Canadian Cancer Society Emerging Scholar Research Grants

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• PEI
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan

*Note: Fulfillment of this mandate could result in applications being funded out of rank order. In such cases, successful applications must fall within the fundable score range for CCS grants (>3.5).

• Lymphoma 
• Skin cancer 
• Breast cancer 
• Prostate cancer 
• Pediatric cancer  
• Advanced or metastatic cancer 
• Cancer cell dormancy 
• Pancreatic cancer 
• Esophageal cancer 
• Brain cancer 
• Lung cancer 
• Liver cancer  
• Stomach cancer 

There will be a three-stage application and review process:

1. Applicants will be required to submit an abstract. The abstract registration step is mandatory, but not competitive, and will allow CCS staff to initiate recruitment of reviewers and assemble the most relevant panel.
2. Applicants will then submit a competitive letter of intent (LOI) for review.
3. Only selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

Seven expert review committees, including scientific and patient/survivor/caregiver reviewers, will be assembled to review the LOIs and full applications:

• Applicants will be asked to select 1^st and 2^nd choices for desired panels as part of the abstract registration and application process, however CCS reserves the right to assign an application to whichever panel possesses the necessary expertise to review the proposal. 
• The review committee will be comprised of relevant and appropriate individuals from diverse geographical, ethnic/racial and gender representation from across Canada. The committee will collectively evaluate applications both at the LOI and full application stages with expertise relevant to the submitted applications.

Applications will be evaluated against the review criteria listed in the rating scales. Please refer to the application guides and rating scales when preparing an application.

Applicants are required to submit an abstract by the deadline in EGrAMS. Note that this task is mandatory to be able to submit a Letter of Intent.

The abstract submission will require the following:

1. Applicant and team details.
• Team members may be added at the LOI and full application stage.
2. Project title.
3. Scientific abstract (maximum 4,200 characters, spaces).
4. Keywords (maximum 10).
5. Suggested reviewers.
6. Panel recommendation.

Applicants are required to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by the deadline in EGrAMS. Note that abstract submission is mandatory to be able to submit an LOI. Please review the application guide prior to submitting your LOI. You will be required to re-enter ALL information at the full application stage (if successful), so please save your work outside of EGrAMS.

The LOI submission will require the following additional information to the abstract submission:

1. Principal and co-principal applicant(s) CV(s).
2. Public (non-scientific) summary (maximum 2,000 characters, spaces included).
3. Brief scientific proposal (maximum 13,000 characters, spaces included).
• Please include a brief description of how patient/survivor/caregiver and other relevant parties will be engaged in the research as partners and, if applicable, as participants, as well as a brief description of how sex, gender, and other identity factors (e.g. race, ethnicity) and their intersectionalities will be included in the research design, methods, analysis, and interpretation.
• One separate page of data figures/tables/charts and their associated legends is allowed. Figures can also be embedded in the text as images (or they will count towards the 13,000 character limit).
• References are not included in the page/character count but must be included in the document.
4. Impact statement (can be updated at the full application stage; 4,200 characters, spaces included): the statement should explicitly describe how the project will promote significant scientific advancements in cancer research, how people affected by cancer will ultimately benefit from the results and, if relevant, how the proposed work is of strategic value to Canada’s cancer research ecosystem.
5. Letter of commitment and support from the host institution for all PIs (1 page letter per PI can be updated at the full application stage) including, but not limited to, the following:
• Confirmation that the applicant holds a firm appointment.
• Confirmation that the applicant will have protected time for cancer research (specifying the % time allocated).
• Description of the research environment, resources and mentoring support available to the applicant. In particular, detailed information on the following are requested:
  • Mentorship from senior investigators.
  • Evidence of start-up funds available to the applicant.
  • A brief description of the dedicated research space provided.
  • Access to core facilities and research infrastructure.
  • Administrative support.
  • Strategies that will be employed by the host institution to support the applicant in securing research funding (i.e. guidance on grant application development with internal peer-review).
  • Confirmation that the host institution has provided the applicant access to an internal peer review process led by senior investigator colleagues during the application process to the ESRG program and during the tenure of the award, at a minimum.
  • Institutions should identify specific individuals, where possible.
6. Research tracking information (for administrative purposes: CCS goals, research focus, CSO, etc.)

Please review the application guide and rating scales prior to submitting your full application. We recommend that applicants address the reviewers’ feedback on the LOI to write the most competitive full application.

The full application stage is distinct from the LOI stage. You will be required to re-enter ALL information, so please save your work outside of EGrAMS. Substantive changes that significantly alter the overall goals and aims of the proposal relative to the LOI will not be permitted.

