The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre (BBDC) will be awarding a number of post-doctoral fellowships to qualified applicants who meet all eligibility requirements listed below. The one-year fellowships are to be used for full-time diabetes research training at the University of Toronto or one of its fully affiliated institutions.

• The applicant's proposed supervisor must hold a full- time faculty appointment with the University of Toronto, and must be conducting diabetes research.
• The proposed supervisor must be a registered member* of the BBDC at the time of application submission. (*Faculty who are new to the field of diabetes research and are not members of the BBDC can request free membership by contacting the Centre prior to submitting an application. For more information, please see the Membership section of the BBDC's web site at www.bbdc.org).
• Applicants must have received a Ph.D. after July 2004, or a M.D. after July 1999 and must be within their first four (4) years of postgraduate research training. Candidates with more than four years of post-Ph.D. research training (i.e. those who received a Ph.D. before July 2004) are not eligible to apply for this award. Any interruption in a candidate's post-Ph.D. research training will be taken into account in determining eligibility. Any extenuating circumstances should be discussed with the Chair of the BBDC's Research Committee prior to submission of an application.
• Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. or M.D., or expect to be completed by the start of the funding period (i.e. no later than September 1, 2008). Documentation of degree completion will be required prior to the initiation of funding. The BBDC will not release funding to successful applicants who have not completed a Ph.D. or M.D. at the time of commencement of funding.
• Candidate may, but need not be pursuing a graduate degree.
• This program is not restricted to Canadian citizens.
• The research must be carried out at the University of Toronto or one of its fully affiliated institutions.
• Applicants may have held a BBDC post-doctoral fellowship once before, but not more often. Any such application must be complete and will be considered a new application.
• IMPORTANT: The BBDC will not fund applicants who do not apply to national granting agencies for personal support. Applicants must apply to national granting agencies such as the CIHR, CDA, etc., between September 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008. Copies of the cover and signature pages documenting submission of such applications must be presented to the BBDC before funding will be released to successful applicants. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.

The stipends will approximate those of the CIHR fellowships. A travel or research allowance is not provided.

One year award (twelve consecutive months). Tenure normally starting on July 1, 2008 but no later than September 1, 2008.

Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• The research proposal, including relevance to diabetes
• The training environment in which the applicant will carry out their research project
• The candidate's academic record and perceived potential as indicated by the transcripts and the letters of recommendation submitted with the application
• Research or professional experience, awards/prizes received, and publication record (compared to others at the same academic level)
• A minor component of the evaluation will be based on other factors that the reviewers consider relevant to the potential success of the applicant's fellowship

Submit a completed application form to the BBDC by the deadline date. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that every item on the application form is completed or, where allowed, is forwarded within the appropriate time. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Download the BBDC Postdoctoral Fellowships and Hugh Sellers Postdoctoral Fellowship application form. (PDF)

4 p.m., Tuesday, January 15, 2008

All applicants will be notified of the funding decisions by May 2008. Funding decisions will also be posted on the this web site.

• If the successful candidate is also successful in obtaining an external award, he/she must accept that funding. If that award has a lower monetary value then the BBDC fellowship, the BBDC will make up the difference.
• Foreign candidates are responsible for obtaining all relevant documents from a Canadian Embassy prior to taking up the award (e.g. entry visa, work permit, social insurance number, etc.)
• The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre, University of Toronto must be acknowledged in all relevant publications. Failure to acknowledge the BBDC's support will result in future ineligibility for BBDC funding programs for both the fellow and supervisor.
• Fellows will be required to make a presentation (either oral or poster) at the BBDC Annual Scientific Day which will be held in May 2009.

Successful applicants are required to provide a one-page progress report and copies of all related publications within 60 days of the end of the funding period. Failure to provide this report will result in future ineligibility for BBDC funding programs for both the fellow and supervisor.

For further information, contact the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre:
Phone: (416) 978-4656 Fax: (416) 978-4108
E-mail: diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca