Preparing, Submitting, and Managing Grant Applications

Accessing Funding

Accessing funding is sometimes a necessary step to complete a research project. DFCM offers some funding opportunities which can be searched through our Grants and Funding Opportunities page. We also suggest contacting your hospital site to discuss funding opportunities and the possibility of protected research time.

The Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Research Office also offers information about funding and award opportunities. Of particular interest are the What’s New In Research Funding web page and listserv providing updated funding information on a regular basis, and the list of available prizes and awards throughout the University. The Research Office also provides useful resources on grant writing and regularly runs workshops on this subject.

Pivot Database

Pivot is a comprehensive international funding database to which the University of Toronto subscribes on behalf of faculty. The database provides you with a curated list of funding opportunities as based on your departmental appointments, research interests, publication and granting history, and other profile information.

Pivot is a multi-functional website that allows you to:

receive weekly email notifications of new and updated funding opportunities, as based on profile information
conduct and save advanced funding searches which can include Canadian and international funding opportunities
share funding opportunities with colleagues

This helpful video explains how you can claim your Pivot profile. Please contact the DFCM Research Program if you require assistance claiming your Pivot profile and searching for funding opportunities. 

Applying for Funding

Application Support

The Research Program offers voluntary internal peer review of research grant applications to help improve grant writing skills and the overall success rates of peer reviewed grant applications. In order to submit a grant application for internal peer review, you must be a DFCM faculty member, the project PI, and not have an internal peer review process available to you at your primary research site.

The Temerty Faculty of Medicine offers research proposal support including: writing and editing support; ensuring applications clearly demonstrate the impact of the research; reorganizing for most effective content and structure; clarification of meaning and improvement of readability; correction of grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation; and ensuring proposals adhere to agency formatting guidelines.

University of Toronto Grant Applications

If you are applying for a grant through the University of Toronto, you may need to complete a My Research (MR) application. The Research Program requires you to submit your grant proposal for review along with a DFCM Resource Implication Form for Grant Applications (Word doc) prior to submitting your MR application. Please submit all grant applications to the DFCM Research Program.

If your grant application requires the signature of the Chair, please submit your grant proposal for review along with a DFCM Resource Implication Form for Grant Applications (Word doc) to the DFCM Research Program.

Managing Funding

If you are requesting an expense reimbursement from the University of Toronto for purchases made from your research funding, you must complete all steps outlined by University of Toronto Financial Services as explained in How to Claim an Expense Reimbursement.

If your expense reimbursement involves travel, please additionally complete the DFCM Research Travel Validation form (Word doc), and ensure that you explicitly relate your travel to your research funding.

My Research On Line (MROL) allows faculty members who have funds administered through the University of Toronto to track spending and view various financial reports. Contact info is on the site for assistance with setting up your account.For more information please contact dfcm.research@utoronto.ca.