Institute of Infection and Immunity - CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative
| Important Dates | |
| Opportunity Launched | June 2006 |
| Content Last Updated | July 14, 2006 (Contact Information) |
| November 1, 2006 | Letter of Intent must be courier stamped by this date. |
| January 15, 2007 | Anticipated notification of Letter of Intent decision |
| May 1, 2007 | Full applications must be courier stamped by this date. |
| October 1, 2007 | Anticipated notification of decision. |
| October 1, 2007 | Anticipated funding 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.
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| Summary | |
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The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to further strengthen Canadian HIV/AIDS research by supporting new and emerging research teams conducting high-quality research and providing superior training opportunities. This initiative is expected to enhance the understanding and accelerate the resolution of issues in HIV/AIDS through collaborative research. This RFA is intended to fund the creation or development of research teams undertaking collaborative research relevant to HIV/AIDS. Eligible teams will consist of at least three independent investigators who will form an integrated and effective research team and who have not worked together on the same problem or issue for more than five years. It is expected that this grant will enable such teams to build capacity and add expertise, develop strategies for knowledge translation, provide superior training and mentoring environments and achieve research excellence, so that at the end of the funding period they are competitive for funding through other major funding competitions. Through this RFA the Institute of Infection and Immunity intends to fund a variety of new and emerging research teams. Proposals that represent active and meaningful partnerships between community organizations and research teams based in institutions (including universities, colleges, hospitals, and affiliated research institutions) are welcome. The HIV/AIDS Research Initiative has distinct budgets to support research falling into the Biomedical/Clinical Research and the Health Services/Population Health Research streams. Teams in both streams will be supported through this initiative and those that engage researchers from both streams are highly encouraged. | |
Background
Partners
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
This Request for Applications is announced under the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative.
The first case of AIDS in Canada was reported in 1982. In the more than 20 years since its discovery, the disease has continued to challenge us and will do so for many years to come. The impact of the disease is profound, affecting families, communities, healthcare and education.
Despite significant progress in treatment and prevention initiatives, the rates of HIV infection in Canada continue to increase. A total of 57,674 positive HIV tests have been reported to the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control from November 1985 (when reporting began) up to December 31, 2004. The annual number of reports has increased from 2,111 in 2000 to 2,529 in 20041.
Rates of HIV infection are particularly high in marginalized groups such as gay men, injection drug users, aboriginal people, people from countries where HIV is endemic and inmates of correctional facilities. Aboriginal people, in particular, are disproportionately represented in the HIV epidemic in Canada and make up a growing percentage of positive HIV test reports and reported AIDS cases. A recent study by the Public Health Agency of Canada reported that aboriginal populations, which make up 3.3% of the Canadian population, account for an approximate 23% of HIV infections2. Females represent a growing proportion of positive HIV test reports, reaching over 25% in 20041. This increasing trend is being observed particularly among younger women. Other populations with a high degree of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection include injection drug users, men who have sex with men, people from countries where HIV is endemic and inmates in detention facilities.
The effects of HIV/AIDS reach far beyond the devastation to the health and wellbeing of an infected individual. HIV/AIDS has the potential to affect whole sectors of the economy and societies as resources will be required to care for and treat an increasing number of people living with HIV/AIDS.
To get ahead of the epidemic, a greater understanding of the complexity of the mechanisms underlying the disease and its impact is required. HIV/AIDS must be addressed from the biological point of view of understanding the virus and must also take into account the root causes, determinants of health and other factors contributing to its spread. HIV/AIDS research transcends all four pillars of health research and an innovative, multidisciplinary approach combining these areas of expertise will increase the potential for successes in fighting the disease.
The goals of the HIV/AIDS Research Initiative are to develop knowledge that will help prevent new infections, to improve the quality of care and treatment for people living with HIV and, ultimately, to contribute to finding a cure for AIDS.
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 fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic both in Canada and globally. CIHR is one of the four federal partners in this Initiative which also includes the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada and Correction Services Canada.
The goals of the Federal Initiative are to:
The primary roles of CIHR under the Federal Initiative are to set priorities for and administer Federal Initiative funding for extramural HIV/AIDS research which supports research grants and research personnel awards across the entire spectrum of HIV/AIDS research. Federal Initiative funding administered by CIHR is allocated to different streams of research. The two streams relevant to this initiative are the Biomedical/Clinical Research and the Health Services/Population Health streams. Teams in both streams will be supported through this initiative and those that engage researchers from both streams are highly encouraged.
Within the framework of the overall objectives of the Emerging Team Grant Program, the specific objectives of this Request for Applications are:
Relevant Research Areas
The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity - HIV/AIDS Research Initiative will provide funding for applications that are determined to be relevant to the following research areas:
These priority areas represent fields which require greater capacity, address urgent needs for particular Canadian populations and/or have the potential to have particularly significant impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Canada or globally. The priorities are responsive to all aspects of HIV/AIDS from the population specific factors affecting access to care, testing and treatment (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.) and behavioural basis of risk and acquisition to the basic biomedical advances in understanding the virus and developing new therapies. Priority areas within the HIV/AIDS Research Initiative include:
Health Systems, Services and Policy - Increasing access to testing, care, treatment and prevention services and understanding effective strategies to increase adherence to these programs and services is fundamental to our ability to get ahead of HIV/AIDS. Along with this, research of the associated economic impact and appropriate health care policies is needed.
