Details
| Opportunity Name | Early Career Research Grant |
| Agency | Fighting Blindness Canada |
| Value | $200,000 |
| Indirect Costs | Ineligible |
| Duration | 2 years |
Deadlines
Letter of Intent (LOI)
| LOI due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for full review | 02-27-2024 |
| LOI and fully signed ORS checklist due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for mandatory review | 03-05-2024 |
| LOI and fully signed ORS checklist due at ORS for mandatory review | 03-08-2024, by 9:00AM |
| LOI due at agency | 03-12-2024, by 5:00PM |
Final application
| Application due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for full review | 04-11-2024 |
| Application and fully signed ORS checklist due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for mandatory review | 04-18-2024 |
| Final application and fully signed ORS checklist due at ORS for mandatory review | 04-23-2024, by 9:00AM |
| Application due at agency | 04-25-2024, by 5:00PM |
Objective
To support exceptional early career researchers with interest in retinal (including optic nerve) degeneration.
The competition is open to all research related to retinal degeneration but may prioritize funding projects with potential to impact individuals with inherited retinal diseases (e.g. retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, choroideremia), age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma).
Eligibility
At the time of the grant start date (October 1, 2024), applicants/Principal Investigators:
- Must be early career scientists (including clinician scientists), who hold a full-time appointment at an eligible Canadian host institution such as a university, hospital or research institute.
- Must have a firm faculty appointment (minimum assistant level or equivalent) which allows the individual to engage in independent research activities for the duration of the project and includes the ability to supervise trainees and publish research results and where the appointment is not contingent on the success of a pending application. Adjunct Professors or Status only appointments are not eligible to apply.
- Must be within 7 years** from the start of their first independent academic appointment.
- Applications must include a letter of commitment from the host institution guaranteeing the applicant protected time allocated to research as well as a description of available mentoring support and resources available to the applicant.
- Cannot be awarded an Early Career Research Grant and Clinician Scientist Emerging Leader Award from Fighting Blindness Canada in the same calendar year. While individuals may apply to both competitions, in the circumstance that they are successful in both, they will be awarded one award (the award of greater value).
- Can submit a maximum of one application to this competition as Principal Investigator. However, applicants may be named as a Collaborator on additional grants.
*See Appendix A for more details about host institution and applicant eligibility.
**Justified career interruptions (career breaks and part-time working) are not included when calculating eligibility windows. These interruptions, including but not limited to parental leave, medical leave and family care will be considered and must be described in the application forms.
How to Apply
York University researchers are reminded that all applications for external research funding, including Letters of Intent, must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Research Services before they are submitted to the granting agency. For internal approval, the application must be accompanied by a completed ORS Checklist, which requires the Dean’s signature. Please send the complete application, with the finalized budget and a completed ORS checklist to sciapps@yorku.ca, five days prior to agency deadline.
ORS is accepting electronic applications – the process is outlined here.