CIHR Doctoral Awards
2013
Dr. Patricia MacKenzie
Associate Professor, School of Social Work
patmack@uvic.ca
1
Changes to competition deadline and number of
targeted awards
 The CIHR Doctoral Research Awards (DRA)
competition deadline will be changing effective for the
Fall 2013 competition. The new application deadline
will be October 1st (rather than October 15).
 Starting this year, CIHR is “rebalancing” its distribution between
Doctoral Research Awards and Master’s Awards within the
Canada Graduate Scholarship program. Under this program CIHR
is expected to fund 400 Doctoral Awards (approximately 133 new
3-year awards per year) and 400 Master’s Awards (400 new 1year awards per year).
2
CIHR Funding is for:
all areas of health research, including biomedical, clinical,
health services and policy, and social, cultural,
environmental and population health.
GOAL - recognition and funding to students early in their
academic research career, providing them with an
opportunity to gain research experience and….
To provide a reliable supply of highly skilled and qualified
researchers.
3
There are two doctoral award programs
administered through a single application:
1. The Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate
Scholarships Doctoral Awards (CGS-D) program provides special
recognition and support to students who are pursuing a doctoral degree in
a health-related field in Canada.
2. The Doctoral Foreign Study Award (DFSA) provides special
recognition and support to students who are pursuing a doctoral degree in
a health-related field abroad.
 Candidates apply to the CIHR Doctoral Research Awards competition
and top-ranked candidates are awarded a CGS-D or DFSA depending
on the proposed location of research. Both awards are of equivalent
value.
 All candidates are expected to have an exceptionally high potential for
future research achievement and productivity.
4
Available Funds
It is anticipated that approximately $14 million over three
years will be available for the CGS-D competition.
It is anticipated that approximately $1.05 million over
three years will be available for the DFSA competition,
enough to fund approximately 10 awards.
 Trainee stipend: $30,000 per annum.
 Research allowance: $5,000 per annum.
5
CIHR doctoral – important
dates

Competition 201310MDR
Application Deadline 2013-10-01
Anticipated Notice of Decision 2014-04-15
Funding Start Date 2014-05-01*
https://www.researchnetrecherchenet.ca/rnr16/srch.do?all=1&search=true&org=CIHR&sort=program&masterList=true&view=currentO
pps&fodAgency=CIHR&fodLanguage=E
6
The short story
 A. The cash - Doctoral degree funding is $22,000 - $35,000/yr.
 B. How to Get it:
1. You will apply online and submit your electronic application directly to CIHR for an opportunity to be funded with a
Doctoral Research Award (DRA) or a Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) Doctoral Research Award.
2. There is no university pre-selection process
3. Students will need to get three University of Victoria signatures on their application;



the Department Chair/Director,
The Faculty of Graduate Studies, and
the Office of Research Services.
 Applicants should bring the Signature of Institution Paid form, the Application
Details pages and their Research Project Summary to the Graduate Studies
office when seeking a signature.
 *Allow yourself 3-5 business days to gather all signatures in order to avoid
missing the CIHR submission deadline.
7
A word about Specific Research Areas
 The CGS-D and the DFSA programs will fund
applications in any area of health research.
 Additional funds are available, in specific research
areas, to support Doctoral Research Award
applications that are not funded through either the
CGS-D or the DFSA.
8
CIHR Research Priority Areas
 Aboriginal Research Methodologies*
 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
 Drug Safety and Effectiveness
 HIV/AIDS
 Ionizing Radiation - Medical Uses and Health Effects
 Knowledge Translation*
 Psychosocial Research Parkinson's Disease
 Research in First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit Health
9
Objectives - Doctoral Research Award Priority
Announcement (Specific Research Areas)
The specific funding opportunity is to offer additional sources of funding for
highly rated applications that are relevant to specific CIHR research priority
areas and mandates. Example:
Aboriginal Research Methodologies (DAR)
The CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (IAPH) recognizes that
understanding and applying the Indigenous determinants of health will lead to
broader, lasting health outcomes. Further, interventions to improve health
behaviours and outcomes need to include Indigenous context and ways of
knowing. Engagement of Indigenous peoples and communities is critical to
successful implementation of existing and developing knowledge. To this end,
IAPH will provide funding for applications that are determined to be relevant to
increasing the scientific methodologies underpinning Indigenous Knowledge.
More information on the research priorities of CIHR- IAPH can be found on
their website.
10
Specific requirements for this
Priority category
The maximum amount awarded for a single award is $36,000 per annum ($30,000 stipend and $6,000
research allowance) for up to three (3) years. The annual research allowance includes a $1,000 supplement
to be used to cover the costs of attending research meetings hosted/designated by IAPH.
Requires the completion of a “Relevance Form”.

