FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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1 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Contents GENERAL QUESTIONS WHEN ARE THE SPRING AND FALL COMPETITION DEADLINES? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SPRING AND FALL COMPETITION? WHY IS THE SPRING COMPETITION ONLY OFFERED TO CPH? HOW MANY GRANTS CAN I HOLD?... 3 GENERAL APPLICATION QUESTIONS ARE BENEFITS SUCH AS VACATION PAY INCLUDED IN GRANTS AND AWARDS? ARE ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES SUFFICIENT FOR THE SIGNATURE PAGE OF THE APPLICATION, OR DOES MSSC REQUIRE AN INK SIGNATURE PAGE TO BE SENT TO THEIR OFFICE BEFORE THE DEADLINE? CAN I REMOVE THE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE LAY SUMMARY / RELEVANCE TO MS TEMPLATE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE MYSELF WITH THE EXACT SPACE NEEDED?... 3 OPERATING GRANTS DOES THE PRINCIPAL APPLICANT NEED TO HOLD A FACULTY APPOINTMENT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN OPERATING GRANT? DOES A CO-APPLICANT NEED TO HOLD A FACULTY APPOINTMENT FOR AN OPERATING GRANT? HOW MANY PRINCIPAL APPLICANTS CAN BE ON ONE OPERATING GRANT APPLICATION? WHAT CATEGORIES OF PERSONNEL CAN NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET FOR AN OPERATING GRANT? CAN A MASTER S STUDENT IN THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH STREAM RECEIVE FUNDS THROUGH AN OPERATING GRANT? DO OPERATING GRANTS HAVE A MAXIMUM BUDGET/TIME PERIOD THAT CAN BE APPLIED FOR?. 5 1

2 15. ARE TRAVEL EXPENSES ALLOWED WITHIN MY OPERATING GRANT BUDGET? WHAT TYPE OF CV IS REQUIRED? DO YOU REQUIRE SIGNATURES FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEADS OF ALL CO-APPLICANTS OR ONLY OF THE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR? I SUBMITTED AN OPERATING GRANT APPLICATION LAST YEAR BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN RECEIVING FUNDING. CAN I RESUBMIT MY GRANT APPLICATION THIS YEAR?... 5 PERSONNEL AWARDS HOW MANY YEARS MUST I BE ENROLLED IN A PROGRAM (MASTERS OR PHD) IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A MSSC AWARD? HOW LONG AFTER OBTAINING A PHD DEGREE ARE PEOPLE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A FELLOWSHIP? DO I NEED A STUDENT VISA TO STUDY IN CANADA IF I AM NOT A CANADIAN CITIZEN? CAN I TRAIN OUTSIDE OF CANADA FOR MY GRADUATE STUDIES OR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP? CAN I TRANSFER MY PERSONNEL AWARD TO ANOTHER UNIVERSITY AND/OR SUPERVISOR? I MADE A MISTAKE AND FORGOT TO APPLY FOR A RENEWAL OF MY AWARD IN THE PAST COMPETITION. CAN I APPLY FOR A RENEWAL THIS YEAR? DOES THE MSSC OFFER A RESEARCH OR TRAVEL ALLOWANCE FOR endms POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS OR STUDENTSHIPS? DOES MY SUPERVISOR NEED TO HOLD AN MSSC OPERATING GRANT? ARE THERE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS ON WHO CAN BE USED FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION ON MY STUDENTSHIP APPLICATION? MY WORK IS OVERSEEN BY TWO SUPERVISORS. WHAT DOCUMENTS HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED? DOES MY SUPERVISOR S CV HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED USING THE COMMON CV FORMAT? DO I NEED TO SUBMIT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT? OR WILL AN UNOFFICIAL COPY FROM THE INSTITUTIONS REGISTRATION WEBSITE MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS? HOW FAR BACK DOES THE MSSC REQUEST FOR TRANSCRIPTS? FOR STUDENTSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP PUBLICATIONS, DO YOU WANT A LIST OR THE ACTUAL PDF DOCUMENTS?

