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| Announcements of Opportunity |
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Space Life Sciences Concept and Ground Studies 2002 #1
| Deadline for submission was September 13, 2002 |
Release Date June 14, 2002
The Canadian Space Agency is pleased to announce opportunities for Canadian researchers to participate in a research program aimed at understanding the effects of the space environment on living systems. Proposals are invited to investigate experimental concepts, to perform small-scale investigations or conduct preliminary experiments.
All proposals are restricted to ground based research. Experiments utilizing Shuttle, Space Station or other space access should apply to the Canadian Space Agency Announcement of Opportunity for International Flight Experiments.
Areas of Interest
The Canadian Space Agency will accept proposals only in the
following areas of interest:
- Bone Demineralization
- Muscle Atrophy
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Metabolism
- Developmental Biology
- Radiation Biology
- Radiation Dosimetry
- Neurophysiology
- Isolation or Multicultural Psychology
The training of graduate students and new researchers
is an important element to this opportunity.
Type of Studies
All studies must demonstrate a direct relationship to the
use of the environment of space to answer critical scientific
questions in one of the above areas. All studies will be performed
on the ground. Researchers may propose the use of simulations or
models such as: parabolic flight, clinostats, tumbling room and
water immersion that are considered to be a ground facility.
Experiments requiring spaceflight are not within the scope of this Announcement.
NOTE: Maximum annual funding is $50,000 for up to four (4) years.
Deadlines
| August 5, 2002 |
Submission of letter of Intent to the Canadian Space Agency |
| September 13, 2002 |
Submission of proposals to the Canadian Space Agency |
| March 7, 2003 |
Award Announcement by the Canadian Space Agency |
| April 7, 2003 |
Start Date |
Letter of Intent
To facilitate processing, potential Principal Investigators are
requested to send a letter of intent confirming plans to submit a proposal.
Please note that this letter of intent is not binding but should be
received by August 5, 2002. Although the letter of intent is not essential,
it is to the proposer's benefit, as the information will be used in
organization of peer review panels. The letter of intent, which should
be no more than two pages, should contain:
- The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of a single Principal Investigator and all co-investigators
- A descriptive title of the research.
- A brief summary describing the proposed research
- The major participating institutions
- Up to six (6) key words that best describe the research area of the pending proposal
- Up to three (3) reviewers may be suggested (optional)
Letters of intent may be submitted through the postal service or
by commercial delivery to the same address as proposals. In addition,
letters of intent (only) may be submitted electronically via e-mail
to the following address:
lifesciences@space.gc.ca.
The subject heading of the e-mail should read "Space Life Sciences 2002 #1".
Proposal Format
Proposals should be prepared in 8.5" x 11" format with minimum 2 cm
borders and 12 pt type.
All proposals must contain the following elements:
| Cover page |
see appendix
A-1. One copy must have original signatures. |
| Proposal Abstract |
250 words maximum |
| Project Description |
A 250-word description of the proposal in lay terms that can be used to explain the project to the public. |
| Experiment Proposal |
Eight pages maximum. Describe the study proposed. Include both background and analysis approach. Reference citations should be included, but need not be included in the page count. |
| Facilities and Equipment |
One page maximum. Detail the equipment and facilities available to the investigators for the project. |
| Budget Plan |
The budget plan should cover the entire proposal period and exclude university overhead. Use the form provided in
appendix
A-2. Justification of specific items should be attached, however, there is a limitation of 1 page.
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| Curriculum vitae |
A curriculum vitae or the
Personal Data
Form, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Counsel of Canada
(NSERC) should be provided for all research personnel. |
The name of the principal investigator should appear on the upper right hand
corner of each page of the proposal. Note that the proposal must specify the
duration of the proposed investigation. While durations may be up to 4 years,
the duration should be appropriate for the project proposed.
Budgetary Guidelines
Annual funding is limited to $50,000 (exclusive of overhead).
Project length may be up to 4 years. Project duration must be appropriate
for the work proposed.
Equipment may be included. It must be essential to the project and must not
exceed $10,000 in any one year and $20,000 for the project as a whole.
