MMRC Grant Program – Available Grants 2025

The research grants being offered are described below. Maximum award amounts, specific eligibility criteria, grant due dates, and grant end dates are indicated for each grant.

1. Graduate Research Award ($25,000)

Purpose: To support a graduate student research trainee undertaking a research project that focuses on an aspect of midwifery with a McMaster midwifery senior scientist supervisor/mentor.

Specific Eligibility Requirements:

• A) Primary Applicant is enrolled full-time in the Master of Midwifery (Thesis Stream) at McMaster University at the time of application submission.

OR

• B) Primary Applicant is enrolled full-time in a Master’s or Doctoral degree program at a Canadian university.

• Letter of reference from Primary Applicant’s graduate supervisor is required in all cases.
• Primary Applicant must have a named MMRC Scientist research mentor.

Eligible expenses:

• $23,000 Scholarship stipend – Wage and any fringe benefit support
• $2,000 for project expenses, such as:
  1. Research expenses (transcription, software)
  2. Travel expenses (local travel, e.g. bus, taxi, parking fees) required to conduct research
  3. Publication fees for an academic journal
  4. Printing, stationary, software purchases
  5. Study participant incentive fees, e.g. gift cards, parking

Grant Period: 2 years, from date of grant award letter.

2. Early Career Researcher Award ($30,000)

Purpose: To support an Early Career midwifery researcher within 5 years since attaining their graduate degree or their first academic appointment who is conducting a midwifery focused project and is mentored by a MMRC Scientist.

Specific Eligibility Requirements:

• Applicant must be actively registered as a Registered Midwife in their midwifery provincial professional regulatory body at the time of grant submission.
• Applicant must be within 5 years since attaining their graduate degree or within 5 years of their first academic appointment.
• Primary Applicant must have a named MMRC Scientist research mentor.

Eligible expenses:

• Salary and any fringe benefits for Primary Applicant or a research assistant
• Research expenses, e.g. transcription, software
• Travel expenses (local travel, e.g. bus, taxi, parking fees) required to conduct research
• Publication fees for an academic journal
• Printing, stationary, software purchases
• Study participant incentive fees, e.g. gift cards, parking

Grant Period: 2 years, beginning on from date of grant award letter date.

The following materials must be submitted by the stated deadline:   

1.Complete a Notice of Intent using the MMRC Research Grant Notice of Intent Portal: https://forms.office.com/r/jQWuYkrjsk.  

2. Complete the online grant application form using the MMRC Research Grant Application Portal: https://forms.office.com/r/wchsrJmhDD, and upload the requested documents below, i.e. CV of Primary Applicant, letter of support from graduate supervisor (only for Graduate Research Award applications), study protocol, and study budget template form. 

3. For Graduate Research Award applications only: Upload letter of support (LOS) from Primary Applicant’s Graduate supervisor, indicating how they will support the proposed research project, how it is relevant to the Primary Applicant’s course of graduate work, and the Primary Applicant’s capacity to complete the proposed research project. Please save filename as:  Applicant’sLastName-YourBriefProjectName-LOS-dd_mmm_yyyy.docx, and upload it to the  MMRC Research Grant Application Portal where prompted. 

4. Upload Curriculum Vitae (CV) of Primary Applicant, with document name:  Applicant’sLastName-YourBriefProjectName-CV-dd_mmm_yyyy.docx, and upload it to the MMRC  Research Grant Application Portal where prompted

5. Upload Structured study protocol, including:  

• Maximum 5 pages (excluding references, figures, and tables), single spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, minimum 1” page margins, numbered pages, to include the following sections: 
  • Introduction/background/ literature review 
  • Study objective(s), hypotheses 
  • Study relevance to midwifery 
  • Methodology. Indicate the research question, methodological approach, and the study population. Include quantitative and/or qualitative methods to be used. If you plan to use human subjects, please outline how you will obtain ethics approval. 
  • Importance of the proposed research and hypothesized results. Include description of plans for knowledge translation and dissemination, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal. 
  • Equity considerations. Describe how the proposed research plan takes into consideration equity-deserving groups.  
  • Description of research team and research setting 
  • Proposed Timeline. Demonstrate how you will complete this project within the stated grant period. 
  • References, and any tables, charts, figures and graphs may be submitted as an appendix as part of the study protocol, and are not considered part of the five page limit.  
• Protocol filename as: Applicant’sLastName-YourBriefProjectName-StudyProtocol-dd_mmm_yyyy.docx, and upload it in the MMRC 2024 Research Grant Application Portal where prompted.

• Study budget form: Please download the MMRC Research Grant Program – Application Budget Template form from the MMRC Research Grant Program Website. Once completed, save budget filename as: Applicant’sLastName-YourBriefProjectName-Budget-dd_mmm_yyyy.docx, and upload it to the MMRC Research Grant Application Portal where prompted.  

• Primary Applicant must have a named MMRC Scientist research mentor. 
• Applications must be congruent with MMRC’s Mission, Vision, and MMRF criteria which are: To conduct excellent, high-quality research that informs policy, practice and education, to improve outcomes for pregnant and birthing families and their infants.  
• Applications must: 
  • Fit with the priorities of the MMRC 
  • Have potential impact on practice and outcomes 
  • Have potential for leveraged funding (e.g. External, peer-reviewed funds) 
  • Reflect a high quality of the individual/group leading the research (i.e. track record of publications, grants/fellowships, references and potential for independence) 
• Projects from teams of investigators are welcomed where applicable. The team must identify a single person as Primary Applicant to whom all correspondence will be directed. The Primary Applicant will be accountable to the MMRC for compliance with the conditions of the award and for the provision of reports, financial statements, and all other grant requirements.  
• All grant applications materials must be submitted by the grant deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.  

The adjudication will consist of the following:

1. Application screening to ensure eligibility and completeness.
2. Review by MMRC members with knowledge of the subject matter and methods who will assess:
   • Merit and relevance of the application to the grant category
   • Relevance to midwifery
   • Qualifications of the research team
   • The research concept
   • Design and methods
   • Potential impact of the findings
   • Appropriate study budget
   • Study feasibility within grant period

• Successful grant recipients must sign a letter of agreement with MMRC and McMaster University.
• Funded projects are non-renewable.
• Grant recipients will be required to present their research results after the end of their grant period at an MMRC research event (e.g. MMRC Research Symposium, rounds, or another research forum).
• All publications and presentations resulting from the project must acknowledge the McMaster Midwifery Research Centre as having financially supported the research.
• A final grant report must be submitted by the Primary Applicant to the MMRC 3 months after the end of the grant period.
• Unless an extension has been approved, any unspent grant funding at the end of the grant period must be returned to the MMRC.

Previous Grant Recipients

2024

Early Career Researcher Award – Dr. Elizabeth Cates

Graduate Research Award – Vanessa Hébert 

2023

Early Career Researcher Award – Meagan Furnivall

Graduate Research Award – Rebecca Hautala 

Undergraduate Student Research Awards – Rhiannon Cook and Hannah Woods