A Request for Application(RFA) document is attached to each funding opportunity description, along with a link to the online Research Application System. Application deadlines are also listed with each description and on the Important Dates page of the Research section of this website.
All applicants are encouraged to read the Application Guidelines.
Current Funding Opportunities
(Click on the grant / award title for full descriptions and eligibility)
- One-year duration
- Maximum funding of $50,000
- Pilot Project Program grants intend to foster novel, high-potential projects and ideas with a trajectory for major grants with larger granting institutions
Targeted Competition: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) – 1 Pilot Project Grant
In addition to general funding opportunities that encompass the breadth of topics in Parkinson’s disease research, Parkinson Canada invites applications for a targeted Pilot Project Grant on Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). In response to this call, Parkinson Canada intends to fund one Pilot Project Grant up to $50,000 for one year.
Independent researchers are eligible to apply. Refer to general Pilot Project Grant RFA for application guidelines and instructions. Select Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) as primary area of research in the online application system.
New Investigator Award Program
- Two-year duration
- $45,000 per year
- For junior faculty in a Canadian university in the first 5 years of their career as a research scientist in Canada
- Two-year duration
- $40,000 – $50,000 per year
- Candidates must hold a doctoral degree (MD or PhD) and may be Canadian citizens who propose to train at an Approved Institution located inside or outside of Canada, or international applicants proposing to train at an Approved Institution located in Canada
Partnership Awards (See RFA for details)
- Parkinson Canada and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) Partnership Awards
- Parkinson Canada and New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHR) Partnership Awards
- Parkinson Canada and Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SKRH) Partnership Awards
Clinical Movement Disorders Fellowship
- One-year duration
- $50,000 per year
- Recipient will undertake clinical training in the subspecialty of Movement Disorders and gain expertise in diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s and may include other movement disorders.
- Two-year duration
- $50,000 per year
- Recipient training will combine direct experience in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s and in clinical research.
- Two-year duration
- $10,000 per year *(see RFA for explanation of funding)
- At the time of application, candidates must be enrolled in a full-time graduate study program at the PhD level. Candidates may be Canadian citizens who propose to train at an Approved Institution located inside Canada or international applicants proposing to train at an Approved Institution located in Canada, who fulfill the criteria for a student visa.
Note: The Graduate Student Award for the Master’s level is not available.
Partnership Awards (See RFA for details)
- Parkinson Canada and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) Partnership Awards
- Parkinson Canada and New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHR) Partnership Awards
Pilot Project Grants / New Investigator Awards / Basic Research Fellowships / Clinical Research Fellowship / Clinical Movement Disorders Fellowships / Graduate Student Awards
- November 18, 2019 – Release Date (all grants and awards)
- February 3, 2020 (11:59pm EST) – Application Deadline (date of receipt) (all grants and awards)
- March 2020 – Anticipated Notice of Decision (Clinical Research Fellowship & Clinical Movement Disorders Fellowships)
- June 2020 – Anticipated Notice of Decision (Graduate Student Awards)
- July 2020 – Anticipated Notice of Decision (Pilot Project Grants / New Investigator Awards / Basic Research Fellowships)
- July 2020 – Funding Start Date (Clinical Movement Disorders Fellowships)
- August 2020 – Funding Start Date (Graduate Student Awards)
- October 2020 – Funding Start Date (Pilot Project Grants / New Investigator Awards / Basic Research Fellowships)
- Submissions
- Use of funds
- Letters of reference/support
- Funding decisions
- General ethics transcripts
- Research Program award recipients
Submissions
How do I submit an application to Parkinson Canada?
Complete and submit your application to Parkinson Canada via the Online Research Application System.
What is the application deadline for submissions?
See Important Dates for current deadlines. Note: It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit an application by the specified due date.
Are there any exceptions to the submission deadline?
No. Complete applications must be received by the deadline date. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that all documentation reaches Parkinson Canada by the stated deadlines. The candidate should also emphasize to sponsors responsible for sending assessments to the office that their assessments must be received by Parkinson Canada’s office by the closing date. Please see individual Request for Applications for due dates.
Can I apply in French?
Yes. Parkinson Canada welcomes applications in both official languages.
Can I submit more than one application to a competition?
