Information for Applicants

1. What is the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program?
2. How much are Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships worth? How long do they last?
   How many are there?
3. How are these fellowships different from other fellowships?
4. Who is eligible to apply for a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship?
5. Where can I hold my Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship?
6. Can I change institutions and still hold my Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship?
7. I have already completed/am currently involved in one postdoctoral fellowship.
   Am I eligible to apply for funding for a second fellowship?
8. Can I apply for other postdoctoral fellowships from the three funding agencies
   at the same time I'm applying to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program?
9. Can I apply for a fellowship at the same university where I received my PhD?
10. What is the application process?
11. What is ResearchNet?
12. What is the Common CV?
13. What do I need from the institution where I've been accepted for a postdoctoral fellowship?
14. What is the deadline for applications?
15. How are fellows selected?
16. When will I be notified of the competition results and when can my fellowship start?
17. As a foreign citizen, why should I choose to come to Canada?

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1. What is the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program?

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program provides awards to the very best postdoctoral researchers, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and research-based growth.

The awards are two-year fellowships, worth $70,000/year (taxable) for a total award of $140,000. Seventy fellowships will be awarded each year.

The awards are administered by Canada's three federal research granting agencies, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Fellowships will be divided evenly among the three agencies.

2. How much are Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships worth? How long do they last? How many are there?

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are valued at $70,000 per year (taxable) for two years.

Seventy fellowships will be awarded each year, divided evenly between Canada's three federal research granting councils, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. When the program is fully implemented, there will be 140 awards active at any one time.

3. How are these fellowships different from other fellowships?

This prestigious program is different from traditional postdoctoral fellowships programs in its emphasis on the synergy between the applicant (their individual merit and potential to launch an international-level, research-intensive career) and the institution (its commitment to the research program and the environment with which the applicant will be affiliated). In addition to research excellence, applicants will have to demonstrate their research leadership.

Applicants for a Banting postdoctoral fellowship must apply in close collaboration with the university or other eligible research institution at which they have secured a postdoctoral position. The institution will need to endorse the applicant and provide documents to be included as part of the application.

4. Who is eligible to apply for a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship?

Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and foreign citizens are eligible to apply to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program. For more details, please see the Eligibility Criteria.

5. Where can I hold my Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship?

If you are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada and you obtained your PhD, PhD-equivalent or health professional degree from a Canadian institution, you may hold your fellowships either at a Canadian institution or at one outside Canada. (For more details, please see the Eligibility Criteria related to Host Institutions.) Note, however, that the number of Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships that may be awarded annually to those who apply in collaboration with a foreign institution is capped at 25% overall.

If you are a foreign citizen or you obtained your PhD or health professional degree at an institution outside Canada, you may only hold your Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at a Canadian institution.

6. Can I change institutions and still hold my Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship?

No. Without exception, Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are tenable only at the institution that supported the original application for the program.

7. I have already completed/am currently involved in one postdoctoral fellowship. Am I eligible to apply for funding for a second fellowship?

Yes, you are as long as you meet all the Eligibility Criteria. If you hold a postdoctoral award from one of the three federal granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC), please note the special restrictions in section 4 of the Eligibility Criteria.

8. Can I apply for other postdoctoral fellowships from the three funding agencies at the same time I'm applying to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program?

Applicants to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program remain eligible to apply to agency-specific postdoctoral-level fellowship program competitions.

9. Can I apply for a fellowship at the same university where I received my PhD?

Only in exceptionally rare circumstances will a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship be awarded to an applicant who is staying at the same institution where they completed their PhD, PhD-equivalent or health professional degree. If an applicant chooses to apply in collaboration with the same institution (or its affiliated hospitals, research centres and other laboratories) at which they obtained their PhD, PhD-equivalent or health professional degree, a solid justification – related for example to availability of highly unique equipment – must be included in the Special Circumstances attachment.. These situations are expected to be exceptionally rare in the context of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program.

10. What is the application process?

Without exception, all applicants, in collaboration with their proposed host institutions, will be required to submit a complete electronic application, including referee assessments, via ResearchNet on or before 8:00 p.m. (EDT) on November 2, 2011. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Note that the application includes an applicant CV, which must be completed on the Canadian Common CV platform.

