2025-2026 StrokeCog Postdoctoral Fellowship

Eligibility

• Applicants (PhD/MD) must have been accepted into a recognized research Post-Doctoral Fellowship position in a Canadian institution, with a start date before December 31, 2025.
• Must be a Canadian resident or permanent resident or hold a valid Canadian work permit or student visa.
• Must be engaged in scholarly work focused on clinical trials in stroke and/or Vascular Cognitive Impairment. This may take the form of a clinical trial, or analysis of clinical or behavioural trial samples and/or data, and which are aligned with the vision and mission of StrokeCog.

Summary

The StrokeCog Post-Doctoral Fellowship competition provides funding for up to five awards to support the training of future experts in stroke and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) clinical trials. This initiative aims to develop highly skilled researchers advancing knowledge and improving outcomes for individuals affected by stroke-related cognitive decline. The fellowship fosters innovative research, professional development, and collaboration among emerging leaders in the field, equipping them with the expertise needed to drive impactful clinical advancements.

StrokeCog is an EDIA-focused training platform transforming stroke clinical trial expertise in Canada. By embedding equity, diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility at every stage, StrokeCog fosters diverse, skilled trial teams to lead innovative, high-quality research across the stroke continuum. This approach ensures more inclusive, accessible, and representative clinical trials, generating equitable evidence to improve stroke prevention, treatment, and outcomes.

Term: The award covers ONE (1) year of training.

Funding value:  
The maximum potential total for this award is up to $62,500. A total annual stipend of CDN$52,500, will be funded by StrokeCog in whole, or if available, co-funded from a provincial co-funder or private partners. The award will be transferred to the academic institution of the applicant and/or supervisor. In addition, submissions that satisfactorily describe how people with lived experience (PWLE) with stroke and/or their family/caregiver communities are being meaningfully engaged in the clinical trial project will be eligible to receive up to an additional $10,000 as operational funds to be used for PWLE and/or family/caregiver community engagement.

It is expected that the supervisor contributes to the trainee’s funding in the amount required to meet at least any minimum stipend rules at their institution. This fellowship may be combined with other awards, up to a combined maximum stipend allowed by the institution, provincial or private co-funder, and the funding conditions of currently active awards obtained by the applicant. Also, provincial co-funder rules regarding co-funding or concurrent funding support will apply.

HOW TO APPLY: Details can be found in the application guidelines.

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 fellowships@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.

PLEASE NOTE: Applications and supporting documentations written in French are allowed 25% more space. 

HOW TO APPLY: Online through the application portal on the CANTRAIN website under Postdoctoral Fellowships: https://wecantrain.ca/home/studentships-fellowships-and-internships/postdoctoral-fellowship/ (application portal will be opened around mid-April).

Details can be found in the application guidelines.