2022 Travel Awards
The McGill - RIKEN IMS Partnership program is promoting world-class biomedical research collaborations between the two institutions. The Partnership is supporting research that focuses on the interface between genomics, immunology, and computational methodology, along with research on the policy question and social, legal and ethical aspects that arise from this work.
To further its ambitions, the Partnership provides funds to support scientific exchanges of trainees between McGill and RIKEN IMS. The support takes the form of a limited number of stipends to support travel, offset living costs and contribute to research expenses for short term (1-6 months) stays of students and post-doctoral trainees for inter-institutional visits in the context of an on-going or new collaborative project. The stipend amounts (see below) are equivalent to or similar to those provided by the RIKEN and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for pre/postdoctoral fellowships.
For information on other possibilities including three-year studentships and other forms of support please contact the Partnership Organising Committee at the e-mail address below.
Please note: The Oversight Committee can put trainees and/or laboratory heads at McGill or RIKEN IMS in contact with each other to aid in establishing collaborations.
Application Procedures for 2022 Travel Awards
Applications for a McGill-RIKEN IMS Travel Award should align within one or more of the priority research areas described below.
If you are uncertain of the eligibility areas or wish to propose a topic outside of these areas, please contact the Oversight Committee.
Applications should be one to two pages in length.
The application should address:
Background to the collaborative project
A description of the work to be undertaken during the visit
The expected outcomes of the visit
Proposed dates of stay
If a contribution to research funding is applied for, the application should include an explanation of how this will be used.
The application should be submitted by the trainee along with the copy of his/her CV. It must also include letters from the laboratory heads at McGill and RIKEN IMS who lead the collaboration project confirming their support, and that research expenses outside of the stipend will be borne by the host laboratory
The deadline for submission is 19. November 2021. Applications will be reviewed by the Partnership Oversight Committee and results communicated by 17. December 2021.
Awardees will be required to prepare a short report on their activities upon completion of the exchange.
Priority research areas
1. Novel genomic technologies
Projects should focus on new methods to obtain genomic and epigenomics data, and to study the effects of genetic variation on immune regulation, inflammation, health and human disease.
2. Immunology and genomics of human disease and ageing
This priority area includes studies to examine how immune disruption affects health and disease processes in patients or population cohorts, and the development of data at single-cell resolution in human and rodent models.
3. Methodology for quantiative and computational analyses
Projects should address methods and data platforms for comparative population and medical genomic analyses, including the microbiome, in European and Asian populations. New methodology development could include, for example, techniques for the analysis of mobile elements and virus sequences integrated in the human genome and their relationship to disease.
4. Genome databases
The goal is to support the development of integrative genomic analysis tools that will combine data from Functional ANnoTation Of the Mammalian (FANTOM) led by RIKEN, the International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC), in which McGill has a leadership role and other projects in which the Institutions are involved.
6. Policy and social aspects of biomedical research
Projects should address comparable issues of importance for Japan and Canada in these domains.
Award amounts and travel arrangements
The Partnership program will arrange a round-trip ticket and accident insurance premiums covering the period of stay.
The awardee will be provided with ¥5,200/60$CAD per diem for living costs.
Payment of the actual amount for rent up to a maximum of ¥70,000/800$CAD per month. The host institution will aid in the organisation of lodgings for the exchange period.
The host laboratory can receive up to ¥500,000/5,500$CAD as a contribution to research expenses (to be justified in the application).
For submissions and questions, please send an email to: riken-mcg.genome@mcgill.ca
The 2022 Tavel Awards flyer (pdf) can be downloaded here.