• Studentship and Fellowship Award guidelines

Registration deadline: March 19, 2025 at 16:00 EST

• Register online
• Registration form (MS Word)

Application deadline: April 9, 2025 at 16:00 EST 

• Apply online
• Application form (MS Word)
• Referee form (MS Word)

Application review

June 2025

Notification of decision

August 2025

Award start date 

September 1, 2025

The award is open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada, protected persons within the meaning of subsection 95(2) of the Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), or international students with valid study permit. 

The applicant must be pursuing a research study with respiratory health as the major focus. These awards must be held at a Canadian institution.

The projects must align with the Canadian Lung Association mandate and the objective identified for this  competition.

Studentship applicants 

Studentship applicants should be enrolled or accepted in a graduate (thesis based) program at the Doctoral level at a Canadian academic institution. Candidates are only eligible to apply for the Studentship award in the first three (3) years of their PhD or MD studies. Time spent in an MSc program is not included in the eligibility calculation. 

Fellowship applicants 

Fellowship applicants will have completed an MD or a PhD and will be supervised during their fellowship by a faculty member at an accredited Canadian academic institution. Only under special circumstances, an applicant may pursue a fellowship in another country; however, the applicant must justify why they could not find the same kind of training in Canada and they must have plans to pursue a career in research in Canada.

Tobacco, vaping and cannabis

Individuals or supervisors who currently hold or have held and/or are being supervised by individuals holding or have held funding, directly or indirectly, from tobacco, vaping, and/or cannabis industry are not eligible. 

Studentship award

The Canadian Lung Association will contribute $10,500 towards the applicant’s annual stipend. Tuition, travel, and poster awards are not considered as other scholarships or stipends. 

The application must include a signed letter from the supervisor stating their research institution’s current annual minimum stipend for a PhD student and a guarantee to provide any remaining financial support if the combination of the Canadian Lung Association’s PhD studentship and the trainee’s existing scholarship(s) do not meet their institution’s published minimum.

 Applicants currently supported by other awards in excess of their institution’s minimum annual stipend for PhD students are ineligible to apply for this studentship.

Fellowship award

The annual stipend for a Fellowship Award is based on a 60:40 match formula between the Canadian Lung Association and the trainee’s supervisor. 

Matched funding

The matching funds can include funding from the supervisor, the host institution, and/or a research partner, including a provincial lung association. The Fellowship award is a stipend valued at $45,000 for applicants with a PhD or an MD but is not licensed to practice in Canada, or $55,000 for applicants with an MD licensed to practice in Canada for a maximum of one (1) year.

The Canadian Lung Association will contribute either $27,000 or $33,000 (60%) respectively. The applicant’s supervisor, department, host institution, and/or a partner agency is required provide written confirmation of the remaining funding: $18,000 or $22,000 (40%) for one (1) year. 

Tuition, travel, and poster awards are not included as other stipends. 

Holding other awards

If a Fellowship recipient holds other salary awards at the same time as the Fellowship Award, the value of the Fellowship Award will be reduced commensurate with the total value of other awards during the period of overlap. Please refer to the Appendices B and C of the awards guideline for a detailed calculation. 

 Application review

Applications will be received at the Canadian Lung Association and screened by administrative personnel for completion and relevancy.

The Review Committee will review all applications and supporting materials for merit. All applications are reviewed by at least two reviewers. The reviewers rank the applications according to:

• The quality of the applicant (academic record, research experience and potential, and documented publication(s)).
• The quality of the research project.
• The research environment, including the supervisor.
• The potential for the training to contribute to career development of the applicant.

The application that receives the highest ranking and supports the mission of the Canadian Lung Association is given funding priority. Therefore, it is important that all required details are communicated as clearly as possible to facilitate the review process.

Notification of funding

Once the review committee makes its funding recommendations, funding announcements are anticipated to be made in August. A letter of notification including rationale for the decision regarding funding is sent to all applicants and their supervisors via email. 

Publicizing the award

The successful applicant, their field of study and some content of the lay abstract, progress or final reports to The Canadian Lung Association will be made public. 

Successful applicants will be highlighted in the National Funding Report posted on the Canadian Lung Association website. 

Presentations and publication

Successful applicants are expected to facilitate knowledge translation in their field of expertise through presentations at conferences and/or workshops, including, where feasible, conferences/workshops sponsored by the Canadian Lung Association.

Publication of the research in a suitable, refereed professional journal, as soon as possible after completion of the study, is encouraged. Please notify the Manager, National Research Programs of such publications. 

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement of CLA support is required in all publications or presentations.

Copyright

Copyright of all publications belongs to the author(s). However, in any publication arising from the Studentship or Fellowship award are to include an acknowledgment of award received as follows:

• Canadian Lung Association: Studentship Award; or,
• Canadian Lung Association: Fellowship Award

Final report

The Canadian Lung Association requires a final report at the end of the funding period. A final report template will be provided. The report should include a description of contributions to respiratory health and your future commitment to the field. The awardee will also need to provide a brief summary of any course work or study carried out that relates to respiratory health, detailing results and implications. A list of relevant publications and presentations should be appended. 

