Canadian Cancer Society Emerging Scholar Research Grants 2026

Eligibility

At the time of the grant start date (May 15, 2026), applicants (and/or co-PIs):

• must be early career scientists (including clinician scientists), who hold a full-time appointment at an eligible Canadian research institution.
• must have (a) firm faculty appointment(s).
• must be within 5 years from the start of their first independent academic appointment* at the funding start date (minimum assistant professor level, or equivalent).
• must not be current recipients of operating grants aimed at advancing the career development of early career investigators at the time of the ESRG funding start date (please refer to the “multiple applications/multiple sources of funding” section below).
• Applications must include a letter of commitment from the host institution guaranteeing the applicants protected time* allocated to cancer research, and a description of available mentoring support and resources provided prior and during the proposal development, as well as in the future in case of success. See below for more information.

*Note:

• Career interruptions including, but not limited to, parental leaves, extended sick leaves, medical leaves and family care will be considered, but must be described in the application. Justified career interruptions will be included in the calculation of the five-year eligibility window.
• It is expected that at least 75% of the applicant’s time will be allocated to cancer research, however CCS recognizes that this may not be feasible for all institutions. In cases where protected time falls below 75%, CCS, with input from the review panel, will carefully evaluate the host institution’s commitment, key milestones & expected timelines, terms of reference, and career development plan sections of the full application to ensure alignment with the goals of this funding program.

For this competition, there is a limit of 1 application per Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator. Only Early Career Researcher (ECR) co-principal investigators (Co-PIs) will be accepted. In the case where only 1 application will be submitted for multiple ECRs, it must be clearly stated that Co-PIs qualify as early career researchers.

Summary

The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is excited to relaunch the CCS Emerging Scholar Research Grants program (ESRG-26). By making a significant investment in the advancement of emerging scholars, CCS aims to strengthen the future of the cancer research ecosystem in Canada. This opportunity aims at establishing and advancing promising early career investigators from across Canada, with a focused commitment to undertaking cancer research. Through the CCS Emerging Scholar Research Grants, early career investigators will develop their independent cancer research programs in Canada and pursue important scientific advances of the highest quality and potential for impact across the 4 pillars of health research (biomedical; clinical; health services; and social, cultural, environmental & population health).   
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The current funding envelope for this competition is $9M over 5 years. This amount may be increased if additional funds become available from CCS or partners.

• Each grant will be valued at up to $120,000 per year, tenable for 5 years. Grants will be non-renewable.
• Funding of up to $100,000 per year will be provided to support the direct costs of research, including supplies, salaries (trainees and research support staff), and equipment associated with the proposed work.
• $20,000 per year can be used for buy-out time from clinical or teaching duties. If buy-out is not required or does not require the full budget, up to $10,000 can be used for professional development of the applicant and their lab members, as described in the career development and mentorship plan sections of the full application. Note that equipment is not an eligible expense for this section.
• Equipment requests cannot exceed 10% (or up to $50,000) of the direct costs of research.
• Indirect costs are not eligible. Review CCS’s Financial Administration policy when developing the budget. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Abstract Registration - no submission to Research services needed. Follow instructions outlined here to submit by July 2, 2025 at 3pm MT

LOI:

1. Complete LOI application on the CCS EGrAMS system as instructed in the guidelines here.
2. In RMS, start a new pre-award/Letter of Intent record. Complete the form and upload a copy of your final and complete LOI application to the RMS Application record, and submit for academic approvals.  Please ensure that you allow enough time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services (RSO) final internal deadline of NOON, August 22, 2025.
3. RMS will notify you that institutional approval has been provided. If an institutional signature is required, RSO will provide this. You may now submit on or before August 27, 2025 at 3:00PM Mountain time.

Full Application:

1. Complete Full Application on the CCS EGrAMS application system and print preview or save a pdf copy.
2. To initiate internal approvals, complete the Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/additional-resources/resea...), attach the pdf version of your completed Application, and submit for approvals from your department head and/or faculty Associate Dean (Research). *Important: when submitting in RMS, please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services review deadline of 12:00pm on January 23, 2026 (deadline tentative).
3. Once these approvals are obtained, RMS will automatically forward the Application record to Research Services for institutional review and approval.
4. Research Services will review, provide feedback (by email) if necessary, and will provide the institutional approval. If digital or wet-ink signatures are required, we will provide the capping institutional signature and will advise when ready.
5. Full Applications, including any supplementary documentation, should be submitted to the agency via the portal on January 28, 2026 by 3:00PM Mountain Time (tentative deadline).

Abstract Submission Guide available here

LOI Submission Guide available here

Overhead

Not applicable

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

Abstract Registration (no submission to Research Services needed)

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.