Opportunities for Early Career Researchers to review in the Fall 2023 Project Grant Competition: Reviewer in Training Program
NEW: As of the Spring 2023 Project Grant competition, the Reviewer in Training (RiT) program was expanded. This expansion provides Early Career Researchers (ECRs) with the additional opportunity to participate in the Project Grant competition as ECR reviewers.
The Reviewer in Training Program
The CIHR RiT program offers ECRs a learning opportunity to gain a better understanding of the elements of high-quality review and the peer review process. RiT participants can do this by selecting one of two roles: Mentee or ECR reviewer in their initial application.
For ECRs that want to learn more about CIHR’s peer review process with the help of a Mentor, please see the Apply as a Mentee section.
For ECRs with recent federal or equivalent funding that want to score applications and contribute to funding decisions, please see the Apply as an ECR reviewer section.
Apply as a Mentee
Apply as a Mentee
Mentees will participate in the Project Grant competition with the support of a Mentor. They will conduct practice reviews on up to three applications, attend the peer review meeting, present one review, and participate in the committee discussions. Approximately 120 Mentees will be selected by lottery, which represents two opportunities per Project Grant Program committee. You can view application pressure to the previous Fall 2022 RiT program.
Following successful completion of the RiT program, participants will be promoted within CIHR’s Reviewer Pathway and are encouraged to participate in peer review when requested and available to do so.
Note: CIHR will continue the use of virtual peer review, via Microsoft Teams, for the Fall 2023 Project Grant competition.
Program Parameters
All RiT participants will be required to complete three learning modules:
- Conducting Quality Reviews (7 min.)
- Bias in Peer Review (30 min.)
- One of the following modules based on your methodological expertise:
Supporting materials for conducting reviews, such as the peer review guide, committee's mandate, and the funding opportunity details will be provided to successful applicants.
Additional mandatory learning for participants in the Indigenous Health Research (IHR) committee:
- Background context on Indigenous Health Research (10 min.)
- Research Involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada (TCPS 2 Chapter 9) – Webinar
Participants in the Mentee role will be assigned up to three applications to review based on their self-declared ability to review. Mentees will also be assigned a Mentor who will be available to provide advice and support throughout the review process. Mentees must submit their reviews to their Mentor at least 1 week before the meeting for the Mentor to provide feedback on review quality. Mentees will attend the committee meeting, where they will have an opportunity to present one review noting that only the most competitive applications are discussed at a committee meeting. They will not participate in the final scoring of any application, nor in the budget discussion. The meeting participation parameters may vary to fit the committee context while still achieving the principles of the program.
To learn more, refer to the RiT program Roles and Responsibilities information sheet for Mentors and RiT participants. Participants will also receive an allowance of $50 per day to cover out-of-pocket expenses incurred while participating in these meetings. Expense claims are not required; CIHR will automatically pay the allowance to peer reviewers. Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Important dates
| Application deadline to the Fall 2023 RiT Program | August 8, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Application deadline for the Project Grant Competition | September 14, 2023 |
| Results deadline for the Fall 2023 RiT Program | September 26, 2023 |
| Project Grant committee meetings (individual committee meeting dates to be confirmed with each successful applicant based on the committees they are assigned) | November 15 – December 15, 2023 |
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the RiT program, all individuals must meet CIHR’s definition of an ECR and be working at a Canadian institution as of the application deadline of the Project Grant competition, September 14, 2023. Candidates who are submitting applications as a Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) or Principal Applicant (PA) in the current Project Grant competition are eligible for this opportunity but will not be selected for a committee to which they have submitted an application or the committee that is adjudicating their submission.
To be eligible to apply as a mentee, ECRs must not have previously participated in the RiT program, reviewed for the Project Grant competition, or are full College members.
Note: Participation in this program is not a prerequisite to becoming a CIHR reviewer in the future. All ECRs may be solicited to review provided that they meet the expertise requirements and selection criteria associated to a CIHR program. The peer review experience gained in this program will help the ECR progress through the Reviewer Pathway. Further, ECRs who hold grant funding will be invited to join the College of Reviewers as an Associate Member. Also, a survey will be issued to all participants at the end of this process to help refine the program.
How to apply
To express your interest in participating as a Mentee in this RiT program, please click “Apply Online” below to fill out an application by August 8th, 2023, 23:59 Eastern time.
Step 1: Collect the following before completing the application:
- your CIHR PIN
- a PDF of your biosketch Common CV (draft CCVs are not accepted)
- a letter from your institution attesting that you meet the criteria to be considered as an Early Career Researcher
- a ranked list of two peer review committeesFootnote * – for which you have the appropriate expertise to review – and in which you would like to participate
Step 2: This competition is now closed.
- All submissions will receive an acknowledgement email within five business days of receipt of the application.
