Background:
Award Name: Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations UTM Trainee Award
Established by: Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations, University of Toronto Mississauga
Applicable Students: Full-time Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
Award value (per recipient): Up to $15,000.00
Deadline for Project Application: Friday, May 8th, 2026 (5:00 pm)
Deadline for Reference Letters*: Friday, May 8th, 2026 (5:00 pm)
*Please note that all reference letters must be submitted online utilizing this program. References will be contacted via this system and will be required to upload reference letters by May 8th, 5:00 pm. Please complete the supervisor and reference sections to indicate who should be contacted at least 2 weeks before the deadline, so references have sufficient time to upload their reference letters.
The NHP’s Education and Training Program has established a world-class program that is training and preparing future health leaders. It provides many opportunities to gain and enhance students and trainee’s competencies in research and analytical skills, community engagement, co-design, knowledge translation and mobilization, leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. Awardees will also have the opportunity to share their research with a broader network of experts from the field, network and seek guidance and mentorship on career goals.
Applicant Eligibility:
The NHP UTM Trainee Award supports thesis-based master’s students, doctoral students undertaking dissertation research, and postdoctoral fellows leading aligned research projects.
To be awarded to full-time Master’s or PhD-level graduate students who are in a thesis-based graduate program and registered for the academic year of the term of the award, or a Postdoctoral Fellow having received a PhD. in the last 8 years.
Graduate student applicants must be in good standing in their program of study at the University of Toronto.
All applicants must be supervised or co-supervised by a UTM appointed Faculty of any department at the University of Toronto Mississauga. (Note: supervisory committee members are not eligible to serve as primary or co-supervisors).
Supervising faculty member must hold a graduate faculty membership (GFM) with the School of Graduate studies that permits masters and/or doctoral supervision within the graduate program where they hold their graduate appointment.
A maximum of 2 applications can be submitted where the supervisor has the role of the primary and/or co-supervisor.
Trainees who have applied for or received funding from other agencies are required to report total funds received to be eligible for either the full award or a top-up (see Stipend and Duration).
Eligible Project Criteria:
All projects must:
Demonstrate alignment with the NHP mission and advance its priorities related to metabolic and cardiometabolic health.
Demonstrate strong methodological rigour and, where appropriate, methodological or theoretical innovation.
Project demonstrates a clear understanding of the problem with the potential to address significant needs, gaps, barriers, or challenges.
Additionally, applicable project outcomes will address one or more of the following objectives:
Address determinants of metabolic health at the individual, community, and/or system levels, with attention to social, structural, and environmental factors.
Apply or translate theory or methods from any discipline to address the NHP’s mission, by clearly articulating the relevance and potential application of the work.
Advance health equity and address disparities in health outcomes aligned to the NHP’s mission.
Demonstrate policy, practice, or systems relevance, or clear potential to inform future NHP-aligned research and action.
Research areas supported include (but are not limited to):
Population health and chronic disease prevention, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and multimorbidity.
Epidemiologic studies using large-scale cohort, administrative, and linked data.
Social, structural, and environmental determinants of health, including socioeconomic factors, racism, food environments, and the built environment.
Health equity–focused research aimed at understanding and reducing disparities in metabolic health outcomes.
Health services and health policy research evaluating access, quality, and effectiveness of prevention and chronic disease care.
Implementation science and evaluation of real-world interventions, programs, and policies that improve metabolic health.
Advanced quantitative and causal inference methods, including quasi-experimental designs and risk prediction approaches.
Stipend and Duration:
The value of the NHP UTM Trainee Award is up to $15,000 commencing September 1, 2026, and paid in three installments (September 2026, January 2027, May 2027).
Trainees who have applied for, are receiving, or currently hold funding from other agencies are required to report total funds received to be eligible for either the full NHP award (up to $15,000) or a top-up to a combined amount of $37,000 for master’s students or $40,000 for PhD students (as mandated by the Tri-Council Agencies and Graduate Funding policies on Graduate Scholarships at the University of Toronto). Students are required to report award applications submitted to other agencies.
As per the appropriate graduate unit's funding policies, Trainees may be eligible for any additional top-up.
Award Holder Responsibilities:
Must be in good standing in their program of study (for graduate students).
Expected to participate in NHP programming and activities, when invited.
Will be invited to present their research at NHP events such as webinars, seminars, or to NHP partners.
Required to acknowledge the Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations funding in publications, presentations, and communications resulting from their award.
Must complete mid-year project progress reports, final reporting of deliverables, and an evaluation survey. The report templates will be provided to award holders.
Review Criteria:
Applications will be considered based on scientific merit of the research, its progress and supervision, interdisciplinarity, and relevance of the research to award objectives and NHP’s mission and goals. The following are the criteria that will be used to adjudicate awards:
Quality of the Applicant: 30%
- Academic record (transcripts)
- CV
- Reference letters and ratings
Quality of the Proposed Project: 30%
- Description of the research overview and objectives are clearly described.
- Project methods and approach are appropriate, robust, and feasible given stage in the program.
- Project timelines and deliverables are explained clearly and are feasible.
Impact of Proposed Project: 30%
- Project demonstrates alignment with the NHP mission and advance its priorities related to metabolic and cardiometabolic health.
- Project demonstrates strong methodological rigor and, where appropriate, methodological or theoretical innovation.
- Project demonstrates a clear understanding of the problem with the potential to address significant needs, gaps, barriers, or challenges.
4. Quality of Training Environment and Impact on Student’s Career: 10%
- Training environment is suitable to conduct the proposed research.
- Role of mentorship provided by the training environment is clearly outline.
Impact of the Network for Healthy Populations Trainee Award on the student’s career aspirations and goals are clearly described.
Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations UTM Trainee Award
Background:
Award Name: Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations UTM Trainee Award
Established by: Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations, University of Toronto Mississauga
Applicable Students: Full-time Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
Award value (per recipient): Up to $15,000.00
Deadline for Project Application: Friday, May 8th, 2026 (5:00 pm)
Deadline for Reference Letters*: Friday, May 8th, 2026 (5:00 pm)
*Please note that all reference letters must be submitted online utilizing this program. References will be contacted via this system and will be required to upload reference letters by May 8th, 5:00 pm. Please complete the supervisor and reference sections to indicate who should be contacted at least 2 weeks before the deadline, so references have sufficient time to upload their reference letters.
The NHP’s Education and Training Program has established a world-class program that is training and preparing future health leaders. It provides many opportunities to gain and enhance students and trainee’s competencies in research and analytical skills, community engagement, co-design, knowledge translation and mobilization, leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. Awardees will also have the opportunity to share their research with a broader network of experts from the field, network and seek guidance and mentorship on career goals.
Applicant Eligibility:
The NHP UTM Trainee Award supports thesis-based master’s students, doctoral students undertaking dissertation research, and postdoctoral fellows leading aligned research projects.
To be awarded to full-time Master’s or PhD-level graduate students who are in a thesis-based graduate program and registered for the academic year of the term of the award, or a Postdoctoral Fellow having received a PhD. in the last 8 years.
Graduate student applicants must be in good standing in their program of study at the University of Toronto.
All applicants must be supervised or co-supervised by a UTM appointed Faculty of any department at the University of Toronto Mississauga. (Note: supervisory committee members are not eligible to serve as primary or co-supervisors).
Supervising faculty member must hold a graduate faculty membership (GFM) with the School of Graduate studies that permits masters and/or doctoral supervision within the graduate program where they hold their graduate appointment.
A maximum of 2 applications can be submitted where the supervisor has the role of the primary and/or co-supervisor.
Trainees who have applied for or received funding from other agencies are required to report total funds received to be eligible for either the full award or a top-up (see Stipend and Duration).
Eligible Project Criteria:
All projects must:
Demonstrate alignment with the NHP mission and advance its priorities related to metabolic and cardiometabolic health.
Demonstrate strong methodological rigour and, where appropriate, methodological or theoretical innovation.
Project demonstrates a clear understanding of the problem with the potential to address significant needs, gaps, barriers, or challenges.
Additionally, applicable project outcomes will address one or more of the following objectives:
Address determinants of metabolic health at the individual, community, and/or system levels, with attention to social, structural, and environmental factors.
Apply or translate theory or methods from any discipline to address the NHP’s mission, by clearly articulating the relevance and potential application of the work.
Advance health equity and address disparities in health outcomes aligned to the NHP’s mission.
Demonstrate policy, practice, or systems relevance, or clear potential to inform future NHP-aligned research and action.
Research areas supported include (but are not limited to):
Population health and chronic disease prevention, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and multimorbidity.
Epidemiologic studies using large-scale cohort, administrative, and linked data.
Social, structural, and environmental determinants of health, including socioeconomic factors, racism, food environments, and the built environment.
Health equity–focused research aimed at understanding and reducing disparities in metabolic health outcomes.
Health services and health policy research evaluating access, quality, and effectiveness of prevention and chronic disease care.
Implementation science and evaluation of real-world interventions, programs, and policies that improve metabolic health.
Advanced quantitative and causal inference methods, including quasi-experimental designs and risk prediction approaches.
Stipend and Duration:
The value of the NHP UTM Trainee Award is up to $15,000 commencing September 1, 2026, and paid in three installments (September 2026, January 2027, May 2027).
Trainees who have applied for, are receiving, or currently hold funding from other agencies are required to report total funds received to be eligible for either the full NHP award (up to $15,000) or a top-up to a combined amount of $37,000 for master’s students or $40,000 for PhD students (as mandated by the Tri-Council Agencies and Graduate Funding policies on Graduate Scholarships at the University of Toronto). Students are required to report award applications submitted to other agencies.
As per the appropriate graduate unit's funding policies, Trainees may be eligible for any additional top-up.
Award Holder Responsibilities:
Must be in good standing in their program of study (for graduate students).
Expected to participate in NHP programming and activities, when invited.
Will be invited to present their research at NHP events such as webinars, seminars, or to NHP partners.
Required to acknowledge the Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations funding in publications, presentations, and communications resulting from their award.
Must complete mid-year project progress reports, final reporting of deliverables, and an evaluation survey. The report templates will be provided to award holders.
Review Criteria:
Applications will be considered based on scientific merit of the research, its progress and supervision, interdisciplinarity, and relevance of the research to award objectives and NHP’s mission and goals. The following are the criteria that will be used to adjudicate awards:
Quality of the Applicant: 30%
- Academic record (transcripts)
- CV
- Reference letters and ratings
Quality of the Proposed Project: 30%
- Description of the research overview and objectives are clearly described.
- Project methods and approach are appropriate, robust, and feasible given stage in the program.
- Project timelines and deliverables are explained clearly and are feasible.
Impact of Proposed Project: 30%
- Project demonstrates alignment with the NHP mission and advance its priorities related to metabolic and cardiometabolic health.
- Project demonstrates strong methodological rigor and, where appropriate, methodological or theoretical innovation.
- Project demonstrates a clear understanding of the problem with the potential to address significant needs, gaps, barriers, or challenges.
4. Quality of Training Environment and Impact on Student’s Career: 10%
- Training environment is suitable to conduct the proposed research.
- Role of mentorship provided by the training environment is clearly outline.
Impact of the Network for Healthy Populations Trainee Award on the student’s career aspirations and goals are clearly described.