AGE-WELL Indigenous Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Awards in Technology and Aging 

AGE-WELL Indigenous Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Awards in Technology and Aging provide partial funding to highly qualified Indigenous master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral candidates and provide them with access to training and mentorship opportunities through the AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence. AGE-WELL aims to provide a unique training environment that exposes trainees to multi-disciplinary research environments and to its industry and community partners. AGE-WELL is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining outstanding Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) in Canada.

AGE-WELL is a pan-Canadian network of industry, non-profit organizations, government, care providers, caregivers, end-users, and academic partners working together to drive innovation and create technologies and services that benefit older adults and caregivers. Our vision is to harness and build upon the potential of emerging and advanced technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), e-health, information communication technologies (ICTs), and mobile technologies to stimulate technological, social, and policy innovation.

Please consult the AGE-WELL Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Awards Package 2023 and the AGE-WELL Award FAQ for detailed information and instructions. Applicants should also refer to the AGE-WELL Challenge Area Booklet for additional information about Network priorities.

Important Dates

Applications Open: 3 April, 2023
Completed Applications Due: 12 May, 2023
Results Available: August, 2023
Funding Commences: 1 September 2023
Award Term: 1 September 2023-31 March 2024

The Awards

Awards are intended to enhance existing funding support awarded to promising new scholars. Trainees must demonstrate that they receive funding from a source other than AGE-WELL.

AGE-WELL is pleased to once again offer the Indigenous Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships to provide salary support to Indigenous-identified trainees conducting research in areas related to technology and aging. Recipients will be matched with network mentors for the duration of their award term.

We expect to offer the following awards in this call:

  • Master’s level awards at $15,000
  • PhD level awards at $25,000
  • Postdoctoral level awards at $30,000

If successful, trainee funding will be held and disbursed by the trainee’s supervisor in a new account that must be established at the supervisor’s home institution. Awards are not renewable. This award is subject to the training and reporting requirements of the AGE-WELL Awards.

The recipient may be profiled at AGE-WELL’s Annual Conference and/or in the network’s Annual Report. Award term: 1 September 2023-31 March 2024.

Eligibility

In order to be considered for AGE-WELL Awards, funding applicants must:

  1. Receive at least some financial support from additional sources: home department, supervisor research grants, and/or through government and agency scholarships or awards.
  2. Participate full‐time in their respective program at a Canadian post-secondary institution.
  3. Be engaged in academic study/research aligned with the mission and vision of AGE-WELL.
  4. Applicants for doctoral awards are restricted to those entering the first, second, or third year of their program.

Applicants who will receive AGE-WELL project funds concurrently with this award period are ineligible to apply to this competition.  For example, a trainee who will be funded through AGE-WELL Core Research Projects, Platform Projects, Cross-Cutting themes, or the Strategic Investment, Collaborative Impact, Catalyst or AIR programs would be ineligible.

Program Requirements

Training

Funded trainees will be automatically enrolled in our EPIC training program (Early Professionals, Inspired Careers) and are expected to participate actively in AGE-WELL seminar series and professional development activities (e.g. workshops in commercialization or entrepreneurship). Trainees will be required to earn the Innovators of Tomorrow certificate by completing 4 online courses (estimated 25-30 hours total) by 31 August 2024.

Reporting

As per NCE rules, funds must flow from AGE-WELL to the trainee’s primary supervisor at their institution.  Academic institutions receiving AGE-WELL funds in trust are expected to:

  • Set up a new account for AGE-WELL funds disbursed during the current AGE-WELL funding cycle.
  • Report on expenditures of AGE-WELL funds by submitting a Form 300 to the Network Management Office no later than April 30 of each year for the duration of this funding award.

Acknowledging AGE-WELL

AGE-WELL funded trainees will acknowledge the AGE-WELL Award program in their presentations, publications, and other knowledge translation activities related to research conducted during their funding period.  Funded trainees are required to use the AGE-WELL logo on their posters and other materials related to research conducted during their funding period.

Evaluation

All applications will be reviewed by a team of field experts using the following criteria:

  1. Scholarly Merit & Quality of Proposed Research (40%)
  2. Fit with AGE-WELL Goals and Priorities (40%)
  3. Quality of training environment (20%)

Required Documents

Award applicants must submit the following:

  1. Online Application Form (you may complete this in English or French);
  2. Formal evidence of enrolment in a Master’s or Doctoral program or Post‐Doctoral position;
  3. Formal evidence of awarded funding for 2023-2024;
  4. Curriculum Vitae
  5. Two Confidential Letters of Support (one must be from your proposed supervisor) must be uploaded by your referees into the Forum Research Portal.

How to apply online:

Once you are ready to submit an application online:

  1. If you have not already done so, you must register with the AGE-WELL Forum Research Portal at https://forum.agewell-nce.ca/index.php/Special:HQPRegister (the form will ask for your name and email).
  2. After you submit the registration form, the system will create an account and send your credentials to the email address you provided.
  3. Once you login, you will have to reset your temporary password.
  4. The “My Applications” link is in the top right of the page you will reach after resetting your password. Please select “Award 2023”, navigate to the “Documents” tab, and enter your referee names and email addresses. Letters of support must be uploaded to the Forum Research Portal by your referees by 5pm ET May 12, 2023.
  5. Make sure to read the instructions on the first page of the application process carefully.

If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact support@forum.agewell-nce.ca.

For questions about the program, eligibility etc., please contact training@agewell-nce.ca.