1. Fall 2019 Doctoral competitions
Info session for graduate program administrators
Junnie Cheung, graduate Awards Manager

2. Fall 2019 doctoral competitions
Deadline
Vanier CGS Competition
Tri-Agency CGS Doctoral
UBC Affiliated Fellowship
Application Deadline (through UBC)
5 September 2019
17 September 2019
Graduate Program Deadline
24 September 2019
11 October 2019
Agency Deadline
6 November 2019
21 November 2019

3. Common terms and ACRONYMS
Tri-Agency is the umbrella term used to describe the three federal granting agencies:
CIHR: Canadian Institutes of Health Research
NSERC: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
SSHRC: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
CGS: Canada Graduate Scholarships
CGS-D: Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral
G+PS refers to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

4. Vanier cgs competition

5. Vanier cgs - program overview
Value: $50,000 per year
Duration: 36 months
Tenure: Applicants must be nominated by the institution at which they want to study
Eligibility criteria: Vanier CGS =/= Tri-Agency CGS-D
Selection criteria:
Academic excellence (33.3%)
Research potential (33.3%)
Leadership (potential and demonstrated ability) (33.3%)

6. Vanier cgs - application and nomination procedures
Instructions to applicants:
Remind their referees to submit their letter at least two days before the application deadline
Applicants will not be able to complete their application until all 4 letters have been successfully completed or uploaded

7. Vanier cgs - application Package
A ResearchNet application form (includes two [academic] letters of reference)
A Canadian Common CV (CCV) - use the Vanier-Banting Academic template
Research Contributions (max 1 page)
Personal Leadership Statement (max 2 pages)
Two leadership letters of reference (max 2 pages)
Research Proposal (max 2 pages)
Project References (max 5 pages)
Two [academic] letters of reference: to be completed by referee via ResearchNet
Two leadership letters of reference: on institutional letterhead and must contain a signature
To be provided to applicant as PDF document
To be uploaded by applicant to ResearchNet

8. Vanier cgs - graduate program review
Now: Assemble your internal review committee (Who will write the nomination letter?)
By Sep 9th: Application materials and resources (include quotas) will be available
By Sep 24th:
Review application files for eligibility: months of studies (Vanier CGS =/= Tri-Agency CGS-D)
If applicable, prepare a cover memo listing your nominees in rank order
For each nominee, submit the following via Workspace to G+PS:
Nomination letter
Research training environment
Rationale for recruiting the candidate
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Scanned copies of up-to-date, official transcripts for all post-secondary studies (including one copy of transcript legend/key per institution) as a single PDF

9. Vanier cgs - application revisions
Grad program (internal review committee) may have suggestions for their nominees on improving their application materials. Is it possible for a student to revise/update their application before grad program submits their application to university-level adjudication (i.e., the Sep 24 deadline)?
Yes, if necessary
Instructions to grad program staff:
Communicate the changes required to your student(s)
the name of your student(s) to (request must comes from grad program, not the student)
Note: G+PS will return the application via ResearchNet to the student
The student will have up to 48 hours to make revisions before Sep 24

10. Vanier cgs - university-wide adjudication
University-wide adjudication: Three adjudication committees to select UBC’s nominees
CIHR: up to 24
NSERC: up to 17
SSHRC: up to 16
Total: up to 57
Late October:
Nominees will have an opportunity to update their application before submission
Grad program will have an opportunity to update their nomination letter before submission
April 2020:
Nominees will be notified by when the results are available on ResearchNet

11. Vanier CGS - useful links
Official description:
For eligibility criteria and for guidance on calculating months of doctoral studies
G+PS webpage:
For nomination procedures
ResearchNet:
Application portal
Canadian Common CV (CCV):
Part of the application

12. Tri-agency cgs-d
Ubc affiliated fellowships

13. Competition overview
The Affiliated Fellowships competition runs in concert with the Tri-Agency CGS-D competition:

14. What’s new? Application deadline
University-wide application deadline: 12 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, 17 September 2019
Unlike previous years, grad programs do not set their own application deadline
Students who were registered or are currently registered in a degree program at UBC during the year of application (i.e., in 2019, from Jan 1 to Dec 31)
Students who are on an approved leave from their UBC degree program
Instructions to grad programs:
Strongly encourage your students to follow the instructions
Review applications for eligibility (months of studies) and completeness (transcripts)
Application files will be forwarded to adjudicators without G+PS review
Application review will occur concurrently with adjudication

15. Tri-agency cgs-d

16. Tri-agency cgs-D - program overview
Value: $35,000 per year
Duration: 36 months
Tenure: Canadian institutions only
Competition: One national competition at each granting agency
Applicants complete the agency application that is best aligned with their research subject matter
Selection criteria:
Research ability or potential (50%)
Relevant experiences and achievements obtained within and beyond academia (50%)

17. Tri-Agency CGS-D - eligibility
Applicant
Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents
Eligibility window
Must have completed no more than 24 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 of the year of application;
Must have completed no more than 24 months of full-time study in their doctoral program if fast-track to a PhD without completing a Master’s (i.e., count from date of PhD transfer); OR
Must have completed no more than 36 months if transferred directly from Bachelors to a PhD or enrolled in a joint program, e.g., MD/PhD, MA/PhD
Program of study
An eligible doctoral program must include a significant, autonomous research component

18. Tri-agency cgs-d - application materials
Application requirements remain agency-specific (see the next slide)
Instructions to applicants:
Follow the instructions and adhere to presentation standards when preparing attachments
It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that
Up-to-date, official transcripts for all post-secondary studies are included
Official record of fall 2019 registration is also included
Their referees complete their reference form in advance of the application deadline
Instructions to grad program staff:
If you agree to compile transcripts for your students, have transcript files ready for applicants in advance of the application deadline

