Autism Alliance of Canada is excited to announce the 2025 Data2Policy (D2P) Fellowships, funded through the National Centre for Autism Collaboration (NCAC) with matching funds from the the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, Carleton University, The Canadian Neurodevelopmental Research Training Platform (CanNRT), Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, McMaster University, St. Amant Research Centre, Stollery Foundation and the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute.

Currently, this opportunity is for registered graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at these institutions.

Background

The D2P Fellowships are designed to support knowledge generation and mobilization in priority areas identified by autistic people and their families.  By fostering collaboration between community organizations and researchers, these fellowships support the Alliance’s goal to advance autism health services and policy research that is community-driven. 

The aim of this year’s fellowship is to deepen partnerships with researchers and community organizations by supporting Canada’s inaugural National Autism Strategy’s priority areas. Through this unique partnership, fellows have the potential to conduct collaborative projects that resonate deeply with local community needs. By engaging with community organizations, fellows gain invaluable insights that sharpen their focus on pressing issues, ensuring their work is both relevant and impactful to Autistic people and their loved ones.

Fellowship Goals

• Strengthen Canada’s scientific capacity in autism research and policy.
• Support collaboration between academic researchers and community organizations.
• Facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives that are aligned with the priorities of Canada’s National Autism Strategy.

Priority Areas

Canada’s Autism Strategy outlines five priority areas, listed below. These priorities were identified by the Public Health Agency of Canada through engagement activities with people with lived experience and various stakeholders and partners. 

See Canada’s National Autism Strategy and Autism Alliance of Canada’s Table of Measures and Actions for further details.

1. Tools and Resources
2. Screening, Diagnosis, and Services
3. Economic Inclusion
4. Data Collection, Public Health Surveillance, and Research
5. Public Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance

Project Description

Applicants at the academic sites listed above are invited to work with a member organization of Autism Alliance of Canada and a faculty member in their local University or Site to design a project or augment an existing project that fits within the broad priority areas of the National Autism Strategy.

Roles and Responsibilities 

• Trainees will connect with eligible faculty members and community organizations to establish a partnership to put together the application and develop a new project or augment an existing project that aligns with a priority area of Canada’s National Autism Strategy 
• Faculty members will commit to supervising the project and co-creating project goals, implementation and expectations with the fellow and community organization.
• Autism Alliance of Canada will provide the funding to the trainee and backbone support for the cohort of fellows including: 

1. Knowledge dissemination
   • Creation and distribution of accessible summaries of research findings to Autism Alliance members and the broader Canadian public.
     • Engaging the Policy World: Exposure to policy and decision-makers to present relevant results to national or regional policy plans, enhancing the ability of the resulting research to have real-world impact. 
     • Annual Canadian Autism Leadership Summit: Providing fellows with an opportunity to present their work at this high-profile event, showcasing their findings to a national audience of leaders, policymakers, and advocates.
2. Opportunities for Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing 
   • Cohort Networking: Hosting quarterly meetings with fellows to facilitate peer-to-peer learning, foster collaboration, and enrich their overall experience.
   • National Webinar Series: Offering fellows a platform to present their work to a national audience, including Provincial and Territorial Autism Societies, allowing for cross-jurisdictional knowledge sharing.
3. Administrative and Funding Support 
   • Streamlining processes related to fellowships, including administering and handling stipends and ensuring compliance with partner organizations.
   • Connecting potential and awarded fellows with community member organizations that have shared interests in project goals.

Specific Requirements

• Community-Driven Research: Proposals must involve community organizations and address their needs.
• Community Organization and Supervisor Letters of Support: Each application must include a letter of support from a partnering community organization and faculty member. 
• Knowledge Mobilization Plan: The end-of-grant plan must include a policy output and strategies for knowledge mobilization.

Presentation Requirement: “Fellows are expected to use a portion of their stipend to travel to Ottawa and present their findings at the Canadian Autism Leadership Summit in April 2026”

Funding Details:

• Total Funds Available: Up to  $280,000 ($20,000 per fellow) 
• Number of Fellowships:
  • Up to 1 fellowship held at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre
  • Up to 4 fellowships held at Carleton University
  • Up to 2 fellowships held at the Canadian Neurodevelopmental Research Training Platform (CanNRT)
  • Up to 2 fellowships held at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Up to 3 fellowships held at McMaster University
  • Up to 1 fellowship held at St. Amant Research Centre
  • Up to 1 fellowship held jointly at the Stollery Foundation and the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute

Notes:  Each fellowship will be supported by $10,000 from Autism Alliance of Canada and $10,000 from the matching site partner, administered through Autism Alliance of Canada. The attribution for each fellow will highlight that they are Data2Policy Fellows, co-funded jointly by the National Centre for Autism Collaboration and their local site.

Supervisor and Community Organization Details:

Please visit this link to review the list of eligible supervisors at the participating sites.

Visit this link to review the community organizations you can partner with for this fellowship. Other organizational partners are welcome as well.

Please note that only the CanNRT academic site may be able to provide supervision in French. If you intend to submit a French proposal, please contact research@autismalliance.ca for translated application materials.

Anticipated Timeline:

• Call Launch: November 2024
• Application Deadline: February 2025
• Fellowship Start Date: April 2025
• Fellowship Duration: 1 year

Eligibility:

• Master’s or PhD students, or post-doctoral fellows
• Research must be within Health Services and Policy Research or relevant disciplines.

Evaluation Rubric:

1. Eligibility: Master’s, PhD student, or post-doctoral fellow
2. Skills & Abilities: Competencies and experience in managing, developing, and running research projects.
3. Productivity: Demonstrated collaborative leadership in the local/regional community.
4. Quality and Feasibility: Clarity and rationale of the proposal, feasibility, and appropriate methodological approach.
5. Real-World Impact: Demonstrated community need, potential benefit, and contribution to the priorities outlined.

Application Process: Interested trainees should review the list of eligible supervisors at their site as well as the list of eligible community partners to establish a relationship and team for this fellowship. Further, interested applicants should prepare and submit a detailed proposal, including community organization and supervisor letters of support, a knowledge mobilization plan, and a commitment to present at the 12th Canadian Autism Leadership Summit in Ottawa (April 13 to 16, 2026).

Applications will be reviewed by an NCAC review committee with reviewers at their local site and evaluated based on the above rubric.

Applications must be submitted through this FORM.

For further details and submission guidelines, please visit this page or contact research@autismalliance.ca.

We look forward to receiving your innovative proposals and supporting your contributions to Autism policy and research in Canada.