Applicants are encouraged, in developing their application materials, to reflect upon, and frequently consult, the selection criteria that will be the basis upon which applications are assessed. Applicants are encouraged to include only that information they believe will assist reviewers in assessing the application in relation to the stated selection criteria (see Question 15, below).

Key application elements for the applicant will include:

• Research excellence and leadership:
  • Statement of research contribution
  • Statement of leadership contribution
  • Applicant Banting CCV (to be completed via the Common CV platform)
  • Fulfillment of degree requirements – confirmation letter
  • Special circumstances – e.g., eligibility timeline issues such as parental leave or justification for "same institution"
• Proposed research program:
  • Statement on career aspirations and institution choice
  • Research proposal
  • Lay summary research proposal
  • Bibliography

Your application must also include elements from the institution that demonstrate its commitment and synergy between you and its strategic priorities. These include:

• Letter of endorsement from the institution, accompanied by a statement demonstrating synergy
• Supervisor's statement
• Statement on the research environment
• Statement on professional development

A complete application will also include three referee assessments. Referees must each address all three stated selection criteria. Applicants are encouraged to consider the full range of potential referees who could provide relevant evidence, perspectives and insight to support the review of the application in light of the selection criteria.

For more details, please see the Step-by-Step Guide to Applying.

11. What is ResearchNet?

Funding applications to all three federal research granting agencies in Canada for a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship are made through ResearchNet, a Web-based application tool and funding opportunity/decision database. You will need to register for an account on ResearchNet. Start by going to ResearchNet and click on "register". Once you are registered, you will continue to use the same account for other ResearchNet funding applications.

12. What is the Common CV?

The other online resource you will need to use is the Common CV network. This is a partnership among Canadian research funding organizations to make applying for funding easier. This Web-based tool allows you to manage your CV data in a single repository and generate CVs as needed for all member organizations.

13. What do I need from the institution where I've been accepted for a postdoctoral fellowship?

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is unlike other fellowship programs, which mainly focus on the merits of applicants' proposed research program. Successful applicants for the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships must also demonstrate their research excellence and leadership and be endorsed by the institution where the fellowship will be held. Specific elements that institutions are required to provide are listed in Question 10, above.

14. What is the deadline for applications?

Without exception, all applicants, in collaboration with their proposed host institutions, will be required to submit a complete application, including referee assessments, via ResearchNet, on or before 8:00 p.m. (EDT) on November 2, 2011. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.

15. How are fellows selected?

Successful applicants for the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program will be selected on the basis of the Selection Criteria which will be weighted equally by the Selection Committees. All applications will undergo an evaluation by an agency-specific selection committee. The agencies reserve the right to make the final assignment of the applications based on the mandate of the committee assigned to review applications in that area. Note that agencies are the final authority for the assignment of applications to committees.

The Banting Selection Board will endorse the recommendations put forward by the three granting agencies' selection committees. The Steering Committee, made up of the Presidents of the three federal granting agencies, and the Deputy Ministers of Industry Canada and Health Canada, is responsible for approving the final slate of 70 awardees annually.

16. When will I be notified of the competition results and when can my fellowship start?

The federal granting agencies will notify successful applicants of the competition results by March 30, 2012. In addition, the names of all Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships recipients and other basic award information will be published on the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program website. For more on the posting of, and access to, information, please refer to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships for 2011-2012 must be taken up as early as April 1, 2012 and no later than October 1, 2012. All fellowships are for two years.

17. As a foreign citizen, why should I choose to come to Canada?

Each year, more than 150,000 individuals choose Canada for their education. Canada is one of the most multicultural nations in the world and international students add to this rich culture. At the same time, they benefit from:

• A thriving academic research environment: When you come to Canada with a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship, you're getting more than simply a fellowship – you're starting on the path toward a career's worth of research support. In the Canadian environment, your research – and you – can thrive.
• An international reputation: Qualifications from Canadian universities are valued throughout the world. Canada's reputation for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, its commitment to supporting internationally competitive teams and its focus on problem-oriented research are among the best in the world.
• A bilingual country: English or French, it's your choice. French- and English-language universities offer you the opportunity to work in the language you're most comfortable in.
• Ethnic diversity: No matter where you're from, you'll feel at home in our diverse communities and campuses.
• High standard of living: According to the United Nations, Canada offers one of the highest standards for quality of life in the world.