Fellowship Awards - ResearchNet "Application" Phase Instructions

How to Apply

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following or click the links to register:

• a ResearchNet account
• a CIHR PIN in ResearchNet
• access to Common CV

You should only have one ResearchNet account. If you have already accessed ResearchNet, do not register for a new account. The application must be prepared, finalized and submitted by the candidate.

General Application Process

1. In ResearchNet, complete all tasks listed for your funding opportunity following the on-screen instructions in one of the official languages.
   Note: Any other documents (including attachments) that exceed the page limits or are not required will be removed from the application prior to peer review.
2. Determine what signatures are needed for each part of your application. Refer to the funding opportunity, and the Meaning of Signatures in the Grants and Awards Guide.
3. In ResearchNet, print the Signature pages needed for the funding opportunity.
4. Offline, obtain signatures for all signature pages (printed names should accompany signatures), and for any other material needing signatures. Signatures must show titles of institutional authorities.
5. Scan the signature pages as one PDF document.
6. Upload the signed signature pages to ResearchNet as part of your submission before the application deadline date.
7. Review the How to Apply section of the Funding Opportunity, and provide the additional information requested.
8. Preview all components of your application in ResearchNet using the "Preview Application Materials" task to ensure that your application is complete.
9. Submit the completed electronic application to CIHR through ResearchNet by completing the "Consent and Submit Application" task on ResearchNet.
   Note: CIHR cannot legally accept your application until you complete this task.
10. For technical help, call 613-941-9080 or e-mail support@researchnet-recherchenet.ca, and for more information email info@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

A complete application consists of:

Task Tips

These Task Tips provide general instructions, but do not necessarily represent an exhaustive list of all information required to ensure completeness.

Task 1: Identify Participants/Supervisors

New: Applicants will enter their Common CV Confirmation number in this task. This replaces the former requirement to upload a CCV .pdf file.

Note that it is the Nominated Principal Applicant/Candidate’s responsibility to obtain their supervisor(s)’ Common CV Confirmation Number and enter it in this task.

CIHR applicants and their supervisor(s) must choose an Academic CV template (replaces Full Application CV). Common CVs are required regardless of the citizenship of the applicant and supervisors. To produce an Academic CV template:

1. Log in to the Common CV system: go to the CV menu and select Funding.
2. In the Funding Source field, select CIHR from the dropdown and click next. Select the appropriate CV type and click next.
3. Enter data and click on "Done." Validation is automatically performed and errors are displayed, if any. The validation rules follow the requirements set specifically by CIHR.
4. Review the CV data online and via a preview of the PDF.
5. When satisfied, click on "Submit."
6. Record the confirmation number that is displayed with the status message (which can also be found at the top right corner of the CV PDF).
7. Return to ResearchNet and enter this confirmation number under the Identify Participants Task. If you wish to make changes to your Common CV for a certain application, you must repeat the steps above and use the new confirmation number.

Note: During peak periods, there can be a delay between the time that you submit the CV and when ResearchNet is able to validate it. It is highly recommended that you submit your CV well in advance of the competition deadline.

This task collects information on:

• Yourself as the Nominated Principal Applicant:
  • CIHR PIN;
  • CCV Confirmation Number;
  • Contact information which will serve to allow CIHR to communicate with the candidate if needed;
  • Citizenship (this information triggers the next steps for citizenship requirements);
  • Degrees Held
    • Candidates applying for Post-PhD funding who have not yet received their PhD degree should check "PhD" in the "Degree Held" section.
    • Candidates applying for Post-PhD funding who also hold a Health Professional degree or Allied Health Professional degree (with or without licensure in Canada) should check both, unless the degree is not recognized in Canada.
    • Candidates applying for Post-HP funding who have not yet received their health professional degree should check "Health Professional" or "Allied Health Professional", as appropriate, in the "Degree Held" section.
• Your Primary Supervisor:
  • CIHR PIN;
  • CCV Confirmation Number;
  • Contact information which will serve to allow CIHR to communicate with the primary supervisor if needed.
• Your Supervisor (if applicable):
  • CIHR PIN;
  • CCV Confirmation Number;
  • Contact information which will serve to allow CIHR to communicate with the supervisor if needed.

