The Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Program

Eligibility

Applicants for the Postdoctoral Enrichment Award: 

• must have no more than 48 months of postdoctoral research experience (in a research laboratory) at the time of application and not be more than 5 years from his/her Ph.D.
• must be nominated by a qualified mentor at the degree-granting institution and/or their affiliates where the applicant will conduct the postdoctoral/fellowship training.
• Applications must be approved by an official responsible for sponsored programs (generally from the grants office, office of research, or office of sponsored programs) at the degree-granting institution.
• must have secured a postdoctoral position with funding (including support by the mentor’s existing research grants) at a degree-granting institution in the United States or Canada and must begin the postdoctoral position on or by the designated award commencement date.
• must have demonstrated a commitment to promoting equal access and opportunity through their activities, background and life experiences, which may be informed by someone’s membership in groups that have been historically underrepresented in the sciences. 

• must be citizens of the United States or Canada (at the time of application). 
   

  The program seeks to support postdoctoral fellows with Ph.D.s in the biomedical or medical sciences. Applications should focus on foundational, curiosity-driven research in the biological/biomedical sciences. Applicants with M.D. degrees who have secured a postdoctoral research appointment beyond clinical fellowship will be considered for this program. DDS, DVM, and PharmD candidates may be eligible, but should contact BWF prior to applying. Proposals in health services research or involving large-scale clinical trials are ineligible.

Summary

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is committed to fostering the development of the next generation of biomedical scientists and is strongly committed to supporting only degree-granting institutions and affiliates to achieve this goal. The career development of young scientists has been a major funding theme at BWF. The lack of equal access to advancement opportunities within certain groups, including some historically underrepresented groups, first-generation college students and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, is a significant problem for the scientific community. Many students with strong SAT scores, impressive grades, and success in high school honors math and science courses leave the college science pipeline. Thus, factors other than school preparation, science aptitude, and interest must be responsible for the low achievement and low persistence of these subgroups of undergraduate and graduate Science & Engineering students. 

For this reason, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund created the Postdoctoral Enrichment Program in 2012. BWF is committed to funding the next generation of scientists and researchers, thus we have an interest in advancing the careers of individuals who may have been denied equal access to important opportunities. The primary goal of the Postdoctoral Enrichment Program (PDEP) is to promote equal access efforts and to enhance the postdoctoral training and experience of junior scientists. Funds will be provided to support the following enrichment activities:

Funds will be provided to support the following enrichment activities: 
1. Activities for the postdoctoral fellow to enhance research productivity, e.g. workshops, courses, travel, collaborations, and training in new techniques 
2. Activities for the postdoctoral mentor to increase the mentoring of PDEP fellows in university-based programs: 

• Career guidance of the postdoctoral fellow
• Research guidance that increases the productivity of the PDEP fellow
• Attendance at one annual meeting of mentors hosted and/or sponsored by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF)

3. Participation in a peer network system of postdoctoral scholars.

About the Award and Application Instructions

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.

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