CCS Research Training Awards – Postdoctoral

Applications from all four pillars of health research (i.e., biomedical; clinical; health services; and social, cultural, environmental and population health) are eligible.

Applicants may choose to engage in any type of research, including community-based research.

Please read carefully to ensure eligibility.

• Only one applicant per lab (Supervisor/Co-Supervisor) will be accepted to submit an application. If a principal investigator wishes to nominate multiple candidates from Black and Indigenous backgrounds at the same level, we encourage them to reach out at research@cancer.ca.
• Applicants must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis).
• If postdoctoral fellows hold a valid work permit over the duration of the award by the application deadline, they may apply for this award. The support requested can only be over the period of a valid work permit.  
• Applicants applying to the postdoctoral level of funding may not hold an appointment at an institution and must maintain their postdoctoral status throughout the duration of the award. The main focus of their time should be dedicated to the proposed research project throughout the tenure of the award. 
• A maximum of one application per trainee is permitted in the Research Training Awards. 

There will be a two-stage review process:

1. An initial administrative review will be completed on all applications. Applications that are incomplete, do not follow the formatting guidelines, do not meet eligibility criteria (i.e., applicants must be from eligible graduate programs and institutions) or are outside of the area of study (i.e., applications that do not relate to cancer research), will be withdrawn from the competition. Applicants will be notified if their application does not pass administrative review. The decision will be irrevocable.
2. The expert review committee will be composed of a diverse group of scientific reviewers and patient/survivor/caregiver reviewers, who will collectively evaluate applications to this research training award competition (see review criteria below for more information). The review committee will be comprised of individuals with the expertise necessary to evaluate the full applications submitted.

Applicants are asked to submit an abstract by January 17, 2024 at 5pm ET. Please, refer to the guide and submit your abstract in EGrAMS.

The abstract submission will require the following:

1. Applicant details
2. Supervisor(s) information
3. Public summary of the research project, to be written in lay language (i.e., Grade 8 reading level) describing why this work is important (rationale); the goal or purpose of the project (objectives/aims); the research plan (methods); and the anticipated results and potential impact of the project (2150 characters spaces included)
4. Scientific Abstract that describes the rationale, objectives/aims, methods, and anticipated results and potential impact of the project (4200 characters spaces included)
5. Keywords (maximum 10).
6. List of reviewers’ exclusion and recommendation (this should be discussed with the trainee’s supervisor(s). 

Please review the application guide, eligibility and requirements section, and rating scales prior to submitting your application. Applications that do not follow requirements (including character/page limits) will be withdrawn from the competition.

When preparing the full application, the following additional information is required: 

1. An experience statement to evaluate potential impact on cancer answering 2 questions: [1] Why am I the right candidate for this award? [2] What do I envision as my (long-term) contribution to cancer research? (6000 characters spaces included).
2. Education and career interruptions/obstacles (2500 characters including spaces).

   If applicable, please describe any special circumstances including education and/or career obstacles, delays, or interruptions that may have impacted your academic career and research productivity. This includes but is not limited to parental leave, family or caregiving responsibilities, part-time studies related to paid work requirements, etc.

3. CVs templates provided in the guide are mandatory).
   • Applicant CV (2 pages maximum)
   • Supervisor(s) CV (5 pages maximum)

   CVs that do not follow the guidelines will be removed from the application.

4. A detailed proposal 10,500 characters, spaces included) including:
   • Overall goal and aims of their research project, supporting evidence / rationale, guiding theoretical framework (if applicable),
   • Study design, methods, evaluation / analysis (including assessment and mitigation of any potential barriers or risks),
   • Meaningful, integrated involvement of relevant stakeholders (i.e., patients, public, at-risk, underserved populations): briefly describe how patient/survivor/caregiver or other relevant stakeholders will be engaged in the research as partners and if applicable, as participants.
   • Applicants are encouraged to engage relevant stakeholders in their proposed research including individual and community-level partners such as First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities and organizations, Black communities, racialized communities, and people with lived experience.
   • References (not counted towards the character limit).
   • One additional page for figures, tables, visuals and is permitted (not counted towards the character limit).
5. Sex, gender and diversity considerations (4200 characters spaces included). Include a description of how sex and/or gender and/or dimensions of diversity/determinants of health and their intersectionalities have been factored into the study design.
6. Key milestones & expected timelines (1 page).
7. Knowledge sharing plan (2150 characters spaces included). Note that traditional academic conferences or publications alone will not be considered sufficient for knowledge sharing. Please refer to the guide and rating scales for more information.
8. A professional development plan including both cross-disciplinary training to be undertaken and a proposed mentorship plan.

    

   • A description of the cross-disciplinary training to be undertaken, expected knowledge/expertise gained or outcomes, and potential barriers to learning (3000 characters spaces included).
   • Mentorship plan (3000 characters spaces included). Mentorship refers to mentoring that the trainee would participate in as mentee.
   • Short statement of commitment / support from maximum 2 mentors is encouraged.

   Please refer to the guide and rating scales for more information.

9. Letters of support:

    

   • Letter of commitment / support from the trainee’s direct supervisor(s) (maximum 2 pages)

   The letter of support from the supervisor should detail responsibilities (i.e., how the supervisor will foster growth), how the training environment is supportive of learning and success including equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles and practices applied by the supervisor and in the training environment, and any perceived barriers and mitigating strategies, as well as their overall assessment of the applicant’s suitability for the award. Only one letter will be accepted. In the case of co-supervision, the letter of support can be co-signed by both supervisors, but the page limit is the same. Letters that do not follow the page limit will be cut or removed from the application.

    

   • Statement of support (letter or video) from someone who has been affected by cancer (for example a patient, survivor, or caregiver) is required.

   The statement from the person affected by cancer should be from an individual with insight into the trainee’s research or clinical focus, and/or their connection with the cancer community. This is not a formal reference letter but an opportunity for someone outside of academia with an experience of cancer to support the applicant’s application (see instructions below).

   For Indigenous applicants (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis), a letter from a community member (e.g. an Elder) is eligible.

   The person affected by cancer will be sent a secure link to submit their letter/video of support. Below are some examples of what can be addressed  (3000 characters each, spaces included or a 3min video):

   • What is your experience with cancer or connection to the applicant’s research?
   • What is the applicant’s role in or connection to your (cancer) community?
   • From your experience with the applicant, what potential impact do you think their research may have on patients, caregivers, or community?  
   • If directly involved with the trainee's research, what does your role entail?
   • Is there anything else you would like to add?

   Please contact research@cancer.ca for more information.

10. Career plans and leadership skills and activities (leadership experiences and opportunities that would position the applicant to become a future leader in cancer research in Canada) (3000 characters total, spaces included).
11. Detailed budget highlighting the use of the training budget over the course of the award. Note that a maximum of 50% of the budget may be directed towards attending traditional academic conferences. Consider setting aside the equivalent of 1 flight every other year to Vancouver or Toronto for a CCS in-person event gathering all ongoing RTA cohorts. Additional guidance is available here.

We welcome inquiries about research projects, training, mentorship and other aspects of the training award application. CCS and partners may be able to support contact with mentors, cross-disciplinary training, and knowledge sharing. Please contact research@cancer.ca.

There are three areas being evaluated in this competition by scientific and patient/survivor/caregiver reviewers. Applications will be evaluated against the review criteria detailed below using two scores - Research Rating and Relevance and Potential Impact. Please refer to the application guide (to be released after Abstract deadline) and rating scales when preparing an application. 

• Individuals may not concurrently hold an award similar to the Research Training Award (RTA). This includes CIHR, CGS, Vanier, Banting, FRQS awards or all other awards where the prorated monthly stipend amount is worth at least 40% of the RTA amount.
• Applicants that do not declare new or existing awards to CCS that are found to hold such awards will be withdrawn from the competition.
• Similar applications may be submitted to other agencies concurrently, but awardees cannot hold multiple awards as listed above.
• Other partial stipends may be held (equal to less than 40% of the RTA stipend), subject to agreement from each funder, and the RTA stipend will be reduced by the partial amount. 
• Please contact research@cancer.ca for more information. 

• All award recipients must submit annual progress reports and statements of account throughout the grant (and a final report 2 years post-grant). Awardees will be emailed instructions about completing the report in our online system (EGrAMS). Submission of these reports is mandatory. Failure to submit the required reports will result in the future installments of the award being withheld.
• As a condition of funding, successful applicants will participate in annual meetings to share knowledge and network with each other and relevant stakeholders, including CCS staff and partners. The meetings may be designed as in-person or virtual events, to be determined. Awardees are also expected to participate in CCS-led workshops and opportunities which will facilitate networking and learning opportunities such as in knowledge translation or patient / stakeholder engagement.

Scientific misconduct including, but not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or misrepresentation of data will not be tolerated and may result in the rejection of proposals in the current program and possibly from all future CCS programs. Misconduct, including but not limited to, racism, discrimination, bullying, harassment of any form (i.e: sexual) will be treated with the same severity.

CCS reserves the right to cancel the support provided through its program were any of this conduct proven to (have) happen(ed).

CCMB is interested in supporting applications where both the trainee and supervisor are based in Manitoba and where the research activities will be undertaken in Manitoba. Awards at the PhD and Postdoctoral Fellow level are of primary interest.

SHRF is interested in supporting applications where both the trainee and supervisor are based in Saskatchewan. Awards at the PhD and Postdoctoral Fellow level are of primary interest.

CRS is a national not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is to fund research on all types of cancer, thereby contributing to the advancement of science aimed at preventing, detecting, and treating the disease. We have a specific interest in supporting trainees, at the Master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral level, in underrepresented groups to help reduce discrimination and inequity and support the full participation of talented individuals in building the next generation of cancer researchers.

TFRI is interested in supporting applications at any award level and on any aspect of the cancer continuum and type of research.