Note: You must, at a minimum, identify a Nominated Principal Applicant and a Primary Supervisor. Consult the Funding Opportunity and the Individual Eligibility Requirements on the CIHR website for more information.

Task 2: Identify Sponsors

This task collects information on the 3 sponsors whose assessments accompany your research application. Note that when identifying sponsors, the language specified will determine the language in which they will receive their assessment form.

The assessment form must be completed and submitted online by the sponsors and be written in either English or French. Once an assessment is submitted, it will automatically attach itself to your application.

Candidates do not have access to the content of the assessment submitted by sponsors. However, candidates may follow the status of the assessment directly under this task.

Note that it is the candidate's responsibility to follow up with sponsors to ensure the assessments are submitted prior to the deadline date and therefore ensure the application completeness.

Task 3: Attach Participant Documents

All attachments must adhere to the guidelines for attachments on the Acceptable Application Formats and Attachments. Before preparing your proposal, please carefully review these instructions.

It is under this task that you will attach:

• Proof of citizenship (for Canadian citizen and permanent resident);
• Blank page for candidates that are neither Canadians nor Permanent Residents;
• Proof of current and valid Canadian licensure (e.g., copy of annual membership card with expiry date) for applicants with a health professional degree who are licensed in Canada is required, if applicable.

Note: All attachments listed under this task must be scanned individually, saved in a PDF format and uploaded under their appropriate section.

The total size of the attached documents cannot exceed 30 MB.

Contribution Details

The following attachments provide more information on various applicant contributions and those of their supervisor(s).

New: All of the data fields in the following attachments can now be found in the renewed Common CV.

CIHR is taking a phased in approach to the submission of Contribution Details: applicants and their supervisor(s) may use the renewed Common CV to enter their contribution data or may continue to use the following attachments. Only Career Interruption and Delays must be submitted through the renewed Common CV, under the Leaves of Absence section.

Phasing in the use of the renewed Common CV for Contributions will provide more time for some of the more labor-intensive fields (e.g. Publications). Therefore, none of the Contributions fields in the renewed Common CV will be mandatory (with the exception noted above). However, CIHR strongly encourages the applicant and their supervisor(s) to enter data into at least 5 of the Contribution fields in the renewed Common CV (where possible), to familiarize themselves with the system.

Note 1: Trainees: An applicant to the Fellowships Funding Opportunity is considered to be a trainee.

Note 2: Applicants and their supervisor(s) are strongly advised to avoid duplicating contributions details information (i.e., if entering same information as part of the Common CV, do not include these details below as part of the application).

1. Contributions Details - Most Significant Contributions

• To be completed by the supervisors only. The applicant must leave this section blank;
• Maximum of 1 page.

Description: The supervisor must identify a maximum of five (5) contributions that best highlight their contribution or activities in the field of research, defining the impact and relevance of each. A contribution is understood to be a publication, literary or artistic work, conference, patent or intellectual property right, contract or creative activity, commission, etc. A complete description may include the organization, position or activity type and description, from and to dates, and the basis on which this contribution is significant (i.e., relevance, target community and impact).

2. Contributions Details - Activities and Contributions

• To be completed by the applicant and all supervisors;
• Maximum of 1 page.

Description: The activities and contributions defined in this section should include both academic and non-academic achievements, and their impacts.

Examples of entries follow. This is not necessarily a complete list, and is intended to provide guidance only.

• Committee membership, e.g.,:
  • Peer review committees (specify the year(s), the subject(s), and the funding organization)
  • Examination committees (indicate the author, title of thesis, and university)
• Consulting/contract activities
• Research development
• Research or technical reports
• Supervisory experience (e.g., training of students)
• Technology transfers (specify the nature of the activity and the target audience)
• Involvement in public, private, or non-profit sector activities
• Policy papers
• Presentations as a guest speaker (public or invited lectures)
• Editorships (specify if editor-in-chief or member of the editorial team)
• Evaluation of articles for scientific, literary or artistic journals (specify title of journal and the number of articles evaluated)
• Knowledge translation/dissemination activities
• Trainees might also mention development of a graduate seminar program, journal club or similar activity

If some of these activities are not clearly linked to the research theme of the team or centre to which you belong, please provide the necessary explanations.

