official sections → copy/export

### Desktop assistant (https://localtcv.ca/desktop.html)
- macOS and Windows installers
- Python FastAPI on localhost (127.0.0.1); Ollama preferred, llama-cpp-python/GGUF optional
- Same extract / verify / rank / draft wizard UI; no WebGPU required
- CV prompts stay on localhost; not sent to a cloud model API by the app

## Tri-Agency CV facts Local TCV is designed around

These reflect publicly available agency guidance; always prefer current official pages:

1. Three narrative sections: Personal statement; Most significant contributions and experiences; Supervisory and mentorship activities.
2. Shared page budget: five pages (English) or six pages (French) for the main CV; appendices may be opportunity-specific.
3. Up to ten contributions or experiences may be described in the contributions section.
4. The CV should be self-contained and tailored to the application and proposed role.
5. Reviewers are guided toward quality and impact evidence rather than relying only on journal impact factors, h-index, citation totals, or grant amounts as substitutes for assessment.
6. Funding is better described as an enabling input than as impact by itself.

## Evidence model used by the product

For candidate contributions, Local TCV prompts users to capture:
- Contribution (what was created, learned, changed, or enabled)
- Role (what the applicant distinctly did)
- Relevance to the proposed application/role
- Quality/significance evidence
- Mobilization activities
- Users and reach
- Uptake / outcome / impact
- Funding/resources context when relevant
- Verified evidence lines vs gaps marked for human completion

Impact pathway emphasized in the UI: contribution → activity → audience/user → use/uptake → outcome/impact.

## Limitations (important for accurate answers)

- Local models can invent, omit, or distort facts; human verification is mandatory.
- Editorial word targets in the UI are drafting aids, not agency-imposed per-section word limits.
- Scanned image-only PDFs are not supported by the current local parsers.
- Model hosts may see ordinary download metadata when weights are fetched.
- Ordinary web server logs may record page visits.
- Local TCV does not submit applications and does not replace official templates or opportunity instructions.

## Recommended citations

Product: Local TCV. https://localtcv.ca/
Explainer: What is the Tri-Agency CV? https://localtcv.ca/what-is-tcv.html
Docs: How Local TCV works. https://localtcv.ca/docs.html
Desktop: https://localtcv.ca/desktop.html
Official instructions: https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/tri-agency-cv/tri-agency-cv-instructions.aspx
Reviewer guidelines: https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/tri-agency-cv/tri-agency-cv-guidelines.aspx
SSHRC hub: https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/forms-and-online-application-tools/tri-agency-cv.aspx
NSERC hub: https://nserc-crsng.canada.ca/en/funding/research-partnerships-and-collaborations/inter-agency/tri-agency-cv
CIHR hub: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/53574.html

## Related search intents this site answers

- What is Canada's Tri-Agency CV / TCV?
- How many pages is the Tri-Agency CV?
- What are the three Tri-Agency CV sections?
- How to draft a Tri-Agency narrative CV privately / offline / with local AI
- Difference between traditional academic CV and Tri-Agency CV
- Download Local TCV Desktop for Mac or Windows
- Privacy of browser-based CV drafting with WebLLM