Providing high-quality training and opportunities to promising new scientists across Canada is critical to ensure continued leadership and advancement in cancer research. It is also necessary to make sure that cancer patients across the country get the best treatment possible.
To ensure that this training occurs, the Terry Fox Research Institute has partnered with the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute (BHCRI) in Halifax, Nova Scotia to launch the Cancer Research Training Program (CRTP) in Atlantic Canada.
The CRTP is a competitive training program that provides support to the most promising cancer researchers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Every year, approximately 40 Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows, Medical Residents and Clinical Research Fellows are selected to enter the program through a peer-reviewed competition. Funding is rarely provided for scores less than 3.7, using the CIHR scale, and often 4.0 and above. Historically less than 50% of applications are approved for funding.
In addition to providing top-notch training from leading cancer experts in the region, the program also imparts a sense of community, allowing cancer research trainees to discuss their work and interact freely with their peers.
In addition to salary support to top-ranked trainees in Atlantic Canada, the Cancer Research Training Program provides:
- Monthly Work-in-Progress sessions where trainees present their work to peers;
- Quarterly Integrated Learning Sessions where local and national speakers share their expertise;
- Bimonthly Seminar Series sessions;
- Travel awards allowing trainees to attend cancer research conferences around the world;
- Training via our annual Cancer Research Workshop and biennial Cancer Research Conference; and
- A Skills Acquisition Program, offering financial support to cancer research trainees
wishing to visit another Institution to learn new techniques.