Applying for CIHR Doctoral & Masters Awards

Transcription

1 Applying for CIHR Doctoral & Masters Awards Tips and Strategies June 2014

2 Details Application Deadline: Around October 15 Anticipated Notice of Decision: Mid-April Funding Start Date: May 1 Trainee stipend: depends on status $22k to $30k/year Research Allowance $5,000/year Length of award: Usually 1 year for masters, up to 3 years for doctoral Maximum duration of funding from all federal sources to undertake graduate studies is four years, including a maximum one (1) year at the Master's level. Exception: Health Professional CIHR Fellowship award program.

3 Eligibility Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada Full-time masters or doctoral research training (a minimum of 30 hours/week dedicated to research and course work) Individuals already holding a doctoral award from a federal source for a term of three years are not eligible to apply. As of application deadline, applicants for PhD fellowship must have completed a minimum of 12 months of graduate study at Master's or PhD level.

4 Before You Begin Review the requirements and steps for application Discuss with your advisor or supervisor whether you should apply You will need: A ResearchNet Account A CIHR PIN A Common CV Account

5 Components of the Application Applicant s Common CV Supervisor s Common CV Three sponsors for references (one must be supervisor) Proof of Canadian Citizenship or permanent resident status Degree Program Information Project Information Title, lay title, lay abstract, research proposal summary (completed with your supervisor) (1 page max) How sex and/or gender will be addressed in your project Training expectations: how the training you will acquire will contribute to your research goals (2 pages max) Percentage of time spent on research and coursework Space, facilities and personnel support Official transcripts (scanned to be uploaded)

6 CommonCV On-line site for uploading specific information about your training, employment, funding awards, honors and licensures, publications and presentations Must be validated (NOT a draft version) - make note of confirmation number as this will need to be entered into the application May have additional attachments, follow directions for awards Supervisor must also prepare a CommonCV for the application, with special requirements (publications limited to 2 pages from past 5 years - should select relevant publications to your project AND highlight those completed with trainees)

7 Sponsor references You will submit information so that CIHR can send an invitation for the sponsors to submit their reference on-line Ask for references early and volunteer to draft some of the points you would like your sponsors to include - help them make it personal! Provide sponsors with a copy of your proposal, CV, and any other information you think will help them fill in the evaluation form (make it easy for them) Number of publications/presentations Number of grants and total money value Awards and recognitions Criteria they will rate and then write a summary to explain their rating: Critical thinking, independence, perseverance, originality, organizational skills, interest in discovery, research ability & leadership ability

8 Project summary Description of proposed research area of interest Work on this with your supervisor 1 page maximum Minimal or no citations, instead focus briefly on the problem, then rationale for your research design, and describe proposed sample and methods; conclude with a statement of what your project will do (significance) Write like you know what you plan to do (even if you re not quite sure!) Write for an intelligent reader but avoid specialised jargon

9 Training expectations This is where you describe how the various research experiences with your supervisor, your coursework, and your thesis/dissertation work will prepare you to achieve your research goals Take the opportunity to describe how your previous work with your supervisor (or previous research in your undergrad or masters program) has also helped lay the groundwork for your proposed study Describe extra-curricular opportunities in SON and beyond (i.e., Rounds, seminars, webinars, RA work, etc.) Identify benefits of specific supervisor and research environment in helping you achieve your goals (e.g., access to data, research network, funding, etc) 2 pages maximum

10 Facilities, Space This is where you talk about the resources of UBC and the School of Nursing that will support your training and project Mention specifically access you ll have to research experiences and training experiences that might be unique Mention ONRTS Mention the resources you ll have access to as part of your supervisor s team (including collegial relationships with other graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, as well as access to space and equipment) Brief, half a page or so

11 Review Criteria Achievements of the applicant - publications (10%), other research activity (10%), academic performance (15%) Characteristics and abilities of the candidate (40%) Critical thinking, independence, perseverance, originality, organizational skills, interest in discovery, research ability, leadership Research training environment (25%) training program for the candidate, scientific activity of the supervisor, research resources research funding secured by the supervisor, supervisor s training record

12 Review scoring outstanding excellent very good good average below average 0 not acceptable Must have a 3.5 or higher overall to be eligible for award Typically must be over 4.0 to be funded

13 Take care with attachments Use a font size of 12 point, black type. Maximum of six lines per inch. No condensed/narrow fonts, type, or spacing. Insert a margin of 2 cm (3/4 inch) - minimum - around the page. Indicate your name, the project title and the section title (e.g., Summary of Research Proposal) at the top of each page. Indicate the page number clearly at the bottom of each page. For CV attachments, only your name (i.e., does not have to be nominated principal applicant name) and the section title (e.g., Patents & Intellectual Property Rights) are needed in the header. Observe page limits, additional pages may NOT be added unless specified. Use only letter size (21.25 X 27.5 cm / 8.5" X 11") white paper/background for all attachments. Photo-reduce the supporting documents if the originals are larger than (21.25 X 27.5 cm / 8.5" X 11"). Attachments must be uploaded in PDF format. The size of the attached document(s) cannot exceed 30 MB/document.

14 Tips Start early and don t wait for the deadline to submit Print off instructions and read VERY carefully, highlighting deadlines and requirements - formatting counts! Look at the CIHR priority announcements you can apply for both the general and priority areas Work with your supervisor to complete ALL aspects of your proposal Have many people review for you ALL aspects Read successful proposals Use the space provided Make sure your proposal is complete including necessary signatures

15 Questions?