Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

Content Last Updated: November 23, 2005 (Contact Information)

Request for Applications

Summary

Part of INMHA's strategic plan is to promote research that addresses research in bioethics. In fact, research in the domains covered by INMHA mandate presents important ethical challenges grouped under the heading of "Neuroethics," used in a broad sense that includes the full range of the inter-related areas within the ethics of brain science. The purpose of this Request for Applications is to support the creation of new and previously nonexistent research teams or the development of small existing teams comprised of investigators undertaking collaborative, multidisciplinary research in the areas of Neuroethics.

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

Background

Recent advances in the field of brain science raise important ethical issues. In a two-day workshop sponsored by the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), a group of 40 experts met in November 2002 to identify, explore, and set priorities for funding of ethical inquiry in the areas of neuroscience, mental health/mental illness, addiction, as well as pain, hearing, vision and other senses. Consistent with developing trends in brain science, INMHA seeks to encourage the integration and identification of common themes in ethical issues relating to brain sciences and brain disorders. For this reason, we have developed this Request for Applications under the heading of "Neuroethics," meaning to include the full range of these inter-related areas within the ethics of brain science.

Objectives and Eligible Research Areas

The objectives of this initiative are:

• To supply support funds for the creation or development of new competitive research teams, which show potential for successfully applying for infrastructure team funding in the future;
• To support multidisciplinary and cross-theme research in identified areas of focus;
• To support the training and establishment of new investigators in identified areas of focus;
• To create a team environment to favour the development of new fundable research projects.

Eligible research areas include:

• Stigma and social context
• Informed consent and decision making capacity
• Emerging Issues in Neuroscience Ethics
• Research Ethics Boards -- Standards and Governance
• Behavioural and Neuro-genetics
• Privacy in Research
• Forensic Issues

Examples of research that might be conducted under this Request for Applications are provided below. These examples are not intended to be exhaustive and there is no intent to imply that applications in these research areas would be more successful than those in other research areas.

• Ethics research focusing on mental health/mental illness, neuroscience, addictions (including both substance-related and behavioural disorders), or pain and the senses, will be eligible for funding within the broad scope of the above mentioned themes, and cross-cutting areas and themes as well as knowledge translation are strongly encouraged. The examination of ethical issues should take into account the contextual framework and be sensitive to the social and cultural values of various communities. We encourage an interdisciplinary approach and stress the importance of bringing together researchers and scholars from a variety of disciplines.
• Stigma and the Social Context: Persons with brain disorders suffer stigma and discrimination in housing, education, income support, access to services and in other ways. Individuals with mental illness or addiction are often seen as morally defective or not suffering from "real illnesses." How do such social attitudes shape the research agenda in neurosciences, mental health, and addiction? How do social values and stigma affect the development of ethical standards within these areas? How do differing social or cultural concepts of mental illness and addiction affect appropriate treatment strategies, and the availability of services and delivery of treatment? What are the relevant ethical similarities and differences between the treatment of mental, addictive, or neurological disorders, and other illness? Is coercive treatment for persons with mental, addictive or neurological disorders ever justified, and if so, under what conditions? How do persons with mental, addictive or neurological disorders create community with one another, and what role does community play in sickness and healing?
• Informed Consent and Decision-Making Capacity: What are appropriate guidelines for assessing the decision-making capacity, for research or clinical care, of persons with brain disorders that may affect capacity? Can individuals with mental illness or addiction understand and assess risks appropriately? What is the relationship between the determination of capacity and the level of risk for the individual and for the community? What is the influence of cultural or social context on conceptions of decision-making capacity?
• Emerging Issues in Neuroscience Ethics: What are the implications of our rapidly developing understanding of brain function, and its relationship to behavior, personality, memory, and other mental states? How should this knowledge be used? How can neuroscience ethics be informed by scientific research so that it uses current advances in neuroscience in the development of ethical standards? As our understanding of cognition and behavior becomes better understood in terms of the role and contribution of brain structure and processes, how shall we understand such concepts as free will, responsibility, criminality, and human dignity? Advances in scanning and imaging technologies will permit unprecedented access to individuals' memory and other mental states. How will we manage privacy and confidentiality concerns, and other serious risks relating to our increasing ability to "read the brain," particularly for behaviours or personality traits associated with violence, addiction, intelligence, and others? Further, the potential for enhancing or restoring cognition, behavior and other mental events, processes, and functions is scientifically and socially very significant. How should we address ethical difficulties relating to eugenics, the mitigation of diversity, and the further marginalization of the vulnerable and the disabled? How do we ensure fair access to enhancement technologies?
• Research Ethics Boards -- Standards and Governance: how can we clarify and strengthen the role and responsibilities of Research Ethics Boards (REBs)? What are appropriate standards for reviewing protocols involving vulnerable populations including those with mental, addictive or neurological disorders? In this context how do we understand and assess the notion of minimal risk? What is the role of emotion and reason in ethical decision-making? How are the interests of communities and collectivities addressed and supported by REBs?
• Behavioural and Neurogenetics: What are the ethical issues involved in using genetic testing or screening to predict behaviour or personality, including criminal, anti-social, and self-destructive behaviours? Should there be any limits on enhancement or modification of the brain through genetic intervention? What are the special issues in consent for behavioral or neurogenetic testing or screening?
• Privacy in Research: How best should we manage the critical balance between the protection of privacy, particularly with respect to sensitive information, with the undoubted benefits of using such information for clinical care and research? What are appropriate models for the management of private health information that accommodate and support traditional aboriginal ways and practices?
• Forensic issues: there are significant ethical tensions when persons with mental, addictive, or neurological disorders become involved with the criminal justice system. Should the courts be permitted to require a person with mental illness or addiction to accept treatment interventions, including medication? What are appropriate standards for a drug treatment program, or for drug treatment research, within a prison setting, or while a person is on parole, probation, or is otherwise still within the jurisdiction of the criminal courts?

