2024 Inlight Research Fellowship Program
The Inlight Research Fellowship program will support graduate students to develop skills essential to conduct research projects that have a primary focus relevant to post-secondary student mental health and wellness at the University of Toronto.
If you missed the applicant webinar, the recording is now available – please reach out at studentmh.research@utoronto.ca.
Full Fellowship Application submissions are due October 15th at 5:00 pm EST.
Award value: $5000 | |
Timeline | |
Call for Fellowships Opens | September 11th, 2024 |
Webinar (Program Overview and Q&A) | September 20th, 2024 (12pm) |
Deadline for Notice of Intent Submission | October 7th, 2024 (5pm EST) |
Deadline for Fellowship Application Submission | October 15th, 2024 (5pm EST) |
Anticipated Notice of Decision | December 6th, 2024 |
Anticipated Stipend Start Date | January 1st, 2025 |
Background
Inlight is an Institutional Strategic Initiative of the University of Toronto committed to improving post-secondary student mental health and wellness outcomes. By investing in high-quality, impactful research and driving research innovations into practice, Inlight is re-imagining how we support mental health research on our campuses to enhance post-secondary student mental health and wellness. We are working with students, faculty, researchers, staff, and administrators across our community to drive meaningful change in campus mental health. Inlight’s work is shaped by our vision and guiding principles.
The Inlight Research Fellowship program will support graduate students to develop the skills to conduct research projects that have the potential to advance post-secondary student mental health and wellness outcomes through research at the University of Toronto. Post-secondary student mental health is inclusive of mental wellness, mental illness and substance misuse. It encompasses the full length of a student’s journey—from transitions into post-secondary education to graduation; and the full range of student mental health experience—from community and individual well-being to clinical intervention, inside the classroom and out.
Fellows will participate in the Inlight Research Fellowships training program, a one-year, non-credit certificate program that will support them to develop knowledge and research skills related to post-secondary student mental health and well-being.
What you’ll learn:
- Knowledge of key considerations in the conduct of research related to post-secondary mental health and well-being, including student engagement, incorporation of EDIAI approaches, development of collaborative partnerships, public engagement and strategies for the dissemination of research outcomes
- Skills to generate and mobilize research to achieve health & equity impacts in post-secondary mental health and well-being
- An appreciation for the diversity of evidence and research needs in this emerging field, and increased knowledge of relevant research/data collection methods
Inclusion of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Indigeneity Statement: Inlight strives to be an equitable and inclusive community and proactively seeks to increase diversity and representation among our members. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, and other equity seeking groups.
Eligibility
The Inlight Research Fellowship program is open to domestic and international masters and doctoral students enrolled in the University of Toronto in a program of study that includes a research project requirement (this can be a primary or compulsory component, or an optional component). Normally, at least one will be awarded at each of the campuses (based on applications received).
Student applicants must be leading or planning a research project relevant to post-secondary student mental health as part of their thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication and/or comparative exhibit that is expert reviewed and required for the completion of their graduate program.
The applicant’s primary supervisor must normally be a full member of the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies, be eligible to supervise graduate students and be eligible to hold research funding at the University of Toronto or at their primary institution. We recognise that there are other faculty roles that are able to supervise students and fall outside of this definition. Please contact Inlight if this is the case for your supervisor, and we will determine eligibility.
Co-supervisors can also be included, and do not need to meet the same eligibility requirements as the primary supervisor. Their role in the project should be described in the application template.
Please note: We do not normally award more than two Fellowships to an individual during their combined academic graduate programs, and repeat applicants will not be given preference, but will be adjudicated together with new incoming applicants:
- One award may be held during a Masters program
- Up to two awards may be held during a PhD program
Submission process
The application to the Inlight Fellowship Program is a two-step process requiring: (1) submission of a brief notice of intent (NOI); followed by, (2) submission of the full application. Upon submission of the NOI, the applicant will receive a link to the Inlight Research Fellowship Application form.
The applicant’s supervisor will also receive a request via email to submit a recommendation upon submission of the NOI. This has the same due date as the full application, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their supervisor follows up on this.
Towards the end of the Inlight Application Form is a self-identification survey. Please note that completing the self-identification survey is not compulsory and will not impact the adjudication of your fellowship application.
Please review the eligibility and conditions of funding prior to preparing your application. Please convert all files to pdf format prior to uploading.
This checklist has been provided to support you to successfully prepare and submit a complete application to the program.
