distribution of funds

trainee stipends

• There are funds available to support a total of five post-doctoral fellows per year and six graduate students per year from the Program.
  
  
• Funding from the Program includes $36,750 per annum for post-doctoral fellows and $17,500 for graduate students. These salaries are topped up by each team of collaborating supervisors by $7,000 for graduate students and $8,250 for post-doctoral fellows.
  
  
• Each stipend is accompanied by an additional $3,000 research allowance to foster new research in the collaborating laboratories, and a $1,000 travel allowance from the Program. In the Application Form trainees must indicate how the research allowance of $3000 will be used to promote the collaboration and new science, and this explanation is a component of the Reviewer Evaluation . The research allowance is an essential component of the Program because the collaborations are outside the scope of an individual researcher’s operating grants – with this latter criteria also being an important component of the formal evaluation of the trainee applications.
  
  
• There are two application deadlines per year: Feb. 15th and Oct. 15th. In the first instance it is estimated that three post-doctoral awards will be available in the February competition, and two in the October competition. Three graduate student awards will be available in each competition. If there are more applications in one category than in another in any given competition (e.g., graduate or post-doctoral applications), and/or the scientific evaluations differ markedly, then the funds will be distributed according to the priority of scientific merit and the highest ranked applications.
  
  
• To grow the Program, all applicants are required to have applied (or intend to apply) to at least one external funding source and preferably one internal funding source (see Application Form). If the applicant is successful in those competitions, they will receive the same additional research and travel allowances, and salary top-up, in this case all provided by the Program. These incentives make the Training Program highly desirable and highly competitive for the best trainees and their supervisors. The added benefit of this procedure is that if these already highly qualified and meritorious trainees are accepted into the Program garner external support, it frees up support for additional meritorious trainees, so expanding the Program in quantity and quality, as well as in the capacity for research. 

visiting speakers

• There are funds available to support a total of ten visits from prominent researchers per year ($1,000 per visit). The itinerary of these researchers will include a seminar to present new information, interactions with the faculty and trainees to improve the quality of the research with the aim of improving the Program via their interactions and suggestions. Specific time will be allotted in the itinerary for the graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the Program to meet with the speakers to discuss research, and then to have lunch for additional discussion of research and/or non-research related issues in an informal setting, so further facilitating social and scientific networking.
  
  
• The $1000 per visit from Program will cover travel (economy class), hotel, and other expenses (e.g., taxis). It is likely that partnerships with other entities will be required to cover other expenses such as honorarium and group dinners.
  
  
• The availability of funds for visiting speakers is merit based, and the Programl aims to distribute funds across the range of interests encompassed by the Program. Written requests for the support of visitors should include:

1. Accomplishments of invitee
   
   
2. Relevance and value added to Program
   
   
3. Confirmation that part of the itinerary will be spent with relevant trainees in program
   
   
4. Availability of other funds if necessary
   
   

research workshop

• A research workshop will be held locally each year where trainees will act as chairs and speakers by presenting their research project and results. The workshop will also include tools for professional development (e.g., setting and managing your own laboratory, grant writing etc). It is at the Retreat that all members and affiliates of the Team Research and Training Program (i.e., faculty, staff, supported and other trainees) will come together. The External Advisor to the Program will be invited to the Retreat.