Request for Applications

Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health In partnership with
Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

Summary

The Canadian Institute of Health Research Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health and Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction invites applications for Suicide Prevention Targeting Aboriginal People - New Emerging Team. This research tool was developed for the purpose of building capacity in new developing areas of research; to build new research teams; and to give researchers a building block for applying for research funding in future years. Research themes include those that are suicide-related or central to the reduction of suicide in Canada as they relate to the aboriginal community. They may vary in scope but should be focused enough to enable identification of appropriate culturally-sensitive approaches or methodologies. This RFA will be funded as a strategic initiative - New Emerging Team and is designed to solicit grant applications with duration of up to 5 years. The maximum fund available per grant is $1,500,000 over five years.

Timeline

Value and Duration

Table of Contents

Summary
Background
Objectives and Eligible Research Areas
Funding Information
Eligibility
Evaluation Criteria and Process
General CIHR Guidelines and Conditions of Funding
Communications Requirements
Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation
How to Apply
Contact Information
Description of Partners

The goal of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health is to lead a national advanced research agenda in the area of aboriginal health, and to promote innovative research in this field that improves the health of aboriginal peoples living in Canada. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction will support research to enhance mental health, neurological health, vision, hearing, and cognitive functioning, and to reduce the burden of related disorders through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems and palliation. The essence of New Emerging Team (NET) grants is to provide support for new or existing groups who can demonstrate that they are committed to engendering a trans-disciplinary research culture and to attracting, engaging and mentoring junior researchers (faculty and post-doctoral fellows not otherwise funded) or established researchers who have not worked extensively in suicide prevention research targeting aboriginal peoples. The creation or enhancement of teams likely to develop new or refine existing research methods, or tools, is encouraged.

Suicide in the aboriginal community is a major issue, as addressed in the report titled, "Acting on What We Know: Preventing Youth Suicide in First Nations - The Report of the Advisory Group on Suicide Prevention", 2003. Suicide among First Nations youth has been occurring at an alarming rate in recent years. Statistics show an aboriginal suicide rate two to three times higher than the non-Aboriginal rate for Canada. Within the youth age group, the aboriginal suicide rate is estimated to be five to six times higher than that of non-aboriginal youth. Health researchers in aboriginal suicide prevention are currently faced with the challenge of addressing a growing number of important research questions in the face of critical deficits in research capacity. Therefore the purpose of this RFA is to address this challenge by building capacity among teams of investigators who are poised to conduct research and translate new knowledge in suicide prevention targeting aboriginal peoples. The funding associated with this RFA is intended to enhance the capacity of groups of researchers to address key research themes related to suicide prevention research targeting aboriginal peoples through the creation of strong intra- and inter-institution mentoring arrangements to add expertise to their core capabilities. Important aspects of this capacity building program are the objectives of forging multidisciplinary teams around suicide prevention research targeting aboriginal peoples and attracting researchers from relevant disciplines who have not been primarily, or at all, previously involved in this area of health research.

Objectives and Eligible Research Areas

The objectives of this initiative are:

• To foster cross-theme research in suicide prevention targeting aboriginal peoples with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach while providing relevance and an integrative approach to aboriginal communities identifying specific developmental-stages of the lifecycle (ie youth, elderly, etc);
• To create a team environment that favours the development of excellent and innovative research projects that will advance our understanding of suicide prevention targeting aboriginal peoples in comparison to the non-aboriginal population;
• To train and establish new investigators capable of undertaking research relevant to understanding suicide prevention targeting aboriginal peoples.

Eligible research areas include:

• Data Systems: Improvement and Expansion;
• Evidence-based Practice;
• Mental Health Promotion;
• Multidimensional Models for Understanding Suicide-Related Behaviours;
• Spectrum of Suicide Behaviours, including Suicide Attempters;
• Suicide in Social and Cultural Contexts.

Participants at the CIHR funded "Workshop on Suicide-Related Research in Canada" identified the need for a pan-Canadian research on suicide and related behaviour within identified research themes. A common health determinant embedded in the themes identified in the workshop, which are listed above, is the role of biology and genetic endowment in relation to neuroscience and mental health.

Eligibility of Randomized Controlled Trials Applications

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will NOT be considered under this RFA. RCTs are defined as any study involving humans where at least two interventions are compared using random allocation, statistical methodologies and blinding techniques for the purpose of determining whether an innovative intervention leads to improved health.

