Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) Research Trainee Program
Quick Facts
MSFHR Research Trainee Awards support highly qualified master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral trainees to prepare for careers as independent health researchers in one of the following four themes: biomedical, clinical, health services, and population health.
Program under review; competition deadline to be determined
Eligibility
Award Categories are determined according to years of graduate research training and, at the post-doctoral level, by the number of years since degree completion. The reference date is the competition deadline.
- Junior Graduate Studentship (JGS) awards are open to applicants who have been enrolled in a graduate research program(s) for a total of 15 months or less.
- Senior Graduate Studentship (SGS) awards are open to applicants who have been enrolled in a graduate research program(s) for a total of 15 months or more.
- Post Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) awards are open to applicants who have been in receipt of their doctoral degree for 42 months or less, or a M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M. or D. Pharm for eight years or less.
To meet general eligibility requirements, the applicant:
- can only apply to one award category per competition
- can only apply to one MSFHR personnel award program at a time
- can only apply a maximum of two times to an award category (Junior Graduate Studentship, Senior Graduate Studentship, Post Doctoral Fellowship) regardless of the theme
- must apply for at least one year of support
- must commit at least 75% of their time to research training; this commitment does not include holding a full-time paid research position
- is in a training program that includes actual involvement in research and not solely taking courses in research methods.
Students enrolled in programs oriented primarily toward health professional specialty training are normally not eligible for these awards.
Evaluation Criteria
Detailed evaluation criteria, including descriptors and weightings, are available on the MSFHR website: http://www.msfhr.org/funding/review/evaluation_criteria.
Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria: other research activity, training plan, research project, reference letters, academic record, publication activity, training environment, and career development (for PDF only). Weightings are different for each award category (JGS, SGS, and PDF) and for each of the four specified health research themes (biomedical, clinical, health services, and population health).
Procedures
Students apply through MSFHR ApplyNet, a web-based application system accessed through the MSFHR’s website. All the required application forms, including the Canadian Common CV, are completed and submitted online. All references and transcripts are mailed directly to MSFHR by the Full Application deadline. The final approval for the submission of your application to MSFHR will be made electronically through the UBC Office of Research Services.
Important note: UBC requires that you meet its internal signature policies and deadlines as listed on the Office of Research Services website: http://www.ors.ubc.ca/policies/sigpol.htm.
Detailed information for applicants and supervisors are listed on the MSFHR website: http://www.msfhr.org/funding/individual_awards/research_trainee.
MSFHR is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the review process, including assessing funding applications and making funding recommendations. Their rigorous process is detailed in this document: http://www.msfhr.org/resources/public/Funding/Trainee_Evaluation_Process.pdf.
Further Information
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR): http://www.msfhr.org/
MSFHR provides incentive and top-up awards to recipients holding other peer-reviewed awards.
If the other award is of greater value than the MSFHR award, applicants are eligible to receive a stipend incentive of $7,000/year.
If the other award is of lesser value than the MSFHR award, applicants are eligible to receive:
- a stipend top-up to the value of the MSFHR award category in which they are funded (if applicable)
- a stipend incentive of $7,000/year
- a research and travel award top-up to the value of the MSFHR award category in which they are funded (if applicable).