Step 1 - Notice of Intent Submission (due October 7)
The NOI details should be submitted through this form by October 7th, 2024, and include:
- Applicant information
- Primary supervisor information
- Title of the research project (max 25 words)
Upon submission of the NOI, the applicant will receive a link to the Inlight Research Fellowship Application form. The primary supervisor will also receive a request via email to submit a recommendation. This has the same due date as the full application, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their supervisor follows up on this.
Please note:
- This step is to support planning for the adjudication of the full application, including identification of adjudicators who are representative of the divisions and research foci encompassed in the submissions – the NOI will not be adjudicated and all submissions may proceed to the full application stage
- The Applicant and Primary Supervisor cannot change between the NOI and full application stage
- The title of the research project can be modified between the NOI and full application stage, but should not be substantively changed
- No figures, references/knowledge mobilization products or hyperlinks should be provided at this stage.
Step 2 - Full Application Submission (due October 15)
Applicants should prepare and submit the documents listed below by October 15th, 2024. Once the applicant has prepared these documents, the applicant should complete the Inlight Fellowship Application Form (link will be sent via email upon submission of the NOI application form), and upload all of the documents through this form.
- The fellowship application template, which includes:
- Applicant and supervisor(s) information
- Signature from individual who is able to confirm that the applicant is in good academic standing, and that their funding policy allows for an award to be made on top of their package – this is typically the graduate coordinator from Applicant’s program of study
- Statement summarizing relevant training and experiences, and commitment to student engagement and EDIAI
- Title and Lay Summary for the project
- Outline of research project including background/rationale, objectives, design and methodology, and impact in student mental health
- Appendices of references and figures (maximum one page for each)
- A recent CV (maximum 3 pages) or the Inlight abbreviated CV template – if student is submitting their own CV it is recommended that they highlight relevant experience and significant contributions
- Copy of applicant’s academic transcript for graduate studies (official or unofficial will be accepted)
- Optional attachments – please include a headshot that can be used in the fellowship announcement and other communications materials (not required).
The primary supervisor’s recommendation (emailed to them separately upon submission of the NOI) is also due by October 15th, 2024, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the supervisor follows up on this.
Self-identification Survey: Please note that a self-identification survey is linked to at the end of the Inlight Fellowship Application Form; however, completing the self-identification survey is not compulsory and will not impact the adjudication of your fellowship application.
Data is being collected through this survey to monitor the degree to which Inlight is meeting its objective of proactively seeking to increase inclusion of Black, Indigenous and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, and other equity deserving groups.
Your data may be used for the purposes of program operations, planning, performance measurement and monitoring, evaluation, and audits. Only the Inlight Leadership team will have access to the survey responses. Individual data will not be shared as part of the adjudication process nor will it be accessed by anyone external to the Inlight Leadership Team. Aggregated data will be shared internally with the Inlight team and advisory committee members to support review and redesign of programs. Aggregated data will only be shared publicly where data volume is sufficient to prevent the identification of any individual.
Application & Adjudication Documents
Notice of Intent
Full Application
- Fellowship Application Form (where all documents are submitted by October 15th, 2024, link will be sent via email upon submission of the NOI application form)
- Fellowship application template
- A recent CV (maximum 3 pages) or the Inlight abbreviated CV template
- Copy of applicant’s academic transcript for graduate studies
Webinar (September 20)
A one hour Zoom webinar will be hosted on September 20th (12pm EST) to support those applying for an Inlight Research Fellowship. This webinar is an opportunity to learn more about the application and adjudication process.
Adjudication
Prior to the adjudication process, the Inlight leadership team members will perform a relevance review to determine that the research project is relevant to post-secondary student mental health. Applications deemed not relevant will be withdrawn from the competition.
An adjudication committee will be formed that aims to be representative of the diversity of the University of Toronto community, including faculty (research and teaching stream), staff and students, as well as cross division and tri-campus involvement.
All members of the adjudication committee will declare any conflict of interest and remove themselves from the application review if a conflict exists. Where an Inlight team member supervises a student applicant, that member will recuse themselves from the panel discussion while the application is under consideration. Inlight follows the CIHR guidelines of conflict of interest: “a conflict of interest means a conflict between a participant’s (e.g., reviewers and observers) duties and responsibilities with regard to the review process, and a participant’s private, professional, business or public interests.”
Conditions of Application and Funding
- All applicants (and their supervisors) will be automatically enrolled into the Inlight Network and will receive communication on future Inlight opportunities and knowledge events.
