Other: Travel Awards – Institute Community Support (2026)

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible, the Nominated Principal Applicant must meet the specific requirements of the applicable funding pool. For details, see the Sponsor Description section.

In addition, the following requirements are applicable to all funding pools:

1. The Institution Paid must be authorized to administer CIHR funds by the funding start date.
2. The Nominated Principal Applicant MUST be the first author and presenter of the presentation or poster.
   • Note: This is not applicable to knowledge users applying for the Institute of Gender and Health CBRC Summit funding pool and CRPPHE Stream 2 applicants.
3. Travel must occur between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.
4. Individuals are limited to ONE CIHR ICS Travel Award application per competition. Each application can only contain ONE presentation or paper.

Summary

Through the Institute Community Support (ICS) Program, CIHR Institutes and Initiatives are launching the ICS Travel Awards competition for master’s and doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, early career researchers, and knowledge users to present their own research at national and international meetings, workshops, or conferences.

The specific objective of this funding opportunity is to:

• Provide travel funds to support individuals engaged in research and knowledge mobilization activities, presenting at national and international meetings, workshops or conferences, that align with the priorities of CIHR’s Initiatives or the vision, mandate, and strategic directions of CIHR’s Institutes.

Note that each of the participating Institutes/Initiatives have their own relevant Research Areas, Eligibility Requirements and Funding Levels, which are outlined in the Sponsor Description section of this funding opportunity.

NOTE 2: CIHR’s Institute of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Population and Public Health, Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies and HIV/AIDS and STBBI Research Initiative have partnered to provide funding for travel support to the New Investigator Forum (NIF) through the Spring 2026 ICS Travel Award funding opportunity. Application to the ICS Travel Award competition is mandatory to be eligible to participate in the NIF. Successful applicants will be invited to attend.

Overhead

n/a

Application deadlines

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.

Note: This project is handled by various teams depending on the position of the applicant. For inquiries, please contact the below:

• Graduate students - gsawards@ucalgary.ca
• Undergraduate students and postdocs - rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca
• Faculty (ECRs), Staff (Knowledge Users, Research Associates) - rsogrants@ucalgary.ca and/or lindsey.hritzuk@ucalgary.ca 

Submission Process:

Full application, plus approvals in RMS OR signed RFAA form, will be required by RSO by noon on November 13, 2025. Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in enough time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the internal RSO deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines.

Do not submit through ResearchNet until RSO's signature has been granted!! 

Once institutional signature has been obtained, a copy of the CIHR signature page will be available via the RMS record, under Documents. Upload the CIHR signature page and routing slip in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task in ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on November 18, 2025.

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 Application