Embracing Diversity Virtual Webinar Information Session – Q&A
Monday, November 27th, 2023 from 1:00-2:30 PM (EDT)

Eligibility

• Is it possible to have a study that takes place outside of Canada but led by Canadian investigators?

  Yes, as long as applicants are able to explain clearly how their research aligns with the objectives, key design elements, and research areas of the funding opportunity.

  As outlined in the funding opportunity, "The objectives are to fund new research that will improve health and achieve more equitable outcomes in nutrition, metabolic health, and chronic high burden diseases, as well as STBBI, across the life course of diverse groups of people in Canada by: … ".

  Note that the applicants must meet eligibility requirements as stated in the funding opportunity.

• At the LOI stage, how many Principal Applicants and Principal Knowledge Users should there be?

  As per the Eligibility to Apply, "Research teams must be comprised of no more than 4 Principal Applicants (PAs) or Principal Knowledge Users (PKU) in addition to the NPA (maximum 5 individuals identified in those roles (NPA/PA/PKU)). Inclusion of other applicant roles (i.e., Co-Applicants, Knowledge Users (KUs), and collaborators) is optional".

• At the LOI stage, what participant types are required?

  The research team (including NPA, PKU, PAs, Co-Applicants and KUs) must be interdisciplinary and must include each of the following participant types. Note that an individual can fulfill multiple participant types.

  • an Early Career Researcher (ECR) in the role of NPA or one of the PAs or a Co-Applicant. ECR eligibility status must be met by the full application deadline date.
  • a Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Champion who will act as the liaison between research teams and the KM Hub in any role except collaborator.
  • at least one Person with Lived/Living Experience (PWLLE) representative of the population(s) being studied, in the role of PKU or KU, as appropriate for the proposed research.
• At the full application stage, what participant types are required?

  In addition to meeting the requirements at the LOI stage, the research team must include each of the following participant types. Note that an individual can fulfill multiple participant types:

  • a knowledge user in the role of KU or PKU.
  • an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Champion with expertise in sound EDI practices and principles in the role of NPA, PA or Co-Applicant. See Additional Information for wise practices on including an EDI Champion and defining their potential roles in the research.
  • A minimum of two PWLLE representatives of the population(s) being studied, in the role of PKU or KU, as appropriate for the proposed research.
• Will teams be invited to submit a full application after a review and evaluation of the LOI stage?

  As per the funding opportunity Funding Decision re. Letter of Intent (LOI) Stage: Letters of Intent will be funded from the top down in order of ranking within each funding pool. Letters that receive a rating below 3.5 will not be funded. Successful letters of intent will be invited to apply to the full application stage. If a pool is undersubscribed or lacks fundable applications, funds may be rolled into another funding pool based on relevance and mandate.

• Can you add a PA at the full application stage?

  The NPA must remain unchanged between the LOI and full application phases of the competition. Other participants can be added or removed between these stages.

• Can a self-employed person act as the EDI Champion?

  Yes, as long as they meet the Eligibility to Apply criteria. At the full application stage, research team must include an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Champion with expertise in sound EDI practices and principles in the role of NPA, PA or Co-Applicant. See Additional Information for wise practices on including an EDI Champion and defining their potential roles in the research.

• If a person will meet the definition of independent researcher by the start date of the full grant (but not by the time of LOI grant start date), can they be PI from the LOI stage? Or do they have to be added later at full grant stage?

  NPA must meet the requirements to receive the funding by the start date of relevant funding (LOI or Full Application Stage).

Funds Available

• Is the budget submitted for the LOI specific to the $20,000 awarded at the LOI stage or the larger proposal budget?

  You are required to submit a specific budget for the LOI to receive up to $20,000 for one year. In the How to Apply section, it states, "Applicants need to provide a detailed budget justification in relation to planned LOI activities and clearly justify all budget items (including cash and cash equivalent contributions, if relevant)".

  While funding for the LOI will support researchers engaging with diverse groups of patients, citizens and PWLLE, they should highlight the plans for the full application to respond to the objectives, key design elements, and research areas of the funding opportunity overall.

  Budget for the full application will be required at the full application stage.

Research Areas

• What resources can I consult that would be beneficial in writing my application for this funding opportunity?

  In October 2022, the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD) held a virtual workshop entitled "Heterogeneity in Nutrition and Metabolic Health" that informed this funding opportunity. Applicants are highly encouraged to review the summary of this workshop posted on the INMD website.

• Can a project be considered under more than 1 funding pool? Similarly, do we specify the relevant funding pools in the application and are we limited in the number of such pools that can be indicated?

  You must select only one funding pool for your application. If you select more than one, your application will only be considered for the first one identified.

• Do applications have to meet both the objectives of the funding opportunity and fit a specific pool?

  Yes, applications must address the objectives of the funding opportunity and align with one of the funding pools.

• Is my proposed research relevant?

  We cannot determine relevance at this stage but as long as the application aligns with the objectives, key design elements, and research areas of the funding opportunity, it will be deemed relevant.

  Ultimately, project relevance will be determined during the relevance reviews that occur at the Letter of Intent (LOI) and full application stages.

