endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships

The endMS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is intended to support research for training of Postdoctoral Fellows in studies related to MS. The endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships serve to attract and retain young researchers in the field of MS.

Applications to the endMS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program should emphasize opportunities for new research training and broadening scientific competence of the applicant, with a particular alignment with the MS Society of Canada’s new strategic plan. The strategic plan outlines four key impact goal areas:

Advance Treatment and Care: Research that aims to advance treatment and care for people affected by MS (e.g. symptom management, diagnosis of MS, developing and/or testing new treatments and understanding their mechanisms, emotional well-being and mental health, wellness/self-care, exercise, diet, rehabilitation, health services, clinical care practices, models of care, healthcare delivery/policy to improve treatment and care services and practices).
Enhance Well-being: Research that aims to understand how to enhance the well-being of people affected by MS within communities and/or at a systems level (e.g. understanding the social determinants of health, health economics/cost benefit analysis on interventions and support structures and systems, community-based programs, health systems research/policy affecting communities and/or systems level).
Understand and Halt Disease Progression: Research that aims to understand the mechanisms of MS, disease worsening and progression, progressive MS, and the mechanisms of repair and neuroprotection (e.g., myelin biology, neurobiology, neurophysiology, neuroimmunology, neuropathology, and neuroimaging).
Prevent MS: Research that aims to prevent MS (e.g. identifying and understanding risk factors, effective interventions for prevention, health economic/cost benefit analysis on prevention, and defining at-risk or high risk populations).

Based on the nature of the research, the candidate can apply for one of the following awards:

endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships: Biomedical research
endMS Postdoctoral Fellowships: Clinical and Population Health research

MSSC welcomes applications from postdoctoral fellows from across disciplines pursuing research in MS. We strongly encourage applications from Postdoctoral fellows in the Clinical and Population Health stream in the areas of treatment and care, enhance well-being and prevent MS.

Biomedical Research Stream

The Biomedical Research stream supports research which uncovers the biological, pathological, and mechanistic aspects of MS, and provides fundamental knowledge about the development, progression, prevention and treatment of MS disease. Studies can involve in vitro, animal, and/or human models.

Clinical and Population Health Research Stream

The Clinical and Population Health Research stream supports clinical research with the goal of improving diagnosis, treatment, or the health and quality of life of individuals with MS; health services research; encompasses research on, or for the treatment of, people affected by MS; supports population health research that aims to understand the complex, biological, social, cultural and environmental interactions that determine the health of individuals and populations.

Amount and Term

Maximum term: 3 years (initial award and two renewals)
Awarded amount per year (for Ph.D. holder): $41,000
Awarded amount per year (for M.D. holder): $50,500

The MSSC awards funding annually for endMS Personnel Awards. Subsequent funding allowable within the maximum term limits of the award will be renewed upon demonstration of research progress as determined by the MSSC and the MSSC endMS Personnel review committee through an assessment of a Progress Report completed each year.

Eligibility

Applicants who currently hold, or are completing a Doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent). M.D. Applicants must hold degrees that are recognized by the Canadian medical regulatory authority. A Postdoctoral Fellowship will not be activated for a Doctoral candidate until the MS Society has received written notification from a university or professional school that an appropriate Doctoral degree has been granted.
Completion of a Doctoral degree within three years of the competition deadline.
Enrolled in postdoctoral training* at a Canadian institution. Applicants who are interested in studying abroad must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
Postdoctoral Fellowships must be held in a recognized institution; and be responsible to an appropriate supervisor who is in a field relevant to MS.

*Postdoctoral training must be conducted in a different laboratory and with a different supervisor as your Doctoral training.

Important Dates

Competition Opens: November 4, 2020
Application Deadline: December 15, 2020 at 16:00 EDT
Progress Report Deadline: December 15, 2020 at 16:00 EDT
Anticipated Notice of Decision: June 2021
Funding Start Date: July 1, 2021

Policies and Procedures

Program Guide
Policies

What’s new this year?

1. In November 2020, the MS Society of Canada (MSSC) launched a new grants and awards management system that enables trainees to submit and review applications online. Moving forward all applications must be submitted via ProposalCentral which can be accessed through the following website: https://proposalcentral.com. Note that the EasyGrants system will no longer be used to accept applications.

