Upcoming SPARC Deadline for Reviewing CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grants

Winter 2025 CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grant Deadlines and SPARC Support

• Application deadline: 19 November 2024
• Those submitting CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grants for Fall 2025 should be aware that the deadlines have been moved significantly earlier this year.
• This cycle, ~75 awards are available, with values ranging from $10k to $60k x 1 year.

Michael Smith Health Research BC (Health Research BC) has announced that applications are open for 2025 Scholar Competition and for the 2025 Health Professional-Investigator Competition. In the 2024 cycle, Dr. Catrina Loucks, a Member of the ATM, was a recipient. Those in the ATM community who are interested are encouraged to apply to these programs to support their research endeavours.

UBC-specific process and policies can be found here.

Scholar Program

Award term: 5 years

Award amount: $90,000/annum for salary support

The Scholar Program supports early-career health researchers who are building leading-edge health research programs, training the next generation of scientists and expanding their potential to make significant contributions to their field.

For details about the 2025 Scholar Program, visit the Health Research BC Website.

Read about the 2o24 recipients here, including Dr. Catrina Loucks

Health Professional-Investigator Program

Award term: 5 years

Award amount: $90,000/annum for salary support

The Health Professional-Investigator Program supports health professionals who are actively involved in patient care to build their health research programs, train the next generation of scientists, and make significant contributions to their field.

For details about the 2025 Health Professional-Investigator Program, visit the Health Research BC Website.

Read about the 2024 recipients here.

Webinar

31 October 2024 | 10 to 11.30 a.m.

Register to attend.

Key Dates

LOI deadline: 19 November 2024, 4:30pm

Application package sent to Dean’s Office at UBC Point Grey campus: 8 January 2025

Applicant full application deadline: 23 January 2025, 4:30pm

Host full application deadline: 30 January 2025, 4:30pm

Anticipated notice of funding decision: June 2025

Anticipated start of funding: 1 July 2025

Fostering collaboration is a central priority in UBC’s strategic plan. The Grants for Catalyzing Research Clusters (GCRC) program was jointly created by the Vice-President Research & Innovation and the Provost & Vice-President Academic to enable the formation and growth of interdisciplinary research excellence clusters.

A research excellence cluster is defined as a network of researchers spanning multiple disciplines at UBC that supports the formation and maturation of interdisciplinary teams that foster partnerships and collaborations, develop new research questions, directions and themes in research creation, addressing key societal and cultural problems that transcend traditional boundaries, offering training opportunities for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and integrating principles of equity, diversity and inclusion within their activities

These grants are specifically targeted to catalyze activities that facilitate the advancement of research, thereby enabling clusters to produce a greater impact. They are intended to leverage external funding opportunities, facilitate partnerships, and to enhance research training. Researchers from all disciplines are invited to apply for funding.

GCRC competitions are open to clusters led by researchers at our Vancouver campus and affiliated hospital sites.

2025/26 Competition

• There will only be one competition in the winter for 2025/26 GCRC.
• New clusters and eligible clusters funded by previous GCRC competitions are invited to apply.
• Clusters will no longer be divided into emerging and established categories; a cluster will be designated as either new (i.e., never received GCRC funding) or as returning (i.e., previously funded through GCRC funds)
  • New clusters will receive up to $100,000
  • Returning clusters will receive up to $200,000
  • Grant terms for both cluster categories are for either one or two years.
  • New cluster applications will be adjudicated in a separate pool from returning clusters, and will be assessed based on the relative maturity of their collaboration.
• Clusters are limited to three cycles of funding, i.e., have received GCRC funding through three competitions, regardless of cluster category. Note: Clusters that have previously received three or more cycles of GCRC funding, whether they are currently or not currently funded, are no longer eligible to apply for future GCRC funding.
• There will be greater emphasis on the funding goals clusters will work towards. Furthermore, once funding goals have been achieved, GCRC funding will conclude, to make opportunities open to others.
• In addition to our standard review panels (STEM, health, and social sciences, humanities, and creative and performing arts), we will include a fourth panel for interdisciplinary clusters that span two or more of these domains.

Application Components

• Notice of Intent (NOI)
• Cluster Lead Applicant Information
• Proposal Narrative
• Budget Justification
• Trainee Stipend (optional)
• Outcomes Report
• Research Project Information Form

Key Dates

• Information Sessions (optional – register here)
  • 18 October 2024 | 10am – 11:30am
  • 22 October 2024 | 10am – 11:30am

• NOI Deadline
  • 1 November 2024

• Help Session for applicants (optional)
  • 14 November 2024

• Full application deadline
  • 8 January 2025

• Anticipated start date and funds distributed:
  • Early April 2025

Full information including eligibility and details, FAQ, and more can be accessed here

Dr. Catrina Loucks Receives Michael Smith Health Research BC 2024 Scholar Award. The announcement was recently made by Michael Smith Health Research BC regarding the 2024 awardees for the Scholar Award and the Health Professional-Investigator Award. 

The Scholar Program is designed to support early career researchers as they establish independent research careers, form their own research teams and develop research programs that advance cutting-edge health solutions.

Dr. Catrina Loucks is one of 23 awards for the 2024 Scholar Award, for the project ‘Towards improving pain management for children using patient-specific genetic information’. Please read the full project description to learn more about Dr. Loucks’ important work towards tailored pain management strategies in pediatric patients. Dr. Loucks is a Member of the ATM and has previously been featured in the ATM Spotlight Series.

All recipients of the Health Research BC 2024 Scholar Award can be viewed here. Please join us in celebrating the achievement of these researchers and their impactful projects!

Summary

As part of their commitment to promote capacity building in the Canadian cancer research landscape, the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (CIHR-ICR), in partnership with the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and Terry Fox Research Institute, as well as in-kind partners, the Canadian Cancer Society and Cancer Research Society, is pleased to announce the open call for applications for its annual Early Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop.

The ECR Workshop will be held from the evening of November 26 to the evening of November 27, in Toronto, Ontario. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by ECRs, this workshop aims to support the professional development of ECRs in cancer research by equipping them with the skills and expertise necessary to lead cutting-edge research in the 21st century. CIHR-ICR will cover the costs associated with travel, accommodation, and poster printing for the ECR Workshop. Further details regarding expenses will be provided to successful applicants.

Objectives

To promote the professional development and success of ECRs within the Canadian cancer research landscape by:

• Providing opportunities to interact, collaborate, and network among peers, senior investigators, knowledge users, and other participants;
• Strengthening the knowledge and skills relevant to establishing and maintaining a successful research career through career development presentations, breakout sessions, and panel discussions (e.g., grantsmanship, communicating science, research program management, patient engagement, resources and tools, etc.);
• Facilitating learning and knowledge sharing between researchers, senior investigators, knowledge users, CIHR staff, and other stakeholders within an interdisciplinary environment.

Key Dates

• Workshop: 26-27 November 2024 | Toronto, Ontario
• Application Deadline: 30 September 2024 | 8:59pm
• Notice of decision: October 2024

Eligibility

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must meet CIHR’s definition of an Early Career Researcher at the time of application.
2. The NPA must be committed to attend the entire ECR Workshop and present a poster. NPAs are encouraged to re-use any existing posters.
3. The NPA’s area of research must be relevant to CIHR-ICR’s mandate and/or research priority areas.
4. The competition is open to individuals affiliated with a Canadian institution at the time of the application.

Interested applicants can find full information on the CIHR website, including application information and links.