Funding Information

Mechanism of Support

This Request for Applications will follow the General Guidelines for All Research Grants.

The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.

Funds Available

• The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $ 300,000 per annum for up to 5 years, including equipment. The equipment amount is awarded in year one. The final two years of funding are subject to a satisfactory progress review in the third year of funding.
• The total amount available for this initiative is $ 3,000,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate.

Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budgets will allow. Applications receiving a score of less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding.

Eligibility

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility criteria for all CIHR research funding programs apply. The business office of the institution of an eligible Nominated Principal Applicant generally administers CIHR funds. Please refer to the Eligibility Requirements for CIHR Grants and Awards regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements specific to this Request for Applications include the following:

• This RFA requires applications from interdisciplinary teams, each eligible team must include a team leader who meets the criteria of a "Nominating Principal Applicant" as described in the Eligibility Requirements for Grants and Awards Guide;
• Applicants must meet the specific eligibility requirements of the New Emerging Team (Guide) program, and the requirements specific to the Suicide Prevention Targeting Aboriginal People - New Emerging Team Request for Applications.
• It is anticipated that New Emerging Teams will consist of 3 to 6 independent investigators. The specific contribution of each team member must be described;
• At least two of the investigators must have an established research track record in areas related to the collaborative project(s) proposed. Ideally, the investigators should have complementary expertise in at least three of the four CIHR themes (biomedical, clinical, health systems and services, and the social, cultural and other factors that affect the health of the population);
• The Team, as a whole should not, at the time of submission, benefit from any major infrastructure program designed to facilitate group activities, including programs of the CIHR (eg IHRTs, CAHRs, Groups program) or of any other federal or provincial agencies. Teams with small amounts of prior infrastructure must provide clear justification for the expansion of this support through the NET program. Any overlaps in support must be clearly described;
• Capacity building may be in the form of training doctoral and post-doctoral trainees. However, teams may also want to train and establish New Investigators.

Evaluation Criteria and Process

Evaluation Criteria

Each proposal must describe how the grant will address one of the important health issues described under "Objectives and Eligible Research Areas." General criteria for assessing applications are listed below. Because different applications will emphasize different approaches to research and to knowledge translation, it is understood that reviewers and committees will weigh questions such as these differently from one application to another.

The research proposed:

• Relevance - applicants should describe the alignment of the proposed program with the objectives of the strategic initiative Suicide Prevention Targeting Aboriginal People - New Emerging Team;
• Responsiveness to the NET Program - applicants must indicate how the proposed team meets the objectives and eligibility criteria of the New Emerging Team (Guide) program;
• Value added - applicants should emphasize the ways in which the New Emerging Team research program adds value by bringing together researchers from different disciplines, institutions, and/or themes in a meaningful collaboration that will advance our understanding of suicide prevention targeting aboriginal people;
• Innovation and advancement - the project should challenge current research thinking and paradigms and/or address unexplored areas. Applicants should also provide a plan for effective dissemination of research findings through linkages with the appropriate user communities;
• Approach - the application should describe the conceptual framework, methods, hypotheses, design and analyses for projects to be funded by this application. Brief descriptions of projects already funded, but which constitute part of a complete research program should also be provided;
• Team excellence - New Emerging Teams should consist of team members who have been productive, creative and original in their approach to research. Applications should describe how the team will recruit and provide training opportunities for graduate and post-doctoral trainees and New Investigators.

Evaluation Process

All personal information collected by CIHR about applicants is used to review applications, to administer and monitor grants and awards, to compile statistics, and to promote and support health research in Canada. Consistent with these purposes, applicants should also expect that information collected by CIHR may be shared as described in Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to CIHR for Peer Review.

Prior to peer review, the appropriate CIHR institute, portfolio and partner representatives may first review proposals for relevance to their strategic interests. The relevance review will be based on the extent to which the proposed research relates to the mandates or strategic priorities of the Institutes, portfolios and partners. As such, representatives will have access to the anonymized project titles and summaries. This review will have no impact on the peer review process.

On completion of the review, the appropriate CIHR institute, portfolio and partner representatives will receive the ranking list, merit scores (ratings) and recommendations of the peer review committee with regards to funding level, for the submitted applications that fall in the fundable range.