2. Interested applicants must create a profile on ProposalCentral through which they can complete the application process. Applicants are also required to connect their ORCiD identifier, a persistent and unique digital identifier, to the ProposalCentral profile. ORCiD will connect your iD with your professional information (e.g. grants, publications, funding, etc.). If you don’t have an ORCiD, you can easily create one in a few minutes.

3. The MSSC has included an Equity and Diversity section to all grant and award applications. Applicants are encouraged to complete the Equity and Diversity Questionnaire to help us better monitor equity in our programs. Your information will only be seen by authorized MSSC staff and the data collected will only be used in an aggregated form in order to protect the identity of individuals.

4. This year, the MSSC will only be launching the 2021-2022 endMS Personnel Awards competition. Please note that the Discovery and Pilot Grant competitions will not launch in 2020. Applicants who are eligible for an annual renewal of their current endMS Personnel Awards will be contacted by MSSC to complete and submit a Progress Report in ProposalCentral. The submission deadline for new awards and renewals is December 15, 2020 at 4pm Eastern time. Please carefully review the Program Guide before submitting an application as some requirements have changed. For any questions on the application, do not hesitate to contact ms.grants@mssociety.ca.

5. The MSSC has provided separate templates for upload documents such as the Proposed Research Project/Scientific Progress Report, Figures, References, and Signatures Page. Applicants are required to utilize the provided templates.

6. The MSSC has changed the guidelines for referees. New endMS Studentship (Master’s and Doctoral) and Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards will require Letters of Recommendation from the supervisor (and co-supervisor(s) if applicable), and two (2) academic referees. Progress Reports for renewal of current Studentship (Master’s and Doctoral) and Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards will only require one (1) Letter of Recommendation from the supervisor stating the progress made by the applicant during the last funding year (or period). Applications without the required number of letters of recommendation will be disqualified.

7. Furthermore, the MSSC has changed the transcript requirements for Studentship and Fellowship Awards. Master’s level applicants are required to submit transcripts from their undergraduate degree and graduate studies, if they have completed courses with grades. Doctoral level applicants must provide transcripts from their undergraduate degree and graduate studies, including courses taken with grades. Postdoctoral level applicants must provide transcripts from their graduate degree. Applications submitted without the appropriate transcript(s) will not be considered eligible.

Research Funding Partnerships

MSSC Partnership with Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS)

Partnership Objectives

To support a greater number of Postdoctoral students by providing training awards to outstanding individuals in Quebec who wish to commence or pursue their research training in the field of multiple sclerosis. This support will be delivered through the co-funding fellowship awards submitted to the regular competitions of both FRQS and MSSC.

Mechanisms of Support

The co-funded support for the postdoctoral fellowship is one (1) year in length with an opportunity to be renewed, which is dependent upon the submission and approval of a renewal application by both FRQS and MSSC.

A successfully executed letter of agreement is required to receive this funding.

Value of Awards

Awards and Fellowships	Total Funding Amount
** Postdoctoral fellowship	$45,000
** Postdoctoral MD	$50,500

*Fellowships will be co-funded (50/50) by FRQS and MSSC.

**Postdoctoral Fellowships offered to those who conduct their training outside of Canada will benefit from a supplement of $10,000 per year.

Program Eligibility

In order to be eligible for funding through this partnership applicants must:

Apply to both FRQS and MSSC regular competitions.
FRQS candidates must indicate in their application that they wish to be considered for a MSSOC partnership award and MSSC candidates must indicate that they wish to be considered for the FRQS partnership award.
The FRQS application must be approved for relevance by the MSSC.
The application must be approved for funding based on the peer review of both FRQS and MSSC research competitions.

Important Dates

MSSC Competition Opens: November 4, 2020
MSSC Application Deadline: December 15, 2020 at 16:00 EDT
FRQS Competition Closes: October 15, 2020 at 16:30 EDT
MSSC Anticipated Notice of Decision: June 2021
FRQS Anticipated Announcement of Results: April 2021
Funding Start Date: July 1, 2021

New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF)

The MSSC and NBHRF aim to support a greater number of Postdoctoral Fellows by providing awards to outstanding individuals in New Brunswick who wish to commence, pursue or sustain their research program in the field of MS. This support will be delivered through the co-funding of top endMS Postdoctoral Fellow applications submitted to the annual competition of the MSSC. Awards will be co-funded (70/30) by MSSC and NBHRF.

Mechanisms of Support

The co-funded support for studentship awards are one (1) year in length with an opportunity to be renewed, which is dependent upon the submission and approval of a renewal application to the MSSC.