2023 Arthritis Society Canada Training Postdoctoral Fellowship

Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Work at an eligible research institution in Canada on a research project that is relevant to the research priority areas in Arthritis Society Canada’s 2020-25 Research Strategy;
• Be in receipt of a PhD or a health professional degree (or equivalent, in a field such as medicine, dentistry, rehabilitation sciences, nursing, pharmaceutical studies, veterinary medicine, etc.) by the anticipated start date of the project;
• Be within their first four (4) years of postdoctoral training at the time of the application deadline; and
• NOT be in the same research laboratory (supervisor) in which they received their PhD.

Note: Applicants who are not in receipt of their PhD at the application deadline but who will be in receipt of their PhD by the start of funding, and who can provide all required documentation, are eligible to apply.

The roles and responsibilities of the Trainee and Host Institution in the management of Arthritis Society Canada’s research and training funds are defined on the Arthritis Society Canada website.

Summary

Summary: The Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides support for highly qualified postdoctoral fellows to engage in research that is in an area of clear relevance to arthritis and Arthritis Society Canada’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025: Accelerating Impact - Research Strategy which aims to identify research avenues that focus on areas of highest priority to patients and achieve the highest levels of scientific excellence and rigour.  Applications must focus on innovative research efforts in the following priority areas.

Fellows will train under the supervision of an arthritis researcher who qualifies as a Principal Investigator as defined by Arthritis Society Canada. Applications are to be completed and submitted by the fellow, under the close supervision of the proposed supervisor. The training program must include actual involvement in conducting research. It is expected that the fellow will be spending at least 75% of his/her time conducting research during the tenure of the award. Fellows enrolled in programs oriented toward clinical training focused on research are eligible for these awards.

Successful applicants will also be invited to attend the Canadian Arthritis Research Conference. The intent is to augment the young investigators’ training by providing a forum to share their research, gain knowledge on select topics such as consumer engagement in research, and provide networking and mentorship opportunities.

Funding: The maximum award per application is $40,000-$50,000 annually for up to three years ($120,000-$150,000 total). These awards are non-renewable. 

Please note the matching funds required for this program:

• Candidates who hold a PhD are eligible for $40,000 for a maximum of three  years. The award of $40,000 includes 50% matched funding. Successful applicants will receive up to $20,000 annually from Arthritis Society Canada for this award. The other 50% of the award funding must come from one or more partners (government, industry, NFP or academic institution) or be allocated from an existing research agency grant.
• Candidates who hold a clinical health professional degree are eligible for a salary of $40,000 - $50,000 for a maximum of three years, depending upon the number of years of academic training. The award of $40,000 -$50,000 includes 50% matched funding. Successful applicants will receive up to $25,000 annually from Arthritis Society Canada for this award. The other 50% of the award funding must come from one or more partners (government, industry, NFP or academic institution) or be allocated from an existing research agency grant.

Application: Apply with the Arthritis Society Canada Online Grant System.

A maximum of one application per trainee will be permitted in the competition.

All submissions will be screened for completeness and eligibility. Note that incomplete applications by the deadline will be deemed ineligible and withdrawn from the competition. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that applications are complete at the time of submission.

All applicants are strongly advised to read all program documentation listed below. If you have any questions, please contact the research department.

Applications must be submitted through the Arthritis Society Canada’s online application system and include the following components:

• Scientific abstract (Max. 500 words)
• Project description (Max. 2,500 words)  
• References 
• Relevance of the proposal to Arthritis Society Canada’s Society’s 2020-2025 Research Strategy priority areas  (Max. 250 words)
• Lay summary sections (Max. 100 words per section)
• Knowledge translation (KTE) plan sections (Max. 250 words per section)

Required Attachments

• Signature page (candidate, supervisor(s), department head and Host Institution)
• Candidate and supervisor(s) Canadian Common CV (CIHR Biosketch - CIHR issued PIN required)
• Official transcripts of the candidate’s graduate training
• Timeline and milestones (1 pg. diagram / chart)
• Three letters of support, including one from the candidate’s primary supervisor confirming that the trainee will devote at least 75% of their time to conducting the proposed research, an assessment of the candidate’s critical thinking, independence, perseverance, originality, organizational skills, interest in discovery, etc., the value of the award to the candidate, the research environment, any out-of-discipline training or mentorship and details of the source of matched funding.

Optional attachments

• Appendices  (Max. 5 MB per document)

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.

Notes about this award: Out of discipline training or mentorship is encouraged to expand the trainee's perspective on (and experience with) collaborative multi-disciplinary research and help to facilitate the applicant's career development.

Awardees are permitted to hold additional training salary awards, however, if the awardee receives an additional salary award(s) valued beyond the required matched value of the award, the amount of Arthritis Society Canada’s training award may be reduced accordingly. Awardees must advise Arthritis Society Canada of any additional awards received during the term of the award.

Awardees are expected to spend at least 75% of their time in research training. (i.e., the trainee may spend no more than 10 hours/week in paid employment that is not directly related to their research training).

If, at any time during the tenure of the award, the supervisor feels that the progress of the awardee is not satisfactory or 75% of the trainee's time cannot be devoted to conducting research, Arthritis Society Canada must be notified in writing immediately. The award may be terminated at any time for good and sufficient reason by the awardee, the Institution or Arthritis Society Canada. It is the responsibility of the supervisor and the Institution to notify Arthritis Society Canada immediately of the change of status of an awardee.

For health care professionals who are currently registered in PhD programs and are receiving an award from Arthritis Society Canada, the award will terminate when the fellow has completed the degree requirements.

Awardee and Host Institution Requirements: In addition to the requirements set out in the Host Institution agreement, awardees and Host Institutions who receive Arthritis Society Canada funds are expected to act as ambassadors of our mission and may be called upon to communicate about their research with donors and other stakeholders. We also encourage grantees and Host Institutions to reach out to us to discuss opportunities for engagement.

Applicants are reminded to access the Arthritis Society Canada website for details on the administration and reporting requirements (scientific and financial reporting, policies, etc.).