The Neuro – Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science International Prize

Eligibility

The prize is open to up to five individuals working in research organizations or Open Science non-profits around the world.

Evidence of impact is mandatory, including but not limited to:

• indicators of access to and use of software tools, data, or code repositories number of downloads
• evidence of work to increase the usability of open tools
• evidence of patient/participant outreach or co-development
• knowledge translation and education activities
• evidence of work promoting open data standards, and
• authoring or co-authoring Open Science guidelines and policies

Early Career Researcher (ECR) and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) criteria play a role in the selection process.

Applicants will be asked to submit an EDI statement that should consider whether sex, gender, race, ethnicity, dis/ability, socioeconomic status, and other socio-cultural factors play a role in the project/initiative; The statement should consider whether these factors impact the team, the environment, the project or initiative itself, or its intended output. And, if relevant, should outline how these factors will be managed and accounted for.

PLEASE NOTE: Prize funds will only be distributed to McGill-affiliated individuals once out of every five years. The last year when McGill-affiliated individuals received prize funds was 2021. McGill-affiliated individuals may still be listed as applicants, but the unrestricted research funds must be sent outside of McGill and the salary-award will be split between non-McGill-affiliated individuals until 2026.

Summary

The Neuro-Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science Prizes, sponsored by the Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation, is an initiative in its third year from The Neuro’s Tanenbaum Open Science Institute. The Prizes recognize projects, services, tools, and platforms that unlock the power of Open Science in neuroscience to advance research, innovation, and collaboration for the benefit of health and society.

The international prize is awarded to an individual or a group of individuals who have maintained, valorized, and/or delivered Open Science practices, policies, or tools that have had a demonstrable impact on neuroscience research. It can be awarded in recognition of a single project, or a series of contributions to Open Science in neuroscience.

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

If the application is being made by a group (max. five applicants), a single person from that group will be designated as the Corresponding Applicant. The Corresponding Applicant should be one of the senior leaders of the project(s). They must submit all documentation and receive all communications regarding the prize. It is highly recommended that official institutional emails are used for applicants and suggested supporters.

The application package will be submitted through an online webform accessible by clicking “Apply below” and shall comprise:

1. An application title, the name(s) and affiliation(s) of applicant(s), a short description of the role of each applicant (max. 100 words), the current position or job title of each applicant, and a field where the applicant(s) may choose to identify themselves as a member of an underrepresented group.

2. A max. 1000-word Project(s) Description describing the project(s) to be considered. This description will be uploaded as a PDF and may contain relevant images, figures, and links. It is recommended that the Project(s) Description consist of the following sections: Project Description, Lay Summary, Rationale, Significance, Approach, Evidence of Impact (external links, including hyperlinks, are permitted) and EDI statement.

Upon submission of the webform, the Corresponding Applicant will be sent an email including links to the Prize information page. They will be asked to upload the Project(s) Description; and

3. The names, affiliations, and email addresses of a maximum of 3 referees who the applicant believes will support their application.

Upon submission of the webform these individuals will be sent an email including the application title, names of the applicant(s), a link to the Prize information page, and a link they can use to upload letters of support (PDF, max. 500 words). Please note that letters of support must be uploaded by 23:59 September 10, 2023.

A group application may be submitted by up to five people. Applicants may be from the same organisation or different organizations and the application may address one or more projects.

In cases where there are multiple applicants, the salary support funds will be split evenly between applicants. For the unrestricted research funds, applicants will be asked to identify one institution to receive and disburse the funds.

The salary support funds will be distributed through the applicant's employing institution. It is the responsibility of the applicant(s) to account for any taxation implications of receiving salary support funds.