Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships 2019

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is one of a suite of elite federal research capacity development programs. The suite begins with early graduate student support through Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, progresses to postdoctoral training through the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program and continues through the academic career progression (Tier 1 and 2 Canada Research Chairs) to a career pinnacle with the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, and announced in 2014, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program allows highly motivated and competitive researchers to realize their full potential and develop their careers. Upon completion of their fellowships, Banting fellows will be well positioned to contribute to the continued growth of Canada's research capacity and the country's economic and social prosperity.

Eligibility
Citizenship and location of host institution
Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and foreign citizens are eligible to apply, provided they meet the following conditions:
• Applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada may only hold their Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at a Canadian institution.
• Applicants who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and who obtained their PhD, PhD-equivalent or health professional degree from a foreign university may only hold their Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at a Canadian institution.
• Applicants who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and who obtained their PhD, PhD-equivalent or health professional degree from a Canadian university may hold their Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at either a Canadian institution or an institution outside of Canada.

Allowable extensions to eligibility window
The window of eligibility can be extended by a cumulative maximum of two years if the applicant had their career interrupted for one or more of the following reasons:
• parental leave
• illness
• health-related family responsibilities
• mandatory military service
• disruptions due to war, civil conflicts and/or natural disasters in the country of residence

Review process overview
• All eligible applications to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) program undergo an evaluation by a selection committee from one of the three federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
• Applications are reviewed against three (3) equally weighted selection criteria, and ranked.
• The ranked list of all the applications is submitted to the Tri-Agency Programs (TAP) Steering Committee for their approval.
• The TAP Steering Committee, made up of the presidents of the three federal granting agencies and the deputy ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and of Health Canada, approves the final slate of 70 awardees annually.

Selection criteria
1. Applicant’s research excellence and leadership in the research domain:
• demonstrated capacity for research excellence based on track record as defined by the quality of the applicant's research contribution; and
• demonstrated capacity for leadership in the research domain as defined by the sphere of influence achieved to date by the applicant.
2. Quality of applicant's proposed research program:
• potential of the proposed research program, executed in the proposed institutional environment, to position the applicant to have significant impact through a research-intensive career.Institutional commitment and demonstrated synergy between applicant and institutional strategic priorities:
3. Institutional commitment and demonstrated synergy between applicant and institutional strategic priorities:
• demonstrated commitment of the institution to champion the development of the applicant's research and leadership capacity through institutional support (funding, facilities, equipment, etc.) and professional development;
• institution’s research capacity (demonstrated or potential) in the research area of the applicant’s proposed research program, which will enable the institution to provide an intellectually stimulating environment to position the applicant as a research leader; and
• demonstrated alignment and synergy between the applicant's research ambitions and the institution's potential to benefit strategically from engaging with the applicant.

Value & duration
$70,000 per year (taxable)
2 years (non-renewable)

Areas of research
• Health research
• Natural sciences and/or engineering
• Social sciences and/or humanities