(Research Technical Assistants)

The Institute of Infection and Immunity
In partnership with
The Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health

Request for Applications

Important Dates
Opportunity Launched	June 2006
Content Last Updated	August 9, 2006 (Title, Eligibility, How to Apply, Contact Information)
September 15, 2006	Registration Deadline - Registration packages must be courier stamped by this date.
October 16, 2006	Full applications must be courier stamped by this date.
March 31, 2007	Anticipated notification of decision.
April 1, 2007	Anticipated start date.
Funds Available
CIHR's contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds voted annually to CIHR by parliamentary appropriations, and the conditions that may be attached to them. The total amount available for this initiative is $1,160 000 over 2 years. This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate. General Stream The total available for this stream is $400,000 per year for 2 years. The maximum amount per grant is $80,000/year. Aboriginal Stream The total available for this stream is $180,000 per year for 2 years. The maximum amount per grant is $90,000/year.
Summary
The HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research (CBR) Program assists community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations and institutions in developing the knowledge necessary to carry out their HIV/AIDS work in the most effective manner, and in creating the expertise within these communities to conduct their own research. The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to strengthen HIV/AIDS CBR through the support of Community-Based Research Facilitators (CBR Facilitators) in community-based organizations, coalitions and/or research institutions. It is expected that this targeted investment will have a significant impact in developing and enhancing HIV/AIDS community-based research capacity among community organizations. The CBR Facilitator will work collaboratively with organizations within a defined geographical area1 to identify, plan and deliver a wide range of community-based research capacity-building initiatives.

Table of Contents

Background
Objectives
Eligibility
Allowable Costs
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

Before you begin...

The HIV/AIDS CBR Program follows the same application process as do most CIHR grants and awards. To help you navigate the process and ensure that you successfully and accurately complete the necessary forms, please read the following before you begin your application process.

• Please read this Request for Applications carefully. It contains specific details about eligibility and allowable costs relevant to the HIV/AIDS CBR Program.
• You must obtain a CIHR Personal Identification Number (PIN) to complete an application to any CIHR program. If you have not received one in the past, apply for your PIN as soon as possible. One working day is typically required to process PIN requests; however, longer processing times may be required during peak periods. Apply for your PIN
• To ensure your registration and full application are forwarded to the appropriate CIHR staff, it is essential that you clearly indicate that you are applying to the HIV/AIDS CBR Facilitators Grant (Aboriginal or General) in the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module. This will help ensure that it is reviewed appropriately.
• A new CV form has been created for the purpose of the HIV/AIDS CBR Program to capture relevant information in the curriculum vitae for Community Leaders. This form is referred to as the "Community CV"." Applicants and the CBR Facilitators must complete either the Community CV or a Common CV for this application. The forms have been created to gather information relevant to a wide range of applicants. If a given section in the Community CV or Common CV does not apply to the applicant, leave it blank.
• The Principal Applicant in this competition cannot be the CBR Facilitator candidate himself.
• Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations) with a research or knowledge translation mandate are eligible to hold CIHR funds. If an organization is uncertain about its eligibility, it is encouraged to seek clarification from CIHR.

If in doubt, please contact one of the resource people noted at the end of this request. We will be pleased to assist you.

Background

The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (CIHR-III), in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (CIHR-IAPH), is pleased to announce the third launch of Requests for Applications under the HIV/AIDS CBR Program, a component of the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative.

The CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative is supported by the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada. The Federal Initiative reaffirms the Government of Canada's commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic both in Canada and globally. As one of the partners in this initiative, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research sets priorities for and administers the HIV/AIDS Research Program and funds meritorious research grants and research personnel awards across the entire spectrum of HIV/AIDS research.
The goals of the Federal Initiative are to:

• Prevent the acquisition and transmission of new infections.
• Slow the progression of the disease and improve quality of life.
• Reduce the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS.
• Contribute to the global effort to reduce the spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of the disease.

The Federal Initiative builds on the successes of the Canadian Strategy for HIV/AIDS (CSHA) which recognized that collaboration across many different sectors was necessary to ensure an effective response to HIV/AIDS. The CSHA promoted the greater role of communities in the research process through creation of the HIV/AIDS CBR Program. By building on the strengths of communities they will be best equipped to provide care, treatment and support to those already affected and to prevent the further spread of the HIV epidemic. Please visit the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada website for more information.