3 GENERAL QUESTIONS 1. WHEN ARE THE SPRING AND FALL COMPETITION DEADLINES? The Spring competition deadline is June 1 st at 18:00pm ET. The Fall competition deadlines is October 1 st at 18:00 ET. All applications must be submitted by the deadline to be considered in the respective competition. 2. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SPRING AND FALL COMPETITION? The Spring competition is restricted to Clinical and Population Health research applications. The Fall competition was previously known as the MSSC Annual Grants and Awards Competition. All applications for Operating Grant (CPH and Biomed) and endms Personnel Awards can be submitted. 3. WHY IS THE SPRING COMPETITION ONLY OFFERED TO CPH? The Spring competition is to allow CPH applicants to apply for early-stage projects and feasibility studies in order to encourage researchers to develop innovative research questions, test new ideas, and pursue pioneering approaches to MS research that has the potential to impact the field. 4. HOW MANY GRANTS CAN I HOLD? A PI can hold a maximum of two operating grants from the MSSC at one time. GENERAL APPLICATION QUESTIONS 5. ARE BENEFITS SUCH AS VACATION PAY INCLUDED IN GRANTS AND AWARDS? Grant/Award recipients are not considered employees of the MSSC but rather of the institution where the research is conducted. The research grant /award is to be administered in accordance with the prevailing policies of the sponsoring institution, including vacations, sick leaves, holidays, etc. 6. ARE ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES SUFFICIENT FOR THE SIGNATURE PAGE OF THE APPLICATION, OR DOES MSSC REQUIRE AN INK SIGNATURE PAGE TO BE SENT TO THEIR OFFICE BEFORE THE DEADLINE? Electronic signatures on a scanned copy of the signature page are sufficient for the application process. Please refer to the Application Guidelines for further details. 7. CAN I REMOVE THE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE LAY SUMMARY / RELEVANCE TO MS TEMPLATE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE MYSELF WITH THE EXACT SPACE NEEDED? Yes, you are permitted to remove the instructions or wording. Be sure to consult the Application Guidelines in regards to the number of pages, font and size, and margin requirements for each document uploaded. Failure to follow the requirements specified will result in the removal from the application of the pages that exceed the space limit allowed. 3

4 OPERATING GRANTS 8. DOES THE PRINCIPAL APPLICANT NEED TO HOLD A FACULTY APPOINTMENT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN OPERATING GRANT? Yes, a principal applicant must be an independent researcher and hold a faculty appointment at a Canadian university in order to apply. 9. DOES A CO-APPLICANT NEED TO HOLD A FACULTY APPOINTMENT FOR AN OPERATING GRANT? To qualify, a person must have an appointment in the university department but no specific grade or rank is required. 10. HOW MANY PRINCIPAL APPLICANTS CAN BE ON ONE OPERATING GRANT APPLICATION? The can be only 1 (one) Principal Applicant per grant application. There are no restrictions as to the number of Co-Principal Applicants per application. A Principal Applicant is defined by the MSSC as an individual who is responsible for the direction of the proposed research project and is the main contact person for the grant. A Co-Principal Applicant is defined as an individual who shares responsibility for the direction of the proposed research project with the Principal Applicant and meets the eligibility criteria of a Principal Applicant. 11. HOW MANY APPLICATIONS CAN I SUBMIT IN THE OPERATING GRANT COMPETITION? The PI may only submit one new operating grant application and one renewal operating grant per competition and can hold a maximum of two operating grants from the MSSC at one time. 12. WHAT CATEGORIES OF PERSONNEL CAN NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET FOR AN OPERATING GRANT? The MSSC does not allow the following salaries to be paid through the operating grant: (1) Postdoctoral Fellows; (2) Doctoral Students; and (3) Master Students in the MSSC s Clinical and Population Health and Biomedical Research Stream. These students are encouraged to apply for funding through the MSSC s endms Personnel Awards program. 13. CAN A MASTER S STUDENT IN THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH STREAM RECEIVE FUNDS THROUGH AN OPERATING GRANT? No. As of 2015, the MSSC no longer funds graduate students enrolled in biomedical research through an operating grant. Graduate students are encouraged to apply in the MSSC Fall competition. 4

5 14. DO OPERATING GRANTS HAVE A MAXIMUM BUDGET/TIME PERIOD THAT CAN BE APPLIED FOR? The amount of funding that may be requested for an operating grant is approximately $100,000 CDN per year. The MSSC supports new operating grants for terms of one to three years. Grants are not renewed automatically. Support beyond the term originally approved is dependent upon submission and approval of a renewal application. 15. ARE TRAVEL EXPENSES ALLOWED WITHIN MY OPERATING GRANT BUDGET? Travel is allowed in the budget. Although a specific amount is not specified, between $1,000 and $1,500 is acceptable. 16. WHAT TYPE OF CV IS REQUIRED? The MSSC requires the use of the Canadian Common CV for all Operating Grant applications. The template can be found at Please select "MSSC" as the agency. 17. DO YOU REQUIRE SIGNATURES FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEADS OF ALL CO- APPLICANTS OR ONLY OF THE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR? The signatures of the Department Head and Dean of the Faculty or Institution of the Principal Investigator are required. Please consult the Application Guidelines for more information on the required signatures for the Operating Grant application. 18. I SUBMITTED AN OPERATING GRANT APPLICATION LAST YEAR BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN RECEIVING FUNDING. CAN I RESUBMIT MY GRANT APPLICATION THIS YEAR? Resubmitting an application is permitted under MSSC competition rules and will be assessed according to the Review Criteria for a new application. Resubmission applications must include a "Response to previous review" and should demonstrate substantive modification to the proposal addressing the reviewers comments. A grant application can only be submitted three times (1 submission and 2 resubmissions). PERSONNEL AWARDS 19. HOW MANY YEARS MUST I BE ENROLLED IN A PROGRAM (MASTERS OR PHD) IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A MSSC AWARD? An endms studentship award is open to those that are working towards a Masters, Ph.D. or related degrees pertaining to research in MS. However, an endms Studentship will not be activated for a doctoral candidate until the MSSC has received written notification from a university or professional school and/or supervisor that an appropriate transfer of degree or Master s degree has been granted. 5

