April 2017, the HIV community mourned the passing of Dr. Mark Wainberg (1945-2017), a veteran leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS and well-known for his involvement in the vastly important initial identification of lamivudine (3TC) as an antiviral drug in 1989. An internationally respected researcher and committed mentor, Dr. Wainberg was also one of the founding members and past President of the Canadian Association for HIV Research.
To continue Dr. Wainberg’s vision of fostering innovative HIV research and knowledge sharing, and through the generous support of ViiV Healthcare, CAHR has established the “Mark Wainberg Fund” to assist Canadian basic science researchers – working in the realm of HIV virology – to present their work at accredited meetings in Canada and internationally. CAHR thanks ViiV Healthcare for their support of this program.
Funding
Via this funding competition, CAHR will fund travel awards for eligible basic science researchers to present their HIV focused work at Canadian and international conferences.
A maximum of $2,500 (CAD) will be available per awardee for travel to an accredited conference.
Allowable Costs
The following expenditures are eligible for funding:
- transportation
- lodging
In all cases, funding will be provided directly to the awardee upon conclusion of the conference. Awardees are responsible for submitting proof of travel (boarding passes and hotel invoices) to CAHR in order to process payments.
Important Dates
This is an open competition and applications will be accepted throughout the calendar year. Applications must be submitted at least four (4) weeks in advance of the event to allow adequate time for peer review.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be Canadian citizens or a permanent resident of Canada
- Applicants must be based in a Canadian institution (Master’s level or higher)
- Applicants must have a research focus in the Basic Sciences
- Applicants must have a research focus in Virology
- Applicants must show proof that their HIV focused work has been accepted for presentation at an accredited conference in Canada or internationally
- Practicing clinicians, CAHR board members and government officials are not eligible
How to Apply
A complete application must include:
- A maximum two-page letter, using no more than 1000 words, that:
- Summarizes the applicant’s relevant experience/training
- Demonstrates that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements
- Describes how the applicant meets the evaluation criteria
- States that the applicant has not received funding from another funding body to attend the same conference
- The applicant’s CV
- Proof of research acceptance to the conference to which they are seeking funds
- Proof of Canadian citizenship or a permanent residency of Canada
- Declaration that applicant is neither a practicing clinician nor Government official
Applications must be submitted electronically, in one PDF document, to trainingandawards@cahr-acrv.ca
Official Languages
CAHR encourages applicants to submit proposals in the Official Language of their choice and commits to ensuring high quality review of applications submitted in either Official Language.
Conditions of Funding
Successful candidates must:
- Confirm that they have not already received funding from another funding body to attend the same conference
- Accept their award within 5 working days of the date of offer or the award will be cancelled and offered to the next fundable applicant
Funding is non-renewable. Individuals may only hold one award per calendar year.
Communication Requirements
Award recipients must acknowledge CAHR/ViiV financial support in any report/presentation related to the event.
Review Process
CAHR will assemble an independent review committee comprised of peers to adjudicate the applications.
Evaluation Criteria
The priority areas for adjudication are:
- Demonstration that the applicant has the requisite training and HIV expertise as appropriate for the subject matter of the event
- Demonstration that the applicant has financial need of this award
- Demonstration that the applicant will be actively participating and presenting in the conference as a presenter, or has other active participation in original research or scientific work that is being presented (e.g. abstract submission)
- Demonstration that attending the funded event will benefit the applicant’s career and/or research efforts
Funding Decision
Upon completion of peer review, CAHR will be provided an application rating and funding recommendation. This information will be used for funding decision-making purposes and will remain anonymous.
Applications will be funded as far as the budget will allow. Applications that receive a rating below 3.5 will not be funded (rating scale is 0-5).
2019 Recipients
| Julie Lajoie | University of Manitoba | CAHR 2019 |
| Teslin Sandstrom | Ottawa Hospital Research Institute | CAHR 2019 |
| Mark Goring | McGill University | CAHR 2019 |
| Saina Beitari | Lady Davis Institute, Montreal | CAHR 2019 |
| Bradley Jones | British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS | CAHR 2019 |
| Breanne Head | University of Manitoba | CAHR 2019 |
| Allison Balasko | University of Manitoba | CAHR 2019 |
| Monika Kowatsch | University of Manitoba | CAHR 2019 |
| Matthew Greig | University of Ottawa | CAHR 2019 |
| Tyler Renner | University of Ottawa | ASV 2019 |
Contact Information
Please contact trainingandawards@cahr-acrv.ca for more information.
Partners
ViiVHealthcare ULC
ViiV Healthcare in Canada, a company devoted to HIV/AIDS research and treatment and to supporting people affected by HIV/AIDS across Canada. ViiV Healthcare in Canada is part of ViiV Healthcare, a global specialist HIV company established by GSK and Pfizer in 2009 and joined by Shionogi in 2012. We are committed to taking a deeper and broader interest in HIV/AIDS than any other pharmaceutical company has done before. We have advanced research and development and also work in partnership with HIV/AIDS communities across Canada: populations at risk, people living with HIV/AIDS, their caregivers and support organizations, and healthcare providers. ViiV Healthcare’s Canadian operations are headquartered in Laval, Quebec. For further information on ViiV Healthcare, please visit www.viivhealthcare.ca
CAHR
With a membership of more than 2,000 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 researchers” and “engage diverse stakeholders in ongoing dialogue and knowledge exchange.”