Community-based research involves community members in all stages of the research process from the definition of the research question to ensure relevance to the community, to capacity building and integration of community members in conducting the research as well as promoting the active participation in the development and implementation of the dissemination strategy. In addition to these principles, CBR espouses the same values of methodological rigour and ethical review as other research approaches.

The HIV/AIDS CBR Program will support knowledge development and capacity building initiatives of relevance to communities engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS. There are two different streams of activities, each with distinct budgets, within the HIV/AIDS CBR Program - Aboriginal and General.

Objectives

This specific RFA is aimed at improving the capacity of communities to conduct relevant community-based research on HIV/AIDS and, more broadly, to empower and benefit communities to enhance their health and well-being through the placement of CBR Facilitators. They will work with organizations in their region to identify, plan and deliver CBR capacity-building training and assistance.

The objectives of the HIV/AIDS CBR Facilitators RFA are:

• To develop and enhance community-based research capacity among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community representatives and researchers from both academic and non-academic settings.
• To facilitate the development of partnerships between community organizations and researchers and the engagement of affected communities in HIV/AIDS community-based research.
• To improve the skills of community organizations in designing community-based research.

Examples of activities that might be conducted under this Request for Applications are provided below. The CBR Facilitators may undertake some or all of these activities according to the needs of community-based organizations within their area. The examples are not intended to be exhaustive and there is no intent to imply that organizations supporting these particular activities would be more successful that those supporting different activities.

• Conduct a scan to determine the community-based research capacity-building needs of organizations in their area and develop a work plan based on the findings.
• Provide research-related training and assistance to organizations in all areas of community-based research.
• Assist organizations with research proposal development.
• Develop linkages between community-based organizations and academic researchers in their area.
• Provide advice and information to organizations conducting community-based research.
• Assist with the dissemination of research findings to involved communities.
• Assist organizations in transferring research knowledge into action.

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.

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

Please note: A Community Leader based in an eligible not-for-profit organization may be considered a Principal Applicant for the purpose of the HIV/AIDS CBR Program only.

Community Leader is defined as an individual who has direct involvement with a community affected by HIV/AIDS, understands the needs of the community and how research can lead to useful practical outcomes for the community and who can facilitate the involvement of the community in the research process

• A Nominated Principal Applicant must be named and will be given the administrative responsibility for the grant.
• A Nominated Principal Applicant may be a Principal Applicant according to the standard CIHR requirement, or a Community Leader acting as Principal Applicant for the HIV/AIDS CBR project.
• As per the eligibility criteria for all CIHR research funding programs, Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations) with a research or knowledge translation mandate are eligible to hold CIHR funds. If an organization is uncertain about its eligibility, it is encouraged to seek clarification from CIHR.
• Individuals holding the position of CBR Facilitator must have completed post-graduate degree or training in research in a field relevant to the position.
• In the General funding stream, up to 5 CBR Facilitators across Canada and only one CBR Facilitator per geographical area will be supported by this initiative. The geographical areas eligible for funding are:
  • Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon
  • Quebec
  • Atlantic (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador)
  • British Columbia
  • Alberta
  • Prairies (Saskatchewan and Manitoba)
  • Ontario
• In the Aboriginal funding stream, up to 2 CBR Facilitators and only one CBR Facilitator per geographical area will be supported by this initiative. A Principal Applicant can submit two applications with the intent of hosting more than one CBR Facilitator within different geographical areas. Geographical areas have not been defined for the Aboriginal stream, however, current project areas, degree of overlap and gaps in representation should be considered when applying. The Principal Applicant is required to define one or two geographical areas, depending whether he/she proposes to host one or two CBR Facilitators . Areas defined for CBR Facilitators must allow for activities to be managed in a realistic and cost-effective manner and need not cover all of Canada.
• Grants funded under this initiative are intended to support the work of one full-time CBR Facilitator.

(Updated: 2006-08-09)
Note: To avoid conflict of interest and ensure that CBR Facilitators are able to fulfill their key objective of developing capacity throughout their region they are not eligible to act as principal investigators, co-investigators or to actively engage in the conduct of research (e.g., be involved in the daily activities of a research project such as participant recruitment, data collection, writing final report) for any research project funded by CIHR. CBR Facilitators should be listed as collaborators on applications in which they have a significant role in fostering partnerships, providing ongoing advice, facilitating knowledge dissemination and other activities as appropriate.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) financial administration guidelines Use of Grant Funds for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

Allowable costs specific to this Request for Applications include the following:

• Funds are intended to support the salary and benefit costs of a CBR Facilitator, the costs of the capacity-building activities in which they will be engaged and required travel expenses.

