Research Funding

Academic Scholar Awards

The University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry will grant merit-based awards to support the professional development of full-time faculty members of the Department. The priority will be to support early-career and mid-career faculty members, so that they can progress towards attaining academic promotion. In addition, up to two awards will be available for Full Professors who meet specific criteria. 

Timeline for the 2024 Competition

  • Competition announcement – January 16, 2024
  • Application Deadline – March 1, 2024, 5:00 PM
  • Funding Start Date – July 1, 2024
  • Progress Reports – On an annual basis from the start date for the duration of the award

Read and download the Request for Applications for more information.

ASA FAQ - Get answers to common ASA questions.

ASA Application Workshop

An online workshop to answer questions that applicants have about the ASA awards and the application process. Due to the amount of work involved in preparing an application, we recommend that applicants start their applications prior to attending this workshop.

Academic Scholar Grants

Academic Scholar Grants are a new funding opportunity intended to support the career development of early-career, full-time, status-only faculty members of the Department of Psychiatry who receive salary support to protect more than 80% of their time for academic activity and, thus, are not eligible to apply for an Academic Scholar Award. The Academic Scholar Grants will provide funding for a full-time thesis-based Master’s student supervised by the grantee and in this way will contribute to the career development of the status-only faculty member.

For more information on the application process, eligibility and timelines, please click here to view the Request for Applications.

Timeline for the 2023-24 Competition

  • Competition announcement – September 28, 2023
  • Application deadline – November 23, 2023, by 5:00 pm
  • Date of announcement of grant award – January 12, 2024.
  • Start date of funding – Within 8 months of announcement of grant award, depending on when the signed Statement of Agreement between the grantee and student is accepted by the U of T’s graduate unit.
  • Progress reports – On an annual basis from the funding start date for the duration of the award.

Department of Psychiatry Funding Opportunity in Suicide Studies

In support for our Department’s strategic goal of Integration, the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry has created a new funding opportunity in Suicide Studies.

The recipients of the 2021 competition have been announced. View the successful applicants.

Timeline for the 2021 Competition

  • 2021 December – Call for proposals 2022
  • February 28, 5 pm – Application deadline
  • 2022 Late March – Adjudication meeting
  • 2022 early April – Adjudication complete and applicants notified
  • 2022 April to May– First instalment of funds released after receipt of REB, QSB or ACC approval (if indicated), with 12 months to then complete the project and an additional 3 months to analyse the data

Call for Proposals

Read the Funding Opportunity in Suicide Studies call for proposals and learn more.

Department of Psychiatry Funding Opportunity In Quality, Innovation & Safety

The University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry is creating a new funding opportunity in Quality, Innovation and Safety. 

Two awards will be given during this cycle (2023/24) with another two awards given in 2024/25. Projects selected for funding will be awarded up to $20,000 each from the Department of Psychiatry. 

Timeline for the 2023 Competition

  • Call for proposals August 2023
  • Application deadline September 30, 2023
  • Adjudication meeting October 2023
  • Adjudication complete and applicants notified November 15th, 2023
  • First instalment of funds released after receipt of REB or QSB approval (if indicated), with 18 months to then complete the project and an additional 3 months to analyze the data

Call for Proposals

Please consult the Proposal Structure Guide included in the Call for Proposals for information on how to format your proposal and what information to include.

The Excellence Funds

The Excellence Funds are the result of a University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry (‘the Department’) fundraising effort to provide seed funding for projects by early career faculty that align with the Department’s strategic plan and priorities as expressed by the donors of funds. The three designated areas of priority are: Research, Education and Creative Professional Activity (CPA). With respect to research, the seed funds are intended to support projects that will generate pilot data to support a subsequent more definitive peer-reviewed grant application, preferably intended for submission to a provincial or national funding agency. 

Read the Call for Proposals and learn more.

Timeline for the 2023-2024 Competition

  • 2023 October – Call for proposals
  • 2023 Monday, December 11, 2023 by 5:00 pm – Application deadline
  • 2024 Late January – Adjudication meeting
  • 2024 Mid-February – Adjudication complete and applicants notified
  • 2024 March to May– First instalment of funds released after receipt of REB or ACC approval (if indicated), with 12 months to then complete the project and an additional 3 months to analyse the data.

Labatt Family Innovation Fund in Brain Health

In Canada alone, one in five people will experience mental illness in their lifetime. However, by seeding the field of psychiatry research with talented scientists we can bring substantive advance to the broad spectrum of mental health in general and the fields of eating disorders, depression and anxiety in particular.

Through the Labatt Family Innovation Fund in Brain Health, the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry will fund six promising studies to impact the trajectory and outcomes of eating disorders, depression, or anxiety in young and mid-life adults. 

