CVRI January Newsletter
16 January 2026
As we welcome 2026, we are excited to share the latest updates and highlights from CVRI.
Reminder: CVRI Funding Opportunities Available
Margaret "Marmie" Perkins Hess Heart Research Pilot Grant
Value & Duration: $30,000 for one year
Application Deadline: February 15, 2026 at 11:59pm MST
For details and to submit your pilot grant application, please click here »
CVRI-Cote Biomedical Research Studentship
Value & Duration: $20,000 for one year
Application Deadline: February 15, 2026 at 11:59pm MST
For details and to submit your studentship application, please click here »
Canadian Vigour Centre opportunities
In addition to the CVRI grants and scholarships, CVRI members and trainees, may also be eligible for the funding opportunities offered by the Canadian Vigour Centre foundation (for any questions about the program or application process, please contact the CVC Foundation administrative coordinator at cvcschlr@ualberta.ca).
Sandra and Scott Wegner and Riley Zinnert Student Travel Allowance
Value & Duration: $1,000 once in any 24 month period
Application Deadline: February 15, 2026 at 11:59pm MST
For details and to submit your Travel Allowance application, please click here »
SAVE THE DATE: Research Day 2026
CVRI Gary Lopaschuk Research Day 2026
Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
Time: 8:00am – 4:30pm
Location: Bernard Snell Hall, WMC
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif
Dr. Tardif is the Director of Research, Montreal Heart Institute. He is a cardiologist and clinician scientist, a member of the Order of Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has hundreds of publications and is world-renowned in the fields of atherosclerosis research, pharmacogenomics and precision medicine.
CVRI Membership Re-registration
This will allow for the provision of additional data and information for our members that would improve our potential for collaborations, supervision of trainees, and frequent updates on our publications through the ORCID number in our website, in order to improve our branding. The process will take a few minutes and in addition to your name and affiliation, you will need 2-3 sentences describing your research expertise/interest, a list of your best 3 most important publications, as well as 2-3 grants from the past 10 years. Finally, you will need your ORCID number. If you don’t have one, full details and registration form can be found here to help you obtain this very important identification number.
Here is the link to the CVRI Membership Form.
Research Accessibility Support Fund Pilot
An important new grant has been announced by the VP Research office regarding researchers with accessibility challenges:
The Office of the Vice President (Research) is piloting a Research Accessibility Support Fund to support researchers who have accessibility-related costs associated with their research or research dissemination. These funds are not intended as a means of sole research support, but rather as a supplementary resource to address specific accessibility needs and ableism-related barriers faced by D/deaf, disabled and neuro-divergent researchers. The annual fund is $20,000. Approved funds will be released on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sponsor Application deadline: January 29th, 2026
New: Success Stories/Achievements
Please send us any good news regarding your research or career, like a publication in a very high impact journal or a national or international distinction, so that we can feature your success through these newsletters and our website.
To start this section, we are happy to announce that Mo Osman (a CVRI member and rheumatologist clinician scientist focusing on the vascular biology of patients with scleroderma) received the 2026 award for an Early Career Researcher (ECR) from the Canadian Rheumatology Association. Congratulations, Mo!
Dr. Mohamed Osman
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
New: Recommend a Visiting Professor
Please send us suggestions for visiting professors (national or international leaders in CV or related research) that we could select to invite as visiting professors (2-day visits including lectures and meetings with faculty and trainees).
Reminder: CVRI director/Operations Lead meetings
Ask for a 1:1 meeting with the CVRI director or the CVRI operations lead to discuss ideas or concerns regarding CVRI’s next steps. For a personal or virtual meeting on Wednesdays or Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., please contact the CVRI at cvri@ualberta.ca
Cardiovascular Research Institute
University of Alberta
2-590 Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Academy (formerly ECHA)
Tel.#: (780) 492-1330
We appreciate you for staying connected with CVRI and look forward to another inspiring year together.
Best wishes,
Evangelos