Training Program - Health Informatics & Data Science Awards

2026 MARATHON OF HOPE HEALTH INFORMATICS & DATA SCIENCE AWARD 

Purpose 

To provide outstanding young researchers in health informatics and related fields with  funding to support high-quality research in precision oncology. The award is designed to support young researchers as they complete their studies and develop their careers, in close collaboration and mentorship with established Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN)-funded teams. Researchers currently enrolled in graduate (Master and Ph.D.) and post-doctoral studies in the fields of health informatics, data analytics, data science, computational biology, bioinformatics, and related fields at Canadian institutions are invited to apply.

Scope 

Support under this Request for Applications (RFA) is targeted at high-quality, clinically relevant research using MOHCCN data, providing information that may form the basis of innovative cancer prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment advances. In general, research supported by these awards may include (but is not limited to):

 

  • Analyses of MOHCCN data to reveal new insights into tumour biology, treatment response, progression, etc.
  • Identification of novel diagnostic , prognostic and/or predictive biomarkers
  • New tools to analyze existing genomic and multi-omic datasets
  • Innovative approaches and tools to aid in precision oncology trial design, implementation and /or analysis

Applicants must be mentored by one or more researcher(s) (clinician and/or scientist) currently associated with a MOHCCN-funded study. Special consideration will be afforded to applicants who include plans for inclusion of marginalized populations in their work. Research goals should reflect an understanding of the accessibility of data available within the Network at the time of the award.

Support Offered 

Up to ten awards of $50,000 each for one year to provide: 

  • Salary support for award recipients; 

  • Approved research expenses for the research project awarded. 

Please note: All work on awarded projects must be conducted in Canada.

The sponsoring, eligible Canadian institution is required to match the Marathon of Hope Health Informatics Award with a similar amount to be used to augment research expenses. Up to ten awards will be made for this round of the competition. We expect to announce additional rounds in subsequent years.

Eligibility 

To apply you should: 

  • Be enrolled in a graduate (Master or Ph.D.) or post-doctoral research program in a field related to health informatics and data science at a Canadian institution   

  • Have a mentor in the proposed research field from the sponsoring Institution. The mentor must assume responsibility and provide guidance for the research and be associated with a MOHCCN-funded study.

  • Applicants must be mentored by one or more researcher(s) (clinician and/or scientist) currently associated with a MOHCCN -funded study.
     

  • Applicants must not have previously been awarded an MOHCCN Health Informatics & Data Science award on a previous competition call.

The MOHCCN is committed to equity, diversity and inclusivity and strives to promote inclusive excellence in its research programs. We welcome eligible applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for our funding opportunities.

The MOHCCN would like to offer additional supports to applicants from underserved populations and those underrepresented in genomics research. Additional supports may include mentorship opportunities and additional access to matching funds (i.e. one or more award(s) may be granted without the need for matching funds). If matching funds are a barrier for an applicant, they are encouraged to submit an application and include a justification regarding a lack of matching funds in Section 6D. Applicants who identify as a member of one or more underserved community(ies) and who are interested in these additional supports are invited to complete Section 6D in the Full Application.

For more information, please refer to the MOHCCN Underserved and Underrepresented Population Guideline, developed by the Canadian Spectrum Working Group.

Please note that members of the MOHCCN Patient Working Group will also be invited to provide feedback regarding applications during the review process. 

Key Deadlines and Dates 

Stage 

Dates 

Submission of a Full Application 

Thursday, April 9th , 2026 (11:59pm ET)

Funding Starts 

September 1, 2026

 

Guidance Provided 

Please refer to the following documents for guidance: 

  • 2025 MOHCCN Health Informatics & Data Science: REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS:    EN |   FR  

  • 2025 MOHCCN Health Informatics & Data Science: CV:    EN |  FR 

  • 2025 MOHCCN Health Informatics & Data Science: FULL APPLICATION:  EN |  FR  

  • 2025 MOHCCN Health Informatics & Data Science: FULL APPLICATION GUIDE:  EN |  FR  

Contact 

Jessie Micholuk, MPH 
Network Programs Manager, MOHCCN 
Email: jmicholuk@tfri.ca 

Projects