2024-2025 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships competition launch

The 2024-2025 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (Banting PDF) competition has just been launched. This memo serves to inform you of program news for this competition.

1. 2024-2025 competition timelines

Key dates are highlighted below.

2. Competition administration

Single signatory for the institutional letter of endorsement For action

As part of the Banting PDF application process, each institution is required to identify the individual who is responsible for signing the letter of endorsement on behalf of the entire institution (i.e., the President, their equivalent, or a single delegate). Having this information will help us to ensure that the proper, single authority has signed off on all applications from your institution. Please provide the name of your institution’s signatory by sending it to program staff at banting@cihr-irsc.gc.ca no later than September 1, 2024.

For more information specific to host institutions, please consult the Information for host institutions page of the Banting PDF website.

3. Program news

San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) Reminder

The three federal granting councils have signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), a global initiative whose purpose is to support the development and promotion of best practices in the assessment of scholarly research. As signatories of DORA, the agencies recognize and value a broad range of contributions and emphasize their quality and impact.

Applicant and peer review guidance has been aligned with DORA recommendations. Applicants can highlight a range of contributions in their applications. Reviewers are asked to assess research excellence broadly (i.e., not just based on publications) and to avoid using journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research publications.

Equity, diversity and inclusion Reminder

The Banting PDF program encourages equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), as part of the agencies’ broader commitment to excellence in research and research training in Canada. The EDI page of the Banting PDF website provides guidelines and resources geared towards applicants, host institutions, referees, and reviewers and readers.

The Secretariat acknowledges that certain circumstances may legitimately affect an applicant's record of research achievement. Applicants are encouraged to explain any personal circumstances in order to allow for a fair assessment of their research productivity in the Special Circumstances attachment of their application.

International recruitment Reminder

In keeping with the aim of attracting postdoctoral researchers to Canada, we encourage you to continue strengthening your efforts to endorse new international candidates. Your collaboration is essential in branding the Banting PDF program as Canada’s most valuable, prestigious and sought-after postdoctoral funding opportunity.

Sex- and Gender-based Analysis Plus (SGBA+) Reminder

In order to ensure the research we fund is impactful and relevant to the diversity of the population, we require applicants to systematically examine how differences in identity factors, such as sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age and mental or physical disability, affect the outcomes of research and the impacts of research findings. Applicants are encouraged to take SGBA+ principles into account in their proposed research (see Application guide - Task 10 – Research Proposal).

Research respectfully involving Indigenous communities Reminder

The proposed research must be in accordance with the policies and principles outlined in the following two main documents:

• Tri-Council Policy Statement: Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada (2022)
• SSHRC Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research

Proposed supervisors must describe how collaborations are developed and provide details corroborating information included in the research proposal.

In order to be funded, research involving and engaging with Indigenous communities must fulfill the pillars for respectful research engaging with Indigenous Peoples.

Institutional endorsement (selectivity and diversity) Reminder

We would like to remind you to continue being highly selective in your endorsement of applications. In this way, we can work together to ensure that we receive very high-quality applications and, in turn, that the program is indeed supporting world-class postdoctoral researchers who will become the research leaders of tomorrow.

Proposals from all research areas and in both official languages are encouraged. In addition, careful consideration must be given to ensure equity in the endorsement process. Confirmation of the institution’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion must be included in the letter of endorsement.

Subject matter eligibility (area of research) Reminder

The onus is on the applicant and their proposed supervisor to carefully consider which selection committee should review the application. For more details, please consult the Application Guide - Task 6. Applications submitted to the incorrect agency may be withdrawn from the competition.

If there is uncertainty, please send an email to banting@cihr-irsc.gc.ca with a one-page summary of the proposed research, and Banting staff will provide clarification.

Date modified:

2024-04-10