19. Tri-agency cgs-d - Application materials
CIHR
NSERC
SSHRC
Platform
ResearchNet
NSERC online system
SSHRC online system
Canadian Common CV
Required, use CIHR Academic
Special circumstances
Not required
Attachments
Publication List (2 pages max)
Proof of Canadian citizenship
Training Expectations (2 pages max)
Research Project Summary including References (1 page max)
Confirmation of Scientific Area form
Signature Page
Research proposal (2 pages max)
Bibliography (5 pages max)
Contributions and statement (2 pages max)
If applicable, justification(s) (1 page max each)
NSERC: Special circumstances (half page max)
SSHRC: Allowable inclusion (1 page max)
Transcripts
To be uploaded by applicant
Append Doctoral Studies Timelines
To be uploaded by graduate program staff
References
Two references required
To be completed by referees online
Applicants do not have access to the content of the reference forms
Important note: If any discrepancies exist between this slide and official instructions, follow the latter; the purpose of this slide is to illustrate the differences among the application requirements for the three agencies.

20. Tri-agency cgs-d - Application instructions
Program description:
CIHR application instructions:
NSERC application instructions:
SSHRC application instructions:

21. Tri-agency cgs-d - Transcript requirements
Up-to-date, official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies, including those undertaken but not completed (e.g., transfer courses and exchange terms)
Grades for transfer and/or exchange credits must be shown
Certified copies are acceptable
UBC Academic History from SISC is acceptable for students applying through UBC*
Must show 2019W registration
It is also required for those who have no UBC registration prior to 2019W
e:Vision transcripts must be validated and uploaded by G+PS - stamped “G+PS Official”
Transcript key (legend): include one copy per institution
Transcript in a foreign language must include a certified English or French translation
*Official UBC transcript is required for applicants submitting directly to granting agencies

22. Tri-agency cgs-d - reference requirements
One referee should be very familiar with the applicant’s research and abilities (e.g., current or previous research supervisor)
The other should be sufficiently familiar with the applicant’s research and abilities to provide a meaningful commentary
Referees should have had sufficient opportunity to assess the applicant’s research ability and potential and the relevance of their experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia, per the selection criteria
To assist referees in recognizing potential bias, recommend the Tri-Agency unconscious bias training module (19 minutes)

23. Harmonized CGS-D Program
What are Agency-specific awards?
Meritorious CGS-D applicants may also be eligible for agency-specific doctoral awards.
CIHR: Encourage your students to review “Doctoral Research Award: Fall 2019 Priority Announcement (Specific Research Areas)” on ResearchNet
NSERC: Students submit one application to be considered for both CGS-D and PGS-D
SSHRC: Encourage your students to review “Doctoral Fellowships” on SSHRC’s website
CIHR
NSERC
SSHRC
Common award
Harmonized CGS-D Program
Agency-specific award
Priority announcement
If eligible, applicant selects up to 3 priority
announcement research areas in their CGS-D application
PGS-D
Eligibility window and award duration are the same as those of the CGS-D
Doctoral Fellowships
Eligibility window differs from that of the CGS-D and award duration varies accordingly

24. What’s new? CIHR Institutional quota system
Students apply through university (previously students applied directly to CIHR)
Application process
Removal of supervisor’s Canadian Common CV (CCV) from application package
NSERC
The duration of all doctoral scholarships (i.e., CGS-D and PGS-D) is now 36 months
SSHRC
Online submission of applications and letters of appraisal
Removal of departmental appraisal from application package

25. Ubc quotas
Quotas = the number of applications UBC can forward to the national competition
Average of the number of successful doctoral applicants in the national competition submitted by UBC over 3 most recent years
Indigenous applicants
Self-identified Indigenous applicants will not be counted towards UBC’s quota
CIHR applicants who wish to self-declare themselves as an Indigenous applicant should be directed to
NSERC and SSHRC applicants can self-declare via the online application system
CIHR
NSERC
SSHRC
2019 85
141
2018
n/a
140
132
2017
143
129

26. Affiliated fellowships

27. What’s new?
Affiliated Fellowship application in the Health Sciences
Updated application form and reference form to match CIHR’s
Affiliated Fellowship application in the Social Sciences and Humanities
Updated application form to match SSHRC’s
Reminders
To determine eligibility, count all previous studies at the doctoral level
Application procedures
Applicants submit their application materials to their graduate program
Referees submit their reference form directly to the applicant’s graduate program

28. Graduate program nomination procedures

29. Competition overview
University-level adjudication will occur concurrently with G+PS application review

30. Proposed changes
By Sep 17th: Grad program sends G+PS a list of the students applying for a Tri-Agency CGS-D
By Sep 23rd: G+PS uploads application materials to Workspace and posts quotas
Early October: G+PS returns applications to applicants before university-level adjudication
Applicant incorporates changes as suggested by grad program / internal review committee
Applicant uploads up-to-date or missing transcript
By Oct 11th: Grad program submits via Workspace the following:
Cover memo
Nomination data sheet (Excel spreadsheet)
Complete Affiliated Fellowship application packages include transcripts and reference forms

31. university-wide adjudication / competition results
Mid-October to early November:
Six adjudication committees select UBC’s nominees
G+PS staff reviews application for eligibility and completeness
Mid-November:
If time permits, UBC’s nominees will have an opportunity to update their application before submission
April 2020:
Anticipated notification of results of the Tri-Agency CGS-D competitions
June 2020:
Anticipated notification of results of the UBC’s Affiliated Fellowship competitions