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 Funding Grants.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review Use of Grant Funds and Eligibility of Expenses, Employment under Grants within the General Guidelines for All Research Grants for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

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

A New Emerging Team grant is a non-renewable five-year award, subject to satisfactory progress review at three years. The grant can be used to support:

• salaries for technicians and other research personnel;
• equipment purchase, and maintenance contracts;
• salaries of research trainees (graduate and postdoctoral) and other personnel whose participation will enhance the collaborative research productivity of the Team;
• operating costs for the proposed new collaborative research projects, which must be distinct from those for which team members currently receive funding;
• costs of data collection and maintenance of information holdings directly related to the Team research program;
• costs of networking activities, including collaboration, planning, and research exchange activities directly related to the Team's research program, and extra travel funds required for members and trainees separated by a significant distance;
• establishment funds and salary of new investigators joining the team; New investigators are within the first five years of their independent research careers. Salary contributions paid from a NET grant must not exceed the stipend paid to CIHR new investigators. Those paid from NET grants cannot also hold a Canada Research Chair or another salary award;
• the salary of a professional coordinator and/or administrative assistant.

A New Emerging Team grant cannot be used to purchase major equipment (over $20,000) or to support team members' currently funded research projects.

N.B. If the application includes a request for equipment, it must be indicated as an expenditure for the first year. The first installment of the grant may then include a one-time payment of up to $20,000 for equipment.

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:

• New Emerging Teams should consist of 3 to 6 independent investigators, but it is anticipated that new investigators may join the team within the first three years. At least two of the investigators should have an established research track record in areas related to the collaborative project(s) proposed.
• The program is intended to promote either the growth of small existing teams or the formation of new and previously nonexistent research teams. The team, as a whole, should not, at the time of submission, benefit from any infrastructure program of the CIHR (e.g. the Groups program), or of any other federal (e.g. Canada Foundation for Innovation) or provincial agencies designed to facilitate group activities. Individual team members may be part of other research teams or groups, as long as there is minimal to no overlap in the research programs.
• The members of the team may pursue other avenues of research in addition to their commitment to the Team, however each individual investigator must contribute sufficient time to the Team to ensure the achievement of its research objectives. Members of a Team may be located in one or several departments, faculties or institutions in Canada.
• The Team Leader must be a researcher with proven leadership capabilities.

