ENRICH New Investigator Clinical Researcher Salary Award

Eligibility

Location of Tenure: The award must be held at a Canadian Academic Institution, and/or child health research institute affiliated with a Canadian University.

Timing: Candidates should be within 5 years of their first research appointment and actively pursuing a clinician researcher career.  Any interruption in a candidate’s clinical and/or research training will be considered in determining eligibility and should be addressed within the CIHR Biosketch Common CV. 

Active Salary Awards: Applicants who already have a multi-year salary/stipend award from a local, provincial, or national organization/institution are ineligible for this award. Please apply to the REACH Award. 

Protected time: Candidates must have 50% protected research time.

Citizenship: This program is open to Canadians and permanent residents of Canada.

Licensure: Applicants must (a) have a license to practice their clinical specialty in Canada and/or within the Province from which they are applying, or (b) be registered in a combined clinical and research program, in which their license will be attained upon graduation.

Degrees: Candidates may apply from any health profession and/or discipline that meets the requirements of an appropriate licensing body to practice as a child health professional in Canada. These professions include but are not limited to: medicine, surgery, pharmacy, nursing, psychology, nutrition, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, audiology, speech language pathology, sports medicine rehabilitation, respiratory therapy, optometry, and midwifery.

Regional Leaders are available to help you: Sixteen Canadian Pediatric Academic Centres have a Regional Leader. Please contact the Regional Leader closest to your academic institution. They are knowledgeable about the ENRICH program and competition processes.  You do not need their sign-off to submit an application.  Please contact them well in advance of the application deadlines (45-60 days) to make sure that they have enough time to help you.  A list of our Regional leaders can be found HERE. 

Summary

ENRICH's awards are intended for candidates who wish to pursue a career conducting research in the field of  perinatal/child health and wellbeing. Successful candidates will receive an annual stipend, plus access to a scientist development curriculum and a network of mentors. Learners will enhance their skills ranging from research methods, to managing multi-site teams, to personal wellness, and other relevant topics for early career researchers. 

This award will provide $40,000 of salary support each year (payable to your host institution) for up to 4 years maximum.

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

A letter of Intent will be due on November 1st each year at 5 pm PST.  Candidates will be informed within 1-2 weeks if they are invited to proceed to the full application stage.

A Full application will be due on January 10th of each year at 5 pm PST. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. If the application competition date falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, applications will be due on the first business day following at 5 pm PST).

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

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.

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.

Letter of Intent (LOI) Stage

A Letter of Intent (LOI) is required by the agency and due on November 1, 2025. 

A complete Letter of Intent that is due on November 1st consists of:

1. Proof of licensure with an expiry date (if applicable). Please name it “1 CandidateLastname_License.”
2. One-page research summary. Please name it “2 CandidateLastname_Research Summary.”
3. CIHR Biosketch of Candidate. Please name it “3 CandidateLastname_Biosketch.”
4. Signature page. Please name it “4 CandidateLastname_Sig Page.” Click here to download.

These documents, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS), will be required by RSO by noon on October 26, 2025.  Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. .

Full Application Stage

Full applications, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS), will be required by RSO by noon on January 7, 2026.  Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. .

Once your RMS record has been approved by Research Services, submit to the agency by their deadline on January 10, 2026.