Scholar program
Our Scholar Program supports early-career health researchers who are building leading-edge health research programs, training the next generation of scientists and expanding their potential to make significant contributions to their field.
The Scholar Program is one of Health Research BC’s flagship funding opportunities. Since 2001, we’ve granted more than 460 Scholar awards to develop, attract and retain BC’s best and brightest health researchers and support the advancement of world-class health research in BC.
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This competition is
CLOSED
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Important Dates
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Applications Open
October 2023
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Award Term
5 years
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Award Amount
$90,000/annum for salary support
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Program details Eligibility How to apply Application resources WebinarProgram details
- Identifies and develops outstanding BC health researchers who are within five years of the start of their first institutional appointment as an independent investigator.
- Helps researchers start and develop new programs of research.
- Protects researchers’ time to conduct research, develop an independent research career, attract additional research funding, and train the next generation of researchers.
- NEW for 2023: A section in the application form will be provided for applicants to describe how they will meaningfully and appropriately account for Equity Diversity and Inclusion in the design of their research projects, in the analysis and interpretation of the findings, and in their knowledge translation activities.
- NEW for 2023: Letters of reference are no longer required (letters of collaboration are optional).
Partnered awards are
available for this program!
Learn more
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Have a PhD, or equivalent, and commit to a minimum of 75 percent of their time conducting research.
- Hold or have a commitment for an appointment at a BC institution that holds a memorandum of understanding with Health Research BC.
- Be within six years of the start of their first university appointment.
Featured Story
Researchers focus on health and wellness for body and mind
Dr. Eli Puterman and his team are collaborating with Providence Health Care, to refine their research to specifically support health care workers.
Read moreHow to apply
Applications to our funding competitions are coordinated through Health Research BC's ApplyNet, our online grants management system that allows users to manage their entire award lifecycle, from application submission to post-award monitoring.
Log in to ApplyNet:
Applynet
Webinar
The Scholar webinar has now passed. To watch the recording, please click “view” below. The slides are also available for download.
Fostering health research capacity
As a funding agency with a provincial mandate, we recognize the importance of fostering health research capacity in all regions. Additionally, we’re working to increase applications from around the province, including the north, Interior, Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Island, to support research of importance to those communities and train tomorrow’s researchers to strengthen health research capacity across the province. For this competition we are implementing process changes to identify and remove barriers to success for applicants from around the province, including:
- Revising peer review processes and evaluation criteria to ensure applications from across BC are reviewed fairly and equitably.
- Recruiting peer reviewers from underrepresented regions and institutions in BC and from smaller institutions outside of BC.
- Working with Health Research BC partners to proactively identify partnership opportunities for fundable applications from regions and institutions outside of the Lower Mainland.
