Early Career Investigators Grants
Overview of the Early Career Investigators Grant Program
Purpose
The Early Career Investigators Grant is a grant for gynecologic research, targeted to early-career clinician-investigators.
This grant is made possible through the generous grant sponsorship made by Pfizer.
Target Area
The Early Career Investigators Grant is targeted to the field of gynecology, with a focus on medical management and pathophysiology of endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, pelvic pain, and abnormal uterine bleeding.
Eligibility
The principal applicant must be a CanSAGE member in Canada who is an OB/GYN Resident, MIGS Fellow, or Gynecologist in the first 5 years of practice. Recipients must be early-career clinician-investigators, defined as 5 years following postgraduate training (allowing for leaves of absence).
Candidate Selection
The CanSAGE research selection committee will select the recipients of the grants.
Announcement of the grant recipients will be in June.
The recipients will then receive the grants in October.
Funding
Two grants of $30,000 each were awarded for 2024-2025. The funding must be used to complete research, and cannot be used for capital costs or educational program development.
Research Completion
Recipients have 2 years to complete the project. Upon completion of the research, recipients must provide a written report to the CanSAGE board and also present at the annual meeting.
About the Review Process & Criteria
Review Process
• Applications will be reviewed by the CanSAGE grants committee and/or by invited external reviewers if the grant committee requires additional expertise.
• The grants committee will score the applications (recusing themselves from any applications which would represent a conflict of interest). The scores will be compiled, the applications discussed, and the most meritorious applications selected for funding on a conference call.
• Application review decisions are final.
Review Criteria
The main focus of consideration will be;
• Scientific merit of the project
• Relevance of the proposal to the therapeutic area(s)
• Environment (and mentor, if applicable)
• Career trajectory
Submit the following materials as part of your application:
Title Page
1 page maximum, including:
- Team description: Principal applicant, mentor, co-applicants, collaborators, patient partners. As the principal applicant will be an early-career investigator, they should choose a middle-career or senior investigator as a mentor.
- Names, positions, affiliations of each team member.
- Contact information for the principal applicant.
Proposal
3 pages maximum, 2cm margins, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman.
Figures and tables are separate to the 3 page maximum. References should be attached in the Appendix.
- 0.5 page: Introduction.
- 1.5 page: Methods (including Objective, Aims, Hypothesis, Sample Size Estimation, Timelines).
- 0.5 page: Expected outcomes and significance; Knowledge Translation.
- 0.5 page: Future research and plans to apply for a future larger grant application.
Mentor Letter of Support
1 page maximum that describes the mentorship plan and institutional support (research space, statistical services, etc).
CVs
- Submitted for Applicant and Mentor.
- 3 pages maximum, free form, and can include but not limited to: training background, current position, peer-reviewed publications (provide #’s and examples of recent work), current grants.
Appendices
- References.
- Other letters of support (optional).
- Itemized budget (1 page maximum).