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Grants, awards and scholarships

The Owerko Centre offers a number of funding opportunities to support and recognize the achievements of trainees, early career researchers, and research staff. 

Eligibility

There are various awards, grants and scholarships available to Owerko Centre trainees, early career researchers, and research staff. Be sure to review the info provided for each funding opportunity to confirm your eligibility. 

Application

Review the information provided for each funding opportunity. Send a completed application form along with all other materials you're asked to provide as a single PDF. 

Deadline

There are February and June application intake periods each year. Review the information for each funding opportunity to confirm the deadline. 

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

Applications for the following grants will open in December 2024: 

The Owerko Centre Trainee and Education Grant provides an opportunity for Owerko Centre graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to obtain further training in new methods and techniques that will enhance their research skills and projects. The training and education opportunities must be external to the University of Calgary, thereby giving recipients access to a broader set of experiences not currently available at the University of Calgary.

  1. Details

    Number of awards available: 2 

    Award amount: Up to $5,000 each

    Competition opens: December 2, 2024

    Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025 at 11:59 pm

  2. Eligibility

    • Registered graduate student (Masters, PhD) at the University of Calgary 
    • Post-Doctoral or Clinical Fellows 
    • All applicants must have an Owerko Centre investigator as one of their supervisors

The Owerko Centre Spark Trainee Grant provides an opportunity for Owerko Centre graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to expand their research scope and skillset beyond their current expertise. The purpose of this grant is to support successful applicants in initiating new techniques, experiments, and collaborations that will complement their current thesis/research projects.

  1. Details

    Number of grants available: 1

    Grant amount: Up to $5,000 

    Competition opens: December 2, 2024

    Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025 at 11:59 pm

  2. Eligibility

    • Registered graduate student (Masters, PhD) at the University of Calgary
    • Post-Doctoral Fellows
    • All applicants must have an Owerko Centre investigator as one of their supervisor

This grant enables early-career investigators to conduct research in areas aligned with the Owerko Centre mandate of advancing neurodevelopment and child mental health. This grant can be used to conduct studies to collect preliminary/pilot data or to extend current work where funding for exploratory or novel studies is limited. This grant is intended to provide a mechanism for fellows and research associates to launch the next independent phase of their career.

  1. Details

    Number of grants available: 4

    Award value: Up to $25,000

    Competition opens: December 2, 2024

    Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025 at 11:59 pm

  2. Eligibility

    • Completed a doctoral (PhD) or equivalent degree (MD). 
    • Be a post doctoral fellow or research associate employed within the research group of grant tenure or have an identified mentor in place for clinical fellows.
    • Have an on-site mentor or senior collaborator who is supportive of the project and willing to provide access to laboratory space and equipment.

The Owerko Centre Trainee and Community Partnership Grant provides support for graduate student trainees and post-doctoral fellows to access opportunities in the community to enhance their research training by partnering with community partners. Examples include shadowing a community service provider to understand the treatment of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, partnering with community association on education events or materials or working with an advocacy group on policy improvement. 

  1. Details

    Number of grants available: 1

    Grant amount: Up to $5,000 (a portion of the budget should include a contribution to the community partner)

    Competition opens: December 2, 2024

    Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025 at 11:59 pm

  2. Eligibility

    • Registered graduate student (Masters, PhD) at the University of Calgary
    • Post-Doctoral or Clinical Fellows
    • All applicants must have an Owerko Centre investigator as one of their supervisor

Applications for the following awards will open in spring 2025: 

Owerko Centre Graduate Scholarship Awards are internal awards that provide stipend support to trainees currently pursuing graduate research. These awards are intended to support graduate students who do not currently hold any other competitive scholarship funding. The goal of these awards is to ensure that the Owerko Centre continues to build a diverse and inclusive training community of graduate students.

  1. Details

    Number of awards available: 8

    Award amount: $10,000

  2. Eligibility

    • All applicants must have an Owerko Centre investigator as their primary supervisor
    • Registered thesis-based graduate student (Masters, PhD) at UCalgary with a minimum of 12 months left in their program.
    • May not hold other internal or external competitive scholarships at the time of receiving the award
    • Applicants cannot have held a graduate tri-council award at any time
    • Only one Owerko Centre Graduate Scholarship per trainee’s level of study will be awarded

The Owerko Centre Knowledge Dissemination and Engagement Award recognizes individuals or groups who have developed and implemented community-oriented projects that showcase the Owerko Centre’s commitment to studying neurodevelopment and/or child mental health in a creative and impactful way.

  1. Details

    Number of available awards: 1

    Award value: $500 

  2. Eligibility

    • All applicants must have an Owerko Centre investigator as their primary supervisor
    • Registered students (Masters, PhD) and Post-Doctoral and Clinical Fellows at the University of Calgary
    • Applicant must have been either a full-time post-doctoral /clinical fellowship, or graduate student (MSc and PhD student) in good standing at the time of project

The Owerko Centre Trainee Publication Award recognizes trainees who have first‐authored papers focused on neurodevelopment and/or child mental health.

  1. Details

    Number of available awards: 2

    Award value: $500 each

  2. Eligibility

    • All applicants must have an Owerko Centre investigator as their primary supervisors
    • Registered graduate students (Masters, PhD) and Post‐Doctoral and Clinical Fellows at the University of Calgary
    • Applicant must have, as first author, a paper published in a recognized, peer‐reviewed journal during 2023.

The Owerko Centre Research Staff Award is a unique award aimed at recognizing the excellence of research staff. The primary purpose of this award is to honour and publicly recognize the achievements and contributions of research staff in service, leadership, and teamwork that supports the values, mission, and goals of their labs.

  1. Details

    Number of available awards: 2

    Award value: Up to $150.00 in value from the UofC bookstore

  2. Eligibility

    • Research staff currently employed within the research group of an Owerko Centre member
    • Examples of research staff include: Lab Manager, Research Coordinator, Laboratory Technician, or Research Assistant
    • Maximum one nomination per lab