Banting PDF Fellowships NSERC

Information Session March 14, 2018

Contacts:

Declan Ali (declan.ali@ualberta.ca) Diane Rogers (diane.rogers@ualberta.ca)

Overview Objectives: Officially launched July, 2010 Attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally Develop their leadership potential Position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow http://banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.html

NSERC / SSHRC / CIHR

• 70 fellowships awarded annually

• 140 fellowships “in play” at any point in time

• $70,000 per year (taxable) for 2 years

Features

• Banting PDF is unique in its emphasis on synergy between the applicant and the host institution

• The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/synergy)

• Applicant – individual merit and potential to launch a successful research-intensive career

• Host institution – commitment to the research program and alignment with the institution’s strategic priorities

• Applicants must complete their application in full collaboration with the proposed host institution

Eligibility CDN citizens / permanent residents / Foreign Citizens 1. Foreign citizens may only hold at a CDN institution 2. CDN Citizens or permanent residents who obtained degree from a foreign institution must hold it at a CDN institution 3. CDN Citizens or permanent residents may hold it at a foreign institution (no longer 25% limit) Obtain PhD (equivalent) between Sept 2x, 2015 and Sept 30, 2019

Eligibility May hold other PDF award at time of application, but that funding must officially end by Sept 30, 2019 Applicants must not hold tenure track or tenured faculty position (or be on leave) Only in exceptionally rare circumstances will a Banting be awarded to an applicant staying at the same institution or within the same research environment Applicants can submit only 1 application per year but may apply multiple years Tenable only at the institution of the original application; for two years; only held once

Process

• Applicants are directed to read the “Selection committee guide” prior to commencing the process

• Must receive a score of 5.1 in each of 3 selection criteria – Research excellence and leadership in the research domain – Quality of the applicant’s proposed research program – Institutional commitment and demonstrated synergy

between applicant and institutional strategic priorities

Selection Criteria - 1

• Research excellence and leadership in the research domain

– Demonstrated capacity for research excellence (quality

of research contributions) and research leadership. – Reviewers should consider the sphere of influence. – Research history and impact should be considered. – CCV, clarity of proposal, referee’s assessments,

contributions, leadership contributions, supervisor’s statement.

Selection Criteria - 2

• Quality of the applicant’s proposed research program

– Potential of the proposed program, considering

feasibility, timelines and novelty. – Reviewers should consider the potential for significant

impact in the field (advancement of knowledge). – Referee assessments, supervisor’s statement, research

proposal, lay abstract, bibliography.

Selection Criteria - 3 • Institutional commitment and demonstrated synergy between

the applicant and institutional strategic priorities – Demonstrated commitment of the institution to support the

development of the applicant’s research and leadership capacity through institutional support and PD.

– Research capacity in the area of the applicant’s proposed research.

– Alignment and synergy between the applicant’s research ambitions and the institution’s potential to benefit

– Referee’s assessments (suitability of environment), supervisor’s statement.

Funding recommendation Score Proportion

Recommended 7.5 – 9.0 10%

Could be recommended 5.1 – 7.4 50%

Not recommended 0.1 – 5.0 20%

• Members assign a score between 0.1 and 9.0 • Forced binning system is implemented • 2 reviewers (5 minutes) + 1 reader (focus on third criteria): • Eligibility for funding: at least 5.1 in each criteria • 23 applications will be funded from each of NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR

• The remaining 20% may be distributed between the 3 bins as deemed appropriate by the committee to compensate for areas of strength or weakness

April – September Applicants seek endorsement from host institution to apply, prepare and submit application (institutions may have internal deadlines).

September 2x, 2018 (20:00 EDT)

Deadline for complete application submission

October to December 2018 Evaluation of applications

Mid February, 2019 Anticipated announcement of results

April to October 2019 Payments begin

Timelines

Deadlines (2017) • May-June 6: anticipated call for nominations • June 12:preliminary packages due at the Faculty level • June 19:preliminary packages due in PDF office • July 21: NSERC subcommittee selects top prospects.

Feedback provided for next stage. • Sept 4: Full draft package submitted to ADR for final

review • Sept 10: Final draft of institutional letter submitted to

VPR‘s office • Sept 20 (8:00 PM EDT): Submission deadline (full

application submitted by applicant)

Checklist • Banting Application form • CCV (Canadian Common CV) link to ResearchNet • Identify Participants (attachments, 1 pg each: significance of

research contributions, leadership contributions, degree requirements, special circumstances)

• Proposal and Bibliography (Att. 1 and 2) • Supervisor’s statement (includes professional development and

research environment) (Att. 3) • Institutional letter of endorsement (Att. 4) • Referee’s forms (uploaded by the referees) (2)

Attachment 1:Research Proposal

• Max 4 pages including figures, tables • Research objectives • Research questions and hypotheses • Methodology • Plans for collaboration • Contribution to the advancement of knowledge • Plan to disseminate findings • Rationale for selecting the host institution

Attachment 2: Bibliography

• Max 4 pages • Include details of citations in your proposal

Attachment 3: Institutional Letter of Endorsement

• Max 1 page • Describes the process by which the institution chose

to endorse the applicant • Confirm agreement with the supervisor’s statement

of synergy between strategic priorities and proposal • Confirm the institution’s commitment to gender

equity and involvement of equity officer

Attachment 4: Supervisor’s statement

• Max 5 pages • Supervisor’s biography

• Description of academic and research background, key contributions, funding

• Appropriateness of the supervisor • Significance of applicant’s contributions, fit between supervisor and applicant

• Research environment • Supervisor/Laboratory/Department commitment

• Professional development • Institution’s commitment to PD, career counselling, training in preparation of grant

writing, knowledge translation etc.

• Institutional synergy • Institution’s documented strategic priorities and illustrate the synergy between these

priorities and the applicant’s proposal, articulate how applicant and institution will benefit from engagement

Application – Follow the rules! • Text can be single or double-spaced, with no

more than six lines per inch. • Use a minimum font size of 10 (Arial). • Condensed type is not acceptable. • Set margins at a minimum of 2 cm (3/4 of an

inch) all around. • Use a left-justified, standard page layout. • Include your name in the page header (on every

page). • For multi-page attachments, number the pages

sequentially.

Referees • Three referees are required • Applicants are encouraged to consider the full range

of referees, one MUST be at arm’s length • Comment on applicant’s research excellence and

demonstrated leadership (sphere of influence) • Comment on the merit of the proposed research –

potential for the research program to position the applicant for significant impact

• Provide an assessment of the suitability of the proposed research environment

Additional tips:

• Applying in the same institution as your PhD is not good • First PDF appointment • Find a supervisor with very strong credentials (knowledge of

and/or previous interaction is important) • Host institution/lab is the best in the world for your proposal • Institutional fit and synergy must be well articulated • Must have a strong publication record • Ensure your proposal is comprehensible to those outside your

field. Clarity. Collaboration. • Strong statements about the candidate help • Innovative/novel research • Non-academic credentials are important but research

excellence is key

Questions?