Step 3: Complete your Reviewer Profile along with the new Self-identification Questionnaire in ResearchNet within 5 business days of receiving the acknowledgement email.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that their application is complete. Please consult the FAQ for help in completing the Self-identification Questionnaire. Application information submitted for this opportunity will be retained and may be shared with other areas of CIHR for consideration in similar opportunities.
All individuals who express their interest will be informed of the results by September 26, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
Apply as an ECR reviewer
Apply as an ECR reviewer
ECR reviewers participate in the same capacity as all reviewers and will have access to all of the supportive resources that CIHR provides to committee members. They will have a reduced number of applications to review (up to five) and be able to present their assigned applications later in the meeting. At least 1 ECR reviewer will be selected per committee based on the expertise and eligibility of the applicants. You can view application pressure to the previous Fall 2022 RiT program.
Following successful completion of the RiT program, participants will be promoted within CIHR’s Reviewer Pathway and are encouraged to participate in peer review when requested and available to do so.
Note: CIHR will continue the use of virtual peer review, via Microsoft Teams, for the Fall 2023 Project Grant competition.
Program Parameters
All RiT participants will be required to complete three learning modules:
- Conducting Quality Reviews (7 min.)
- Bias in Peer Review (30 min.)
- One of the following modules based on your methodological expertise:
Supporting materials for conducting reviews, such as the peer review guide, committee’s mandate, and the funding opportunity details will be provided to successful applicants.
Additional mandatory learning for participants in the Indigenous Health Research (IHR) committee:
- Background context on Indigenous Health Research (10 min.)
- Research Involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada (TCPS 2 Chapter 9) – Webinar
Participants in the ECR reviewer role will be assigned up to five applications to review based on their self-declared ability to review. ECR reviewers must submit their reviews in accordance with committee deadlines. ECR reviewers will attend the peer review meeting, present their reviews, and participate in the committee meeting discussions including final consensus ratings, individual voting, and budget assessment. ECR reviewers will have access to all of the supportive resources that CIHR provides to committee members and be able to present their assigned applications later in the meeting.
To learn more, refer to the RiT program Roles and Responsibilities information sheet for Mentors and RiT participants. Participants will also receive an allowance of $50 per day to cover out-of-pocket expenses incurred while participating in these meetings. Expense claims are not required; CIHR will automatically pay the allowance to peer reviewers. Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Important dates
| Application deadline to the Fall 2023 RiT Program | August 8, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Application deadline for the Project Grant Competition | September 14, 2023 |
| Results deadline for the Fall 2023 RiT Program | September 26, 2023 |
| Project Grant committee meetings (individual committee meeting dates to be confirmed with each successful applicant based on the committees they are assigned) | November 15 – December 15, 2023 |
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the RiT program, all individuals must meet CIHR’s definition of an ECR and be working at a Canadian institution as of the application deadline of the Project Grant competition, September 14, 2023. Candidates who are submitting applications as a Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) or Principal Applicant (PA) in the current Project Grant competition are eligible for this opportunity but will not be selected for a committee to which they have submitted an application or the committee that is adjudicating their submission.
To be eligible to apply as an ECR Reviewer, individuals must have at least one recent federally funded (or equivalent) peer reviewed grant as a Principal Investigator. ECRs who have previously participated in the RiT program and now meet this criterion, are eligible to participate as an ECR reviewer.
Note: Participation in this program is not a prerequisite to becoming a CIHR reviewer in the future. All ECRs may be solicited to review provided that they meet the expertise requirements and selection criteria associated to a CIHR program. The peer review experience gained in this program will help the ECR progress through the Reviewer Pathway. Further, ECRs who hold grant funding will be invited to join the College of Reviewers as an Associate Member. Also, a survey will be issued to all participants at the end of this process to help refine the program.
How to apply
To express your interest in participating as an ECR reviewer in this RiT program, please click “Apply Online” below to fill out an application by August 8th, 2023, 23:59 Eastern time.
Step 1: Collect the following before completing the application:
- your CIHR PIN
- a PDF of your biosketch Common CV (draft CCVs are not accepted)
- a letter from your institution attesting that you meet the criteria to be considered as an Early Career Researcher
- a ranked list of two peer review committeesFootnote * – for which you have the appropriate expertise to review – and in which you would like to participate
Step 2: This competition is now closed.
- All submissions will receive an acknowledgement email within five business days of receipt of the application.
Step 3: Complete your Reviewer Profile along with the new Self-identification Questionnaire in ResearchNet within 5 business days of receiving the acknowledgement email.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that their application is complete. Please consult the FAQ for help in completing the Self-identification Questionnaire. Application information submitted for this opportunity will be retained and may be shared with other areas of CIHR for consideration in similar opportunities.
All individuals who express their interest will be informed of the results by September 26, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
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