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

• Rental of space in non-academic institutions if it is justified as a direct cost of the CBR Facilitator project. The cost must cover the rental of space required specifically for the CBR Facilitator project, which would not otherwise be available to the institution;

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

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by a CIHR Merit Review committee created specifically for the HIV/AIDS Community-based Research Program. One Merit Review committee will be established for each the General and Aboriginal funding streams. 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).  Applicants are also encouraged to include suggestions for reviewers in their application. For information on CIHR's peer review process in general, see Peer Review.

Merit Review will be conducted in accordance with The CIHR Peer Review Process: Policies and Responsibilities of Grants Committee Members.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate this Request for Applications. 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.

Evaluation criteria

Each proposal must describe how the grant will address the objectives described under "Objectives."

Potential Impact

Assessment Criteria include:

• The potential to develop the HIV/AIDS community-based research capacity of organizations throughout the geographical region;
• The potential to develop partnerships between community organizations and researchers.

Scientific Merit

Assessment Criteria include:

• The clarity and originality of proposed project and its objectives;
• The proposed activities and methods are feasible and appropriate for meeting the stated objectives of the CBR Facilitators program;
• The overall experience and skills of the project team - knowledge of and experience with community-based research and HIV/AIDS is appropriate for leading a CBR Facilitator project; likelihood that this team can deliver an effective CBR Facilitator project; reasonableness of time commitments to project.

CBR Facilitators Qualification Assessment Criteria include:

• Post-graduate degree in research (Master's or Doctoral degree) and working knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative research methods;
• Understanding of HIV/AIDS research, prevention, care, treatment and support;
• Experience in working with both community and academic organizations and the ability to create strong linkages;
• Ability to teach, supervise and provide research advice; and
• Ability to analyze and transfer research information into easily accessible language.

Evaluation Process

The committee will use the CIHR Merit Review Scale.

	Potential Impact	Rating	Scientific Merit
Fundable:	enormous extremely significant very significant	4.5-4.9 4.0-4.4 3.5-3.9	outstanding excellent very good
Seldom funded:	significant	3.0-3.4	acceptable, but low priority
Not fundable:	moderate limited negligible	2.5-2.9 2.0-2.4 0-1.9	needs revision needs major revision seriously flawed

Each application will be assigned and reviewed by two reviewers. One reviewer will focus on the assessment of Potential Impact and the other will focus on the assessment of Scientific Merit. Potential Impact and Scientific Merit will be given equal weight in the assessment of the application by the Merit Review panel. Through discussion of the application and reviews, the 2 reviewers will determine a consensus rating for Potential Impact and one for Scientific Merit. The Merit Review panel will then provide individual confidential votes within +/- 0.5 of the consensus rating for both. Once the ratings have been determined, the Merit Review panel will review the requested budget and recommend an appropriate budget for the project. Only those applications that exceed the threshold rating of 3.5 on both Potential Impact and Scientific Merit will be considered for funding. The mean of the 2 scores will be calculated for the applications with a rating of 3.5 and above on both to determine the final rating and establish a ranking list.

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 merit review committee with regards to funding level and period of support for the submitted applications that fall in the fundable range. Based on the total funds available for the RFA, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budget will allow in both the General and the Aboriginal funding streams.

General CIHR Guidelines

This Request for Applications will follow the General Guidelines for Grant Programs.  Applicants to this RFA, and all other CIHR initiatives, are encouraged to demonstrate the use of gender and sex-based analysis in applications.

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. In the event that a Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI) leaves the institutions/organization administering project funds, funds may remain at the administering institution/organization if the responsibilities of the NPI are transferred to a qualified individual. For more information see Replacing a Nominated Principal Applicant on a Grant. Alternately, project funds may be transferred to a new eligible institution. For more information see Transferring Grant(s) to an Eligible Canadian Institution.  It must be clearly demonstrated that the transfer of the project to either a new NPI or institution is beneficial to the project and the involved community. 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.

Please note that prior to release of funds and when applicable, institutions to receive funds will have to meet the eligibility requirements to administer CIHR funds. For all new institutions, information on institution eligibility will be provided by the CIHR Finance Department to successful candidates

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

• Prior to the release of funds, a CBR Facilitator must be hired as per the requirements stated in this RFA and the CV of the candidate must be submitted to CIHR.
• Interim Progress Reports are required once per annum. The report should not exceed three pages and should:
  • describe any changes to the design or direction of the project over the past year;
  • provide an overview of the progress and achievement of objectives in the past year;
  • provide an overview of the dissemination activities in the past year.