3. Contributions Details - Patents and Intellectual Property Rights

• To be completed by the applicant and all supervisors;
• If there are none, leave this section blank;
• Maximum of 1 page.

Description: This section should include details for patents and intellectual property rights for technology transfer, products, and services. Do not include publications in this section. Descriptions might include the title, patents or intellectual property rights number and date, country(ies) of issue, the name of the inventors, as well as relevance or impact of the stated item.

4. Contributions Details - Publications List

• To be completed by the applicant only. The supervisors must leave this section blank.
• Candidates must, for each multi-authored publication, define their role in the publication and indicate their percent contribution to the team effort.
• Candidates for training awards, with or without publications, are invited to comment on environmental factors that affected their capacity to publish.
• No page limit.

Description: Candidates should list all publications, not just those of the last five years.

Use each applicable category as a different sub-title; and maintain the same presentation order as shown below. In all instances, use the reference format for complete bibliographical notes of each original publication. Indicate the source of funding, if applicable. This is not necessarily a complete list, and is only intended to provide guidance. Categories can be added as needed.

Categories:

• Published refereed papers (original articles published in journals with editorial review)
• Accepted or in press refereed papers (attach acceptance letters)
• Submitted refereed papers
• Published books and monographs (as author or editor)
• Accepted or in press books and monographs
• Submitted books and monographs
• Published contributions to a collective work and book chapters (including chapters written on invitation or collective works derived from conferences or symposiums)
• Accepted or in press contributions to a collective work and book chapters (including chapters written on invitation or collective works derived from conferences or symposiums)
• Presentations as guest speaker (including conferences, presentations, demonstrations, workshops intended for a non-academic audience, according to the type of audience)
• Published abstracts/number of notes (including name of journal, title of article, and date submitted)
• Accepted or in press abstracts/number of notes (including name of journal, title of article, and date submitted)
• Submitted abstracts (including name of journal, title of article, and date submitted)
• Works including individual or collective literary or artistic works (e.g., novels, short stories, poetry, film, video, visual arts work, booklet, record, sound creation, book of artists, collection, exhibition catalogue, etc.)
• Research reports or reports produced for the government
• Articles in professional or cultural journals without review committee (including popularized texts)

5. Contributions Details - Titles and Contributions

• To be completed by the supervisor(s) only. The applicant must leave this section blank;
• This section is also for a list of publications but for the supervisor(s) only;
• Maximum 2 pages.

Description: List of the supervisors' publications over the past 5 years chosen in a way that will best serve the candidate's application. The supervisor(s) may use the categories above as sub-titles.

Proof of Citizenship or Permanent Residence

You must attach your proof of Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident document.

The following are the acceptable forms of proof:

• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Birth Certificate/ copy of an act issued by the proper provincial government authority
• Valid Passport
• Permanent Resident card
• Form IMM 1000
• Form IMM 5292
• Valid Indian Status Card

Please note the following citizenship requirements:

• For Canadians and permanent residents: a photocopy of the valid citizenship document must be uploaded as part of the application;
• For those that are neither Canadians nor Permanent Resident of Canada: a proof of citizenship is not required and the letter of support from the proposed primary supervisor is no longer required. For the purpose of this application, you must upload a blank page.

Task 4: Enter Degree Information

This task collects information on any Degrees, Qualifications, Certificates and/or Licenses in progress at the time of application as well as Degrees for which support is being requested.

The section "Degree in Progress" and "Qualifications, Certificates and Licenses In Progress" are only to be completed if you are completing a degree, qualification, certificate or license at the time of application. If you are not, please leave this section blank.

You must also specify at least one degree for which support is being requested to complete this task. Please note that if you are applying to do postdoctoral studies, then you can choose the option "postdoctorate", even though it's not a degree per se.

If you are a Health Professional (or Allied Health Professional) and are seeking funding to pursue Master's studies, with the intent of transferring into a Doctorate program before the end of the Master's studies, then, for the purpose of this application, you must identify both degrees.

Task 5: Enter Project Information and Supporting Documents

This task collects information related to your research project.