A CIHR peer review committee will evaluate the full applications. The committee may be drawn from one of CIHR's pre-existing committees or may be created specifically for this Request for Applications. Committee members are selected based on suggestions from many sources including the institute(s) / portfolio(s) and partner(s), following CIHR's policy on Conflict of Interest, Confidentiality and Privacy Issues in Peer Review. For information on CIHR's peer review process, see Peer Review.

Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

CIHR as a federal entity is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, therefore the requirements of these two statutes will apply to all information located in CIHR's premises including, without limitation, cost-sharing agreements related to this Request for Applications and all matters pertaining thereto.

The Parties, while respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, will also be bound by the PIPEDA. All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under cost-sharing agreements related to the Request for Applications will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.

General CIHR Guidelines and Conditions of Funding

All conditions specified in CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies shall apply to applications funded through this Request for Applications. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official language policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of CIHR Support. Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial conditions prior to the release of funds or when they receive CIHR's Authorization for Funding (AFF) document.

Communications Requirements

Grant recipients are required to acknowledge CIHR, its institutes and partners in any communication or publication related to the project. See CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies, Acknowledgement of CIHR's Support for details on CIHR's communication requirements. The contributing institutes / partners will be identified on the Authorization for Funding and decision letter.

Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation

CIHR is committed to demonstrating results to Canadians for the money invested in health research. Therefore, processes for monitoring progress and appropriate use of funds, as well as for performance measurement and program evaluation are in place. As a result, funding recipients must:

• adhere to CIHR's reporting requirements and provide required information in a timely fashion. A progress report will be required in year 3 of five-year grants. Grantees are required to submit a "Progress Report for 5-year grant holder (Form 44)" which can be found under All Forms and Guidelines for Completion describing the progress made and the publications issued since the start of the grant. CIHR will cancel the last 12 months of the grant if the progress is unacceptable and will cancel the final two years of the grant if it does not receive a report;
• contribute to the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes by participating in evaluation studies, surveys, workshops, audits and providing data or reports as required for the purpose of collecting information to assess progress and results;
• encourage their associates, trainees and administration to participate in the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes as required.

The CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health has made plans to assess performance of this initiative through ongoing monitoring and periodic evaluation. The following table is intended to further clarify objectives by linking them to expected outcomes and measures which will be included in CIHR's Management Resources and Results Structure (MRRS) required by Treasury Board.

How to Apply

The application process is comprised of two steps: Registration and Full Application.

Review the application instructions provided in How to Apply for a Grant or Award.

Select Operating Grants (Registration and Application) from the Research Funding Programs Application Packages.

Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA:

• In the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module (page 7 of the web form printed report), select "Strategic Initiative/RFA" and enter the title of this RFA.

Send Application by Courier to:

RE: "Suicide Prevention Targeting Aboriginal People - New Emerging Team"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9

Contact Information

For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:

Krista Mclean 
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone : (613) 954-7870
E-mail: kmclean@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Institute Representative
Earl Nowgesic, BScN, RN, MHSc
Assistant Director
PO Box 1700 STN CSC,
Victoria BC V8W 2Y2
Telephone: (250) 472-5453
Fax: (250) 472-5450
E-mail: nowgesic@uvic.ca

Description of Partners: CIHR Institutes and Partner Organizations

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
CIHR is Canada's major federal funding agency for health research. Its objective is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system.

CIHR - Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (IAPH)
The goal of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health is to lead a national advanced research agenda in the area of aboriginal health, and to support innovative research based on scientific excellence and aboriginal community collaboration that improves the health of aboriginal peoples living in Canada. CIHR-IAPH's mission is to play a lead role in building research capacity in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, and to support partnerships and alliances between aboriginal communities and health research organizations/institutes at the local, regional, national and international levels.

CIHR - Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA)
The vision of Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction is that innovative research will provide new knowledge of the biological and socio-cultural processes underlying neurological, mental and addictive disorders. As such, the INMHA's mission is to foster excellence in innovative, ethically responsible research in Canada that aims to increase our knowledge of the functioning and disorders of the brain and the mind, the spinal cord, the sensory and motor systems, as well as mental health, mental illness and all forms of addiction. The INMHA intends to support initiatives that mobilize and link scientists in innovative collaborative programs across these research domains. The INMHA seeks to translate this new knowledge into a better quality of life for all Canadians through improved outcomes, health promotion and health care services.