No. Multiple applications are not allowed. Due to an overwhelming number of submissions, Parkinson Canada limits applications to only one from the same person regardless of the category of award. This limitation applies to an individual applicant only and not to members of the same lab. Please see ‘Eligibility’ in the Guidelines
As a current awardee of Parkinson Canada, will I be allowed to renew my fellowship or student award application for the next competition?
No. Student awards and fellowships are not renewable beyond the original term.
As a current awardee of a Parkinson Canada grant or award, will I be allowed to submit a new application for funding before my current project is completed?
No. Individuals currently in receipt of any Parkinson Canada Grant or Award are will not be permitted to submit a subsequent application for funding until the current or preceding Grant or Award term has been completed.
Does Parkinson Canada fund international grants and fellowships?
Yes, international fellowships are funded in select cases. See Guidelines for details.
What universities are recognized by Parkinson Canada?
See ‘Approved Institutions’ in the Guidelines.
Use of funds
Does Parkinson Canada fund institutional overhead?
No, Parkinson Canada does not fund institutional overhead costs.
Can fellowship monies be used to fund attendance at conferences?
Yes, where the conference is relevant to the training.
Are there any funds available for travel?
Yes, in certain circumstances. See Guidelines.
Can a researcher hold multiple awards?
Parkinson Canada does not allow overlap of funding for awards that would duplicate the purpose of a Parkinson Canada award. See Guidelines re: No Similar Funding.
General
Does Parkinson Canada allow co-supervisors for a training award?
Yes, you are permitted to have co-supervisors for a training award as long as both supervisors will be contributing. For the Graduate Student Award application, both supervisors must complete and sign the ‘Undertaking of Supervisor ’ on the application face sheet.
Does the maximum page allowance for project narratives in the application exclude figures and references?
Yes, the maximum page allowance excludes figures and references. These may be appended along with other materials as specified in the Request For Application.
Is there a limit to the number of publications that can be appended to an application?
Yes, a maximum of three publications in total will be accepted per application. Publications in excess of the limit will not be included with the application for review.
What is the maximum number of pages for CVs and does this limit apply to all co-applicants?
Your CV should be four pages or less in length, and should be submitted in standard NIH biosketch format, as outlined in the Guidelines. This applies to all co-applicants.
As a Clinical Fellow, should I submit a biosketch similar to my supervisor ’s or should I submit my standard CV?
You should submit your standard CV and adhere to the four-page limit.
Where can I find a copy of the biosketch form?
Forms are available on the Parkinson Canada website or on the online Research Application System under the Resources tab.
Can technicians’ salaries be included in operating costs?
Yes. See Guidelines for details.
What is the difference between an applicant, a co-applicant, and a collaborator?
The applicant is the principal researcher or lead for the project. The applicant will be responsible for the overall management of the project, and is accountable for how the project funds are spent. The applicant is also commonly known in research circles as the Principal Investigator.
A co-applicant is a member of the applicant’s research team who shares responsibility for the direction of the proposed project with the applicant and also meets the eligibility criteria of Principal Applicant. A collaborator is a member of the research team whose role in the proposed project is to provide a specific service (e.g. access to equipment, training in a specialized technique, statistical analysis, etc.)
As a Fellow, can I be a co-investigator on a pilot project grant application?
No. To be eligible for a pilot project grant, applicants must currently hold a faculty appointment. Fellows should be included under key personnel.
As a current Principal Investigator on a pilot project grant can I submit an application as a co-investigator?
No. Current award holders cannot submit an application for funding as a principal investigator or Co-investigator. Individuals wishing to be part of an application submission must be listed as collaborators on the project.
If I’m missing a letter of support or an assessment of candidate for fellowship, will my application be disqualified?
Yes.
Ethics
What do I do if I am conducting research involving animals and the research ethics board of my university will not yet have reviewed the project by the application deadline?
Submit your application noting that the ethical review is pending and forward the approval as soon as it is available (preferably before adjudication). If your application is approved by Parkinson Canada, you will receive funding upon receipt of copies of the approval by the Ethics Board.
Signatures
What is the policy regarding signatures for applications?
Applications must be submitted with the required signatures by the noted due date . Prior to submission, applicants should determine what signatures are needed. Print the applicant information sheet (face sheet) and obtain all the required signatures for the application. Once obtained, scan the signature page and upload the signed signature page to the Parkinson Canada online research application system as part of your submission.
Where do I find the face sheet to obtain signatures?