Financial reporting

The Financial Officer administering the award must submit a financial report upon completion of the award.

What the funds can be used for

Funds from the Canadian Lung Association (and any partners) are a salary or living stipend and are not to be used to pay for benefits, journal subscriptions, membership fees in scientific societies, travel expenses not specified in the approved budget, or to employ technicians, graduate students or others related to the applicant. 

The Canadian Lung Association supports only the direct costs of research. No funding is to be used for indirect costs of research including but not limited to general operation and maintenance of facilities (from laboratories to libraries), the management of the research process (from grant management to commercialization), regulation and safety compliance (including human ethics, animal care and environmental assessment).

Disbursement of funds

The Canadian Lung Association provides payments in two installments. The first half will be provided at the funding start date and the second payment is contingent upon an adequate progress demonstrated in a 6-month progress report submitted by the awardee. 

This report will be reviewed to determine whether sufficient progress has been made. If adequate progress has not been made, the second Canadian Lung Association payment will not be released. A financial statement by the recipient institution’s Financial Officer and final progress report by the awardee are required at the end of the funding period.

Excess expenditures

Any commitments (or expenditures) incurred by an award recipient either in excess of the current training funds or beyond the term of the training award are the responsibility of the recipient.

The Canadian Lung Association reserve the right to terminate further payments and request a refund of the award in the event that the recipient fails to fulfill the conditions specified.

Early termination of study

In the event of termination of research training and/or graduate study or change in awardee status during the award period, you must immediately notify CLA in writing. Unspent funds in the award account must be refunded to the Canadian Lung Association. The recipient must contact the University Financial Officer and request that the funds be reimbursed.

The award recipient (or the institution on the awardee’s behalf) shall, if the need arises, immediately notify the Canadian Lung Association (and partners) in writing of the awardee’s inability, for any reason, to continue in the educational program for which support was awarded.

Extension by special consideration

A 1-year, no cost extension may be allowed for leaves of absence for personal, professional, or medical reason upon written request to research@lung.ca prior to the leave being taken. 

Transfers

Normally awards support studies in a program at specific Canadian institutions with concurrence of the institution’s executive head. Transfers to another institution are not normally permitted during the course of funding. 

All applicants must register by March 19, 2025 by 16:00 EDT.

Applicants are required to provide their name, email, the names of their supervisor(s) and referees, institution, the project title, keywords, and the registration form. 

The registration form must be saved using the format Studentship_LastName_Registration.pdf or Fellowship_LastName_Registration.pdf. 

The Canadian Lung Association will confirm receipt of your registration via e-mail on March 20, 2025. 

Application deadline is April 9, 2025 by 16:00 EDT.

Upload one (1) electronic copy of the application form. 

The Canadian Lung Association will confirm receipt of your application via e-mail on April 10th 2025. 

File format

The electronic file must include a completed copy of the application form with signatures and all the relevant documents (excluding Referee Forms, which will be sent in separately by the referee). Copies of any publications are not required. 

Applications must use 12-point Times New Roman font, 1.9cm (0.75”) margins, with single line spacing. Changing page margins, table size, or using a condensed font will result in the application being rejected during the administrative review. 

All sections must be as clear and concise as possible. Do not use additional pages except where indicated.

File must be saved using the format:

• Studentship_LastName_Application.pdf or
• Fellowship_LastName_Application.pdf. 

Transcripts

Up-to-date official transcripts or certified true copies of transcripts for all post-secondary education, including undergraduate, are required for PhD studentship applicants only. Photographs or screenshots of web transcripts are not allowed. Transcripts can either be forwarded as a .PDF directly to the Canadian Lung Association or included with the application submission in the appendices. Transcripts that are sent directly from the educational institution must be sent to research@lung.ca. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that academic transcripts are received by the Canadian Lung Association via research@lung.ca by April 20th, 2025 at 16:00 EDT.

Interruption of studies

An explanation listing the period and reason for any interruption in pursuit of the candidate career either in or subsequent to training, if applicable. 

Statement from supervisor

A completed statement from the applicant’s supervisor that provides an overview of the research and academic training environment. Please give details on resources, programs, technologies, etc. that will be made available to the candidate, and on specific knowledge and skills to be acquired. 

Referee assessment forms
Referee assessment forms are required in place of reference letters. Reference letters will not be accepted. 

Request only two referees to complete the referee assessment form. One referee assessment must be from the current supervisor. The other assessment must come from a previous supervisor but who will not be involved in the applicant’s proposed research program. The completed forms are not to be included with the submission but emailed directly by the referees to the Canadian Lung Association (research@lung.ca). 

It is your responsibility to ensure that completed referee assessment forms are received by the Canadian Lung Association via research@lung.ca from the two referees by April 20th, 2025 at 16:00 EDT.

CVs

A complete copy of the supervisor’s (and co-supervisor’s, if applicable) CV using the CIHR Academic Common CV form. Failure to comply or the submission of an incomplete CV Module will result in the application being rejected. For international investigators, an NIH-biosketch may be substituted for an academic CCV. 

