Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program

Award Overview

• Award Category: International Awards, Postdoctoral Awards
• Student Deadline : Date set by Faculty Research Office (see table under Contacts)
• Application Dates : Summer 2023
• Value & Duration : $70,000 per year for two years​​​
• Required Legal Status : Domestic / International

Purpose

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships ​Program is intended to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally; develop their leadership potential; and position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow, positively contributing to Canada’s economic, social and research-based growth through a research-intensive career.

Seventy fellowships are awarded annually, divided evenly between Canada’s three federal granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC). There are a total of 140 awards active at any one time.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is unique in its emphasis on the synergy of research goals and projects between the following:

• Applicant – individual merit and potential to launch a successful research-intensive career
• Host Institution – commitment to the research program and alignment with the institution’s strategic priorities

Eligibility

Applicants and the proposed host institution must meet specific eligibility criteria within several categories. Applications that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria will not be accepted. View complete requirements on the Banting website.

1. Applicant eligibility:
   • Citizenship and location of host institution
   • Eligibility window for degree completion
2. Host institution eligibility
3. Other eligibility restrictions​

*To review all new program items and important reminders, please see the 2023-24 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship competition launch memo.

Endorsement Process

Given the limited number of fellowships awarded annually, universities are encouraged to carefully consider and support only the highest quality applicants from both Canada and abroad. In keeping with the aim of attracting postdoctoral fellows to Canada, units are encouraged to endorse new foreign candidates.  In addition, careful consideration must be given to ensure EDI principles are part of the endorsement process. U of T Faculty Research Offices receive allocations and are therefore limited in the number of applications they may put forth for endorsement by the School of Graduate Studies.

Applicants must be nominated by their Faculty (e.g., Faculty of Arts and Science) to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) to receive the endorsement of the University. Supervisors wishing to support a candidate’s application must contact their affiliated Faculty Research Office to inquire about the Faculty’s internal deadline, application and selection process (see faculty contact info under “Contacts & Resources” section). Applications submitted outside of the affiliated Faculty competition and therefore without the official endorsement of Dean of Graduate Studies will be deemed ineligible by the Banting Secretariat.

Fulfillment of Degree Form: University of Toronto graduates who wish to pursue their postdoctoral fellowship at another institution must apply through their proposed host institution, abiding to their internal selection process and deadlines. The School of Graduate Studies will sign the Fulfillment of Degree Requirements Form for the candidate (candidate must complete the form before sending to SGS for signature), who must request it by email from the Postdoctoral Fellows Office.

Those who have not completed their degree requirements yet are asked to submit the form to their graduate unit for completion.

**Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) – Please note: Each affiliated hospital will hold its own competition as well. Their competitions are separate from Temerty Faculty of Medicine (via OVDRHSE) and may have a different deadline and application process. Applicants will need to decide where to apply because it will determine where the award will be held and paid from (if successful).

Selection Criteria

Applications received by Banting will be evaluated based on the following selection criteria. Applicants, supervisors, departments, and faculties are encouraged to consider these criteria when developing their applications and when selecting nominees to be forwarded:

1. Research excellence and leadership in the research domain – demonstrated capacity for research excellence based on track record as defined by quality of applicant’s research contributions, and demonstrated capacity for leadership in the research domain defined by the sphere of influence achieved to date by the applicant.
2. Quality of the applicant’s proposed research program – examined in terms of the potential of the proposed research program (taking into consideration feasibility, timelines and novelty of research), executed in the proposed institutional environment, to position the applicant for significant impact through a research-intensive career (potential for significant impact).
3. Institutional commitment and demonstrated synergy between applicant and institutional strategic priorities – examined in terms of:
   • demonstrated commitment of institution to support the development of the applicant’s research and leadership capacity through institutional support (funding, facilities, equipment, etc.) and professional development; and
   • demonstrated alignment and synergy between the applicant’s research ambitions and the institution’s potential to benefit strategically from its engagement with the applicant (alignment with institution’s strategic priorities)

See the Banting Postdoctoral Fellows selection committee guide for further information.​

