CIHR Doctoral Awards

1
CIHR Doctoral Awards 2013
Dr. Patricia MacKenzie Associate Professor,
School of Social Work patmack_at_uvic.ca
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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
  Masters 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 Masters Awards (400 new 1-year awards
  per year).

3
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.

4
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.

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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.

6
CIHR doctoral important dates

• Competition 201310MDR
• Application Deadline  2013-10-01  
• Anticipated Notice of Decision  2014-04-15  
• Funding Start Date  2014-05-01  
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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.

8
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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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).

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Eligibility contd

• 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.

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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
  universitys 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
• .

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Eligibility contd 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..

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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 degree to a PhD program (with no time in a Master's program) 34 months
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Completing a Doctoral Research Award application
(contd)

• 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

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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

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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!

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Preview - Criteria Used by Reviewers for
Doctoral Awards
Criterion Weights for each criterion Weights for each criterion
Achievements and Activities of the Candidate Achievements and Activities of the Candidate Achievements and Activities of the Candidate
Publication Activity 10 35
Other Research Activity 10 35
Academic Performance 15 35
Characteristics and Abilities of the Candidate Characteristics and Abilities of the Candidate Characteristics and Abilities of the Candidate
Critical thinkingIndependencePerseveranceOriginalityOrganizational skillsInterest in discoveryResearch AbilityLeadership 40 40
The Research Training Environment The Research Training Environment The Research Training Environment
Training program for the candidate 10 25
Scientific Activity 5 25
Research resources 5 25
Training record 5 25
  100 100
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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

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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

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CIHR Sponsors 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!

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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

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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.

32
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.

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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.

34
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.

35
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.

36
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 . . .

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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.

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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

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Summary

• Five Steps
• Register with CIHR
• Complete an application
• Assemble an application
• Submit an application
• Await notification of decision

40
Thank You Questions?
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Contact Info

• Dr. Patricia MacKenzie
• patmack_at_uvic.ca
• 250-721-8735

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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 CIHRs 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.

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NSERC

• Eligible for NSERC
• Research in animal health and veterinary
  medicine.
• Research in nutrition related to food components,
  nutraceuticals (as defined in Health Canadas
  Policy Paper Nutraceuticals/Functional Foods
  and Health Claims On Foods), or functional foods.
• Research seeking to further our understanding of
  fundamental processes in humans.
• Research whose primary purpose is the development
  of monitoring and diagnostic technologies (such
  as health IT, in-vitro 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Applied research for disease treatment, diagnosis
  or prevention
• Research involving clinical trials (as defined by
  the International Conference on Harmonisation

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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 CIHRs 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.

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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.