Confirmation of matching funds

A letter from the applicant’s supervisor, department, host institution, and/or a partner agency confirming the value and source of matching funds.
 

It is your responsibility to ensure that academic transcripts and Referee Assessment Forms are received by the Canadian Lung Association via research@lung.ca from the 2 referees by April 20th, 2025 by 16:00 EDT.

2023

Clarus Leung, University of British Columbia
Endo-phenotyping of asthma and COPD overlap by airway inflammation

Konstiantyn Dmytriiev, University of Alberta
Pulmonary vascular dysfunction and exercise in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Razieh Enjilela, Toronto Metropolitan University
Development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Airway Segmentation to Assess and Monitor Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease

Cole Bowerman, Dalhousie University
Hidden Amongst Healthy: Normalization of Respiratory Pathology and Health Disparities by Reference Equations

Maks Dziura, University of Windsor
Investigating the Isomeric Effect of Synthetic Nicotine on Respiratory Functionality

Saeid Maghsoudi, University of Manitoba, in partnership with the Manitoba Lung Association
Inhibition of Adenylyl Cyclase Isoform 6 by Cysteine Nitrosylation in Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension, and Rescue with Novel Forskolin Derivatives 

Felix Girard, McGill University
Effects of (Un)Loading Stimuli on the Human Diaphragm Activation at Rest and During Exercise: Implications for a Better Understanding of Dyspnea

2022

Maria Medeleanu, SickKids
Interrogating the link between early viral infections and childhood asthma

Dheerendra Pandey, University of Manitoba
Multidimensional role of CD38 in oxidized phosphatidylcholine (OxPCs) induce obstructive lung diseases

Nermin Diab, McMaster University
Mepolizumab for the Treatment of Chronic Cough with Eosinophilic Airways Disease

Carli Peters, University of British Columbia
Utilizing optical coherence tomography and exercise to develop novel biomarkers of respiratory impairment in people living with human immunodeficiency virus

Fatemeh Aminazadeh, University of British Columbia
The contribution of sex differences to small airways disease in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Meghan Koo, Toronto Metropolitan University
Inspiration-expiration CT texture-based delta radiomics: a new biomarker associated with COPD symptoms?

Andrea Murru, CHU de Québec-Université Laval
Functional Characterization of Low-Density Neutrophils in Cystic Fibrosis: Clinical Implications

Yuetong Song, University of Toronto
Modeling Human iPSC-derived Alveolar Type 1 and 2 Cells for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease

Danuzia Marques, Université Laval
Linking neonatal stress and anomalies of immune development in rats: novel insights into the origin of sex-based differences in viral infection severity

Nicole Sarden, University of Calgary
Investigating the role of neutrophils during respiratory viral infections

Anne Fu, University of Toronto
Respiratory Oscillometry for Early Diagnosis of Chronic Rejection After Lung Transplant

Tina Afshar, University of British Columbia
Lung Health Effects of E-Cigarette Cessation

Olivia Ferguson, University of British Columbia
The physiological mechanisms of improved exertional dyspnoea and functional exercise capacity associated with antifibrotic therapy in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)

Silvia Cardani, University of Alberta
Sex hormones and their use in hypoventilation syndromes: site of action and mechanism

Mohammadreza Hajipour, University of British Columbia
Alternative metrics of sleep apnea severity derived from polysomnography

2021

Carlos Hiroki, University of Calgary, CIHR Project Grant
Lung sensory neurons influence in the outcome of pulmonary fibrosis 

Gillian Goobie, University of British Columbia
Air pollution as a modulator of molecular, structural, and clinical outcomes in patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease

2020

Jigneshkumar Vaghasiya, University of Manitoba
Oxidized phosphatidylcholines are unique drivers of asthma pathobiology

Chelsea Morin, University of Alberta
A randomized control trial comparing three methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation using an infant piglet model of asphyxia

Tara Janes, University of Alberta
Progesterone promotes respiratory recovery in a rat model of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome: site of action and mechanisms

2019

Kawsari Abdullah, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
Long-term respiratory outcome of children diagnosed with bronchiolitis in the first year of life: A prospective cohort study using linked clinical and health administrative data

Chanèle Cyr-Depauw, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Defining the next-generation umbilical cord-derived cell-therapy for treatment of neonatal lung disease

2018 

Kozeta Miliku, University of Manitoba
The role of human milk oligosaccharides in the developmental origins of lung function and asthma

Devin Phillips, University of Alberta
The effect of inhaled nitric oxide on dyspnea and exercise tolerance in mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Cameron Griffiths, University of Alberta
Interactions between respiratory syncytial virus and cell surface nucleolin during viral entry

Javad Alizadeh, University of Manitoba
Stiff substrates enhance mitophagy/EMT crosstalk

Annette Pisanski (Abad-Hernandez), University of Alberta

Role of parafacial respiratory group on the stabilization of sleep disordered breathing

2017

Kate Johnson, University of British Columbia
Evaluating strategies for early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Miranda Kirby, University of British Columbia
Small airway disease and emphysema in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Steven Wright, University of Toronto
Exercise Hemodynamics for the Evaluation of Breathlessness & Suspected Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension