KRESCENT New Investigator Award 2025

Eligibility

Application to the KRESCENT program is open to applicants from all disciplines relevant to
kidney disease (i.e. biomedical, clinical, health services and population health, including both
kidney transplant and donation).

New Investigator Awards Eligibility.

• Researchers within the first three years of their first faculty appointment (Assistant Professor level or equivalent) at the time the Award commences. Please note, an institutional acceptance letter must be provided in the application package.
• Must hold an MD and/or PhD, including Allied Health professionals. 
• New Investigator Awards must be held at universities in Canada. 
• Applicants must have the ability to hold independent research funding, train academic trainees as the primary supervisor, and have significant protected research time. 
• Applications in clinical research will be considered only if it is clear from the application that at least 80% of the applicant’s time and effort will be devoted to the research project(s).
• The New Investigator Award is contingent on the following additional requirements regarding grant-in-aid support for the proposed research.
  • During year one and two of this award, the awardee must show proof of submission of grant in-aid applications to granting agencies that conduct peer reviews of the proposed research plan.

Summary

The KRESCENT program New Investigator Award is awarded to individuals who have clearly demonstrated excellence during their pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training in kidney disease. The Award provides salary support for up to three years of the faculty appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor or its equivalent at a Canadian University.

The purpose of this award is to assist such an individual to become established as a fully independent investigator in the field of kidney disease. 

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Prior to submission, please connect with your Faculty as this is a Salary award - not a research grant, and their eligibility requirements for supporting your application may differ from those of a standard research grant. 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 approvals by the RSO basic and detailed review deadlines above.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS, 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.

Salary Award: The KRESCENT program offers a competitive salary stipend (see Guidelines of individual awards for specific stipend levels). Stipends are valued in Canadian dollars and are taxable. It is expected that 50% of the award will be contributed by the KRESCENT Program and 50% by the host institution.

Infrastructure Award: The KRESCENT program also offers to match up to a maximum of $25,000 of Infrastructure Support (laboratory start-up costs and support staff) awarded during the period of the New Investigator Award from the sponsoring university or institution. The Candidate must apply for the Infrastructure Support at the same time as the salary award and a budget should be provided. The Candidate also must submit proof of matching institutional support. It is the intention of the KRESCENT program that the Infrastructure Support be used to the direct benefit/assistance of the awardee’s research plan. Infrastructure support must be used by the end of the KRESCENT award. Some examples of appropriate uses of this infrastructure support would be the purchase of software, equipment, other technology or stipends for graduate students and summer students; examples of inappropriate uses of these funds would be for supplementation of the awardee’s salary or for general institutional overhead.