  If you require further clarifications about the research areas, please direct your questions to the Contact Centre.

• For applications in the General Omics Pool and/or requesting funds from Genome BC or Génome Quebec: Do studies need to collect (primary) 'omics' data; or does studying variables like the social determinants of health to address inequities related to use of 'omics' suffice?

  As per the funding opportunity, the definition for Omics is as follows: "Designates studies that use high-throughput technologies to gather genetic information of a cell or an organism. This includes the function of specific genes/gene clusters, their interactions with each other or the surrounding environment, and the activation and suppression of genes. The definition encompasses disciplines, such as genomics, epigenomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, metagenomics, nutrigenomics, pharmacogenomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics. Studies that integrate data from medical imaging, electronic health records or portable devices are welcome if they are integrated with omics data." Similarly, studies that integrate data pertaining to social determinants of health with omics data are included in this definition.

  Applicants are not required to collect primary omics data and may repurpose data collected from other studies.

Partners

• What is the difference between applicant and competition-level partners?

  Competition level partners are partners with CIHR and are named in the funding opportunity. They are not in a position to support applicants' proposals directly through a letter of support or through any types of collaboration at the application stage. You must highlight how the objectives of your proposed activity align with the selected funding pool and any competition partners (if applicable) in the Relevance form under the Task: Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools.

  In contrast, applicant level partners can partner with an applicant on a specific project and may provide resources directly to the applicants. Applicant partners should be added under the Task: Identify Application Partners.

• Eligibility for partner funding

  Applicants will only be eligible for partner funding if they meet the objectives of the funding opportunity as well as align with the research areas and key elements of the funding opportunity.

• Does the Genome BC partnership mean that 10 of the 19 funded applications will have to be led by BC researchers?

  No. However, if an application is being led by an eligible BC NPA or PA and meets Genome BC's criteria as per the funding opportunity, they will be eligible for Genome BC's supplementary funding. As per the funding opportunity Funds Available re. Supplementary Partner Funding: If requested and found relevant, this funding might bring the total grant over the $2,000,000 maximum identified at the full application stage.

  • Genome BC will contribute up to $2,000,000 in total over 5 years to provide additional support to up to ten (10) team grants led by Principal Applicants in BC undertaking omics research.
  • Genome BC would fund up to 10% of any relevant team grant for a BC led project. This is equivalent of up to a maximum of $200,000 over five years per project.
  • Genome BC expects a minimum of 25% of total CIHR funding spent in BC to be qualified as a BC led project; Genome BC funds must be spent in BC.
  • Genome BC's financial guidelines are available upon request.

KM in Research Teams and KM Hub

• Do Research Team Grants need a KM component? Or are Research Team Grants and KM Hub grant completely different?

  Research Team Grants must have a KM component, which is a key design element. The KM Hub is a supplement that can be requested at the full application stage. Research Teams do not need to apply for the KM Hub if they do not wish to. Applicants that apply for the KM Hub will not be considered more favourably as evaluation criteria for the Research Team Grants and KM Hub Supplement are separate and independent of each other. KM Hub Supplement funding will be provided to the successful Research Team that submitted the highest ranked fundable KM Hub Supplemental Document.

• How do you define a "Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Champion"? Can you give examples who could fulfill this role?

  • The team must include an KM Champion with demonstrated experience (see Eligibility). They must submit a one (1) page "Other" attachment describing how they meet this requirement.
  • The KM Champion will act as the liaison between research teams and the KM Hub in any role except collaborator.
  • Research Teams will be required to allocate funds in their grant budget to support the role and responsibilities of a team member to be the KM Champion that regularly collaborates and coordinates with the KM Hub.
  • Examples of people who could fill this role are KM experts or someone with experience working in KM.
  • No specific certificate like the Sex and Gender Champion is required for the KM Champion.
• Could you clarify the roles and responsibilities of the KM Manager in the KM Hub?

  The KM Manager will be the administrative staff person that will organize and lead the activities of the KM Hub. Although the KM Hub will be required to appoint a dedicated KM Manager and include this line item in the KM Hub budget, the specific person that will assume this role does not need to be determined at the LOI or full application stages.

Review Process and Evaluation

• Will the Data Management Plan be evaluated?

  This funding opportunity is part of a pilot project where applicants will be asked to provide a data management plan (DMP) when submitting their application. The objective of this pilot is to inform CIHR's implementation of the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy. Reviewers will be asked to comment on the appropriateness of the DMP to help inform the implementation of DMPs beyond the current pilot. See the related evaluation criteria at the Full Application stage and Additional Information for more details on DMPs.

• Will the Research Team grants be evaluated separately from the Knowledge Mobilization Hub Supplement?

  • Yes, peer reviewers will be instructed to review the Research Team Grants and the KM Hub Supplement independently.
  • Evaluation criteria for both the Research Team Grants and the KM Hub Supplement are distinct and outlined in the funding opportunity.
  • Note that to be eligible for the KM Hub Supplement, the Research Team must successfully receive funding for the full application.

Date modified:

2024-01-10