The face sheet/signature page is generated by the online research application system by printing the personal information section of the applicant checklist.
What signatures do I need for my application?
All candidates must have their application signed by an authorized signing official of the applicant’s research institution (primary location of research). Applicants should check with their research awards office to determine who has authority to endorse their application.
Depending on the type of application, signatures are required from co-applicants (not collaborators) and supervisors. Please see the appropriate Request For Application document.
Who is an appropriate signing official?
An individual who has the authority to bind the institute or organization where the research will take place is an appropriate signing official.
Does the signature page (face sheet) need to be couriered to Parkinson Canada in addition to the online submission?
No, a single PDF of the signature page (face sheet) containing all required signatures should be uploaded through the online application system.
Applicants do not need to courier any documents to Parkinson Canada; however, we ask that you keep the original signed documents which may be requested in the event that your application is successful in the competition.
Letters of reference/support
If the supporting letter from my sponsor(s) will not be available by the deadline for submissions, will this make my application ineligible?
Letters of support that are not received by the deadline may not be included with the application for review. Where necessary, exceptions may be explicitly arranged with our office.
How many letters of support should I provide with my application?
Three letters of support are required with each application.
Does a supervisor qualify as one of the three sponsors needed to fill out assessment forms?
Yes, a supervisor can be a sponsor providing that the supervisor clearly indicates that they would be the applicant’s supervisor and therefore have some conflict of interest in the proposal.
What information should be included in a letter of support for a student?
Letters of reference/ support should highlight the applicant’s strengths as they relate to suitability/experience in research (e.g. originality, technical ability, demonstrated skills, judgment, critical skills, etc.).
For international candidates, sponsors are encouraged to comment on the grades and/or class ranking of the candidate within the content of their letters.
Transcripts
Are there special requirements for international transcripts?
Yes, international transcripts MUST be accompanied by a certified English or French interpretation and a clear explanation of the grading system. International candidates are encouraged to obtain official conversions of their grades to GPA by their institute.
Will you accept transcripts from my personal university account?
No, transcripts printed from the candidate’s personal university account are not considered to be official.
Do my transcripts need to be sent directly from my institute to be considered official?
No, Parkinson Canada considers transcripts issued by the Registrar ’s Office to the student to be official transcripts. Opening the envelope to scan the transcript will not render it unofficial for Parkinson Canada’s purposes.
How should transcripts be submitted for my application?
Official transcripts must be provided by scanning both sides of each page and uploading them in reverse chronological order, from least recent to most recent as a single PDF document.
Funding decisions
How are funding decisions made?
Applications are peer reviewed and adjudicated by the Scientific Advisory Council (SAC). Following the adjudication meeting for each application cycle, Parkinson Canada’s Research Policy Committee reviews the rank order of applications and makes recommendations for funding to Parkinson Canada’s Board of Directors.
How do I know if my application was successful?
Dependent on the competition cycle, applicants are notified of the result of their application in June. Public announcements of competition results are made in September.
Does Parkinson Canada release comments or scoring from reviewers after the adjudication so that I can improve my project in future?
The Scientific Advisory Council anticipates that it will provide each applicant whose application to participate in the Program has been declined with written notice of such decision. Grant applicants will receive anonymized copies of the reviews for their applications, and where possible, a brief written critique of their application. All applicants will be provided with their ranking in the competition and the average score received during the review of their application.
For Research Program award recipients
What responsibilities do I have as a Parkinson Canada award recipient?
See Guidelines.
Can signed contracts be e-mailed back?
Yes.
Can salary support for a fellow be paid directly to the fellow?
Unless the fellow is training abroad, an academic health sciences centre research office should administer the award. In the case of international fellowships, arrangements will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Could my funding be discontinued after one year?
Yes, although this is rare. Continuation of support for a second year is contingent upon receipt of a progress report deemed satisfactory by scientific review, as outlined in the Guidelines.
Do you have a policy regarding leaves of absence and/or parental leave?
Yes, please see Guidelines section VI subsections (e) Prolonged Absence from Work and/or (f) Parental Leave.
For all other inquiries contact:
Lorena Araujo, Coordinator, Research Program
Parkinson Canada
Tel: 416-227-9700 or 1 800 565-3000, ext. 3309
Email: Lorena.Araujo@Parkinson.ca