Project Title

Your Project Title is the way that CIHR identifies your research project. For this reason you cannot edit your Project Title.

Lay Title

Provide a title for your project that is in a language clear to members of the general public. Lay titles are used by CIHR to inform the public and Parliament about the valuable research supported through public funds.

Lay Abstract

Describe your project in a way that is accessible to a lay audience. Be sure to indicate how your proposed research can improve personal health, the health of populations and/or the health delivery system. This information is used by CIHR to inform the public and Parliament about the valuable research supported through public funds.

Institution Paid

Institution that will administer the funds for your project. Consult the Institutional Eligibility Requirements on the CIHR website for more information.

If you are proposing to conduct your research outside of Canada, you will be paid directly. As such, there is no "Institution Paid" and therefore, you must manually enter the name of the institution where you will be located for this section.

Certification Requirements

If your application is selected for funding, the necessary certification requirements must be met in accordance with policies on ethical conduct of research. Relevant policies:

• Tri-Agency Memorandum of Understanding on the Roles and Responsibilities in the Management of Federal Grants and Awards
• CIHR Funding Policies

Note: Not all funding opportunities include or allow trials. The Clinical Trial and Randomized Controlled Trial questions below may or may not appear on your application - consult the funding opportunity for information regarding these questions. For further information on the trials policy, refer to the TCPS 2-2nd edition of Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.

Is this a clinical trial?
Indicate if this application includes a clinical trial. For more information regarding clinical trials, please refer to the policy on trials.

Does this Application Contain a Randomized Controlled Trial?
Indicate if this application includes a randomized controlled trial. Refer to the funding opportunity on specific requirements for randomized controlled trials for the program to which you are applying.

In order to carry out the proposed research in this application, is an exemption from Health Canada under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act required? (Trainees are exempt and should answer No)
Indicate if your proposed research is such that an exemption from Health Canada under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) will be required. Consult the Department of Justice website for details regarding Section 56 of the CDSA and the Health Canada website for details regarding obtaining an exemption under Section 56 of the CDSA.

Does this application propose research involving Aboriginal people?
Indicate if your application proposes research involving Aboriginal people. This information will be used for statistical purposes only. Any questions or comments may be sent to the Aboriginal Ethics Guidelines mailbox at aeg-lda@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Are sex (biological) considerations taken into account in this study?
Indicate if sex (biological) considerations are taken into account in this study. For a guide to sex and gender based analysis, please consult the CIHR website.

Are gender (socio-cultural) considerations taken into account in this study?
Indicate if gender (socio-cultural) considerations are taken into account in this study. For a guide to sex and gender based analysis, please consult the CIHR website.

Please describe how sex and/or gender considerations will be considered in your research proposal. If your study includes sex (biological) and/or gender (socio-cultural) considerations, then describe how they will be considered in your research proposal (limit of 2000 characters).

Aboriginal People

Applicants whose proposed research will involve Aboriginal People, please consult Ethics of Health Research Involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis People.

Percentage of Time Spent on Different Activities

Indicate the percentage of time to be spent on different activities. Awardees are expected to spend at least 75% of their time in research training (Research + Course work).

Project Descriptors

Provide keywords to describe your research project, the techniques and the methodologies it will employ, and the areas of interest.

Areas of Research

Select the areas of research that best describe your proposal from the list provided.

Classification

Select the classifications that best describe your proposal from the list provided.

Themes

Select a primary theme classification. Indicate additional theme classifications only if the substance of the application significantly overlaps more than one theme. Consult the definition of the four CIHR Themes on the CIHR website for more information. Note: the theme identified will be used, along with other elements of the application, to assign the application to the most appropriate Peer Review committee.

Categories

In this section, select a CIHR Institute whose research mandate is related to this application's research area(s) and objective(s). Additional Institutes should only be selected if the substance of this application significantly overlaps with the research mandate of more than one Institute.

Attachments

All attachments must adhere to the guidelines for attachments on the Acceptable Application Formats and Attachments.

