The 2023-2024 Call for Applications is now closed. The 2024-2025 Call for Applications will open on November 1, 2024.

To develop research skills and assist with student burdens related to financial, family, community and cultural responsibilities, the BC NEIHR supports Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) graduate students and postdoctoral fellows by annual competitions for Master’s and Doctoral scholarships and biennial (every two years) for Post-Doctoral fellowships.

Master’s Scholarship Program: Instructions and Application Materials

The objective of the BC NEIHR Master’s Scholarship program is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) Master’s students in British Columbia (BC) institutions, who demonstrate achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies and partnership potential with Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations.

The BC NEIHR launches an annual competition for Master’s Scholarships valued at $17,500 each. Each year, recipients are invited to a Learning and Sharing Circle (with funded Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations), where they present their work and speak about their participation in this Scholarship program.

Overview and Instructions for BC NEIHR Master’s Scholarship Program

Proposal Template for BC NEIHR Master’s Scholarship Program

Application Form for BC NEIHR Master’s Scholarship Program

BC NEIHR Registration Survey Form

Doctoral Scholarship Program: Instructions and Application Materials

The objective of the BC NEIHR Doctoral Scholarship program is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) Doctoral students in British Columbia (BC) institutions, who demonstrate achievement in early graduate studies and partnership potential with Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations.

The BC NEIHR launches an annual competition for Doctoral Scholarships valued at $35,000 each. Each year, recipients are invited to a Learning and Sharing Circle (with funded Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations), where they present their work and speak about their participation in this Scholarship program.

Overview and Instructions for BC NEIHR Doctoral Scholarship Program

Proposal Template for BC NEIHR Doctoral Scholarship Program

Application Form for BC NEIHR Doctoral Scholarship Program

BC NEIHR Registration Survey Form

Postdoctoral Fellowship Program: Instructions and Application Materials

The objective of the BC NEIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships program is to provide funding to Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) postdoctoral applicants who wish to conduct research within a British Columbia (BC) host institution. Recipients of these fellowships demonstrate achievement in graduate studies, a research-intensive career pathway, as well as partnership potential with Indigenous communities, collectives and/or organizations.

The BC NEIHR launches a competition for Postdoctoral Fellowship(s) every two (2) years. Should more funds become available, additional fellowships may be awarded. Recipients are invited to a Learning and Sharing Circle (with funded Indigenous graduate students as well as communities, collectives and organizations), where they present their work and speak about their participation in this Fellowship program.

Overview and Instructions for BC NEIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Application Form for BC NEIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Fulfillment of Degree Requirements Form for BC NEIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

BC NEIHR Registration Survey Form

 

UNBC Entrance Award

The objective of the BC NEIHR UNBC Entrance Award is to support Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) students who are entering a UNBC graduate program that has a significant research component (see program of study eligibility).

The BC NEIHR offers three (3) UNBC Entrance Awards annually. We accept applications from January-August prior to the fall semester (i.e., September-December) start of the academic year. Awardees will receive their funds in full during their first fall semester.

Overview and Instructions for BC NEIHR UNBC Entrance Award

Application Form for BC NEIHR UNBC Entrance Award

BC NEIHR Registration Survey

 

Research Experience Award

The objective is to support Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) undergraduate and graduate students studying in British Columbia (BC), who are pursuing Indigenous wellness-related research and seeking to gain additional research-related experience.

Eligibility: Indigenous graduate students in BC who have partnered with an Indigenous community, collective or organization (ICCO) to engage in a wellness-related research project that is mutually beneficial. Partnerships can form in response to a placement advertised by BC NEIHR or can be a pre-existing relationship. Applicants must be studying in and conducting research in British Columbia. Applicants must also have an Academic Mentor at an eligible institution for funds to be transferred.

If applying to the POR stream, please clearly describe how you will embrace and enact the principles of patient-oriented research (POR) as defined by the CIHR Strategy for patient-oriented research (SPOR – https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/41204.html).

If applying to the POR stream, how will your work with people with lived experience (patients, caregivers, families, community members) as partners in the research process differ from and complement your partnership with the host organization?

If applying to the POR-focused stream, we encourage and invite applicants to have a consultation meeting with the BC SUPPORT Unit team, which can be arranged by contacting the BC NEIHR Network Coordinator. Please see below for POR resources.

NO DEADLINE. Research Experiences will be reviewed on a rolling basis, pending opportunities available for placements within ICCOs. Any student who has a pre-established relationship with an ICCO is eligible to submit an application with their ICCO partner at any time. 

