SMART Training Platform Funding 2026-2027

Eligibility

Eligibility Guidelines

• No more than 2 applications from the same supervisor.
• Students must confirm enrolment in their home institution’s undergraduate, Master’s, PhD or PDF program prior to receiving the funding
• Students must have plans for thesis related project or publication focused on a ‘healthy cities topic and relevance to implementation
• Students must have a committed advisor to supervise a healthy cities-focused research paper/project
• Major award holders are eligible, however, students with financial need will be prioritized
• Students must complete the following mandatory components to receive funding
  • Methods Café Course (Fall semester)
  • Attend annual Healthy Cities Conference
  • Commitment to experiential learning placement

Summary

SMART Training Platform Funding 2026-2027

The SMART Healthy Cities Training Platform addresses an urgent need to build capacity in implementation science to support the development of healthy cities from a systems and equity perspective, utilizing state-of-the-art methods that range from effective community engagement to computational science.

The SMART Healthy Cities Training Platform was established in 2021 through a Healthy Cities Training Grant from CIHR-NSERC-SSHRC. The original team included faculty from 10 post-secondary institutions from across Canada, 11 non-governmental agencies/community partners and the Public Health Agency of Canada.  Since 2023, the SMART Training Platform trainee awards program has expanded eligibility to support trainees at all Canadian post-secondary institutions. Also, all perspectives of healthy cities and implementation science are eligible for consideration.

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