• A Final Report is required to be submitted within six months after the end of the grant's term. The report must:
  • provide a summary of the objectives, project design and methods;
  • demonstrate that the objectives of the Request for Applications have been met;
  • provide a summary of the major skills building activities completed and lessons learned;
  • provide a summary of the dissemination activities of the project.

A standard form for the Interim Progress Report and Final Report will be provided by CIHR.

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 recruit reviewers, 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:

• 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 Grant Programs Application Packages. Please note that Community Leaders applying to this competition can use either the Common CV available through the Applications Packages link or the Community CV created for this program. Further details and a link to the Community CV are provided below.

Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA:

Research Module

In the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module (page 7 of the web form printed report), select "Strategic Initiative/RFA" and enter "HIV/AIDS CBR Program - CBR Facilitators Grant (General or Aboriginal)".

• The Summary of Research Proposal (page 9) should address the objectives of this RFA.
• Summary of Progress (page 10) is not required, but up to one page may be used to summarize previous work relevant to this application.
• Response to Previous Reviews (page 11) is not required, but up to two pages may be used to respond to previous reviewer's concerns if the application is a resubmission.
• Research Proposal (page 12) is to be limited to a maximum of 11 pages. Page limits do not include figures, tables and references, where applicable. The proposal should provide a clear, concise description of the CBR Facilitator project including: a description of the organization undertaking the project and their relevant experience, the geographical area covered by the CBR Facilitator project, a description of the community organizations that will be serviced by the project, the capacity-building activities to be conducted by the CBR Facilitators, how the CBR Facilitators will collaborate and build capacity of other organizations in the geographical region and collaborate with researchers.
• If there is no CBR Facilitator named, the recruitment protocol and type of qualifications required for the individual to be hired should be specified.
• It is not necessary to select a specific Peer Review Committee on the application form as all applications to the CBR Program will be reviewed by a specifically created merit review committee.

Attachments

• Signed letters of support from the community are accepted and encouraged.
• Signed collaboration letters should clearly demonstrate the community involvement at every stage of the project including the identification of the research question, development and implementation of the project.

Budget Module

• Submit a complete Budget Module ensuring that a detailed justification for all costs is provided. Include details of costs such as salary and benefits of CBR Facilitators, travel, accommodations, meals, meeting room rentals.
• Include information on other funding sources if applicable.

Common CV (Updated: 2006-08-09)

• A new CV form has been created for the purpose of the HIV/AIDS CBR Program to capture relevant information in the curriculum vitae for Community Leaders. This form is referred to as the "Community CV" (see List of Forms and Guidelines for Completion).
• Submit either a Community CV or full Common CV for all applicants listed on the project and the CBR Facilitator.
• Please note that the Community CV is a pilot project under the HIV/AIDS CBR Program. It aims to facilitate the application process for Community Leaders and the merit review of applications. Applicants using this form and the Merit Review Committee will be asked for feedback on the Community CV following the competition.
• For applicants using the Common CV, the section called "Activities/Contributions" should include information on both academic and non-academic contributions, publications including peer-reviewed articles and significant reports in the public domain and should focus on achievements of the applicant with community-based research and experience working with community-based organizations.
• Please note that Draft Common CVs will not be accepted. If using the Common CV, after logging in to the Common CV web site and completing your CV click on "validate my CV" (under functionalities on the right hand side of your screen); after correcting any errors, click on "Finalize and submit my CV"; a PDF will be generated and you will be able to print your finalized CV module.

Send the completed registration and application packages by courier to:

RE: "HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research Program - CBR Facilitators Grant"
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 merit review process contact:

Julien David
HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 941-6493
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: jdavid@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Mireille Baril (Updated: 2006-08-09)
HIV/AIDS Research Initiative Officer
Institute of Infection and Immunity
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 948-9396
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: mibaril@cihr-irsc.gc.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 Infection and Immunity
The Institute seeks to achieve national and global leadership through supporting research in health and public policy on the control of infectious diseases, and to harness healthy immune responses to protect against or mitigate health challenges.

CIHR - Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health supports health research that addresses the special health needs of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and aims to improve the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples through the assertion of indigenous understandings of health and by fostering innovative community-based and scientifically excellent research.

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¹ In the General Stream, geographical area is a province, group of provinces or Territories. In the Aboriginal Stream, geographical areas are not defined. Applicants must identify one geographical area per CBR Facilitator in their proposals.