Brain Canada and the ALS Society of Canada are thrilled to announce the launch of the 2025 Discovery Grant Program.The purpose of the 2025 Discovery Grant Program is to invest in high-impact projects focused on identifying causes of, or treatments for, ALS and/or related neurological diseases, including primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy, and ALS/FTLD (frontotemporal lobar dementia) or advancing research aimed at maximizing function, minimizing disability, and optimizing quality of life through symptom management and support for individuals or families living with ALS.

Examples include, but are not limited to, management of secretions and cramps, psychological interventions to address mental health issues, nutritional interventions, respiratory care, engineering applications to reduce physical limitations, and programs to address the needs of caregivers. These priorities align with ALS Canada's vision of "A world free of ALS" and its strategic goal of leading Canada’s contribution to global ALS research.


The Discovery Grant Program supports collaborative projects and encourages multidisciplinary teams, particularly those that bring together individuals from outside the field who can combine their expertise in innovative ways. It also aims to provide successful, preliminary data-driven ideas with opportunities for larger, multi-year funding, ideally leading to translational programs that will bring us closer to a world free of ALS.

Funding 

The Discovery Grant Program consists of two streams, designed to support a modest pipeline of ideas and further development. A total funding pool of $1,500,000 will be utilized with flexible allocation across these streams. The distribution of grants between the two streams will depend on the quality of applications and the results of peer review. Both streams seek innovative research approaches, supported by sound rationale and a feasible experimental plan.

The Seed Grant (Stream 1)

This stream is designed to nurture novel ideas by providing support for obtaining preliminary data or pursuing ideas supported by early data signals. Although preliminary data may enhance competitiveness, it is not necessarily required. Applicants may request $125,000 for research projects over a two-year period. This stream emphasizes high-risk, high-reward research. Projects initially funded through the Seed Grant stream that generate promising preliminary data may serve as a foundation for future applications to the Development Grant stream.

The Development Grant (Stream 2)

This stream aims to support projects that build on a strong foundation of preliminary data, driving towards eventual translation to human impact. Given the highly competitive and underfunded nature of federal multi-year operating grants in Canada, prioritizing ALS within a single lab or clinical research strategy can be challenging. Applicants may request $500,000 for research projects over a three-year period. These grants are designed to support teams with a collaborative and translational vision, contributing to long-term progress in the field.

Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation, and creativity. Brain Canada is committed to excellence through equity, and we encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply to our funding opportunities, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives, approaches, and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups. 

Please refer to the Terms of Reference for additional details. 

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications: July 9, 2025 at 13:00 ET

CCS is excited to launch the Emerging Scholar Research Grants program (ESRG-26). This opportunity aims at advancing promising early career investigators from across Canada with a focused commitment to undertaking cancer research. Through this program, early career investigators will develop their independent cancer research programs in Canada and pursue important scientific advances of the highest quality and potential for impact across the 4 pillars of health research (biomedical; clinical; health services; and social, cultural, environmental & population health).

The Inclusive Excellence Prize will be given to an individual who has demonstrated commitment, leadership and (potential for) impact in the advancement of Canada’s cancer research ecosystem from an equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility lens, both among those conducting the research and those benefiting from its outcomes.

Nominations for the 2025 CIMVHR Fellows are now officially open.

The CIMVHR fellowship initiative was developed to recognize leading experts who demonstrate exceptional research advancements in military, Veteran and family health and well-being. These experts demonstrate outstanding leadership and research advancements within their field, while promoting CIMVHR’s mission within communities of researchers and policymakers.

 For more information: https://cimvhr.ca/cimvhr-fellows/

 If you are interested in being nominated for one of these awards, please contact Dr. Batia Stolar, Associate VP, Research & Graduate Studies at bstolar@lakeheadu.ca.

Submission Deadline: July 3rd, 2025, 1:00 PM EST.

Since its inception in 1945, the Medal of Honour has been awarded to remarkable individuals whose research or contributions to public policies supportive of research and development in Canada have achieved international recognition. All recipients have made pivotal contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the health sciences and/or the improvement of therapeutics healthcare.

The award recipient receives $20,000 to donate to the research-based, Canadian academic institution of their choice, along with being presented with the prestigious Medal of Honour at the HRF’s annual awards event.

If you are interested in being nominated for this award, please contact Dr. Batia Stolar, Associate VP, Research & Graduate Studies, at bstolar@lakeheadu.ca.

The road to reconciliation is a long path that hasn’t traditionally included the field of science. But Ontario Genomics is now spreading the word about a new funding opportunity looking to create space for Indigenous people and perspectives in genomics.