Overview and Instructions for Research Experience Award

Application Form for BC NEIHR Research Experience Award Program

BC NEIHR Registration Survey

For the Research Experience Award program, the BC NEIHR has an academic/organizational letter of support template available in Word format. For a copy of the template, please email Network Coordinator at bcneihr@uvic.ca. 

Resources for Applying

Please check in Resources and Supports, as well as our Updates and Announcements, for upcoming on-line and on-site seminars on how to apply for BC NEIHR scholarships and fellowships. Instructional videos will be available on our YouTube Channel: @ BC NEIHR.

• Graduate Student Proposal Writing: Advice & Suggestions from Academic Mentors
• Navigating Graduate and Postdoctoral Funding Applications: An Insider Look into a Funding Agency
• Indigenous Knowledge Gathering Tools
• IMN PN Module: Land-based Research & Land-based Methodologies
• IMN PN Module: Interviewing for Research

POR (Patient-Oriented Research) Resources

• How patient oriented is your research?
• Patient Engagement in Health Research: A How-to Guide for Patients
• Patient Engagement in Health Research: A How-To-Guide for Researchers
• Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research: Indigenous Research Level of Engagement Tool (IRLET)
• Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research: Indigenous Research Level of Engagement Tool (IRLET) Companion Document
• Patient-oriented research competencies in
  health (PORCH) for researchers, patients,
  healthcare providers, and decision-makers:
  results of a scoping review
• Workbook to guide the development of a Patient Engagement in Research (PEIR) Plan
• Evidence-Informed Practices and Strategies for Patient-Oriented Research (POR): A Menu for Research Teams 
• Roles For Patients in Research
• Cansolve Patient Engagement Toolkit

Scholarships and Fellowships: Frequently Asked Questions

Do I wait until final grades are posted before ordering my transcript? What is an official versus non-official transcript and how do I send my transcript?

Reviewers will want to see final grades on your transcript if you are in courses for the September-December semester prior to the January 15th deadline. Please wait until final grades are posted to order a transcript from your institution to include in your application. 

Official transcripts are defined as transcripts issued by the institution’s registrar office. Transcripts from other sources, such as those printed from the student’s account on the institution’s website, are not official. Please order your most recent official transcript (i.e., includes Sept-Dec semester before the January 15th deadline if you were registered) for pick up or by mail, and then scan them. The official transcript is not mailed to the BC NEIHR. The application and all supporting documents must be submitted as one PDF file by email to bcneihr@uvic.ca. 

Can I apply for a scholarship if not currently enrolled in a program? For example, apply for scholarship in January, but starting the program in September of that year. 

You do not need to be currently enrolled or registered in a MA of PhD program to apply for a scholarship. The deadline to apply is February 1st and the funds will not be distributed to the student until the September term of that year. If successful, the BC NEIHR will require proof of enrollment sometime before the September term (but not required at the time of application). Because the funds are transferred between the institutions (i.e., the students do not receive the funds directly from the BC NEIHR), and it is the student’s own institution that distributes the funds to them, you must be enrolled by September to receive the funds. 

Can I accept but defer a BC NEIHR scholarship or fellowship?

No. BC NEIHR scholarships and fellowships must be accepted at the time of notification of results and payments must commence within 12 months of notification.

Do you have to be Indigenous to apply for a BC NEIHR Scholarship or Fellowship?

Yes. All BC NEIHR funding opportunities, including our Scholarship and Fellowship Programs, are only available to Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) Peoples.

The BC NEIHR refers to the Law Society of British Columbia (https://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/about-us/awards-and-scholarships/indigenous-scholarship/) for acceptable proof of Canadian Indigenous ancestry, requiring, specifically, a photocopy of either a status, citizenship, membership, registration, or enrolment card issued by*:

• • The Registrar of the Federal Government’s “Indian” Register;
  • A Band within the meaning of the Indian Act that has control of its membership list;
  • An Indigenous group under a modern land claims agreement;
  • An Inuit organization that is recognized by the Government of Canada;
  • An Inuit organization that is recognized by the Government of Nunavut;
  • One of the Métis Settlements in Alberta;
  • A provincial organization that is a member of the Métis National Council, which includes the Métis Nation of British Columbia, the Métis Nation of Alberta, the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, and the Métis Nation of Ontario; or
  • A Métis organization that is recognized by the Government of Canada (e.g. the Manitoba Métis Federation)

*If you are unable to provide any of the listed documentation, please contact the BC NEIHR Network Coordinator, Tara Erb, at bcneihr@uvic.ca.

Can you hold a BC NEIHR Scholarship or Fellowship at the same time as holding other external funding (e.g. SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC)?