Within the Relevance Form, applicants must demonstrate:


how their aboriginal lived experience will enhance their approach to research; and
a relationship with a First Nations, Métis or Inuit community or organization.
The award must be held in Canada.
Awardees must submit a final report within six (6) months of the end of the award.
Successful applicants may be required to actively participate in IAPH activities, such research meetings
hosted/designated by IAPH. Be advised that applicants that are deemed relevant to this priority
announcement, but that are funded through the open Doctoral Research Award program or another priority
announcement will also receive an annual $1,000 supplement to the research allowance to cover the costs of
attending research meetings hosted/designated by IAPH.
11
Another Priority - Knowledge
Translation (KDR)
Knowledge Translation (KT) at CIHR will provide funding for applications that are determined to be relevant to the
following research priority areas described below:
KT Science (the determinants of knowledge use and effective methods of promoting the uptake of knowledge):


Increase understanding of the theory and practice of KT.
Develop tools/measures to evaluate the effectiveness/impact of KT practices/interventions.
KT Practice (Moving research into action)


Increase the uptake/application of knowledge to bridge a knowledge to action gap.
Increase the understanding of knowledge application.
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to advance KT (synthesis, dissemination, exchange and ethically sound
application of knowledge). It is expected that this targeted investment will lead to a better understanding of concepts,
theories and practices that underlie effective KT in order to improve the health of Canadian, provide more effective
health services and products and strengthen the health care system. For more information on KT at CIHR, please
see About KT.
12
B. Prizes ( Supplements) in CIHR Research Priority
Areas
 Anne Martin-Matthews Prize of Excellence
 Douglas Kinsella Award for Research in Bioethics
 Jonathan Lomas KT Doctoral Research Award
Supplement
13
Eligibility – general requirements
 The program is open to Canadian citizens and
permanent residents of Canada at the time of
application.
 The Nominated Principal Applicant must be a
trainee;
 At least one project participant, other than the
Nominated Principal Applicant must be a supervisor;
 You may also choose one additional supervisor
(who must meet the same requirements as those of
the primary supervisor).
14
Eligibility cont’d
Only those students engaged in full-time doctoral research training
(research training is defined as a minimum of 30 hours/week dedicated to
research and course work) in a graduate school are eligible for support.
The maximum duration of award funding from all federal sources to
undertake graduate studies is four years, including at the Master's level. The
only exception is in the case of a Health Professional funded through the
CIHR Fellowship award program.
Individuals who hold or have held a doctoral award from a federal source for
a term of three years are not eligible to apply.
Individuals eligible to apply to the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
program or the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program may also submit
an application to the Doctoral Research Award program.
15
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
 This program supports… world-class doctoral students. Canadian and
international students are eligible to be nominated for a Vanier CGS at a
Canadian university
 Applications are initiated in one of two ways. Either:
 the candidate informs the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the selected
university of their intent to apply to the Vanier CGS competition; or
 the university initiates the nomination process by contacting the
candidate.
 Applications are prepared by the candidate and submitted to the university
by the nominating university’s internal deadline (set in ResearchNet
by the nominating university)
 The nominating university performs its internal candidate-selection
process.
 The nominating university forwards recommended nominations to the
appropriate federal granting agencies by late 2013
 .
Eligibility cont’d 2
As of the application deadline, all candidates must have
completed a minimum of 12 months of graduate study at
the Master's or PhD level and there are also regulations
about the maximum time that the candidate has been
enrolled in a graduate program by the application date.
The regulations are:..
17
Eligibility - time
If the candidate:
.. then the maximum amount of time he/she can
be registered as a full-time student in a PhD
program, as of the application deadline, is the
following:
holds a Master's degree
22 months
has completed 12 months or more in a
Master's degree program prior to
transferring to or starting a PhD program
22 months
has completed less than 12 months in a
Master's degree program prior to
transferring to or starting a PhD program
30 months
has transferred directly from a Bachelor's 34 months
degree to a PhD program (with no time
in a Master's program)
Eligibility –some small details
 In evaluating the amount of time a candidate has been
registered in a PhD program, two sessions of part-time
study will count as one session of full-time study. All
previous studies at the graduate level, regardless of
discipline, either course-based or research-based, will be
included in this evaluation (which will be based on the official
transcripts provided).
