2022 Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research

Eligibility

This competition is open to early-career researchers within five years of starting their first independent research position by the deadline to submit Full Applications. Leaves of absence (e.g., maternity and parental leave, sick leave) will not be included in calculating the five-year window.

Applicants must be conducting research at an eligible Canadian institution for the entire duration of the grant, and must be considered an independent researcher at their institution. Such an individual normally holds the rank of assistant or associate professor; can initiate and direct their own independent lines of research as principal investigator; has full responsibility for running their laboratories; has full control of their research funds; and is permitted to supervise trainees (if applicable, as per their institution’s policy). Postdoctoral fellows or adjunct faculty are not eligible to apply.

• Academic appointments must have started by the Full Application submission deadline.
• Applicants must be able to devote a minimum of 50% of their time to research activities.
• Research applications may be related but cannot be identical to any other currently funded projects. It is the responsibility of the applicant to notify Brain Canada immediately should substantial overlap arise from new funding awarded during the application and review process of this competition.
• Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent in order to be eligible to submit a Full Application.
• Applicants who are currently holding, or previously received, an Azrieli Foundation Early-Career Capacity Building Grant or a Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research Grant are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must be able to initiate the project in September 2023 when funding is expected to begin.

Eligible Costs

These funds may be used to support any aspect of the research project, including:

• Salaries for technical personnel;
• Stipends of trainees;
• Supplies and materials;
• Maintenance of essential equipment and/or purchase of equipment that is currently unavailable but essential for the project;
• Provision of special services and user fees;
• Knowledge Mobilization, including, but not limited to, travel of the Principal Investigator and trainees for presentation of results at conferences, publication costs in peer-reviewed and open- access journals or repositories (including article processing charges), knowledge exchange activities (workshops, brochures, books), and knowledge diffusion activities via online technologies (webinars, podcasts).

Ineligible Costs

• Salaries and consulting fees of any investigator or researcher holding an independent academic appointment;
• General office and lab equipment;
• Indirect costs or overhead costs associated with managing the research project.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and Brain Canada must be consulted on expenses that are not listed here, so that any partners involved can determine the eligibility of other categories of expenditure.

Summary

Supported by the Canada Brain Research Fund, the purpose of the Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program is to accelerate novel and transformative research that will fundamentally change our understanding of nervous system function and dysfunction and their impact on health. The ultimate goal is to reduce the social and economic burden of neurological and mental health illnesses through prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment.

Newly trained researchers in their first independent academic position are in a strong position to formulate innovative and impactful research projects. However, at the early stages of an investigator’s career, they often lack the preliminary data and resources that are required to obtain their first large operating grant. As such, promising early-career researchers are often at a disadvantage when applying to “open” funding programs, where more established researchers tend to dominate.

The Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program has the potential to be transformative at a time when it is well recognized that there is a significant funding gap to support and retain our brightest early- career researchers, who are well positioned to make major contributions to Canadian brain research. By providing early-career researchers with funding at a critical point in their careers, we can build Canada's pipeline of future leaders and a foundation of research excellence and innovation.

Scope

This Program encourages innovative, unorthodox, and exploratory research that may be in the early and conceptual stages of project development but has potential for significant impact on our understanding of the brain. The data generated will enable early-career researchers to apply for larger grants that will lead to long-term projects and create innovative and sustainable research programs.

Projects should be distinct from other research projects conducted by the investigator. The research topic will focus on hypothesis-driven inquiries on the brain and nervous system, and may span the range of basic, translational, and clinical approaches, including:

• Basic research into fundamental properties and mechanisms, including functional studies based on the use of “-omics” data.
• Projects related to disease or dysfunction of the nervous system leading to new insights into fundamental biological mechanisms.
• Projects that experimentally test novel hypotheses addressing therapeutic or interventional approaches for brain disorders.
• Projects aimed at developing novel methods, if these methods allow new neuroscience questions to be answered.
• Projects, such as those using epidemiological, “-omics”, or other approaches, that will generate large datasets, if hypotheses are clearly stated.

This funding opportunity is meant to encourage innovative, unorthodox, and exploratory research that may be in the early and conceptual stages of project development but has potential for significant impact on our understanding of the brain.

Open to early-career investigators within five years of starting their first independent research position, the 2022 competition has an overall funding envelope of $2,500,000 to support up to 25 grants of $100,000 over two years.

Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation, and creativity. Brain Canada is committed to excellence through equity, and we encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply to our funding opportunities, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives, approaches, and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups.

Click here to view the Request for Applications. For more information, or if you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact Brain Canada at futureleaders@braincanada.ca.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.