2025 endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships

Eligibility

• Applicants who currently hold, or are completing a Doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent). M.D. applicants must hold degrees that are recognized by the medical regulatory authority in the Canadian province or territory where they practice. A Postdoctoral Fellowship will not be activated for a Doctoral candidate until MS Canada has received written notification from a university or professional school that an appropriate Doctoral degree has been granted.
• Completion of a Doctoral degree or medical training, including residency, within three years of the competition deadline.
• Enrolled in postdoctoral training* at a Canadian institution. Applicants who are interested in studying abroad must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
• Postdoctoral Fellowships must be held in a recognized institution; and be responsible to an appropriate supervisor who is in a field relevant to MS.

*Postdoctoral training must be conducted in a different laboratory and with a different supervisor as your Doctoral training.

Summary

The endMS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is intended to support research for training of Postdoctoral Fellows in studies related to MS. The endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships serve to attract and retain young researchers in the field of MS.

Applications to the endMS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program should emphasize opportunities for new research training and broadening scientific competence of the applicant, with a particular alignment with MS Canada's (MSC) strategic plan. The strategic plan outlines four key impact goal areas: 

• Advance Treatment and Care: Research that aims to advance treatment and care for people affected by MS (e.g. symptom management; diagnosis; developing new treatments and understanding their mechanisms, understanding and evaluating interventions to address mental health, wellness/self-care, and rehabilitation in people living with MS; innovations in the provision of health services, clinical care practices and models of care; and advances in healthcare delivery/policy).
• Enhance Well-being: Research that aims to understand how to enhance the well-being of people affected by MS within communities (e.g. understanding the social determinants of health; assessing the health economics/cost benefit analysis on MS interventions and support structures and systems; evaluation of community-based programs; and advances in health systems research/policy).
• Understand and Halt Disease Progression: Research that aims to understand the etiology and mechanisms of MS, disease progression, progressive MS, and repair (e.g., myelin biology, neurobiology, neurophysiology, immunology, neuropathology, and imaging).
• Prevent MS: Research that aims to prevent MS (e.g. identifying risk factors for disease, effective interventions for prevention, health economic/cost benefit analysis on prevention, and defining highest risk populations).

Based on the nature of the research, the candidate can apply for one of the following awards:

• endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships: Biomedical research
• endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships: Clinical and Population Health research

MSC welcomes applications from postdoctoral fellows from across disciplines pursuing research in MS. We strongly encourage applications from Postdoctoral fellows in the Clinical and Population Health stream in the areas of treatment and care, enhance well-being and prevent MS.

Biomedical Research Stream

The Biomedical Research stream supports research which uncovers the biological, pathological, and mechanistic aspects of MS, and provides fundamental knowledge about the development, progression, prevention and treatment of MS disease. Studies can involve in vitro, animal, and/or human models.

Clinical and Population Health Research Stream

The Clinical and Population Health Research stream supports clinical research with the goal of improving diagnosis, treatment, or the health and quality of life of individuals with MS; health services research; encompasses research on, or for the treatment of, people affected by MS; supports population health research that aims to understand the complex, biological, social, cultural and environmental interactions that determine the health of individuals and populations.

Amount and Term

• Maximum term: 3 years (initial award and two renewals)
• Awarded amount per year (for Ph.D. holder): $41,000
• Awarded amount per year (for M.D. holder): $50,500

The MSC awards funding annually for endMS Personnel Awards. Subsequent funding allowable within the maximum term limits of the award will be renewed upon demonstration of research progress as determined by MSC and MSC endMS Personnel review committee through an assessment of a Progress Report completed each year.

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.

Application

All applications must be submitted via ProposalCentral which can be accessed through the following website: https://proposalcentral.com. Applicants are also required to connect their ORCiD identifier, a persistent and unique digital identifier, to the ProposalCentral profile. ORCiD will connect your iD with your professional information (e.g. grants, publications, funding, etc.). If you don’t have an ORCiD, you can easily create one in a few minutes.

Applicants who are eligible for an annual renewal of their current endMS Personnel Awards will be contacted by MSC to complete and submit a Progress Report in ProposalCentral.

Please carefully review the Program Guide before submitting an application as some requirements have changed. For any questions on the application, do not hesitate to contact ms.grants@mscanada.ca.

Policies and Procedures

Program Guide
Policies
Frequently Asked Questions