• Direct support ($10,000 CAD) to enable your full participation in the IMPaCT Program  

• Dedicated 3-on-1 mentorship team, including academic and youth or parent mentors 

• A well-developed funding application for a pediatric or perinatal clinical trial  

• Knowledge and skills aligned with key competencies in trial design, engagement, operations, and communications 

• Hands on experiential learning and professional development. Covers fees and costs for up to 3 immersive learning placements per fellow (valued at $2,500) 

• Access to a cross-sectoral mentorship network of academic, youth, and parent partners 

• Summit registration, travel, and accommodations for professional development and national networking (valued at $2,500) 

1. Location of awardee: The award must be held at a Canadian Academic Institution, and/or research institute or hospital affiliated with a Canadian University.  

2. Career stage: Candidates must be enrolled in a doctoral program, in a postdoctoral program (any year of program), an Early Career Researcher (defined using CIHR definitions at the time of accepting the award), or a clinical fellow or faculty member enrolled in a Master’s program for the duration of the IMPaCT fellowship. 

3. Citizenship: This program is open to Canadians and permanent residents of Canada.  

4. Eligible clinical trial questions: As the primary IMPaCT fellowship deliverable is to develop a funding proposal for a new trial, the clinical trial question you submit must be in the idea/protocol development phase. The population must either include children (neonates to 18 years old) or include people who are pregnant or in the postpartum period or who are trying to become pregnant. The intervention can be any type (drug, behavioural, vaccine, device) and can include any trial phase including early phase and pragmatic trials. Adaptive and innovative approaches are encouraged! 

If you have questions about your eligibility, email us at impactrials@gmail.com

Notes: IMPaCT adheres to the ECR criteria, which stipulates that individuals should be within 5 years of their first independent research-related appointment as per CIHR (https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/34190.html) with related extensions for e.g., parental leave and the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Documents to support your application are available in the IMPaCT shared folder.

1. CV: Your CV must use the Tri-agency narrative CV and submit as a PDF. Other formats will not be reviewed. The template is available in the IMPaCT shared folder.

2. Letter of support: A maximum 2 page letter signed by the primary supervisor (for PhD students, Postdocs) or Department Head (for ECRs and Clinical Fellows/Faculty) describing: (1) Their commitment towards the candidate's researchtraining and endorsement of the candidate, (2) The space, facilities and personnel support, including the interdisciplinary nature of the training environment in relation to clinical trials, (3) How the award funding will be used to ensure that the learner can fully participate in the IMPaCT core curriculum, deliverables and IMPaCT summit. 

3. Trial question: As the primary IMPaCT fellowship deliverable is to develop a funding proposal for a new trial, the clinical trial question you submit must be in the idea/protocol development phase. The population must either include children (neonates to 18 years old) or include people who are pregnant or in the postpartum period or who are trying to become pregnant. The condition must be specific/relevant to pregnancy or postpartum or use a novel design to otherwise include pregnant people. The intervention can be any type (drug, behavioural, vaccine, device) and can include any trial phase, including early phase and pragmatic trials. Adaptive and innovative approaches are encouraged! 

4. EDI-I questionnaire: IMPaCT is committed to increasing representation amongst the clinical trials landscape in Canada. All IMPaCT mentors and applicants must complete and submit the EDI questionnaire. You may choose not to self-identify by selecting the option "I prefer not to answer". 

IMPaCT training awards are highly competitive. Each complete application is reviewed and scored using the IMPaCT Training Award Evaluation Criteria by an academic reviewer, a patient partner, and the Selection Committee Chair (or delegate, if there is a conflict of interest). Reviewers receive annual training and support from IMPaCT. Applications from Indigenous applicants are reviewed by at least one Indigenous reviewer. Applicants receive de-identified comments from the review committee following the competition to help strengthen future submissions.

IMPaCT is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and nationally representative clinical trials workforce through training confident and competent trialists across the country. Reviewer scores and comments are an important part of the selection process, but do not determine acceptance to IMPaCT on their own. Following the review and scoring process, a prioritization process may be applied. In addition to eligibility for a partnered or priority area award, factors considered may include geographic representation, clinical population and disease area, and cohort composition relative to the applicant pool. Priority may be given to applicants who are members of equity-deserving groups and/or whose proposed trial focuses on equity-deserving populations, with particular priority for Black and Indigenous applicants and populations to help address historical gaps in mentorship and training opportunities. Final funding recommendations are reviewed and approved by funding partners, when applicable, and the IMPaCT Selection Committee. 

All applications are to be submitted by October 16, 2026 at 5pm central in English or French. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.