SPICE Scholarship Program
 The ICE Executive committee is pleased to announce Round 8 of the Scholar Program for ICE related research (SPICE). The SPICE program provides salary support for students mentored by ICE team investigators and working on tobacco control projects related to ICE team objectives.
Application Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2009 at 5:00pm
The SPICE Program is one component of an Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement (ICE) grant to Advance the Science to Reduce Tobacco Abuse and Nicotine Addiction, awarded to a team of 26 investigators working in a wide variety of disciplines in eight organizations across Quebec, Canada and the US. The overall aims of the ICE grant are to build interdisciplinary capacity in tobacco control research nationally and internationally, and to promote excellence in interdisciplinary research related to tobacco control. Potential applicants to the SPICE Program are invited to speak with one of the ICE Team investigators to explore possible research topics related to ICE Team objectives.
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The SPICE Program was established to increase interdisciplinary capacity in tobacco research by developing a cadre of talented new researchers with skills, motivation, and experience to work in tobacco control across disciplines. The program allows for research in tobacco control related to ICE Team objectives, covering a wide variety of topic areas including interventions, policy, programs and health effects. Available (depending on the number and quality of applicants) in this round of competition are:
(i) 1-2 ICE Scholar Awards for MSc students of up to $17,500 each
(ii) 1-2 ICE Scholar Awards for PhD students of up to $22,000 each
(iii) 1-2 ICE Scholar Award for Post-Doctoral students of up to $45,000 each
(iv) Top-ups for students funded in other competitions $2,000 each
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for a SPICE Award, applicants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
(i) Currently enrolled or recently accepted into a graduate degree program of study at a university. For students who are recently accepted, a copy of the letter of acceptance must be provided in the application.
(ii) Undertaking interdisciplinary research in which tobacco control is the main focus. Interdisciplinary in this context refers to an endeavour which involves researchers from a variety of diverse disciplines who are actively collaborating in tobacco control research.
(iii)Must be mentored (either as the primary supervisor or as a member of the supervisory committee) by an ICE investigator who can administer funds through a post-secondary institution.Students whose supervisor is not affiliated with ICE can apply for an award, but the student must demonstrate a credible link with the ICE Team objectives and team members. Note: If your primary supervisor if not affiliated with the ICE grant, it is recommended that you speak with an ICE investigator to assure a credible link with the ICE before making your application.
If an application does not meet the eligibility criteria, the SPICE administrative assistant will email the applicant indicating the reason(s) why their application is ineligible for the competition. If an application is incomplete, the SPICE administrative assistant will contact the applicant by both telephone and email, allowing them two working days to provide the missing materials. If an application remains incomplete at that time, it will be considered ineligible and will not go forward for review; the SPICE administrative assistant will follow the procedures for an ineligible application outlined above.
Awards at the PhD and Post-Doctoral level are one-year renewable, based on demonstrated progress as evidenced by excellence in academic performance, demonstrated development of interdisciplinary skills, motivation and experience, publications, abstracts, and presentations at conferences. Students must make applications for other external awards and provide proof of this in the renewal application. In addition his/her supervisor is encouraged to apply for student funding in his/her grant applications. The maximum number of SPICE Awards that an individual can receive per degree program is as follows:
(i) One award if enrolled in an MSc degree program (students who cannot receive salary support within Canada may be granted a second award depending on demonstrated progress).
(ii)Two awards if enrolled in a PhD degree program (students who cannot receive salary support within Canada may be granted a third award depending on demonstrated progress).
(iii) Two awards for Post-Doctoral students (students who cannot receive salary support within Canada may be granted a second award depending on demonstrated progress).
Note: Renewal funding will not begin until all the reporting requirements described below are fulfilled.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be assessed based on criteria in three areas: the student, the proposed research and the research environment. Information submitted with the ICE Scholar Award application will be kept strictly confidential.
Student (40%) - Applicants will be assessed according to their record of scholarly achievements and their potential/capability of carrying out the research.
Research (40%) - The research project of each applicant will be evaluated as follows:
(i) The proposed research must demonstrate that it is interdisciplinary and relevant to ICE Team objectives
(ii) The proposed research must be of high academic quality and feasible
(iii) The proposed timeframe and required resources must be realistic
Please note that students can be funded for any aspect of their research; (e.g., literature review, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, etc.); however, a literature review that is not tied to a larger research project will not be funded.
