2015 Master’s Awards

The Application deadline has now passed, and no further applications are being accepted. Please check back often for updates.

Important Dates

Launch Date: June 27, 2014
Application: Deadline February 5, 2015 – Closed
Notice of Decision: July 12, 2015
Funding Start Date: September 1, 2015

Overview

With a membership of more than 1,000 researchers and others interested in HIV research, the Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) is the leading organization of HIV/AIDS researchers in Canada. As an integral element of its mandate, CAHR works to “promote education and the development of new researchers”. As part of this effort, CAHR offers funding support to young researchers aligned with its four designated themes of health research: basic science; clinical science; epidemiology & public health; and social science.

The 2015 CAHR Master’s Awards are intended to provide special recognition and support to students who are pursuing a Master’s degree in HIV research at a Canadian institution. These candidates are expected to have an exceptionally high potential for future research achievement and productivity.

Funds Available

For this competition, CAHR’s expects to fund one application in each of the CAHR themes:

1. Basic Science
2. Clinical Science
3. Epidemiology & Public Health; and
4. Social Science

The maximum amount per award is $17,500 (CDN) for up to one year. This funding is non-renewable.

Eligibility

Applicant

• Applicants must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
• At the time of the application, the applicants must have completed or be in the final year of a Bachelor’s degree and intending to pursue, or already registered in, a full-time Master’s degree program
• Persons with a health professional degree who are seeking support for Master’s research training are also eligible
• Only those students who intend to engage in full-time master’s training will be considered for funding  (research training is defined as a minimum of 30 hours/week dedicated to research and course work) in a graduate school are eligible for support.

Supervisor

• The supervisor must be an experienced academic with an appointment at a Canadian university, who is able to provide a supportive research environment for the trainee interested in HIV research

How to Apply

A complete application must include:

• A letter, using no more than 500 words, summarizing the applicant’s relevant experience and training to-date and describing how the proposed scholarship will fit into his/her career plans
• A cover letter signed by the applicant’s supervisor, discussing (i) the applicant’s suitability for this award (ii) how the training and career aspirations relate to CAHR’s mission, and (iii) a summary of the supervisor’s current position, research background (emphasizing any HIV experience) and relevant supervisory experience
• The applicant’s CV and a copy of transcripts
• A description (at least one full page) of the proposed program of training and/or research to be conducted during the scholarship period, plus any pertinent attachments
• A letter from the institution where the training will take place, confirming that it is prepared to sponsor this studentship and provide the applicant with suitable space and research facilities

Applications must be submitted electronically, in PDF form, to trainingandawards@cahr-acrv.ca

Conditions of Funding

• This award must be accepted within 15 working days of the date of offer or the award will be cancelled and offered to the next fundable applicant. Once awards are accepted, they must be taken up within six months of the date of offer and must start September 1 or January 1 following the offer of award
• Successful candidates must be registered full-time in the first or second year of a Master’s program in which HIV research is a major component (awards will take effect only after proof of registration is received)
• Successful candidates must be supervised by a researcher who holds research funds while holding this award
• Successful candidates must not have already hold Master’s Award funding from another funding body

Communication Requirements

Funding recipients are required to acknowledge CAHR (and its funding partners) in any communication or publication related to the project.

Reporting

Recipients will be asked to provide an End of Award report within two months of termination of the award. Details regarding this report will be communicated to the recipients when the funds are released.

Review Process

Review Committee

• A CAHR review committee will adjudicate the full applications. The adjudication will favour applicants with high potential for developing into future HIV research leaders in one of CAHR’s four research streams (i.e., basic, clinical, social or epidemiological research)
• The priority areas for adjudication are:

I. the achievements, characteristics and abilities of the applicant
II. the quality and potential impact of the proposed research project
III. the strength of the proposed training environment (including the program and supervisor)

Funding Decision

Upon completion of peer review, CAHR will generate the ranking list, ratings and recommendations. The list will be used for funding decision-making purposes and will remain anonymous.

Applications will be funded from the top down in order of ranking as far as the budget will allow. Applications that receive a rating below 3.5 will not be funded (rating scale is 0-5).

Contact Information

For questions on CAHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact: trainingandawards@cahr-acrv.ca

Partners

Abbvie
CAHR would like to thank Abbvie for its generous support for this funding opportunity.

CANOC
The Canadian HIV Observational Cohort (CANOC) Collaborative Research Centre has provided funding to support two Master’s students from the Epidemiology & Public Health and Clinical Science streams. CANOC is Canada’s first integrated network of HIV treatment information from eight cohort databases across British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. 
New sites will also be added in Saskatchewan. This merger gives researchers the opportunity to conduct large and detailed analyses of treatment outcomes and to assess variations across regions and practices in Canada.

Students receiving these awards are encouraged to make use of the CANOC database for their research and connect with one of the CANOC Principal Investigators, listed on the CANOC website www.canoc.ca, to be their supervisor. Applicants interested in joining the CANOC team should connect with the CANOC Research Coordinator Marina Irick at mirick@cfenet.ubc.ca for more information on the study.