2022 Inlight Research Fellowship Program
Notice: Applications for this opportunity are now closed. We look forward to announcing fellowship recipients in the near future.
NOTICE: The Inlight Research Fellowship has been updated: 2022-10-21
As of October 19, 2022 the eligibility of supervisor for graduate students applying for an Inlight research fellowship has been expanded to: “Supervisors must be members of the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies, eligible to supervise graduate students and be eligible to hold research funding at the University of Toronto or at their primary institution.
As of October 21, 2022 the student applicant eligibility has been expanded to “student applicants must be leading the student mental health research project 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.
Program Statement: The Inlight Research Fellowship (IRF) program is open to support exceptional graduate scholars at the University of Toronto with the potential to become independent researchers in postsecondary student mental health and wellness. The IRF program supports applicants currently leading student mental health research at the University of Toronto.
- Applicants selected for the fellowship agree to present their research at an upcoming Inlight Symposium.
- This program will support up to five PhD and Masters students who are completing a research project that is directly or indirectly impacting postsecondary student mental health and wellness outcomes through research at the University of Toronto.
- This award will be a $10,000 stipend paid directly to the PhD or Masters student.
- Minimum of three and up to five fellowships will be awarded, with at least one fellowship per campus (subject to applications received).
- 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 postsecondary 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.
2022 Inlight Research Fellowship Program
Fellowship Applications are due Friday October 28, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST.
| Open call for fellowships and launch communications | Monday, September 26 |
| Fellowship application and student engagement workshop (recorded) | Monday, October 17 |
| Deadline for fellowship applications | Friday, October 28 |
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Anticipated Notice of Decision |
Friday, December 9 |
| Funding Start Date | Thursday, December 1 |
To request the Fellowship workshop recording, contact studentmh.research@utoronto.ca.
Eligibility
The research fellowship is open to:
- Domestic and international masters and doctoral students enrolled in the University of Toronto.
- Students registered in second or subsequent years with a research project requirement in the program of study.
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Student applicants must be leading the student mental health research project 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.
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Supervisors must be members of the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies, eligible to supervise graduate students and be eligible to hold research funding at the University of Toronto or at their primary institution. (2022-10-19)
- All applicants will be automatically enrolled into the Inlight Network and will receive communication on future Inlight opportunities and knowledge events.
Submission Process
Applicants for the fellowship will need to submit a completed IRF online application form and upload the fellowship application template which includes:
- Student applicant and supervisor’s information
- Statement summarizing suitability for fellowship including training, commitment to student engagement, postsecondary mental health research goals and other related goals
- Summary of research project including title, rationale, alignment with Inlight, research objectives, impact, methodology, and student engagement (max 1 page)
- Supervisor letter of support or Inlight Supervisor Form
- Student to submit a recent CV or the Inlight abbreviated CV template
- Copy of applicant’s academic transcript for graduate studies
- Student to submit Self identification survey; The survey data will only be used internally to ensure we are proactively seeking to increase diversity and representation from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2Si+ persons, and others who may contribute to the diversification of ideas.
Adjudication
An Inlight fellowship selection committee has been formed to review, evaluate and select IRF applications for funding. The selection committee represents the diversity of the University of Toronto community with faculty and student representation as well as cross division and tri-campus involvement.
Selection Criteria for IRF applications:
- Strategic alignment and impact of research project
- Academic performance, research accomplishment and future potential
The full adjudication rubric is available and we strongly recommend all applicants review before submitting their application.
All members of the fellowship advisory and selection committee will declare any conflict of interest and remove themselves from IRF application review if a conflict exists. 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.”
Decision of fellowships will be shared with all applicants in December 2022.
Reporting
All teams receiving Inlight grants are required to fulfill the following obligations:
- Their research project must be presented at the annual Inlight research symposium (possible presentations include podium, tabletop or poster).
- Fellowship recipients will provide up to two brief presentations overviewing their research project to knowledge users of student mental health research (i.e. students, faculty, staff) at the University of Toronto during the year of funding.
- A final summary and impact report must be submitted to Inlight two months after the end of the funding period (March 1, 2024) or the research project conclusion (whichever occurs first); This report should include completed goals, objectives, activities, impact of work, testimonials from team members and knowledge users, and media if possible (a template will be provided).
- Responding within four weeks to requests for updates on project progress (no more than a quarterly basis) during the year of funding.
- Additionally, students selected for fellowships may be asked to be Inlight grant and fellowship reviewers for subsequent years.
Application & Adjudication Documents
Application
- Fellowship Application online form (where all documents are submitted by Friday October 28)
- Fellowship application template
- Fellowship supervisor form
- Recent CV for student applicant (applicants are welcome to use Inlight’s abbreviated CV template)
- Self identification survey
Adjudication
Important Dates
| Open call for fellowships and launch communications | Monday, September 26 |
| Fellowship application and student engagement workshop (recorded) | Monday, October 17 at 3 pm EST |
| Deadline for fellowship applications | Friday, October 28 |
To request the Fellowship workshop recording, contact studentmh.research@utoronto.ca.
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 fellowship award. |
| 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 fellowship awards are being provided to individuals who are students currently enrolled in the University of Toronto. |
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Can the fellowship application have more than one supervisor? Yes, but we only require one of the supervisors to complete the supevisor form. |
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Are students from any University of Toronto Faculty/Division able to apply? Yes, students from any University of Toronto Faculty/Division are able to apply. |
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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 award. |
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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. |
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How do I know if my research project is related to student mental health? We encourage applicants to refer to the definition of student mental health included in the Fellowship program statement as well as review Inlight’s vision, mission, strategic plan and guiding principles to determine if there is alignment with your research project. |
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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. |
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How is Inlight supporting Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility? 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, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. |
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How does Inlight approach sex and gender differences in mental health research? Sex and gender differences exist in the research areas above, 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. |
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Can I apply for an Inlight student fellowship if my supervisor does not have a budgetary appointment at the University of Toronto? Yes, you may apply. Your supervisor(s) is only required to have some type of formal faculty appointment (i.e. status, adjunct, tenure) at the University of Toronto, they do not have to have a budgetary appointment. |
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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 opportunity and indicate their unique contribution to the project. |
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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. |
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I have co-supervisors on my research, do I need a letter of support from each supervisor? No, only one letter of support from one supervisor is required. |
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Will applicants leading research projects that directly impact postsecondary student mental health and wellness be rated significantly higher than those whose projects that indirectly impact mental health and wellness? Strategic alignment and impact of student led research projects is one the two selection criteria for fellowship applicants (see: detailed adjudication). We encourage all applicants to review Inlight’s vision, mission and guiding principles and highlight how your research project advances the Inlight strategy. Inlight is committed to supporting high quality research and research innovations to advance postsecondary student mental health and wellness and our selection of fellowships will reflect what we have outlined in detail in the application process and adjudication rubric. |
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My current research project does not include student engagement beyond research participants, would you consider this aligned with Inlight’s vision and mission? We do not expect applicants to modify what they have already committed to in their research project. We do encourage applicants to explore how future activities can drive meaningful student engagement in upcoming research activities such as knowledge mobilization and outline these future goals and activities in your application. |
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My current research investigates mental health in individuals aged 12 to 25, including post-secondary students, would this qualify? While we welcome applications from student that are leading research projects that include individuals aged 12 to 25 years of age, the application must indicate how postsecondary students are a focus of the research project. |
Inclusion of EDIA Statement
Inlight strives to be an equitable and inclusive community. We proactively seek to increase diversity and representation among its members and strongly encourage applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2Si+ persons, and others who may contribute to the diversification of ideas.
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.