Number of Copies
Proposers are required to provide six hard copies of their proposal and
a 3 1/2 disk copy with two soft copies of proposal, the first in either Wordperfect or Microsoft Word and the second in rich text format (.rtf). The CSA will accept responsibility for further duplication of proposals.
Language
Proposals may be submitted in either English or French.
Research Subjects
Human Subjects:
Proposals involving human subjects are required to include the approval
of the Institutional Review board of the researcher's institution. All such
proposals should be in accordance with the Guidelines on Research Involving Human Subjects
(http://www.nserc.ca/programs/ethics/english/policy.htm). If approval cannot be obtained from the Review board by the submission deadline then a letter from the Review Board stating receipt of the proposal and their intent to review must accompany the proposal. No proposal will be funded until all such research reviews have been successfully completed and formal notification has been received by CSA.
Vertebrate Animals:
Proposals involving vertebrate animals are required to include the
approval of the Institutional Review board of the researcher's institution.
All such proposals should be in accordance with the Canadian Council on Animal
Care (CCAC) guidelines (www.ccac.ca/english/gublurb.htm). If approval cannot
be obtained from the Review board by the submission deadline then a letter
from the Review Board stating receipt of the proposal and their intent to
review accompany the proposal. No proposal will be funded until all such
research reviews have been successfully completed and formal notification
has been received by CSA.
Proposal Submission
All proposals should be submitted to:
Dr. A Mortimer
Director
Life and Microgravity Sciences Division
Space Science Program
Canadian Space Agency
REF: SPACE LIFE SCIENCES 2002 #1
Courier address:
100 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6
Postal Address:
P.O. Box 7275, Vanier Postal Station
Ottawa, Ontario K1L 8E3
Proposals must be received by September 13, 2002.
Proposals will not be accepted after the due date.
Proposals will not be accepted by facsimile or electronic transmission.
All proposals must be received at the address above on or before the due date. Receipt will be confirmed within 24 hours.
Proposals received late will be returned unopened.
Evaluation
- Space Agency Screening
Each research proposal submitted to the CSA will be reviewed to ensure
that it is complete as per the guidelines above. Proposals that do not meet
the guidelines will be immediately returned to the proposer. Therefore it
is recommended to communicate with the CSA if there are any questions or
doubts regarding acceptability of a proposal.
- Merit Review
The scientific merit of each proposal will be evaluated by an external
peer review panel. All panels will utilize the same factors in their
evaluation and all panel meetings will be conducted using the same review
guidelines. The merit review panel will assign a numerical score from 0-100
or a score of not recommended for further consideration based upon the
intrinsic scientific or technical merit of the proposal.
- Evaluation of Programmatic Relevance and Cost
Finally, the CSA will determine the relevance of each competitive proposal
to its program. This will be done by evaluating the proposal's contribution
to the development of a sound Agency program having the appropriate balance
required by the CSA's goals and objectives. Evaluation of the cost of a proposed
effort includes consideration of the realism and reasonableness of the proposed
cost and the relationship of the proposed cost to available funds. To determine
that proposals funded provide maximum benefit to the Canadian population each
proposal will be evaluated for the following in addition to scientific merit:
- Science team strength
- Relationship to the space environment
- Terrestrial application and benefits
- Efficiency and effectiveness
- Opportunities for students and young researchers
Proposal Checklist
Have you included:
- cover page- with original signatures on one copy
- proposal abstract
- lay description
- experiment proposal (8 pages maximum excluding references)
- facilities and equipment
- budget plan (not exceeding $50,000 per year)
- Curriculum vitae of all personnel
- Principal investigator's name on upper right of each page of proposal
- 6 hard copies of proposal
- 3 ½ disk with 2 copies (one copy in WordPerfect or Microsoft
Word and one copy in rich text format)
- Approval for studies involving humans or animals
- Courier address for proposal
Further Information
Background information and further details are available from the Canadian Space Agency:
Dr. Nicole Buckley
Program Scientist
Space Life Sciences
Space Science Program
Canadian Space Agency
P.O. Box 7275
Vanier Postal Station
Ottawa K1L 8E3
Telephone: (613) 990-5419
Fax: (613) 952-0970
E-mail: Nicole.buckley@space.gc.ca
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