Research Environment (20%) - The applicant must work in an interdisciplinary research environment supportive of completing the proposed research on time and with the highest quality. The supervisor must be committed to supporting the student for the duration of the project by ensuring that the student has the necessary resources (e.g. desk, computer, phone and other necessary facilities and resources) to carry out the project. We request that the supervisor describe the resources available to the student to help them accomplish their research and the type of mentoring they will provide the student, in his or her letter of support. In addition the supervisor must include a copy of his/her CV including a list of current and past students supervised, dates of entry and exit from the program, and a list of students’ publications.
Selection Process
(i) All applications received by the deadline will be reviewed for eligibility and completion of requirements.
(ii) A committee of ICE investigators will review applications using the above criteria.
(iii) Applicants will be notified whether they have been selected for a SPICE Award as indicated above.
Reporting Requirements
SPICE award recipients must submit a research report (maximum 2,500 words), or a draft manuscript for submission to a journal (formatted according to the requirements of the journal), to the ICE Executive Committee according to the schedule (timetable) shown above. Draft journal manuscripts should include the title of the journal and a copy of the instructions to authors. Research reports should include:
(i) Introduction and rationale
(ii) Objectives
(iii) Methods (including how the research is interdisciplinary)
(iv) Results
(v) Discussion
(vi) Lessons learned
(vii) Dissemination of findings
(viii) Status of deliverables
Ethics
Students and their supervisors must consult with the ethics board at their university to ensure that their work complies with ethical requirements.
Administration of Funds
SPICE Awards will be administered by the student's university, in accordance with their university's administrative procedures. The supervisor will have signing authority.
Special Requirements
I. SPICE award recipients must complete ONE of two required courses;
1. Cells to Society (a video-conferencing course offered at 6-7 universities across Canada through OTRU).
2. One course within the Microprogramme at Laval University (a French Internet-based program with 5-6 courses on tobacco).
The SPICE committee will not consider students (including both top-ups and full awards) for renewal if they have not taken at least one of these courses.
II. Award recipient must acknowledge SPICE funding in all work emanated (e.g. protocols, presentations, and publications etc that relate to ICE) from the time during which the award was held (e.g. “Name of SPICE student” was funded by an Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement (ICE) team grant from the Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative.”)
Please note that grants awarded under this program require that the Chair of the student’s home department confirm that the department does not currently accept nor will accept any grant or anything else of value from any tobacco manufacturer, distributor, or other tobacco-related company during the grant period. Further, supervisors must confirm that they do not currently accept nor will accept any grant or anything else of value from any tobacco manufacturer, distributor, or other tobacco-related company during the grant period. In addition, students awarded under this program must confirm that they do not currently accept nor will accept any grant or anything else of value from any tobacco manufacturer, distributor, or other tobacco-related company during the grant period. Please ensure that the Special Requirements Form is signed by the Chair of the Student’s department, the supervisor and the student applicant, and submitted along with the required application materials.
How to Apply
Students must submit the following information to apply for a SPICE Award. Application packages must be submitted in triplicate, double sided copies are preferred.
1. Completed the SPICE Application Form and signed Special Requirements Form (including a signature from the Chair of your Department and your supervisor)
2. Cover letter outlining your academic and professional background and why you are applying
3. Copy of complete official undergraduate and graduate university transcripts
4. Current curriculum vitae which should include (at least) the following categories: education, work experience, publications, awards and presentations
5. Abstract (up to 1000 words) of your proposed research including rationale/background, objectives, research approach/methodology (including methods of data collection and analysis), a description of how the research is interdisciplinary, implications/contributions of the research to tobacco control. Note: Abstracts that do not respect the 1000 words limit will not be accepted.
6. Clear description of proposed deliverables (e.g., scientific papers, presentations, grant proposals, etc.)
7. Timeline, including milestones and plans to produce the deliverable(s)
8. Letter of nomination from your supervisor, including a statement of supervisory and environmental support. The letter should describe the resources available to the student that will help them accomplish their research, and the type of mentoring that the Supervisor will provide the student. The supervisor should also explain how the proposed research fits in with his/her own program of research.In addition the supervisor must include a copy of his/her CV including a list of current and past students supervised, dates of entry and exit from the program, and a list of his/her students’ publications.
Application Deadline: Application forms must be postmarked by Friday, May 15, 2009 at 5:00 PM and mailed to:
Dr. Jennifer O'Loughlin
Centre de Recherche CHUM
3875 Rue Saint-Urbain, first floor
Montreal, Quebec, H2W 1V1
Attn: SPICE Program
For more information or questions regarding the SPICE program, please contact Dr. Jennifer O'Loughlin (jennifer.oloughlin@umontreal.ca)
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