 If the candidate is registered in a master's degree program
and subsequently transfers to a doctoral degree program,
the months in the doctoral program will be calculated
starting from the first academic session in which the
candidate officially transferred to their doctoral program.
19
How to Apply – Getting
Ready
Before you begin
Applicants and their supervisor(s) must make sure they
have the following
a ResearchNet account
a CIHR PIN in ResearchNet
a Common CV account
Applicants and their supervisor(s) should each only have
one ResearchNet account. If you have already accessed
ResearchNet, do not register for a new account.
20
How to Apply – using Research Net
Applications must be prepared, finalized and submitted by
applicants using ResearchNet.
Any other information that exceed the character limits, or is
not required, will be removed from the application prior to peer
review.
Applicants must preview all components of their application
to ensure its completeness.
Applications must be submitted prior to the deadline posted on
ResearchNet. CIHR cannot legally accept an application until
“Consent and Submit Application” section is completed on
ResearchNet.
21
The Doctoral Research Award application
1. Complete the Common CV
CIHR Nominated Principal Applicants and their supervisor(s) must choose an Academic CV template. Common CVs (CCV) are
required regardless of the citizenship of the applicant and supervisors. To produce a Common CV:
Go to the Common CV website and "Login".
Under "CV", select "Funding", then select CIHR from the dropdown and click "Next". Select the appropriate CV type (CIHR
Academic) then click "Next".
Enter all the relevant and necessary data and click on "Done". A validation will automatically be performed and errors, if any, will be
displayed. The validation rules are specific to CIHR and the selected CV type.
Review the CV data online via a preview of the PDF.
When satisfied, click on "Submit".
Record the confirmation number that is displayed with the status message (which can also be found under the "History" tab and at
the top right corner of the CV PDF).
Enter the recorded confirmation number under the "Identify Participants/Supervisors" section on ResearchNet.
If changes are required to your Common CV for a certain application after its submission, applicants and/or their supervisor(s) must
repeat the steps above and record the new confirmation number.
Note: During peak periods, there can be a delay between the time that you submit the CV and when ResearchNet is able to validate
it. It is highly recommended that you submit your CV well in advance of the competition deadline.
22
Completing a Doctoral Research Award application
(cont’d)
2. On ResearchNet complete the following tasks:
Task 1. Identify Participants/Supervisors
Task 2. Identify Sponsors (3)
Task 3. Attach Participant Documents*
Task 4. Enter Degree Information
Task 5. Enter Project Information and Supporting Documents
Task 6. Enter Space, Facilities and Personnel Support
Task 7. Enter Foreign Training Environment Rationale (for DFSA applicants only)
Task 8. Attach Other Application Materials
Task 9. Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools (if applicable)
Task 10. Print/Upload Signature Pages
Task 11. Preview Application Materials
Task 12. Consent and Submit Application
*All attachments must adhere to the guidelines for attachments on the Acceptable Application Formats and Attachments. Before preparing your proposal, please carefully review these instructions.All documents must be in PDF format. The total size of
the attached document(s) cannot exceed 30 MB
23
Working with your UVic Grantscrafter
• Not a guarantee that you will get the grant!
• Application material, ideas and discussion
will remain confidential
• Positive criticism
• Technicalities not addressed
24
The details
 follow instructions exactly
 adhere to format guidelines (e.g., font, page
limits)
 applications MUST be completed using the
media specified in the funding opportunity
 use the full page allowances
 familiarize yourself with the Guide for Reviewers
 start several weeks before the deadline – right
now!
Preview - Criteria Used by Reviewers
for Doctoral Awards
Criterion
Weights for each criterion
Achievements and Activities of the Candidate
Publication Activity
10 %
Other Research Activity
10 %
35 %
Academic Performance
15 %
Characteristics and Abilities of the Candidate
Critical thinking
Independence
Perseverance
Originality
40 %
40 %
Organizational skills
Interest in discovery
Research Ability
Leadership
The Research Training Environment
Training program for the
10 %
candidate
Scientific Activity
5%
25 %
Research resources
5%
Training record
5%
100%
100%
26
Planning for Success
 Grades matter!
 Sponsor Letters are very, very important –
choose wisely
 Emphasize publications, research
experience, professional experience
 A strong training environment where you
will get exposure to research and have
research networking and mentoring
opportunities is essential
Context and Support Matters!
 work on the research proposal and the full application in
collaboration with your supervisor/mentor
 proofread your application … carefully!
 show the complete application to their supervisor/mentor, peers
and other researchers for feedback
 Be prepared to produce multiple drafts
 If you can, set up an internal review system – other students
who have been successful, other applicants, profs, etc.
 Even if not successful you will produce a draft of your thesis
proposal so think positive
 Do not wait to submit until the last minute
CIHR Sponsor’s Assessments


 Candidates should choose sponsors that know them well enough to be able to
assess their potential and to provide specific examples of their behaviour with
respect to each characteristic on the sponsor assessment form.
 You should help your sponsor prepare their letter by providing examples that
match the evaluation criteria (excellence, productivity, etc.)
 An automatic e-mail will be sent through ResearchNet to the chosen sponsors.
After all three sponsors have submitted their assessments, this task will be
marked as Complete in the ResearchNet Application Task List.
 Sponsors must submit their assessments by the deadline date. You need to
make sure this happens!
The “Narrative”
• A well-laid out proposal says to a committee
“this person knows what they are talking
about and they have taken as much care with
their proposal as we are now doing.”
• Reviewers are busy people and have many
proposals to read. Make yours one they will
want to read!
• Ensure you convey what you are proposing is
relevant, unique, and will benefit the health of
Canadians
30
Think about the ‘audience’
• Assessors may have the kind of specialized
knowledge you need, but a committee will
not.
• Provide a rapid introduction for intelligent
non-specialists.
• Provide appropriate (and recent!) references.
31
Provide Information Clearly
• Committees are not only not infallible and
tired, they are also starting with imperfect
information about you and your institution.
• Give them the information you know is
essential to your case, straightforwardly and
succinctly.
32
Logical and Connected Proposal
• Present research plans coherently, as a set
of problems.
• In a logical and connected order.
• Always state the central problem of your work
and why it is important.
33
Critiques
• If you are critiquing existing models or
approaches in the literature,
• do so lucidly, without partisanship, and
• demonstrate clearly why your approach is
better.
• Be precise.
34
Adjudication Committees
• Most of these committees are
interdisciplinary; some are not; some have
non-academics on them. They are your
audience – write to them.
• Committees get tired and impatient with
complex obscure language, typos, poorly
laid-out proposals with grammar and
spelling errors, and incomplete information.
35
Adjudication Committees
• Ask a friend who is not overly familiar with
your research to read your proposal some
day/evening when he/she is tired and see if
it makes sense.
• Then ask your friend to tell you which bits
are confusing, or that had to be read twice.
• Then sit down again and work on getting rid
of the jargon, or the long sentences, or . . .
36
Final Observations
• Grant competitions are still going to be, on
occasion, unfair.
• After one rejection, do not despair. . . or at
least, not for long.
• There will be comments that come with the
decision.
• Take the advice that makes sense to you;
ponder the rest, and then accept or reject it.
37
Supports Available - Facilitated Online
Sessions - Webinars
CIHR holds several short, web-based, facilitated online
sessions (also called “webinars”), which include seminars,
presentations, lectures, workshops and conferences that are
transmitted over the web. These webinars are free –
Upcoming Information Session on Awards for Health
Research Students
Click on the session of your choice to go to the registration
page.
September 23rd 11h00am ET - English session
September 25th 1h30pm ET - French session
September 26th 1h30pm ET - English session
38
Summary
Five Steps
 Register with CIHR
 Complete an application
 Assemble an application
 Submit an application
 Await notification of decision
39
Thank You
Questions?
40
Contact Info
Dr. Patricia MacKenzie
patmack@uvic.ca
250-721-8735
41
Which Tri-Council?
General Guidelines for the Eligibility of Subject Matter at SSHRC
Applications to SSHRC as the primary source of research or research training support must meet the following criteria:
The program of research must be primarily in the social sciences and humanities (i.e., aligned with the SSHRC mandate and;
The intended outcome of the research must primarily be to add to our understanding and knowledge of individuals, groups, and societies - what we think, how
we live and how we interact with each other and the world around us.
General Guidelines for the Eligibility of Subject Matter at NSERC
Applications to NSERC as the primary source of research or research training support must meet the following criteria:
The program of research must be primarily in the natural sciences and engineering;
The intended objectives of the research must be, primarily, to advance knowledge in one of the natural sciences or in engineering.
General Guidelines for Eligibility of Subject Matter at CIHR
Applications to CIHR as the primary source of research or research training support must meet the following criterion:
The intended outcomes of the research must, as stated in CIHR’s mandate, primarily improve or have an impact on health and/or produce more effective
health services and products and/or strengthen the Canadian health care system.
42
NSERC:
Eligible for NSERC:


Research in animal health and veterinary medicine.


Research seeking to further our understanding of fundamental processes in humans.

Research whose major challenges lie in the NSE (materials science, engineering, computer science, chemistry, etc)
which could eventually lead, among other applications, to the treatment or prevention of human disease.
Research in nutrition related to food components, nutraceuticals (as defined in Health Canada’s Policy Paper –
Nutraceuticals/Functional Foods and Health Claims On Foods), or functional foods.
Research whose primary purpose is the development of monitoring and diagnostic technologies (such as health IT, invitro diagnostics, diagnostic imaging, patient monitoring, and endoscopic devices) unless it is at the clinical trials stage
(as defined by the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) Guidelines to Good Clinical Practice). The
research challenge must lie within the NSE.
Not eligible for NSERC support:

Research involving the refinement of already existing technology for facilitating clinical therapies or health delivery
systems.

Research whose primary purpose is the investigation or development of vaccines, active pharmaceutical ingredients
(API), or other therapeutic agents for human applications.


Research whose primary purpose is the investigation/treatment of injuries or human performance.


Applied research for disease treatment, diagnosis or prevention
Research seeking to develop animal models of human diseases in order to study primarily the disease state, or
treatments for injuries or diseases represented by the model.
Research involving clinical trials (as defined by the International Conference on Harmonisation
43
Guidelines for the Eligibility of Applications Related to Health
SSHRC:
Research that is primarily intended to improve health, produce more effective health
services and products and/or strengthen the health care system in Canada or
internationally (e.g., research concerning the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a
condition, the evaluation of the effectiveness of health programs, the development of
health management systems, etc.) is not eligible for consideration at SSHRC.
Research involving clinical trials, with a health research orientation, is not eligible for
SSHRC support.
Research that is eligible under the mandate of CIHR will not be considered by SSHRC.
Investigators whose proposed research is health related should consult CIHR’s
mandate first to explore eligibility. CIHR has policies and procedures in place to
adjudicate the full range of social science and humanities research proposals related to
health research. The use of social science or humanities theories, methodologies and
hypotheses is, in and of itself, not sufficient to make the proposal eligible at SSHRC.
44
Guidelines for the Eligibility of Applications in
Psychology

In addition to the above mentioned guidelines for research related to health, applicants should consider the following
guidelines in their decision to apply to a federal granting agency if their research is in the field of psychology:
SSHRC considers eligible applications within the broad areas of social, industrial, developmental, personality and
educational psychology. SSHRC also considers eligible proposals related to theory and methods in these areas.
SSHRC does not support clinically-oriented research, with a health intent or research involving clinical trials.
NSERC considers eligible applications that relate to fundamental psychological processes, their underlying neural
mechanisms, their development within individuals, and their evolutionary and ecological context. Fundamental
processes are understood to include:







Sensation and perception;
Sensorimotor integration;
Motivation, emotion and reward;
Learning and memory;
Cognition and language;
Sleep, arousal and the chronobiological modulation of behaviour; and,
Statistical methods for analysis of psychological data.
NSERC does not support clinically-oriented research.

CIHR supports all research in psychology that has direct relevance to or ultimate impact on human health.
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