Training Expectations

Follow the instructions below on what this document should contain:

• Maximum 2 pages.
• Provide an overview of how your previous research training relates to the present proposal and elaborate on your career goals. Describe how the training you expect to acquire will contribute to your productivity and to the research goals you hope to achieve and how this award will enable you to establish yourself as an independent investigator.
• Indicate why you decided upon the proposed training location and what you expect to learn from the training experience.
• In addition, if you are planning to hold this award in the same research environment (i.e., research/paid institution (or its affiliate), supervisor or co-supervisor) where you completed your PhD or PhD equivalent, justification is required. This justification (maximum one page) is to be attached under "Other" in the "Attach Other Application Materials" task. It must be named: "Rationale for Research Training Environment".

Research Project Summary

The title and research project summary should be completed in collaboration with the proposed supervisor(s).

Follow the instructions below on what this document should contain:

• Project Title.
• Length: Maximum 1 page, including references.
• Research Project Summary: Include the specific hypothesis of the research and describe the candidate's role on the project. This summary should be written in general scientific language.

  Note: While it may be tempting to give these summaries short shrift, given all of the other tasks you must complete, the Research Project Summary is among the most important parts of your application. Make sure that it provides a concise account of the subject matter; an overview of each part of the research plan, specific project aims and the methodology. The summary should reflect the significance of your project.

Task 6: Enter Space, Facilities and Personnel Support

This task describes the space, facilities and personnel support that are available to the candidate.

Task 7: Enter Foreign Training Environment Rationale

This task identifies whether or not the research will be conducted outside of Canada, and provides justification. This task must be completed only if your research institution is outside of Canada.

Task 8: Attach Other Application Materials

Upload any other application materials that are required by the Funding Opportunity. All documents must be in PDF format.

For the Fellowship Funding opportunity, this only includes the following:

1. The "Rationale for Research Training Environment" letter (maximum one page) for candidates with a PhD proposing a post-PhD research training environment that is the same as the one in which they completed their PhD (e.g., same paid/research institution (or its affiliate), same supervisor and/or co-supervisor).

Task 9: Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools (if applicable)

Priority Announcements/Funding Pools

Priority Announcements/Funding Pools on CIHR's core competitions offer additional sources of funding for highly rated applications that are relevant to specific CIHR research priority areas or mandates.

Priority Announcements/Funding Pools are listed on the CIHR website throughout the year together with CIHR's other current funding opportunities. For requirements on individual Priority Announcements/Funding Pools, verify the "How to Apply" section of each Priority Announcement/Funding Pool on the Funding Opportunities page. This section will indicate if relevance information is required at the application stage.

Identify Priority Announcements/Funding Pools and Relevant Research Areas

To apply for funding through a Priority Announcement/Funding Pool, select the Priority Announcement/Funding Pool title from the list and the Relevant Research Area(s) addressed by your proposal, then press save. If a relevance form is required, a text box should appear. Complete the text box and press save again.

Priority Announcements/Funding Pools for research related to an Institute's mandate are not listed here. Your application will automatically be entered into these competitions if you have selected the Institute as a primary (or, in some instances, secondary) Institute under "Suggested Institutes" on the Project Descriptors page.

Task 10: Print/Upload Signature Pages

Print the signature page PDF file which is found under this task.

Verify the requirements for original signatures by consulting the sections titled Required Signatures on Application Forms and Meaning of Signatures on Application Forms in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide. These signatures are required to be collected by the deadline date displayed in the funding opportunity.

Also check the "How to Apply" section of the funding opportunity description to verify signature requirements and obtain all required signatures.

Once all signatures are acquired, scan all pages (including the routing slip) as one document, save in a PDF format and upload the PDF on ResearchNet under this task prior to submitting your application.

Task 11: Preview Application Materials

Review all components of your application. If a task is incomplete, you must provide the missing information to successfully submit your application.

Note: You are responsible for ensuring that documents are uploaded within the appropriate sections of the application and that they are complete and conform to application requirements. ResearchNet does not validate the content of the uploaded document(s).

Task 12: Consent and Submit Application

Submit Application

You must review the terms listed and respond to the questions regarding consent in order to submit your application.

You must click Submit to send your application to CIHR. If you have performed this task correctly, you will be sent an email entitled "Successful Submission - CIHR Fellowship / Soumission acceptée - IRSC Bourse de recherche des IRSC". No further confirmation is provided.