(New Research Teams to Enhance the Quality of Life)

Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
In partnership with
Pfizer Canada

Request for Applications

Table of Contents

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

Partners

The Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis 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 objective of this program is to promote development of either the growth of small existing teams or the formation of completely new competitive research teams undertaking collaborative multidisciplinary research in IMHA's three research priorities.

The specific objectives of this initiative are:

• Develop new competitive research teams, which show potential for successfully applying for other infrastructure team funding in the future; The New Emerging Team grant is designed to provide a maximum of five (5) years of support for the development of teams of independent investigators undertaking collaborative multidisciplinary research in Canadian research institutions.
• Promote either the growth of small existing teams or the formation of new and previously nonexistent research teams.
• Foster multidisciplinary and cross-theme research in identified areas of focus; In this context the term "disciplines" includes both professional and scientific disciplines (i.e. Dermatology & Chemistry respectively) and the term "pillar" refers to CIHR's four pillars.
• Build capacity through the training and establishment of new researchers including doctoral and postdoctoral trainees and at least one new investigator.
• Create a team environment that favors the development of excellent and innovative research projects that will advance our understanding of the three research priorities.

Relevant research areas include:

The Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis encourages researchers across disciplines within the Arthritis, Bone, Skin, Muscle, Oral Health and/or Rehabilitation Research communities, and across all four of CIHR research pillars to develop research in areas covered by IMHA's three research priorities:

• Physical Activity, Mobility and Health
• Tissue Injury, Repair and Replacement
• Pain, Disability and Chronic Diseases

In addition, a number of research questions have emerged from IMHA sponsored workshops and could be considered as a possible NET Program.

Please note that Pfizer Canada will provide funding for research related to Musculoskeletal Pain and Inflammation ONLY.

The research proposed must clearly state how it's linked to one or more of the above priorities for IMHA; OR how it's linked to pain & inflammation of the MSK system for Pfizer Canada's interest.

The CIHR-IMHA and Pfizer Canada will provide funding for applications that are relevant to and in alignment with the objectives and research priority areas described above.

Prior to peer review, the CIHR-IMHA and Pfizer Canada will have access to anonymized project titles and summaries to conduct relevance review. The review of applications for relevance to the strategic initiative will have no impact on the peer review process.

The following criteria will be used in conducting the relevance review .

• The extent to which the research summaries addresses at least one of CIHR-IMHA's three research priorities listed above and / or the research priority of Pfizer Canada.

Upon completion of peer review, the CIHR-IMHA and Pfizer Canada will receive an anonymized 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. Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budget will allow. Applications receiving a score less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding.

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.

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will not be considered under this RFA.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

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

• The size of the research teams can be flexible but it is anticipated that the teams will consist of at least 3 independent investigators. This number can be as high as needed as per the requirements of the team. The specific contribution of each team member must be described. Changes in the team composition for opportunistic and strategic reasons are highly encouraged, as are addition of new Partners.
• At least two of the investigators must have an established research track record in areas related to the collaborative project(s) proposed. The investigators must have complementary expertise in at least two of the four CIHR pillars (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 limited amounts of prior infrastructure funding must provide clear justification for the expansion of this support through the NET tool 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.
• 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 more departments, faculties or institutions both in Canada and internationally.
• 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.
• Pilot data should be collected and discussed within the application to strengthen the justification of funding.

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.

In addition, the following expenditures will be considered eligible for funding received through this Request for Applications.

• Salaries for technicians and other research personnel;
• Salaries of research trainees (graduate and postdoctoral) and other personnel whose participation will enhance the collaborative research productivity of the Team;
• 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;
• Salary of a professional coordinator and/or administrative assistant;
• Equipment purchase, and maintenance contracts;
• 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;
• A NET grant cannot be used to purchase major equipment (over $20,000). If the application includes a request for equipment, it must be indicated as expenditures for the first year. The first installment of the grant may then include a one-time payment of up to $20,000 for equipment.

Peer Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

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 Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest and Privacy Issues in Peer and Relevance Review (CCIP). For information on CIHR's peer review process in general, see Peer Review.

Peer review will be conducted in accordance with The CIHR Peer Review Process: Policies and Responsibilities of Grants Committee Members, including the standard evaluation criteria described under "Factors for Assessment" (section 6.2).

In addition, the following evaluation criteria specific to this Request for Applications will apply. CIHR recognizes that applications will emphasize different approaches to research and to knowledge translation, therefore reviewers and committees are expected to weight criteria such as these differently from one application to another.

The Research Proposed

• How important 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 observations or knowledge?
• How well will the proposed experiments address the hypotheses or questions? How appropriate are the methods to be applied and the proposed analyses of data?
• How well will the applicant implement new methods that are to be introduced and/or explored? 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.)

Furthermore, team applications will be assessed on the extent to which they:

1. Address an important issue relevant to the stated areas of focus ;
2. Demonstrate that funding of the New Team would enhance the understanding or resolution of this important issue;
3. Must demonstrate the cross-pillar nature of the research program-research project from at least two of the four CIHR pillars;
4. Must show added value in bringing together researchers from different disciplines, institutions, or sectors, in a meaningful collaboration;
5. Approach the research issue through an original, innovative, co-ordinated and feasible research plan which will generate valid, reliable and useful data;
6. Must provide a plan for effective dissemination of their research findings through linkages with the appropriate user community beyond other researchers alone;
7. Consist of team members who have been productive, creative and original in their approach to research, or who have the potential to develop these attributes;
8. Comment on the appropriateness of the Team as a training environment for graduate and post-doctoral trainees, including those with a health professional background;
9. Must provide a plan to recruit and establish new investigators as part of the Team;
10. Demonstrate the capacity of the proposed Team to compete for other sources of operating funding, and eventually to apply for Group or other infrastructure support.

General CIHR Guidelines

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

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 a year after the end of the grant's term, the Nominated Principal Investigator will submit a final performance report to the IMHA summarizing the results in lay terms, for communication to stakeholders including a summary of any patents that may have been issued as a result of the research grant. This in turn helps to demonstrate the social and economic benefits of research on society and will strengthen the case to continue offering this program in the future.

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.

While respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, all signing parties involved in a collaborative agreement will also be bound by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under collaborative agreements related to the Request for Applications will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.

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 the "Progress Report for 5-year grant holder (Form 44)" 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: Registration and Full Application.

Review the application instructions provided in How to Apply for Funding.

Select "Operating Grants" (Registration and Application) from the Application Packages.

Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA:

• In the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module (page 8 of the web form printed report), select "Strategic Initiative/RFA" and enter the title of this RFA.

Send Application by Courier to:

RE: "IMHA-Pfizer Net Grants to Enhance the Quality of Life"
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:

Tamara Marshall (Updated: 2006-04-10)
Program Delivery Officer
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Telephone: (613) 941-0861
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: tmarshall@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Sophia Tsouros
Project Manager / Analyst
CIHR - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis

Telephone: (613) 954-3469
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: stsouros@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Description of Partners: CIHR Institutes and Partner Organizations

Note: Additional partners, including partners from industry and the private sector are expected to join this funding initiative over the coming year.

CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
The CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis supports research to enhance active living, mobility and movement, and oral health; and addresses causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth.

Partners

Pfizer Canada
Pfizer Canada is the Canadian operation of New York-based Pfizer Inc., the world's largest pharmaceutical company. Pfizer's mission is to discover and develop innovative medicines and other products which improve the quality of life of people and animals around the world.