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:

• How important, novel and/or original are the hypotheses or the questions to be addressed, and how clearly are they formulated?
• How important and original are the contributions expected from the research proposed? What is the potential for important new knowledge or impact in health research?
• How do the research methodologies sustain or limit the research? How appropriate are the methodologies chosen? How well have the applicants anticipated difficulties in their approach and considered alternatives?
• How critically is the relevant literature appraised and evaluated?

The applicant's productivity, experience and training:

• How appropriate to the research proposed is the training or track record of the applicant(s)? How important and original is the recent productivity of the applicant(s)? How much confidence do you have that the applicant can do the work proposed? (The proposed time commitment to the research may influence this judgment.)

In addition to these general criteria, the peer review committee will consider the criteria below:

• Does the application demonstrate that funding of the Team would enhance the understanding or resolution of the research question?
• Does the application demonstrate added value in bringing together a Team of researchers (from different disciplines, institutions, or sectors, etc.) in a meaningful collaboration, as opposed to funding of individuals?
• Does the application provide an effective plan for dissemination and translation of their research findings through linkages with the appropriate user community?

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.

In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements, the following special conditions shall apply:

• Within six months after the end of the grant's term, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a final performance report, summarizing the results and describing how the grant funds were used. A standard form will be provided by CIHR.

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.

How to Apply

The application process is comprised of two steps: 1) Letter of Intent (LOI), and 2) Full Application.

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)

In the first step of the application process the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a Letter of Intent.

The Letter of Intent should include:

a) A cover page (maximum one page) indicating:

• the title of the Team program as it will appear in publicity and other announcements;
• the relevant area of focus;
• the name, title, address, telephone and fax numbers, and E-mail address of the Team Leader; and,
• a statement indicating which university or affiliated institution will administer the funds.

b) A list of all team members and their affiliations. (N.B. The list need not be final at the Letter of Intent stage.)

c) The CIHR Research Module - "Research Funding Programs" section (Cover page of the Web Form printed report)

d) The CIHR Research Module - "Applicants/Co-Applicants" section (Page 2a "Signature page" of the Web Form printed report).

e) Letter.

In a maximum of three pages, the letter should outline clearly each of the elements below:

• The objectives of the research program, its multi-disciplinary nature, and the relevancy to the identified focus;
• The nature and extent of the collaboration among investigators, with an explanation of the anticipated value added to the research program through the formation of the team;
• The individual research components that make up the program;
• The preliminary plan for the research program and schedule of work; and
• How the proposal addresses the evaluation criteria described under "Evaluation Process and Criteria."

f) Attachments:

• A brief curriculum vitae (maximum two pages) for each Principal Applicant. The curriculum vitae must include information on current grants requested held, relevant publications from the last five years, and expertise keywords. Full CVs will not be considered;
• A development grant request whereby applicants may request funds of up to $10,000 to be used in the development of a full application. A one-page request must be submitted with the LOI, outlining the development grant budget;
• A short bibliography (one page) of any references cited in the Letter of Intent;
• A list of the areas of expertise of the team members.

Applicants are advised to follow the instructions on the Acceptable Application Module Formats page, which outlines formatting requirements for attachments.

Any additional material will be discarded and not sent to the review committee; this includes letters of support, updates on publications, updates on other support received, letters confirming academic appointment, reprints, etc.

Send the Letter of Intent by Courier to:

Submit one original and six copies of the Letter of Intent to the address below, by the deadline indicated at the beginning of this Request for Applications.

RE: "Neuroethics -New Emerging Team Grant Program"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9

2. Full Application

Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application by the deadline date.

Details of the application procedure will be provided to those invited to apply. This will involve a full description of the individual components making up the team's research program, as well as the justification for supporting the collaborative aspects of the entire proposal.

Teams invited to submit full proposals may be offered developmental grants of up to $10,000.

Contact Information 

For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact: (Updated: 2005-11-23)

Krista McLean
Program Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 954-7870
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: kmclean@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Richard Brière
Assistant Director
Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction
Telephone: (514) 761 6131 extension 3930
Fax: (514) 888 4060
Email: richard.briere@douglas.mcgill.ca