The Banting & Best Diabetes Centre (BBDC) will be awarding a number of post-doctoral fellowships to candidates at the post-Ph.D. or post-M.D. degree stages who meet all eligibility requirements 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 this website.)
• Applicants must have received a Ph.D. after July 2008, or an M.D. after July 2003 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 2008) 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. In rare instances where an individual who holds an M.D. has been in continuous accredited clinical specialty or subspecialty training since receiving the M.D. degree, such an individual will be able to apply for a BBDC fellowship within the first 36 months after completing their clinical specialty or subspecialty training.
• Applicants must have received a Ph.D. or M.D., or expect to receive the degree by the start of the funding period on July 1, 2012 (and no later than September 1, 2012). 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 who were awarded a BBDC post-doctoral fellowship once before may apply for a second year of funding by submitting an entirely new and complete application. Those who have received two post-doctoral fellowships from the BBDC are not eligible to apply.
• IMPORTANT: The BBDC will not fund applicants who do not apply to national granting agencies for personal support such as the CIHR, CDA, etc. between September 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012.  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 stipend is determined by the degree and licensure held by the recipient at the time of commencement of funding:

• Ph.D.:  $40,000 CAD
• M.D. who does not hold a license to practice in a province or territory of Canada: $40,000 CAD
• M.D. who holds a license (full or educational) to practice in a province or territory of Canada:  $50,000 CAD

A travel or research allowance is not provided.

One year (for twelve consecutive months) normally starting on July 1, 2012 but no later than September 1, 2012.

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 to the BBDC by the deadline date.

Download the BBDC postdoctoral fellowships application form (PDF)

5 p.m., February 22, 2012
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

All applicants will be notified of the funding decisions by May 2012. 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.)

Fellows will be required to give a presentation (either oral presentation or poster presentation) at the BBDC Annual Scientific Day to be held in May 2013.

Successful candidates must acknowledge support from the Banting & Best Diabetes Centre, University of Toronto in publications arising from the supported research.  Failure to acknowledge this support will result in future ineligibility for BBDC funding programs for both the fellow and supervisor.

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.

Contact the Banting & Best Diabetes Centre:
Phone: (416) 978-4656     Fax: (416) 978-4108
E-mail: diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca