External Relations Branch
In partnership with
BC Mental Health Foundation
Canadian Digestive Health Foundation
Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability
Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation
Epilepsy Canada
Fanconi Canada
Mind Foundation of BC
Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Canada

Request for Applications

Table of Contents

Background
Partners
Objectives and Relevant Research Areas
Eligibility
Allowable Costs
Peer Review Process and Evaluation Criteria
General CIHR Guidelines
Conditions of Funding
Communications Requirements
Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation
How to Apply
Contact Information
Description of Partners UPDATED

Background

The "Small Health Organizations Partnership Program" (SHOPP) replaces the Health Research Partnership Fund (HRPF.) The mandate of this new program is to foster partnership opportunities with small health charities and not-for-profit organizations with modest health research funding capacity by co-funding training and salary awards and in limited cases, operating grants. The benefit of this program is that CIHR continues to offer partnership opportunities for small health organizations while becoming more in line with its institute-centric policy. Partner organizations identify the area(s) of health research relevant to their mission, strategic direction or interest and CIHR provides an internationally recognized peer-review process and administrative program support.

CIHR will fully fund all research scoring above its regular funding threshold. CIHR and the partners will pay for meritorious awards identified by the partner as relevant to their research area and scoring below the CIHR funding threshold (in rank order) but above the merit cut-off (3.5). All the awards above and below the CIHR funding threshold will hold both the name of the partner and CIHR.

Partners

The External Relations Branch is dedicated to identifying and developing collaborations with other CIHR institute(s), branch(es) or office(s), funding organizations and stakeholders to enhance the availability of funding for this strategic initiative, and to create, where appropriate, opportunities for knowledge exchange and translation related to the scope of this particular initiative. Applicants are invited to visit the Descriptions of Partners to find a list of partners and their respective mandates and/or strategic interests. This list will continue to evolve as new partners join in this initiative. The specific research foci and requirements for each partner are outlined in the section "Objectives and Relevant Research Areas."

Objectives and Relevant Research Areas

The specific objectives of this initiative are:

• To strengthen the research supporting capacity of small charity and not-for-profit organizations that have modest health research funding capacity.
• To increase the connection of these organizations with their related health research communities.
• To provide a simple and efficient mechanism for CIHR to partner with these organizations.

Several relevant research areas will be identified in the section Descriptions of Partners.

Prior to peer review, the partners will have access to anonymized project titles and summaries to review applications to determine the relevance, or alignment, of the research proposed to their specific objectives of the research initiative and the research areas described above (link)(relevance review).

Upon completion of peer review, the partners will receive the ranking list, merit scores (ratings) and recommendations of the peer review committee with regards to funding level and award term, for the submitted applications that fall in the fundable range and have been determined to be relevant to the specific research areas and objectives of the initiative. The list will be used for funding decision-making purposes and will remain anonymous.

The review of applications for relevance to the strategic initiative will have no impact on the peer review process.

Eligibility

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 to CIHR Training Awards, please refer to the General Guidelines for All Research Training Awards as well as to the CIHR Doctoral Research Awards program description.

Allowable Costs

The awards consist of a stipend and a research allowance. For the research allowance, applicants should review General Guidelines for All Research Training Awards for additional information about allowable costs and activities.

Peer Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

CIHR peer review committees will evaluate the full applications. Committees may be drawn from 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 in general, see Peer Review, however, note that Doctoral Research Award applications are reviewed using a virtual process, for which the guidelines are not yet posted.

The following general criteria for evaluating Doctoral Research Award applications will be used:

• Achievements and Activities of the Candidate
• Characteristics and Abilities of the Candidate
• Research Training Environment

General CIHR Guidelines

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Communications Requirements

Award 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:

• 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

Read the application instructions provided in How to Apply for Funding.
Select Doctoral Research Awards from the Application Packages.

Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA.

In the Program(s) section of the Training Module (page 3 of the web form printed report), select "Strategic Initiative/RFA" and enter the title of this RFA and indicate the partner name that is actively participating in SHOPP that you would like to consider your application for funding.

Send Application by Courier to:
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:

Nadia Martino
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 946-0088
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: nmartino@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about SHOPP in general contact:

Kathryn Andrews-Clay
Partnership Specialist
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 954-1810
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: kandrews-clay@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Description of Partners: CIHR Institutes and Partner Organizations

Note: Partners, from the charity and non-profit sector are expected to join this funding initiative over the coming year.

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 - CIHR External Relations Branch
Our mandate is to support the development of partnerships and international collaborations that advance CIHR's mandate and strategic objectives (CIHR Blueprint [ HTML | PDF (259 Ko)| Help ] ). We support CIHR institutes and portfolios in the development, implementation, management and evaluation of partnerships and international collaborations. We are responsible for the development and continuous improvement of partnerships processes and structures. And we strive to foster a culture of partnering within the organization.

The Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability (in partnership with AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence)
The Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability (CIRPD) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction of disability and impairment from soft tissue injuries. CIRPD works with all stakeholders to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of care for people with musculoskeletal concerns and facilitates collaborative research, education and strategic planning activities.

Target Health Research Areas: Cross discipline research is encouraged in the following areas:

• Mitigating Occupant Injury in Motor Vehicle Collisions
• Prevention of Disability Resulting from Vehicular Injuries

The research focus must address one of the following areas related to the above themes:

1. advances in injury prevention
2. effective situational diagnosis and management
3. reliable and valid measurement tools to evaluate and improve safety design methodologies, and future research
4. effective research dissemination and utilization practices
5. design methodologies targeted at reducing impairment and disability.