Genome Canada’s Indigenous Genomics Training and Capacity program is designed to strengthen First Nations, Métis and Inuit technical, social scientific and community capacities¹ to engage with and conduct genomics research in ways that uphold and advance Indigenous rights to self-determination. This funding opportunity is for up to $400,000 for as many as two projects in Indigenous-led training and capacity building in genomics.

The funded project(s) will give training opportunities to Indigenous students and community practitioners while integrating Indigenous knowledge systems, values and perspectives with modern science, technology and social scientific know-how.

Key requirements

• Designed for and by Indigenous Peoples: Projects guided by Indigenous leadership, ensuring they reflect the needs, priorities and aspirations of Indigenous communities while fostering empowerment and self-determination
• Indigenous-led research and collaboration: Prioritizing research and partnerships led by Indigenous scientists, integrating traditional knowledge systems with cutting-edge scientific practices to address community-driven challenges
• Indigenous technoscience curriculum: A dynamic curriculum developed and taught by Indigenous educators, merging cultural teachings with technical, social scientific and ethical considerations in genomics and related fields
• Place-based learning: Training tailored to the unique cultural, environmental and social contexts of communities, emphasizing the connection between knowledge, land and place in the learning process
• Community of practice framework: Participants supported within a collaborative network of peers, mentors and experts, creating an environment for shared learning, knowledge exchange and sustained professional growth
• Practical skills development in genomics: Hands-on training equipping participants with advanced technical and analytical skills in genomics, ensuring they are prepared to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges and opportunities
• Data sovereignty and innovation: Emphasizing ethical data management and analysis, focusing on Indigenous data sovereignty while fostering innovation in genomics to benefit Indigenous communities

The program will:

• Build Indigenous capacity in genomics
• Integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives
• Promote career development
• Advance Indigenous self-determination
• Foster interdisciplinary exploration

Find out more here.

• Analytical sampling methods for substances with an ACGIH TLV
• Impact of fuel selection during live fire training on firefighter exposures to carcinogens
• Factors for musculoskeletal injury (MSI) in rated (metric) work systems

The PCC Fellowship Program supports qualified scientists interested in the field of anti-doping, committed to meaningful research, and demonstrating potential for long-term contribution to the field of anti-doping scien​ce. Fellows selected by the PCC participate in a two-year program. Fellows gain practical knowledge from a U.S.-based, WADA-accredited laboratory and conduct research supporting the anti-doping field.

With an emphasis on original work that focuses on improving existing analytical methods for detecting particular drugs, developing new analytical methods to test for substances not currently detectable, and discovering cost-effective approaches for testing widely abused substances across all levels of sport, the following areas of investigation reflect the PCC’s current research priorities:

• Developing methods of cost-effective testing to detect and deter the use of prohibited substances and methods.
• Developing novel testing protocols to detect and deter new or designer substances or methods used to evade detection (e.g., micor-dosing) for doping purposes.
• Improving existing chromatography-mass spectrometry and other analytical chemistry or biomedical methods to detect particular drugs, ex. GH, IGF-1, EPO, hCG.
• Developing new analytical methods to detect performance enhancing drugs not currently detectable.
• Examination of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics of doping substances through human administration studies examining longitudinal urinary excretion patterns, metabolism, and dose-concentration, including confounding factors that may influence excretion, detection, or performance-enhancing impact. This also includes studies which aim to differentiate between sources of contamination and doping by identifying novel discriminate urinary or blood markers or metabolites, or ratios thereof, through well-designed human administration studies.
• Critical reviews to support interpretation of laboratory data.
• The application of alternative specimens, (ex. oral fluid, dried blood/plasma spots) for testing and analysis.
• Discovery and validation of specific and sensitive biomarkers in urine and/or blood for the purposes of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) that aim to indirectly identify the use of doping substances or methods.
• Detection of prohibited gene doping, gene editing, gene silencing technologies, as well as the detection of prohibited stem cell therapies.
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other related research that leads to optimization of anti-doping testing programs.
• Development of effective quantitative and qualitative measures of doping deterrence and education through well-designed survey methods applicable to multiple athlete domains and social science research.

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund aims to stimulate the growth of new connections between thinkers working in largely disconnected fields, who, together, may change the course of climate change’s impact on human health. Between Fall 2023 and Summer 2026, we will dedicate $1 million to supporting small, early-stage grants of $2,500–$50,000 toward achieving this goal.

We are primarily, but not exclusively, interested in activities that build connections between basic and early biomedical scientific approaches and ecological, environmental, geological, geographic, and planetary-scale thinking, as well as with population-focused fields, including epidemiology and public health, demography, economics, and urban planning. Also of interest is work piloting new approaches or interactions aimed at reducing the impact of health-centered activities, such as developing more sustainable systems for healthcare, care delivery, and biomedical research.