2025 TRIANGLE GI & Liver Postdoctoral Awards

Eligibility

Applicant: This award is open to all trainees enrolled in a Postdoctoral program at a Canadian university or health research institute.  

Location: The award must be held at a Canadian academic institution and/or health research institute.

Research: All projects must focus on gastrointestinal (GI) or liver research.

Timing:

• Applicants must be pursuing full-time research at a Canadian university or research institute. Part-time positions will only be accepted as a disability-related accommodation or necessary for another reason that must be described and documented.
• Applicants must be eligible for three years of full-time or full-time equivalent Postdoctoral study. Career interruptions are not counted toward years of Postdoctoral experience. Applicants should provide context for their career interruptions in the optional TRIANGLE Personal Statement. Interruptions could include, but are not limited to:
  • maternity, parental, and/or adoption leave
  • illness and/or disability
  • pandemic-related delays
  • mandatory military service
  • war, civil conflicts, and/or natural disasters
  • socio-economic factors
  • lack of research opportunities
  • child and/or elder-care responsibilities

Citizenship: This program is open to citizens of any country. Citizens of a country other than Canada must provide proof upon application of a valid permit/visa at the time the award begins and at the beginning of each award year thereafter.

Summary

TRIANGLE Postdoctoral Awards are intended for candidates who wish to pursue a career conducting research in GI and liver health and wellbeing.  AMPLIFY PDF awards will provide salary support (1:1 match with supervisor and/or home institution) while ENRICH awards will give learners access to the same curriculum without salary support. These awards will enhance training with tailored education, mentorship, community, and experiential learning opportunities. At the end of each three-year TRIANGLE award, awardees will have the self-knowledge, skills, experience, and network to launch a fulfilling and impactful career in any sector that leverages their specialist knowledge and skills.

TRIANGLE will give out 6 awards each year to the top 6 ranked applicants. Three will receive salary support (AMPLIFY stream) and the other three will not (ENRICH stream). Candidates who hold salary support from another national or provincial institution will not be eligible for the salary support (AMPLIFY Stream) from TRIANGLE.

AMPLIFY Stream:

Research Fellows will receive $25,000 of salary support per year for 3 years. A minimum $25,000 matching of funds is required by the host institution, supervisor, or department.

Clinical Fellows will receive $35,000 of salary support per year for 3 years. A minimum $35,000 matching of funds is required by the host institution, supervisor, or department.

All TRIANGLE awards are provided without benefits. Successful awardees are expected to organize their own benefits with the host institution. 

ENRICH Stream: No financial support for the applicant’s salary will be provided. However, all ENRICH awardees will attain the same career and professional development support, non-financial support and other benefits as the AMPLIFY awardees.

CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT for AMPLIFY & ENRICH

• Travel and expenses for the TRIANGLE annual summit. Up to $1,500 per year for 3 years via reimbursement post-meeting.
• Support for one experiential learning placement (industry internships and/or lab visits), to a maximum of $3,500. Application required.

NONFINANCIAL SUPPORT for AMPLIFY & ENRICH

• skill and knowledge building via the TRIANGLE curriculum
• mentorship and guided career planning from leaders in research, industry, government, non-profit, and more
• access to large research teams/networks
• community, network, and collaboration building with the gastroenterology and hepatology communities within and beyond TRIANGLE
• support for mental, physical, and emotional well-being

Postdoctoral awardees who attain an academic placement as an early career researcher (ECR) before their award ends, should inform the TRIANGLE program manager immediately. Their award will be switched to the ENRICH stream for the remainder of the award, and all unused funds must be returned. It is the awardee and supervisor’s responsibility to inform TRIANGLE of this change. These applicants are encouraged to apply to the ECR award to gain access to this specific curriculum.

AMPLIFY Postdoctoral awardees who attain salary funding at the provincial or national level during the award term should inform the TRIANGLE program manager immediately. Should the provincial/national funding be >$25,000, the TRIANGLE award will be switched to the ENRICH stream for the remainder of the award, and all unused funds must be returned. If the provincial/national award is <$25,000 the TRIANGLE AMPLIFY award will be adjusted accordingly. It is the awardee and supervisor’s responsibility to inform TRIANGLE of this change.

Maternity/Parental Leave: Successful candidates for the Postdoctoral AMPLIFY award are eligible to receive paid parental/maternity leave up to a maximum of 12 months. The term of the award will be extended by the length of the approved leave up to but not exceeding 12 months. All paid leaves must meet the following requirements:

• Interruptions for this purpose must be taken within six months following the birth or adoption of the child.
• The leave must be requested at minimum 30 days in advance of the leave start date.
• The student must not be eligible for and will not be receiving employment insurance or other parental benefits from any other sources.
• Award holders must be the primary caregivers for the duration of the interruption.
• Award holders may request a separate parental leave for every eligible occasion of birth or adoption.
• Multiple births upon the same occasion (for example, twins) do not increase the duration or the value of the leave.
• Paid interruptions require supporting documentation such as proof of birth or adoption.
• The supplement is equivalent to the value of the monthly stipend for up to 12 months.
• If both parents hold a federal granting agency award and choose to request paid parental leave from their agencies, they must share the paid leave for a cumulative maximum of 12 months.
• Paid parental leave does not apply to award holders acting as a surrogate or gestational carrier; these award holders may request unpaid leave for medical reasons.

• Approval of paid parental leave is subject to the availability of agency funds.

   

Medical or Family Caregiver Leave:  Learners are eligible for unpaid medical or a family caregiver’s leave for up to 12 months. The latter is to provide care or support to certain family members who have a serious medical condition. Awards will be placed “on hold” for the duration of the leave with supported documentation from the local institution. The leave must be requested at minimum 30 days in advance of the leave start date. Awards will resume upon the return of the individual to the training environment. The term of the award will be extended by the length of the approved leave up to but not exceeding 12 months.

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.

Apply here