Fellows-to-Faculty - 2027 Request for Applications

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to apply, applicants must:

Hold at least one of the following or equivalent: Ph.D., M.D., M.D./Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree;
Be in a non-independent mentored research training position in a faculty member¿s research lab, e.g., postdoctoral position, physician-scientist research fellowship position;
Not accept a formal offer for a tenure-track faculty position or equivalent before receiving an award notification;
Not hold substantial federal grant funding as a Principal Investigator (PI), such as an NIH R01, or other PI-level faculty funding (e.g., SFARI Pilot Award);
Not hold other career development awards that facilitate a transition to an independent research career at the time of application or simultaneously with the Fellows-to-Faculty Award; and
Not have exceeded the resubmission limit: Applicants are limited to submitting applications to the Fellows-to-Faculty Award for a maximum of two (2) years. Applicants may submit to more than one science area each year. This policy applies to this program and its predecessor Independence Programs: SFARI Bridge to Independence Award, SCGB Transition to Independence Award and SCPAB Transition to Independence Award.
There are no citizenship requirements.

Summary

The Simons Foundation¿s Autism & Neuroscience division offers the program to nurture new talent and to broaden the community of scientists contributing to the basic science missions of our programs. We drive innovation and collaboration by supporting scientists with a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences.

This request for applications (RFA) is intended for Ph.D.- and/or M.D.-holding scientists currently in mentored research training positions who will seek tenure-track research faculty positions during the upcoming academic job cycle. Applicants must have a scientific vision for their future independent laboratory that advances the mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB) or Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE).

Overhead

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

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 provide a valid reason. 

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 Application