In March, PSI announced a new funding opportunity: the 2023 PSI Mid-Career Knowledge Translation (KT) Fellowship. Through this award, we aim to provide salary support for a mid-career physician researcher in Ontario to conduct high-impact knowledge translation research with a goal of improving the health of Ontarians.
In this article, we cover the most frequently asked questions that we have been receiving to clarify our application requirements and award expectations. We hope you find this article helpful in determining whether this award is suitable for you. We will continue to update this article frequently as we receive new inquiries, until the Letter of Intent (LOI) submission deadline of June 1st, 2022 at 5pm EST. We encourage you to revisit this page to help you until you prepare your application and submit your LOI.
If your question is not answered here, or if you have further questions, please get in touch with us; we are more than happy to assist you.
FAQs for the 2023 PSI Mid-Career KT Fellowship
About the Award:
Is this a one-time funding opportunity? Will PSI have this funding opportunity again next year?
The PSI Grants Committee will review this topic of whether PSI should continue this funding stream and hold annual competitions.
What is the success rate of this funding stream?
Since this is PSI’s first time launching this award, we do not have data for approval ratio.
Application Process:
Can you clarify the application process, including the different stages and timeline?
Below is an outline of the different stages and timeline of this competition:
PSI Mid-Career KT Fellowship – Application Process
Submission of Letter of Intent (LOI)
- The submission deadline is June 1st, 2022 at 5pm EST.
- LOI must be submitted via PSI Grants Management System at https://psifoundation.smartsimple.ca/. Emailed applications will not be accepted.
Initial screening of LOI
- PSI staff will screen all submitted LOI for eligibility and completeness.
(if needed) Revision of LOI by candidate
- If your LOI needs revision or clarification, then PSI staff will contact you via email.
PSI Grants Sub-Committee Review of LOI
- PSI Grants Sub-Committee will review each LOI submitted at their meeting in July/August 2022.
LOI decisions sent
- Decision on whether you are invited to proceed to the next stage will be sent via email in August 2022.
(If LOI approved) Full application submission
- If you are invited to submit a full application, then you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the online application form.
- Full applications must be submitted via PSI Grants Management System at https://psifoundation.smartsimple.ca/ by November 4th, 2022 at 5pm EST.
Initial screening of full application
- PSI staff will screen all full submitted applications for eligibility and completeness.
(If needed) Revision of full application by candidate
- If your application needs revision or clarification, then PSI will contact you via email.
PSI Grants Committee review of full applications
- The full PSI Grants Committee will review each full application submitted at their meeting in December 2022.
Final funding decisions sent
- Final funding decisions will be sent within 10 business days from the December 2022 PSI Grants Committee meeting.
Is there a limit to the number of applications that can be submitted per institution or faculty/department?
There is no limit to the number of applications that can come from a specific institution or faculty department.
I currently hold/am applying for a PSI operating grant (e.g. Health Research grant). Can I still apply?
PSI allows principal investigators (PI) to concurrently hold one PSI operating grant and one PSI salary support award. Hence, you are welcome to apply.
How many candidates will PSI invite to submit a full application? How many awards will be given out?
PSI does not have a pre-determined number of candidates that we will invite for full application submission. The number of candidates to move on to the next process, as well as the number of awards given out depends on the PSI Grants Committee’s review of the quality of the applications received and their fit with PSI’s mandate.
Eligibility of Candidate:
Are leaves of absence (e.g. maternity leave) taken into account when counting the number of years since the first academic appointment?
Yes, PSI will take into account any leaves of absence when determining the number of years since the candidate’s first academic appointment.
I obtained an MD but I do not practice clinically. Can I apply?
Unfortunately, in addition to being within 5 to 15 years of your first academic appointment, you must also be a CPSO-licensed practising physician in Ontario. PSI must be able to confirm your CPSO license at CPSO – Find a Doctor.
Eligibility of Proposal:
My research involves cancer patients, but the research itself is not about cancer. Can I apply?
As outlined in the funding guidelines, PSI will not accept applications involving research in the areas of cancer, heart and stroke, and pharmaceutical drug development studies.
If you are not sure whether your research falls under PSI’s areas of non-support, then please email us with a brief summary of your research prior to submitting an application so that we can assess whether you are eligible for funding.
What if my research involves sites outside of Ontario? Can I still apply?
While we will accept applications with research involving some sites outside of Ontario, since PSI’s mission is to “improve the health of Ontarians”, the majority of your research should be conducted in Ontario. Your application should demonstrate the relevance of your knowledge translation research to the health of Ontarians. The PSI Grants Committee will review each application and its alignment with PSI’s mandate.
Application Policy/Requirements:
Do I need to obtain matching funding and submit a letter of confirmation in the Letter of Intent (LOI)?
You do not need to provide confirmation of matching funding at the LOI stage. If you are invited to proceed to the next stage, then matching funding should be confirmed in the full application, within the letter of support from the sponsoring institution.
Can my matching funding come be in the form of in-kind support or from other grants from external funding agencies?
Matching funds may not be an in-kind support from the institution nor come from another salary support fellowship/award, operating grant, nor project specific funding.
What if I can’t obtain matching funding?
A lesser amount in matching funding is admissible with explanation from the applicant and institution.
If a sponsoring institution is unable to provide matching funds, then the candidate may obtain matching funds from another source. In this case, please provide an explanation.
Application Content:
What are the formatting requirements for the documents to be uploaded?
PSI prefers all uploaded documents to have 0.5 to 1-inch margins, single spaced, and 12-point font size in a legible font.
For LOI, can I add references to the documents to be added?
You may add an additional page of references to any documents uploaded in your LOI.
Am I required to submit any letters of support or letters of references with my LOI?
At the LOI stage, you are not required to submit any letters.
Other:
If I am awarded, what are my requirements as a PSI Mid-Career KT Fellow?
The funding recipient guidelines for the PSI Mid-Career KT Fellowship is available for download at Grant Recipient Guidelines – PSI Foundation. This document outlines what is required as a PSI Mid-Career KT Fellow.