6 20. HOW LONG AFTER OBTAINING A PHD DEGREE ARE PEOPLE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A FELLOWSHIP? Individuals with more than three-year post-doctoral training by competition deadline are ineligible. Please see our Policies and Program Guide for more information. 21. DO I NEED A STUDENT VISA TO STUDY IN CANADA IF I AM NOT A CANADIAN CITIZEN? Yes. Only those who have a student visa and have already been accepted for training in a Canadian university may apply. 22. CAN I TRAIN OUTSIDE OF CANADA FOR MY GRADUATE STUDIES OR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP? Yes, but only if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. The MSSC reserves the right to request documentation indicating citizenship and residency. The MSSC will require a statement from the applicant that they plan to return to Canada after the training is completed. 23. CAN I TRANSFER MY PERSONNEL AWARD TO ANOTHER UNIVERSITY AND/OR SUPERVISOR? You must obtain written permission from MSSC. The policies and procedures for a transfer are outlined in the MSSC s Policies and Program Guide. 24. I MADE A MISTAKE AND FORGOT TO APPLY FOR A RENEWAL OF MY AWARD IN THE PAST COMPETITION. CAN I APPLY FOR A RENEWAL THIS YEAR? A renewal application is defined as an application to renew funding of a currently held MSSC award. If you did not successfully obtain a renewal award after the outcomes of the last competition, then you will have to apply for a new award for this year s competition will be the last year awardees will need to apply for renewals. In 2017, the MSSC will be moving towards fixed terms. 25. DOES THE MSSC OFFER A RESEARCH OR TRAVEL ALLOWANCE FOR endms POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS OR STUDENTSHIPS? No, the MSSC does not provide a research or travel allowance for postdoctoral fellows or students. 26. DOES MY SUPERVISOR NEED TO HOLD AN MSSC OPERATING GRANT? No, but your supervisor must hold a grant from a recognized research institution and should be involved in research of clear significance to MS. 27. ARE THERE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS ON WHO CAN BE USED FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION ON MY STUDENTSHIP APPLICATION? Letters of recommendation for all endms Studentship and Fellowship awards must come from academic supervisors and academic referees who have knowledge of the applicant s research potential. All letters must be on institutional letterhead and signed. For more information, please review the Personnel Application Guidelines. 6

7 28. MY WORK IS OVERSEEN BY TWO SUPERVISORS. WHAT DOCUMENTS HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED? Ensure that all documents required for a supervisor in the Application Guidelines are submitted for both of your supervisors. Failure to submit documents for both supervisors can lead to disqualification from the competition. 29. DOES MY SUPERVISOR S CV HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED USING THE COMMON CV FORMAT? For all Canadian Supervisors, the MS Society requires that the Common CV Format is used. Please visit Please choose MSSOC as the agency. Please save your Common CV to your desktop and upload into the Easy Grants Online Application Form. International Supervisors may use any appropriate CV format. 30. DO I NEED TO SUBMIT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT? OR WILL AN UNOFFICIAL COPY FROM THE INSTITUTIONS REGISTRATION WEBSITE MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS? MSSC requires that you upload the most up-to-date official transcripts from the degrees specified in the Application Guidelines. The official transcripts must be provided by scanning each page (front and back) and uploading them as a single document in the online application. Hard copies will not be accepted. Failure to submit official transcripts will result in a disqualification from the competition. Students who have attended international institutions are required to submit a certified true copy of their official transcript in English or French. Transcripts in a language other than English or French must be translated to one of these two languages and students must submit a certified true copy of the translation. A certified true copy is a duplicate of an original document that has been verified as true by a commissioner of oath, such as a notary or lawyer. The certified true copy must bear the original signature and stamp of the official authority. 31. HOW FAR BACK DOES THE MSSC REQUEST FOR TRANSCRIPTS? If you are applying for an endms Master s Studentship Award, we require transcripts from your undergraduate degree and any current grades. If you are applying for an endms Doctoral Studentship Award, we require transcripts from your undergraduate and graduate degrees and any current grades. If you are applying for an endms Postdoctoral Fellowship, we require transcripts from your graduate degree. 32. FOR STUDENTSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP PUBLICATIONS, DO YOU WANT A LIST OR THE ACTUAL PDF DOCUMENTS? A publication list is sufficient. If the FAQ Guide did not answer your question, please direct inquiries and questions to msresearchgrants@mssociety.ca 7