Yes, you can hold other funding and a BC NEIHR Scholarship or Fellowship at the same time. However, preference will be given to students who are not currently externally funded. On the application form, you must state if you have applied for other external funding as well as the status of such funding (i.e. waiting for notification, funded, waitlisted, not funded).

Can I add an additional page to the Application Form if needed?

Yes. If needed, you can add an additional page for your answer(s). The answers to the questions are intended to be brief. Please ensure that you answers are less than 100 words per question.

Can my letters of support or other supporting documents be sent directly to the BC NEIHR?

No. The student is responsible for collecting all required documentation (e.g. letters of support, transcripts, fulfillment of degree requirement form, etc.) and sending the application as one PDF file to bcneihr@uvic.ca prior to the deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.

How should I format my resume or CV?

The resume or CV does not have to be in any specific format (e.g. Canadian Common CV format). You can create one in Word or use an existing CCV (save as a PDF and include it with the full application). For doctoral and fellowship applications, the Overview and Instructions document has suggested headings and subheadings (e.g. education/degrees, recognitions, research funding history, etc.) as a guideline. 

Do my references count as part of my page limit for my proposal?

No. The references will not be considered as part of your page limit for your proposal.

For the fellowship program, who is authorized to complete the Institutional Letter of Endorsement?

The Institutional Letter of Endorsement must be signed by the institution’s president (equivalent or designate, for example, the AVP Research Operations) and must be on the institution’s letterhead. If signed by someone else, it should be clearly indicated in the letter that the signee has this institutional authority. The exception to this are for fellows interested in a program at the University of Victoria (UVic). Because the funds are held at UVic (i.e., the location of our BC NEIHR offices), fellowships at UVic are considered internal competitions and, therefore, the Office of Research Services (ORS) does not need to review the application or endorse the candidate. If your postdoctoral program is at UVic, the Dean can serve as an authorized institutional signature for the Letter of Endorsement. 

Why did I receive a high (i.e., fundable) score on my application, but did not get funded?

It is always our hope that all applicants with fundable scores are funded. Unfortunately, the BC NEIHR budget is limited in terms of how many awards we can provide each year. Currently, our budget permits us to fund 9 Master’s Scholarships and 3 Doctoral Scholarships each year, and 1-2 Postdoctoral Fellowships every two years. It is regrettably the case that each year, we might have more fundable applicants than we do funding to support them.

Should more funds become available to the BC NEIHR, additional scholarships and fellowships may be awarded. For frequent posts on other external funding opportunities, please follow our social media pages. You can also reach out to the Network Coordinator (bcneihr@uvic.ca) for more information on how to find other funding opportunities right for you.

 

We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2022/2023 BC NEIHR scholarship and fellowship funding program for Indigenous trainees studying in British Columbia.

This funding represents a strategic investment in high quality, culturally and contextually-relevant, Indigenous-led health research and capacity strengthening that will contribute to new knowledge and draw more Indigenous trainees into the research process.

Our scholarship and fellowship programs are generously supported by CIHR, as well as funding from our partner Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) and affiliated institutions the University of Victoria (UVic) and University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).

Total Graduate Funding Allocated (2021/2022): $315,000

 Doctoral Scholarship (one-year, $35,000/each):  

• Danielle Alphonse, UVic
• Jasḵwaan Bedard, SFU
• Jilleun Tenning, UVic
• Kimberly Fairman, UVic
• McKenzie Braley, SFU

 Master’s Scholarships (one-year, $17,500/each):

• Cameron Chevrier, UVic
• Chelsey Perry, SFU
• Elizabeth Danis, SFU
• Nikki Hunter, TRU
• Rylan MCallum, UBC
• Sarah Littlechild, UVic
• Valerie Johnson, UBC
• Willow Paul, UVic

Total Graduate Funding Allocated (2020/2021): $472,500

Doctoral Scholarship (one-year, $35,000/each):  

• Tracy Underwood, UVic
• Lucy Bell, SFU
• Chenoa Cassidy-Matthews, UBC
• Corrina Sparrow, UBC
• Cheryl Inkster, UBC
• Justin Turner, UBC
• Penína Sara-Lynn Harding, UNBC
• Robline Davey, SFU
• Danette Jubinville, SFU
• Spencer Greening, SFU

 Master’s Scholarships (one-year, $17,500/each):

• Shannon Field, UBC
• Jilleun Tenning, UVic
• Marion Erickson, TRU
• Brandi Berry, SFU
• Jessica Key, UBC
• Jacob Tourand, RRU
• Riley Bizzotto, UBC