Application Process

See the Application Guide

1. The Banting application is initiated by the applicant through the ResearchNet Application System with the CV data components created using the Comm​on CV system.
2. The University of Toronto does not have access to applications on ResearchNet. Therefore, candidates may be asked to submit a copy of their entire application, including a copy of the confidential online referee assessment forms to their Faculty Research Office.
3. Applicants must be nominated by their Faculty (e.g., Faculty Arts and Science) to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) to receive the endorsement of the University. Those nominated to SGS will be issued a Letter of Endorsement signed by the Dean of Graduate Studies necessary to complete the online application process at least one week before (will be made available September 8, 2023) the ResearchNet deadline date. Only applications endorsed by the Dean of Graduate Studies will be accepted by the Banting Secretariat.
4. Nominees must also obtain (from the institution that conferred their degree) a Fulfillment of Degree Requirements Form and attach this completed document to their online application. Applicants who require the Fulfillment of Degree Requirements Form document from U of T must complete the form and send to the Postdoctoral Fellows Office before September 1, 2023. *Applicants must include their UofT student number when emailing their request*
5. Candidates are responsible for uploading all required documents to ResearchNet to complete the application and submission process. Only the referee assessment forms are to be completed and submitted online by the referees. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all components of the application are complete (including references) and the application is submitted via ResearchNet by the deadline of September 20, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT).

Important application reminders:

Eligible referees

An assessment cannot be completed by the proposed supervisor unless that person is currently your supervisor or has been your supervisor in the past.

Mandatory arm’s length referee

All applications must have at least one arm’s length referee from among the three invited referees. (see Application Guide-Task 8).

The arm’s length referee cannot be:

• a relative, friend, or anyone else with whom the applicant has a personal relationship;
• in a position to benefit from the funding of the application;
• affiliated with the applicant’s current and/or proposed institution(s);
• affiliated with the proposed supervisor, either personally or professionally; or
• professionally affiliated with the applicant (currently, in the past, or in the immediate future), as a result of but not limited to:
  • being the applicant’s supervisor or trainee,
  • collaborating, publishing or sharing funding with the applicant.

Essentially, they must have no real or perceived vested interest in the success of the application. Therefore, the greater the distance between the applicant and the arm’s length referee, the better.

This is a mandatory requirement. The absence of an arm’s length assessment could therefore adversely affect the review of the application.

Supervisor’s statement (support from institutions)

Given the competitive nature of the Banting PDF program and its role as a premier postdoctoral program in Canada, it is very important that institutions clearly outline the support that will be provided to the applicant. The supervisor should explain how this support goes above and beyond what is offered to regular postdoctoral researchers. Furthermore, the support should be reasonable and appropriate to the institution and should meet the applicant’s needs and the requirements of the proposed research (see Application Guide-Task 10).

Postdoctoral researchers must complete the Banting End of Award Report, which includes follow-up questions to confirm whether the support outlined in the application was granted to them during their award.

Award Holder Information

Please ensure you are familiar with the policies and follow the acceptance and payment activation procedures as outlined in the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide.

To activate payment at the University of Toronto, your supervisor will need to create an application on the My Research Applications (MRA) portal to correspond with your Banting application before your award can be paid out. All research funding applications at U of T require an application to be created on the MRA system, details of which can be found here. Without a fully-approved MRA, signifying full department/faculty approval of your application, the University cannot set up a fund to hold your award monies.

Please note: The MRA application can only be completed by your supervisor; fellows are not able to access the MRA system directly.

The MRA application draws on materials you will have already prepared for your application for the Banting PDF and does not require any additional application materials from you. A copy of your research proposal and your Authorization For Funding (AFF) document must be attached to the MRA application for approval, and the MRA must list the term of your award (start & end dates) as well as the total amount of funding approved. These details will be listed in the AFF document you receive confirming the success of your application.

Once completed and submitted, the MRA application will be automatically routed for electronic approvals to the chair/director of the administering department and then on to Research Services. Once Research Services receives the MRA application with all necessary approvals in place, a restricted research fund will be established to house your award funds. Details on the fund will be provided to your supervisor and departmental business officer so arrangements for the payment of your monthly stipend monies can be arranged; payment of your first monthly stipend through the University’s payroll system (HRIS) will be able to follow shortly thereafter.

If you or your supervisor have any questions about the MRA process, please reach out to Research Services.

Program News

New: San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

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 recommendation. Applications can highlight a range of contributions in their applications. Reviewers are asked to assess research excellence broadly (i.e., not just based on publication) and to avoid using journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impart Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research publications.

Contacts & Resources