2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)-CIHR Scholar-in-Training Awards (SITAs)

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for the 2026 AACR-CIHR SITAs are as follows:

1. Candidates must be full-time doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows (post-PhD), or post-health professional degree fellows (e.g., nursing, physiotherapy, medicine, dentistry) at a Canadian academic or research institution.
2. Candidates must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
3. Candidates must be the first author and presenter of a meritorious abstract at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026. Awardees are required to present in-person; remote presentations are not permitted.
4. Candidates must be AACR Associate Members in good standing.
   • If you do not currently hold AACR Associate Membership, please apply on the AACR portal by October 21, 2025 in order to obtain a membership in time to then submit an application for an AACR-CIHR SITA. The membership is free. Further information regarding AACR Associate Membership can be found on their website.
5. Employees or subcontractors of private industry are not eligible.
6. Candidates may not receive the AACR-CIHR SITA more than once.
7. If an awardee is unable to attend the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, the award must be forfeited. An awardee who cancels their participation in the Annual Meeting is financially responsible for any costs incurred.

Summary

As part of its longstanding partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is delighted to re-launch the open call for applications for the AACR-CIHR Scholar-in-Training Awards (SITA). An expansion of the highly prestigious and successful AACR SITA competition, these awards will support young investigators from Canada, particularly from underrepresented groups, to present their research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, the world's largest cancer research conference.

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

Applications for AACR Associate Membership

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.

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application