Scotia Scholars – Doctoral

Program Details

• Award amount: Maximum $18,750/annum
• Award term: Applicants may be eligible for up to four years of support, as detailed below:

• Provides financial support to students with exceptional potential who are or wish to be engaged in a health research project at participating institutions.
• Supports the growth, acquisition, and retention of highly skilled individuals who are advancing and translating knowledge in disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, strengthening health care delivery systems, caring for vulnerable populations, and promoting better opportunities for future health and wellbeing.
• The applicant must work under the supervision of a person who has been deemed eligible by their institution. An eligible supervisor is a person authorized to independently supervise students. Co-supervision is welcome. Any questions regarding potential supervisors should be directed to the graduate studies representative noted below for the applicant’s institution. Supervisors will be copied on all reporting reminders and will review and approve all reports.
• NEW for 2023: All grants submitted to RNS must be accompanied by a completed Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) self-declaration form. Instructions for completing this declaration can be found above.
• NEW for 2023: Applicants will have the opportunity to join Research Nova Scotia staff at a live webinar to learn more about the funding opportunity.

participating Institutions

• Acadia University
• Dalhousie University
• Saint Mary’s University

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Eligibility

PRIMARY APPLICANT ELIGBILITY

To apply for a Scotia Scholars Award, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

• At time of application have applied to, be accepted in, or be enrolled in Year 1, 2 or 3 of a full-time thesis-based doctoral degree program.
• Be engaged in research activities relevant to Research Nova Scotia’s health missions.
• Achievement of first-class average is recommended, as determined by the host institution, in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).*  
• Be in good standing for enrollment in the upcoming school year.
• If successful, maintain all applicable eligibility criteria for full duration of award. Awards are not transferable. 

*Institutions may, at their discretion, offer a Scotia Scholars Award to applicants who have not obtained first class average.

To be eligible to hold an award, applicants must:

• hold only one Scotia Scholar Award at a time.
• maintain eligibility for award during the full duration of the award. If program completion occurs before end of award, recipient can maintain eligibility to hold the award during the period approved by the supervisor and institution.
• not exceed any funding caps as determined by the institution. All external funding must be reported to the institution.

Please note: Awards are not transferable.

SUBJECT MATTER ELIGIBILITY

Research Nova Scotia uses a mission-oriented approach to research. This means we start with what we want to accomplish and build a research agenda and coalition of partners and projects to help achieve these goals. We seek to support creativity, diversity, and ingenuity in the research community’s responses to our mission challenges: proposed projects and research areas may include foundational/discovery research or applied research, in a wide variety of fields and disciplines.

All submissions considered for funding must reflect the health pillar of Research Nova Scotia’s mission-oriented strategy, which uses research to support a healthy population and strong health care system. Please demonstrate how the project contributes to one or more of the Research Nova Scotia health missions:

• Advance disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
• Strengthen our health care delivery system
• Care for vulnerable populations
• Promote better opportunities for future health and wellbeing

Additional information on the Research Nova Scotia Health Missions can be found on our website: www.researchns.ca/our-missions/.

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information webinar

The 2023-24 Scotia Scholars Award webinar has now passed. To watch the recording, please click the link below. The slides are also available for download.

Link to webinar recording

Link to download webinar slides

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how to apply

Applications must be submitted via Research Nova Scotia’s online submission portal, Jura. Follow the steps below to create an account, select the opportunity, and upload all requirements as detailed. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all the requirements are provided for consideration. Additional details regarding Jura are available on the submission form.

Please note: no applications or application components will be accepted after the posted deadline. All materials for review must be provided via the online submission form. Materials will not be accepted via mail or email.

Step 1: Confirm Eligibility

Consider whether you are eligible for this opportunity using the criteria outlined above.

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact the Research Support Officer for confirmation before beginning your application.

Step 2: Register for a Jura Account

All applications will be submitted via Research Nova Scotia’s online portal, Jura.

In order to access the application, this individual must create an account in Jura by clicking the ‘Register’ button found here.

Please be aware that all grants submitted to RNS must be accompanied by a completed EDIA self-declaration form. Instructions for completing this declaration can be found below:

Step 3: Submit Application

Log in to Jura using the credentials created in ‘step 2’ to start your application. Application forms can be found under the ‘Funding Opportunities’ section of your Jura homepage.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to select the correct funding opportunity for your university!

Please carefully review all application requirements, as outlined in the documents below, before beginning your application:

APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED WILL BE MARKED AS INELIGIBLE.

Please note that you can save your application and return to it at any time. When logging in to the system during subsequent visits, your application will be found under the ‘In Progress Applications’ section of your Jura homepage.

When your application is complete, select ‘submit’. Confirmation of successful submission will be available in your applicant portfolio and will be sent to you via email.

Step 4: Ensure Letters of Reference are Submitted

Ensure your academic and leadership letters have been submitted by the referees to Research Nova Scotia at apply@researchns.ca prior to the deadline. Letters provided by the applicant will not be accepted.

Letters of reference will not be accepted after the deadline under any circumstances.

Note: This is the only component of the application completed outside of Jura.

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Review and Selection Process

1. Research Nova Scotia will assess applications to determine whether they are complete and meet the eligibility criteria prior to sending the applications to the institutions. Applications that do not meet basic administrative eligibility criteria will be marked ‘ineligible’ and not provided to the institution for consideration.
2. Eligible applications will be reviewed by each institution in accordance with their scholarship review practices and the assessment criteria outlined for this award.
3. Institutions will submit to RNS a list of applicants recommended for funding, alternate candidates (if applicable) and applicants ineligible for funding.
4. Research Nova Scotia will notify successful applicants of all funding decisions and implement the process for award acceptance and payment. 

The following criteria will be used by each institution to assess Scotia Scholars Award Doctoral applications:

Criteria	Indicators of Research Ability and Potential	Weight
Research Ability and Potential	Quality of research proposal specific, focused, and feasible research question(s) and objective(s) clear description of the proposed methodology significance and expected contributions to research in a provincial health research priority area Relevant training, such as academic training, lived experience and traditional teachings Research experience and achievements relative to the applicant’s stage of study, lived experience and knowledge systems Quality of contributions and extent to which they advance the field of research. Contributions may include reports, posters, presentations, creative outputs, knowledge translation outputs, community products etc. Demonstration of sound judgment and ability to think critically Demonstration of responsible and ethical research conduct, including honest and thoughtful inquiry, rigorous analysis, commitment to safety and to the dissemination of research results and adherence to the use of professional standards	50%
Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia	Scholarships, awards, and distinctions (amount, duration and prestige) Academic record: Transcripts Duration of previous studies Program requirements and courses pursued Course load Relative standing in program (if available) Professional, academic, and extracurricular activities as well as collaborations with supervisors, colleagues, peers, students and members of the community, such as: managing projects participating in science and/or research promotion community outreach, volunteer work and/or civic engagement participating in departmental or institutional organizations, associations, societies and/or clubs	50%

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Application Support

Inquiries regarding potential supervisors, opportunities, and application creation should be directed to:

Technical issues related to application submission via Jura can be directed to:

RNS Jura Helpdesk
helpdesk@researchns.ca | 902.410.2862
Jura Helpdesk Hours are 8am-4pm AST Monday to Friday.

Responses will be provided as soon as possible but please allow up to 24 hours for a response.

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