| Important Dates | |
| Opportunity Launched | October 2006 |
| Content Last Updated | (No updates since launch) |
| April 15, 2007 | Institutions will receive their new potential grant allocations |
| November 1, 2007 | Last date for institutions to submit their plans detailing how the funds will be distributed in the first year of the grant. |
| September 1, 2008 | Earliest funding start date |
| Additional Information | Institutions will receive information on their 2007-2008 grant allocations by April 15, 2007. |
| Funds Available | |
|
CIHR's contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds voted annually to CIHR by parliamentary appropriations, and the conditions that may be attached to them.
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| Summary | |
| MD/PhD Program Grants are offered to MD/PhD Program Directors for support of students pursuing a combined MD/PhD degree at a Canadian institution | |
Background
Objectives
Eligibility
Allowable Costs
Review Process and Evaluation Criteria
General CIHR Guidelines
Conditions of Funding
Communications Requirements
Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation
How to Apply
Contact Information
CIHR, through its Clinical Research Initiative, has the goal of further strengthening the Canadian clinical research endeavor by increasing the number of clinician-investigators. The CIHR MD/PhD Grants Program is a modified version of the CIHR MD/PhD Studentships Program, created in 1995, that provides MD/PhD Program Directors greater flexibility in maximizing the number of students that can be supported with CIHR funds.
To provide funding to MD/PhD programs for support of individuals pursuing an MD degree early in their academic career, allowing for an opportunity to experience academic research with the goal of encouraging them to continue in research.
Eligibility criteria for all CIHR research funding programs apply. The business office of a recipient institution generally administers CIHR funds. Please refer to the Eligibility Requirements for CIHR Grants and Awards regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.
Specific Eligibility Requirements
Eligible MD/PhD programs must show evidence of strong institutional support, a Program Director and an administrative infrastructure.
The funds must be used by the MD/PhD Program Directors to support students who are enrolled in a combined MD/PhD program at their institution. Research supervisors of the supported students should normally be holders of operating or salary funds obtained through a competitive peer review process.
CIHR support must be assigned to students for at least one year and a maximum of six years.
Program Admissions and Advisory Committee
Each recipient institution of a CIHR MD/PhD grant must have a Program Admissions and Advisory Committee (PAAC). The committee will be responsible for the recruitment of highly qualified trainees and to assign the CIHR MD/PhD Studentships to individual MD/PhD students. It will also be be accountable for the tracking of graduates from the program.
The PAAC must be composed of the MD/PhD Program Director(s), a representative from the medical school, one or more faculty members representing the graduate studies constituency and a senior MD/PhD student.
Review criteria to be used by the PAAC for the selection of students
This Request for Applications will follow the General Guidelines for Grant Programs.
All conditions specified in CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies shall apply to applications funded through this program. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official language policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of CIHR Support. Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial conditions prior to the release of funds or when they receive CIHR's Authorization for Funding (AFF) document.
All trainees supported in whole or in part by CIHR MD/PhD Program Grant funds will be considered to be holding a "CIHR MD/PhD Studentship". CIHR funds may be combined with other sources of funding to provide the greatest degree of flexibility in funding the maximum possible number of MD/PhD students. If the stipend of the student includes funding from other sources, a shared award title may be considered.
Please note that all existing CIHR MD/PhD Studentship Awards are not affected by this change in the program funding mechanism. They will continue in parallel to the grants provided.
Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
All personal information collected by CIHR about applicants is used to review applications, to administer and monitor grants and awards, to compile statistics, and to promote and support health research in Canada. Consistent with these purposes, applicants should also expect that information collected by CIHR may be shared as described in Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to CIHR for Peer Review.
CIHR as a federal entity is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, therefore the requirements of these two statutes will apply to all information located in CIHR's premises including, without limitation, cost-sharing agreements related to this Request for Applications and all matters pertaining thereto.
While respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, all signing parties involved in a collaborative agreement will also be bound by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under collaborative agreements related to the Request for Applications will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.
CIHR must be acknowledged in the communication of research results produced by CIHR MD/PhD grant supported students. See CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies, Public Communication and Acknowledgement of CIHR's Support for details on CIHR's communication requirements.
CIHR is committed to demonstrating results to Canadians for the money invested in health research. Therefore, processes for monitoring progress and appropriate use of funds, as well as for performance measurement and program evaluation are in place. As a result, funding recipients must:
Institutions will receive their new grant allocations in early April. Following the receipt of the allocations, the Program Directors must submit a plan to CIHR, detailing how the funds will be distributed, by November 1. The plan required by CIHR should include the following information in the form of a signed letter from the Director of the MD/PhD program:
If the plan is considered satisfactory by CIHR, the grant funds justified by the plan will then be released with a start date between September 1 and March 1. The funding of the individual stipends of students must be initiated no later than the following March 1.
Send the original, signed plan by courier to:
RE: CIHR MD/PhD Program Grants
Research Capacity Development
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
Eligible students should contact an MD/PhD Program Director to determine how to submit an application.
For questions on CIHR funding guidelines and how to apply contact:
Jennifer Lee
Program Delivery Coordinator
Research Capacity Development
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 957-0296
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: jlee@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
