The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize

Eligibility

Eligibility and Criteria 

1. Candidates shall be outstanding researchers who are 45 years of age or younger at the deadline date. 
2. Candidates are Canadian citizens living in Canada, or residing abroad but committed to return to Canada within six months from the date of the Prize.  Non-Canadian citizens who are currently residing in Canada and who intend on living in Canada for the 12 months following award of the prize are also eligible. 
3. Eligible leaves (e.g., maternity, parental, medical, bereavement) will be credited at twice the amount of time taken; part-time leaves will be taken into consideration, calculated according to the percentage of leave taken, and credited at twice the amount of time taken. 
4. Candidates will have a primary affiliation with a Canadian academic / research organization. 
5. Research shall be in a mental health discipline. 
6. Candidates must hold an MD (or equivalent) and/or a PhD. 
7. Post-doctoral fellows are not eligible. 
8. The Selection Committee will use the following weighted criteria in assessing applications: 
   1. Applicant’s career to date, including most significant contributions to research and/or to practical applications. This is in line with DORA’s approach to responsible research assessment [30%]
   2. Applicant’s academic and/or clinical leadership potential [30%] 
   3. Research program, strategy and vision, including dissemination and translation plans [25%]
   4. Strength of letters of reference [15%]

Summary

The prestigious Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research is awarded to an outstanding rising star researcher in the field of mental health, to recognize, encourage and support them as they pursue their research interests and goals. 

The annual national prize provides $100,000 in funding to early-career researchers in Canada with a demonstrated track record in research; excellence in scientific rigor, innovative thinking, imagination and originality; and a clear ability to work in partnership with other disciplines and/or research teams external to the institution with which they are affiliated.

The award was jointly established in 2015 by The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research and the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada.

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

Please refer to the Application Guidelines for full eligibility requirements and additional application details.