- Once funded, we expect all Fellows to actively engage with the training and networking components of this award. Expectations for participation are outlined as part of the training program overview, and these requirements must be met to receive the certificate of completion. Normally, the release of the second round of funding is dependent on successful participation in the components of the certificate.
- Students selected for Fellowships (and their supervisors) may be asked to join Inlight grant program adjudication panels in subsequent years.
- Students must respond within four weeks to requests for updates on project progress (no more than a quarterly basis) during the year of funding, to support Inlight’s reporting activities, as well as to ensure continued timely payment of stipend installments.
- A final summary and impact report must be submitted to Inlight one month after the end of the funding period (February 1st, 2026) or the graduate program conclusion (whichever occurs first) – a template will be provided by the Inlight team. Requests for an extension should be addressed to the studentmh.research@utoronto.ca, where possible 2 months in advance of the end of the funding period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can supervisors support more than one fellowship application? Yes, we welcome students that may have the same supervisor to submit separate applications for the Inlight Research Fellowship Program. |
Can I be a fellowship student applicant as an outside (non-UofT) student, so long as a U of T faculty member is the principal applicant? No, the Inlight Research Fellowships are being provided to individuals who are students currently enrolled in graduate studies at the University of Toronto. |
Can the fellowship application have more than one supervisor? Yes, but a primary supervisor should be identified, and they would be the primary supervisor of the graduate student, as well as being the one to complete the supervisor form. Please note that the stipulation regarding membership of the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies only applies to the primary supervisor, and co-supervisors can come from other organisations. Their role in the project should be indicated on the application form. |
Are graduate students from any University of Toronto Faculty/Division able to apply? Yes, graduate students from any University of Toronto Faculty/Division are able to apply. |
Can I have existing fellowship or grant funding? Yes, the individual holding other fellowship or grant funds does not exclude them from being selected for an Inlight Research Fellowship. |
What does it mean to be part of the Inlight network? Joining the Inlight network provides the opportunity to connect with other researchers, students, providers and others involved in student mental health research as well as be invited to future Inlight research funding opportunities and knowledge events. |
How do I know if my research project is related to post-secondary student mental health? We encourage applicants to refer to the description of relevance to Inlight included in the Background section, as well as review Inlight’s vision, mission, strategic plan and guiding principles to determine if there is alignment with your research project. |
Does the proposed project need to develop an innovation, intervention or technology? No, research projects do not need to develop or link to an existing or future innovation, intervention or technology. |
How is Inlight supporting Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Indigeneity? Inlight strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity and representation among its members and we encourage applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous /Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. |
How does Inlight approach sex and gender differences in mental health research? Sex and gender differences exist within post-secondary student mental health, making sex and/or gender issues an important component of this research initiative. Applicants should consider sex as a biological variable and gender as a socio-cultural factor in their research wherever possible. |
Can I apply for an Inlight Research Fellowship if my supervisor does not have a budgetary appointment at the University of Toronto? Yes, you may apply. Your supervisor must be a Full Member of the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies and be eligible to supervise graduate students – but they can be eligible to hold research funding at the University of Toronto or at their primary institution. |
I am working on a research thesis with another student with the same supervisor, can we both apply for the fellowship? Yes, but each student must submit separate applications for the Inlight Research Fellowship program and indicate their unique contribution to the project. |
Do we need to publish a journal article as part of the reporting requirements of the Inlight Research Fellowship? No, a published journal article is not a reporting requirement of the Inlight Research Fellowship. |
I have co-supervisors on my research, do I need a letter of support from each supervisor? No, only one letter of support from the primary supervisor is required. |
My current research project does not include student engagement beyond research participants, would you consider this aligned with Inlight’s vision and mission? Where applicants are submitting a project that is already underway, we do not expect applicants to modify what they have already committed to in their research project. We do encourage applicants to explore how they can drive meaningful student engagement in upcoming research activities such as knowledge mobilization and outline these future goals and activities in their application. |
My current research investigates mental health in individuals aged 12 to 25, including post-secondary students, would this qualify? While we welcome applications linked to research projects that include individuals aged 12 to 25 years of age, the application must indicate how post-secondary students are a focus of the research project. |
I held an Inlight Fellowship during my Master’s program, and have now transitioned to a PhD program – can I apply for a Fellowship during my new program? Yes, applicants are eligible to hold up to two awards (one during a Master’s program and up to two during a PhD program) – you would therefore be eligible to hold one more award during your PhD program, for a total of two overall. |
To learn more about research at the University of Toronto, including policies related to Principal Investigator eligibility and holding research funds, please visit the Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI) website.