The full application will require the following information:

1. Participants CVs and Letters of Support/Collaboration.
2. Public (non-scientific) summary (this can be updated from the LOI submission).
3. Scientific abstract (this can be updated from the LOI submission).
4. Impact statement (this can be updated from the LOI submission).
5. LOI reviews (to be uploaded by applicant) and response to reviewer comments.
6. Scientific proposal (21,000 characters, spaces included), including the following: 
• The aim(s) of the project.
• Experimental design, methods, and analysis. Previous work done in the area of research may be included.  
• While sex, gender and other dimensions of diversity, as well as patient and stakeholder engagement are called out below, these should be evident within the research plan where relevant. 
• Risk and mitigation strategies.
• Three pages of data figures/tables/charts and their associated legends are allowed. Figures can also be embedded in the text as images or they will count towards the 21,000 character limit. 
• References are not included in the page/character count but must be included in the PDF document.
7. Key milestones & expected timelines (1 page).
8. Sex and/or gender and/or other dimensions of diversity and their intersectionalities (maximum 4,200 characters, spaces included). Articulate how sex, gender, and other identity factors (e.g. race, ethnicity) and their intersectionalities will be included in the research design, methods, analysis, interpretation. Where relevant, also describe how this will be factored into the research plan through to dissemination of results/next steps towards implementation.
9. Terms of reference for all team members involved in the proposed project. Note that for this grant competition only ECR Co-Principal Investigators are permitted. Role types will be limited to Additional Authors, Collaborators, and Patients/Survivors/Caregivers. Co-Applicants are not permitted. This section should be written in language understandable to a non-expert. The CCS template is encouraged, but teams may utilize another similar template if desired.
10. Career development and training & mentorship plans (8,000 characters, spaces included) describing: 
• Leadership and mentorship capacities and experience.
• Career development plan and goals, and how the CCS Emerging Scholar Research Grant will support the applicant in achieving these goals.
• Anticipated challenges or barriers that must be overcome.   
• Mentorship plan for the applicant’s own career.
• Strategies the applicant will implement to foster the growth of their research team. The applicant must clearly describe what best practices will be taken to ensure that training and development opportunities will be equitably provided to all members of the research team.

The professional development budget can be used to support these activities. 

11. Patient engagement approach describing how people with lived experience will be involved in the project throughout its lifecycle (2,500 characters, spaces included). Resources are available here to learn more about meaningful engagement practices. This section may be revised at the full application stage.

12. A detailed knowledge translation and mobilization strategy (4,200 characters, spaces included), including a data sharing plan, a description of anticipated outcomes (products, programs, results) and next steps towards (eventual) impact could be should the project aims be achieved (further research, implementation, etc.). Public and/or patient engagement strategies are encouraged. Equitable access to results should be considered (as relevant). This should include engagement of patients, survivors, caregivers, clinicians and other practitioners or end-users to ensure utility of the proposed solution, utilization and/or uptake of project results as relevant (depending on the stage of the research proposed).  

    Impacts include but are not limited to: policy influence, intellectual property, public awareness/action, cancer detection or care improvements, new guidelines, outcomes toward new treatments, clinical trial implementation or continuation, new standard of care or barrier removal. 
13. Host institution’s commitment statement (1 per PI/Co-PI) (this can be updated from the LOI submission).
14. Budget justification related to the supplies, equipment and personnel associated with the research project. This must include the number of personnel required to complete the work and a description of their experience and/or education level and their commitment to the project. 
15. Two letters of references supporting the applicant, the research project scientific merit, relevance and potential impact. 
• One letter must be from a former supervisor.
• One letter must be from an academic referee who is not affiliated with the applicant’s host institution.
16. Research tracking information (for administrative purposes: CCS goals, research focus, CSO, etc.) 

• Grantees may not hold concurrent operating grants aimed at establishing the research program of early career researchers at the time of the ESRG funding start date (this includes, but is not limited to, TFRI New Investigator Award). Salary awards are generally accepted, however, Canada Research Chair holders (at the time of grant start date) are not eligible to apply for CCS Emerging Scholar Research Grants. Please contact CCS (research@cancer.ca) for more information.
• There must not be substantive overlap (more than 50%) with any pending application (including those at the abstract or Letter of Intent submission stage) to any other Canadian Cancer Society Research program as of this competition due date. Duplicate applications will not be accepted. The onus is on the applicant to indicate the extent (or absence) of overlap.
• Applicants are reminded to review the eligibility and requirements section prior to preparing an application. For details on scientific and financial reporting, funder acknowledgement, and other Canadian Cancer Society policies, review our policies and administration page.

CCS is committed to equity, diversity, inclusivity, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples rights. We strive to build inclusive and diverse capacity in the cancer research ecosystem through both policies and practices, and aim to equitably support applicants with diverse experience and narratives.

We recognize the structural racism and discrimination that exists in the research ecosystem, and, as we move to examine and dismantle these practices, we seek to learn from the resilience, wisdom and diversity of other perspectives. We commit to examining biases, seeking inclusive solutions and welcoming discomfort that comes with systemic and structural change. We commit to advancing equity, diversity and inclusive practices and principles. We welcome and encourage eligible applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for our funding opportunities.

All grant recipients must submit annual scientific reports and statements of account throughout the grant. Principal Investigators will be emailed instructions about completing the report in our online system (EGrAMS). Submission of these reports is mandatory. Failure to submit the required reports will result in future installments of a grant being withheld.

CCS is a proud signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and a member of the Impact Funders Forum as well as other coalitions that work to support better research assessment practices and improve how evidence is generated, utilized, and applied across various issue areas and policy sectors. In line with our research strategy, CCS expects to engage with research teams in various ways to promote learning, networking, and knowledge sharing throughout the life cycle of each grant. As part of a successful application, CCS expects that grantees will engage in multiple opportunities as appropriate and able.

Scientific misconduct including, but not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or misrepresentation of data will not be tolerated and may result in the rejection of proposals in the current program and possibly from all future CCS programs. Misconduct, including but not limited to, racism, discrimination, bullying, harassment of any form (i.e: sexual) will be treated with the same severity.

CCS reserves the right to cancel the support provided through its program were any of this conduct proven to (have) happen(ed).