Terry Fox New Investigator Award

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

Investigators must be within the first five (5) years of a first faculty-level appointment in Canada.

Please note that interruptions in work such as parental leave and/or COVID-19 related research delays will be taken into account when determining program eligibility. Applicants are advised to clearly and fully describe any interruptions or delays that affected the continuity of their work in the "Work Experience" section and may address it briefly in the "Personal Statement" section of the TFRI CV (*not included in the 250-word limit).

Summary

The Terry Fox New Investigator Award aims to support outstanding new researchers as they develop their careers as independent research scientists or clinician scientists to undertake high-quality cancer research, while in close collaboration and mentorship with Canadian cancer research groups.

Support under this Request for Applications (RFA) is targeted at high-quality biomedical, clinical and/or translational research, providing information that may form the basis of innovative cancer prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment. The TFRI is looking for outstanding investigators to be mentored by two or more senior investigators of an established Canadian research group which may be funded by any combination of Federal, Provincial, or private research grants.

Support Offered

Awards of up to $150,000 per annum are tenable for 3 years and provide:

• Research expenses, including research staff, consumables, and equipment.
• Travel and accommodation for scientifically justified visits.

Resources

Terry Fox New Investigator Awards Request for Applications (2024)

List of Eligible Sponsoring Programs (2024)

Terry Fox New Investigator Application Guide (2024)

Terry Fox New Investigator Awards Contact: Vivian Lee  Vlee@tfri.ca

Templates

Registration of Intent 

• TFRI New Investigator Registration of Intent Template (2024)
• TFRI CV Template (2024)

Full Application

• TFRI New Investigator Full Application Template (2024)

Overhead

N/A (Not Applicable)

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

Registration of Intent (no submission to Research Services needed)

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.

The Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) hosted an open-access webinar to outline the application process for the 2024 Investigator competition, and to answer questions prosperous applicants may have. The webinar recording is available here. 

Submission Process

Registration of Intent Phase is non-competitive (just checking for eligibility) so no submission to Research Services required. Complete the abstract submission form and the TFRI CV form and then email to  newinvestigator@tfri.ca before 6pm Mountain time on June 29, 2023

For Full Application:

1. Complete Full Application form provided by TFRI
2. To initiate internal approvals, complete the Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/additional-resources/resea...), attach the pdf version of your completed Application as well as any required supplementary documents, and submit for approvals from your department head and/or faculty Associate Dean (Research). *Important: when submitting in RMS, please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services review deadline of 12:00pm on August 30, 2023
3. Once these approvals are obtained, RMS will automatically forward the Application record to Research Services for institutional review and approval.
4. Research Services will review, provide feedback (by email) if necessary, and will provide the institutional approval. If digital or wet-ink signatures are required, we will provide the capping institutional signature and will advise when ready.
5. Full Applications, including any supplementary documentation, should be submitted to the agency via email to newinvestigator@tfri.ca on September 6, 2023 by 6:00PM Mountain Time