Timeline for 2023 Competition

  • Competition Announcement – June 1, 2023
  • Letter of Interest Deadline – July 14, 2023 Applicants notified as to whether or not they are invited to proceed with submission of a full application – August 4, 2023
  • Application Deadline (for invited applicants) – September 29, 2023
  • Notification Date – November 24, 2023
  • Earliest Date for Release of First Installment of Funds – December 15, 2023
  • Research Progress Report – 12 and 24 months after receipt of first installment of funds (and at completion, if at a later date)

Request for Applications

The request for applications provides full details about how to apply for the Labatt Family Innovation Fund in Brain Health. View and download the request for applications.

Learn more about the awardees and their projects.

Labatt Family Network Catalyst Fund

Thanks to a transformational gift from the Labatt family, in 2019 the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry launched a groundbreaking network dedicated to understanding the biology of depression. The Labatt Family Network for Research on the Biology of Depression is designed to pioneer innovative approaches to depression biology research, advance our understanding of the biology of depression, and foster the next generation of research talent in this field.
 
Through the Labatt Family Network Catalyst Fund, the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry will provide seed funding to early career investigators to pursue promising studies that investigate the biology of depression in children and youth, older adults, and across the lifespan. This funding will complement the Labatt Family Innovation Fund in Brain Health, which funds research in the biology of depression in persons aged 18-65 years.

Timeline for the 2023 Competition

  • Competition Announcement – April 27, 2023
  • Letter of Interest Deadline – June 9, 2023
  • Applicants notified as to whether or not they are invited to proceed with submission of a full application – June 30, 2023
  • Application Deadline (for invited applicants) – August 25, 2023
  • Notification Date – October 20, 2023
  • Earliest Date for Release of First Installment of Funds – November 17, 2023
  • Research Progress Report – 12 and 24 months after receipt of first installment of funds (and at completion, if at a later date)

Request for Applications

The request for applications provides full details about how to apply for the Labatt Family Network Catalyst Fund. View and download the request for applications.

Labatt Family Research Fellowships in Depression Biology

The Labatt Family Fellowships in Depression Biology support the training of psychiatrist and non-psychiatrist post-doctoral fellows in research that has a primary focus on the biology of depression.

Request for Applications

The request for applications provides full details about how to apply for the Labatt Family Research Fellowships in Depression Biology. View and download the request for applications.

Application deadline: Friday, December 1, 2023 by 5:00 pm

Start date of Fellowship Award: Between July 1, 2024 and September 1, 2024

Reasons for Hope Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Mental Illness

The University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry’s Reasons for Hope Fund supports research studies that are designed to impact the trajectory and outcome of mental illness in adolescent and young adult populations, with a focus on prevention and early detection.

Through the Reasons for Hope Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Mental Illness we will fund three to six studies that have the potential to impact the trajectory and outcomes of mental illness within adolescent and young adult populations, with a focus on prevention (including primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention) and early detection.

Timeline for 2023 Competition

  • Competition Announcement – September 14, 2023
  • Letter of Interest Deadline – October 12, 2023
  • Applicants notified as to whether or not they are invited to proceed with submission of a full application – October 19, 2023
  • Application Deadline (for invited applicants) – November 23, 2023
  • Notification Date – Early February, 2024
  • Earliest Date for Release of First Installment of Funds – Late-February, 2024
  • Research Progress Reports – Every 6 months after receipt of first installment of funds and at completion

Request for Applications

The request for applications provides full details about how to apply for the Reasons for Hope Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Mental Illness. View and download the request for applications.

Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund in the Prevention and Early Detection of Severe Mental Illness

In Canada, one in five people will experience mental illness in their lifetime. By seeding the field of psychiatry research with talented scientists we can bring substantive advance to prevention and early detection within adolescent and young adult patient populations and the broad spectrum of mental health.

Through the Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Severe Mental Illness we will fund two to three studies that have the potential to impact the trajectory and outcomes of serious mental illness within adolescent and young adult patient populations, with a focus on prevention and early detection

Learn more about the awardees and their projects.

Timeline for 2022 Competition

  • Competition Announcement – September 15
  • Letter of Interest Deadline – October 28
  • Applicants notified as to whether or not they are invited to proceed with submission of a full application – November 18
  • Application Deadline (for invited applicants) – January 13, 2023
  • Notification Date – March 17, 2023
  • Earliest Date for Release of First Installment of Funds – March 31, 2023
  • Research Progress Reports – every 6 months after receipt of first installment of funds (and at completion, if at a later date) 

Request for Applications

The request for applications provides full details about how to apply for the Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund. View and download the request for applications.