Training & Development

Explore training, build skills and join the BioCanRx Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) Network.

Explore HQP Training Opportunities

Our programs help develop the next generation of researchers through mentorship, lab experience, and skills-building in biomanufacturing and cancer immunotherapy.

CanPrime

The Canadian Partnership for Research in Immunotherapy Manufacturing Excellence (CanPrime) is a unique partnership between the Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC) and Ottawa’s Algonquin College that provides hands-on training to create the highly qualified personnel (HQP) needed to support the BMC’s important work. In addition to the training they receive at their home institutions, program participants benefit from external training opportunities, such as those offered by CASTL, the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences. To learn more, visit the Co-Op Program office at UOttawa or Algonquin College.

Travel & Lab Exchange Awards

BioCanRx supports trainees and lab professionals with travel and accommodation funding to attend research exchanges, conferences, and workshops that build technical skills and advance professional growth.

Travel Awards

Up to $1,200 (travel & accommodation only; registration not included)

Lab Exchanges

Up to $3,000 (must be completed within fiscal year April 1 – March 31)

Application Deadlines:

June 6, August 15, November 14

Summer Student Internship Program

BioCanRx Summer Studentships provide funding for undergraduate and college students to gain work experience in the Canadian cancer biotherapeutics research sector. This funding opportunity is open to undergraduates and college students attending Canadian institutions, and to BioCanRx network investigators. Note – at the time of the application deadline, students must have found an investigator to work with.

Opportunities to work with BioCanRx funded Investigators

14 week placements

Salary support for the term

Indigenous Student Summer Internship

Developed through a partnership with Indspire and supported with funding from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and the Canadian Cancer society, the BioCanRx Indigenous Student Summer Internship Program provides Indigenous undergraduate students with meaningful opportunities to gain experience in any cancer-related research or policy-related work, including that with an Indigenous-oriented framework, such as Indigenous traditional knowledge.

Skill-Building Workshops

Workshops & Webinars Preview

Interactive sessions covering practical skills, career insights, and research best practices.

Hosted by BioCanRx & Science to Business Network (S2BN)

Connecting the Dots: Successful Networking Strategies

Speaker: Bruce Seet, Head of Medical Affairs, NOVAVAX Moderator: Rebecca Burchett, BioCanRx HQP Networking is an invaluable skill in today’s world. Strong professional networks lead to more career opportunities and professional advancement, more efficient innovation and knowledge dissemination and exchange, and increased #jobsatisfaction This webinar will discuss approaches to networking with the goal of equipping you with new tools and strategies that you can use to effectively build your professional network and connect with your peers.

Virtual HQP Development Day Keynote Talk

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: A Matter of Research Excellence

Keynote Talk from BioCanRx’s HQP Development Day, as part of the 2021 Virtual Summit for Cancer Immunotherapy. This session features speaker Karine Morin, Director, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). It was recorded on November 19, 2021.

Stem Cell Network

An Introduction to Online Dataset Resources for Biological Scientists

Abstract:
Large biological datasets are an essential component of modern biology, including cancer and regenerative medicine research. There are now numerous online repositories that house extant datasets that can assist when exploring or validating biological trends. Understanding and evaluating the dataset resources available can accelerate project process and promote research rigor. BioCanRx and SCN are excited to co-host a free webinar that is designed to introduce researchers to the range of online data resources, including TCGA, GEO, dbGAP and the GTEx portal, that may be used to support biomedical research. The webinar will describe the strengths and limitations of these sources, how to find appropriate data, outline methods for reviewing dataset quality, and provide use cases for such an analysis. The webinar will focus on RNASeq data with some discussion of other experimental data types.

Learning objectives:
This webinar will introduce students to a range of online data resources that can be used to answer and refine biological questions. After attending this course, HQP will be able to search online sources for data appropriate to their research, understand how to evaluate the data quality and how to approach re-analysis.

The webinar will cover fill cover the following topics
• Introduction to online data sources
• Data repositories and resources
• Quality assessment of datasets
• Data use case studies

The webinar will be delivered by Gareth Palidwor, Bioinformatics Core Facility Manager at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Dr. Samer M. Hussein, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Medical Biochemistry, and Pathology and Oncology axis researcher, CHU de Québec and Université Laval.

Patient and Researcher Knowledge Exchange

The Learning Institute

The BioCanRx Cancer Community Partnership (CCP) brings together leaders from oncology patient communities and academic scholars from the immunotherapy research community to engage in interactive and collaborative knowledge exchange activities at the annual Summit for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Career Development

Build Your Career in Research and Biomanufacturing

BioCanRx supports the career development of HQP through tools, networks, and success stories. Whether you’re job hunting, building your network, or exploring career paths, these resources are here to guide your next steps.

Connect with the BioCanRx Network

Join our HQP program and stay informed about our training programs.

Our Upcoming Learning Opportuniies

Discover professional development designed to support your growth in cancer research.

See Where Alumni Are Now

Browse profiles of HQP alumni and learn where their training has taken them.

Who Benefits

Training that Delivers Real-World Results

BioCanRx’s HQP program equips emerging scientists with the tools, mentorship, and experience needed to lead in cancer immunotherapy. Our national reach and multi-disciplinary training model are creating measurable career outcomes.