Please note: The International Opportunity Program has been suspended as of Fiscal Year 2007-2008.
International Relations Branch
and
CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity
| Important Dates | |
| Opportunity Launched | October 2006 |
| Content Last Updated | (No updates since launch) |
| December 1, 2006 | Registration Deadline - Registration packages must be courier stamped by this date. |
| December 15, 2006 | Full applications must be courier stamped by this date. |
| February 28, 2007 | Anticipated notification of decision. |
| March 30, 2007 | Anticipated start date. |
| Summary | |
|
In today's global economy, research cooperation is largely an international endeavor and opportunities for Canadian researchers to play a key role in such trans- and cross-boarder collaborations are on the rise. To this end, CIHR has established the International Opportunities Program (IOP) - Development/Planning Grants Program with the goal to assist Canadian researchers to initiate and develop international research collaborations in mutual areas of health research priorities to CIHR and/or the Institutes, and the foreign researcher(s). IOP - Development/Planning Grants assist Canadian researchers to explore, develop and establish new international collaborations with foreign researchers. These one-time grants support Canadian participation in the initial (pre-research) stages of international cooperation, and developmental activities (e.g. workshops, seminars, and planning meetings) designed to lead to new international collaborations. Funds Available:
Funds Available for Research in Specific Areas: | |
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
Appendix
CIHR recognizes the important role that international collaborations play in improving and advancing the health of Canadians and citizens around the world. As a result, CIHR wishes to encourage Canadian researchers to collaborate internationally in CIHR's priority areas of health research through the IOP- Development/Planning Grants. These one-time grants will enable Canadian researchers to initiate new international collaborations, and facilitate Canadian participation or leadership in the development of new international research projects. Please note that this program does not support ongoing research projects.
The CIHR International 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.
CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity
The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) supports research to enhance immune-mediated health and to reduce the burden of infectious disease, immune-mediated disease, and allergy through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.
The International Opportunities Program (IOP) Development/Planning Grants assist Canadian researchers to explore, develop and establish new international collaborations with foreign researchers. These one-time grants support Canadian participation in the initial (pre-research) stages of international cooperation and developmental activities - such as workshops, seminars and planning meetings - designed to lead to new international collaborations in mutual areas of health research priorities to CIHR and/or the Institutes, and the foreign researcher(s).
Relevant Research Areas
The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity will provide funding for applications that are determined to be relevant to pandemic preparedness. Information about other pandemic preparedness RFAs can be found on the Institute website.
The relevance of applications to pandemic preparedness research will be determined in the following manner. Upon completion of peer review, representatives from the Institute of Infection and Immunity will receive the ranking lists and peer review committee recommendations on funding level and grant or award term for all applications that are rated within the CIHR fundable range but are not funded through the regular CIHR competition to which they were submitted. The applications determined to be relevant to pandemic preparedness will be funded from the top down in order of ranking as far as budgets will allow. Applications that receive a rating below 3.5 will not be funded.
The decision to fund research applications based on their relevance to pandemic preparedness occurs apart from the peer review (scientific review) and has no relationship to the results of peer review.
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:
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.
The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.
The maximum amount awarded for a single Development/Planning Grant is $ 25,000 for up to 1 year. Eligible expenses will include travel, accommodation, workshop/seminar costs, and other related activities associated with establishing new collaborations with foreign counterparts.
A CIHR peer review committee will evaluate the full applications. The committee may be drawn from CIHR and/or Institute relevant staff or 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.
This Request for Applications will follow the General Guidelines for Grant Programs.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
Send one original and nine copies of the Application by Courier to:
RE: "International Opportunity Program - One-time Development/Planning Grants"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:
Sonia Cayer
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 941-1090
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: scayer@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For questions related to pandemic preparedness contact:
Carol Richardson
Manager, Programs and Evaluation
CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity
Suite 214 , SDRI, 1400 Western Road
London ON N6G 2V4
Telephone: (519) 661-3228
Fax: (519) 661-4226
Email: carol.richardson@schulich.uwo.ca
Questions and Answers - International Opportunities Program Planning/Development Grants
1. How many applications did CIHR receive for the last CIHR International Opportunities Program competition?
CIHR received 85 applications for the Development and Planning Grants in 2005. After the review, 21 teams were awarded funding. With a budget of $1,000,000 for FY 2006-2007 for the IOP Planning/Development Grant Program, CIHR expects to fund approximately 40 teams.
2. Is there a limit to the number of Co-applicants that can be part of the team?
Yes, each team must have a maximum of 3 Canadian co-applicants for the Planning/Development Grants.
3. Do we send the application by web, or is a paper application fine?
CIHR has not yet implemented an electronic submission process, consequently, paper versions of the application is mandatory. Handwritten applications will however not be accepted; data must be entered electronically then printed on paper versions.
4. How many copies of the application package must I send in?
As indicated in the "How to Apply" section of the Program, applicants are required to send in 9 copies of the application package at the address below:
"International Opportunity Program - One-time Development/Planning Grants"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
5. The due date for the Full Applications is December 15, 2006. For remote locations, what happens if applications are received after December 15, 2006?
All applications must be postmarked no later than December 15, 2006, according to local time zone. In other words, applications can be received after December 15, 2006 as long as postage clearly indicates that it was sent (in the country of origin) no later than December 15, 2006.
6. Can CIHR pay two different institutions with the finance?
CIHR does not provide funds directly to researchers but to one (Canadian) institution/organization with which the nominated Principal Applicant is affiliated, usually as an employee. This "Institution Paid" holds the CIHR funds in trust and maintains a Common Grant and Award account from which the researcher can draw. The Institution Paid must fall under one of the four categories listed in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide in the section titled "Eligible Individuals and Institutions."
7. Do all Principal Applicants, Co-applicants and Collaborators need a CIHR PIN number?
Only Principal Applicants and Co-applicants require a CIHR Personal Identification Number (PIN). Foreign co-applicants must also obtain a PIN as they must submit pages 1 and 2 of the CV module.
8. May I apply to more than one competition at the same time?
To prevent duplicate reviews of the same application, applicants may not submit the same (or very similar) application to more than one program simultaneously. Individual investigators can not be a Principal Applicant of more than one project in this competition.
9. Do all applicants/Co-applicants of the team have to be CIHR funded investigators?
Applicants/Co-applicants do not have to be CIHR funded investigators. Collectively, team members must have an extensive record of success, be creative and original in their approach to research and its translation.
Also, see the Frequently Asked Questions in the How to Apply for Funding section of CIHR's website.