Resilience and Determinants of Health - Community and biological factors that result in lower infection rates in certain populations with known risk factors may offer insight into resistance to HIV/AIDS. A greater understanding of resistance factors and determinants of health may be key to reducing infection rates in Canada.
Health of Populations and Population Specific Research - HIV/AIDS impacts all individuals and communities differently. Gender, cultural and population specific and appropriate investigations with a special focus on target populations (Aboriginals, immigrants from countries where AIDS is endemic, etc.) is required.
Prevention technologies and interventions - Behavioural, social and medical interventions all contribute to the overall prevention of HIV/AIDS. Basic biomedical research in prevention interventions such as vaccines and microbicides as well as research on culturally sensitive behavioural and social interventions is needed.
Drug development, toxicities and resistance - The development of new and more effective drug therapies, including combination and salvage therapies, for combating HIV infection is required. Research on new and improved therapies which reduce complications of drug toxicities and resistance is a priority.
Pathogenesis - An effective response to the epidemic remains dependent on increasing our understanding of the virus and the body's response to it. Further research on the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS is needed.
Issues of co-infection- People infected with HIV have or are at risk of a host of infections due to both social and biological risk factors. Factors which make people vulnerable to HIV and other infectious diseases, as well as the impact of co-infections such as HCV, tuberculosis and other infectious agents on HIV status must be further studied.
More detailed descriptions of these priority areas of research can be found on the Institute of Infection and Immunity website.
Relevance review will be conducted at the full application stage. For planning purposes, at the Letter of Intent stage representatives from the Institute of Infection and Immunity will have access to the anonymized Letter of Intent package and the one-page attachment describing how the proposed research addresses the objectives and relevant research areas (see How to Apply). At the full application stage, these representatives will have access to an updated version of the one-page attachment and the anonymized research proposal summary to conduct relevance review.
The following criteria will be used in conducting relevance review.
Relevance review occurs apart from peer review (scientific review) and has no relationship to the results of peer review.
Upon completion of peer review of the full applications, the representatives from the Institute of Infection and Immunity will receive the ratings, rankings and peer review committee recommendations on funding level and term for the applications that are rated in the CIHR fundable range and are found to be relevant to the specific objectives of the research initiative and the research areas described under "Objectives" and "Relevant Research Areas." These applications will be funded from the top down in order of ranking as far as budgets will allow. Applications that receive a ranking below 3.5 will not be funded.
Eligibility criteria specified in the Emerging Team Grant Program shall apply to applications submitted in response to this Request for Applications.
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will not be considered under this RFA.
The allowable costs are identified within the Emerging Team Grant Program.
Additional allowable costs related this Request for Applications:
Applications will be evaluated following the evaluation criteria and peer review process described in the Emerging Team Grant Program.
In addition, the following evaluation criteria specific to this Request for Applications will apply.
A peer review committee will be specifically constituted to review applications submitted in response to this Request for Applications.
The General CIHR Guidelines described in the Emerging Team Grant Program shall apply to this Request for Applications. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the use of gender and sex-based analysis in applications.
All conditions specified in the Emerging Team Grant Program shall apply to applications funded through this Request for Applications.
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 are described in the Emerging Team Grant Program.
Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation requirements are described in the Emerging Team Grant Program.
The following table is intended to further clarify objectives of this RFA by linking them to expected outcomes and measures which will be included in CIHR's Management Resources and Results Structure (MRRS) required by Treasury Board.
| Objective | Outcome | Measure / Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| To support high-quality, collaborative research which addresses important issues in HIV/AIDS | Provide funding to enhance research teams focused on issues in HIV/AIDS | Number of research teams supported by this initiative |
| Areas of HIV/AIDS research supported through this initiative | ||
| To enhance HIV/AIDS research capacity |
Teams funded under this initiative will provide training and/or mentoring opportunities | Number of trainees supported (masters, doctoral and post-doctoral levels) |
| Number of new investigators supported | ||
| To recognize and support knowledge translation initiatives |
Teams funded under this initiative will translate knowledge generated through this funding as appropriate for the research program. | Number and type of publications relevant to research done under this initiative |
| Number and type of presentations relevant to research done under this initiative | ||
| Number and type of research funding proposals submitted relevant to research done under this initiative |
Applicants are advised to review CIHR's grants and awards policies and guidelines outlined in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide.
Additional Instructions for this Request for Applications:
For questions about the objectives and relevant research areas:
Jennifer Gunning
Team Lead, HIV/AIDS and HCV Research Initiatives
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 941-4483
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: jgunning@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For questions specific to the Emerging Team Grant Program, including CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:
Nhung Tomkins (Updated: 2006-07-14)
HIV/AIDS Research Program Delivery Coordinator
Knowledge Creation Programs
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 957-8842
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: ntomkins@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
1. Public Health Agency of Canada. HIV and AIDS in Canada. Surveillance Report to December 31, 2004. Surveillance and Risk Assessment Division, Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, 2004.
2. Public Health Agency of Canada. Understanding the HIV/AIDS Epidemic among Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: The Community at a Glance, Surveillance and Risk Assessment Division, Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, 2004
