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Other Grant - Strategic Training: Industry Partnered (2006-2007)

Please note that this opportunity is expected to be re-launched in 2007.

(Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research - Industry-Partnered)

CIHR Research Translation Programs Branch - Innovation and Industry Programs

Request for Applications

Important Dates
Opportunity Launched	July 2006
Content Last Updated	(No updates since launch)
August 15, 2006	Registration Deadline - Registration packages must be courier stamped by this date.
September 15, 2006	Full applications must be courier stamped by this date.
December 31, 2006	Peer review will be completed by this date.
January 31, 2007	Notification of decision will be completed by this date.
February 1, 2007	Earliest start date.
Additional Information	To prevent duplicate reviews of the same application, applicants may not submit the same (or very similar) application to more than one funding opportunity simultaneously.
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 maximum amount awarded for a single award is $1,863,000 in total for up to six years, subject to a satisfactory mid-term review during the third year: CIHR contribution: up to $103,500 per annum. Industry Partner' contribution: $207,000 per annum. However, it is possible that partners may commit more funds. The funding ratio for this program is 1:2 (CIHR: Industry).
Summary
The Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research (STIHR) was implemented by CIHR as a way for Canada to increase its competitiveness internationally in attracting new, bright, creative research talent and to ensure innovation and excellence in the next generation of Canadian health research training programs. Through the STIHR, individual training programs receive funding primarily targeted towards supporting research trainees through stipends. Funding for these training programs is provided by CIHR and its partners in the government, voluntary and private sectors. The applicant must secure the sponsorship of an eligible company before a registration can be submitted.

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

Background

CIHR's Innovation and Industry Programs are designed to help the academic community interact with Canadian companies with an interest in health research and development. The programs promote a wide variety of peer-reviewed research and training projects jointly funded by Canadian companies and CIHR. The research planned should be beneficial to both parties, while improving the quality of health of Canadians.

There are two main arms to CIHR's Innovation and Industry Programs: the CIHR/Rx&D Collaborative Research Program and the CIHR/SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) Research Program.

To learn more about Industry-Partnered programs you can visit the Innovation Programs website.

Partners

The applicant must secure the sponsorship of an eligible company before a registration can be submitted.

A company is eligible provided that it:

is federally or provincially incorporated in Canada (exceptions will be considered upon receipt of documentation that a researcher has been unable to develop a collaboration with a suitable federally or provincially incorporated company in Canada);
demonstrates adequate resources to meet its commitment to a program; and
has a demonstrable ability to apply the results of research and development itself or through agreements with other companies having the capacity to produce and market products and processes.

Objectives

The broad goals of the partnership include:

encouraging and facilitating university-industry collaborations in health research;
stimulating incremental Rx&D research activity in Canada;
developing and training new scientists to meet the human resource needs of academia, industry, government, clinical and financial communities;
stimulating jobs and growth in the Canadian economy;
enhancing communications between senior management in industry and universities;
creating attractive and stimulating jobs in Canada for the researchers who are being developed/trained in our universities;
stimulating the health research programs of start-ups, university spin-offs and SMEs; and,
facilitating the translational research objectives of CIHR, with particular interests in clinical research Clinical research combines discoveries from the basic science laboratory incorporating the observations and insights of health professionals (a key aspect of translational research). It is the creation of new health knowledge and the translation of that knowledge from the research setting into applications where it ultimately impacts on the health of Canadians.

Relevant Research Areas:

The specific objectives of this initiative are:

Increase the capacity of the Canadian health research community, including areas where it can be demonstrated that there is a need to develop capacity.
Enable recruitment and retention of highly qualified individuals from Canada and abroad to undertake health research training in Canada.
Support the development of innovative, effective, transdisciplinary, and internationally competitive training programs.
Engage new mentors and educators in the development and evolution of training strategies.
Encourage programs that:
- embrace diverse research disciplines and methodological approaches to resolve major health issues and scientific challenges;
- integrate training and discussion on the ethical conduct of research and related ethical issues;
- develop and measure the individual's communication, teamwork, and leadership skills, i.e., grant writing, peer review; and
- incorporate effective research strategies that translate knowledge into practice.

Applications in response to this initiative should also meet the objectives of the program as a whole as indicated above and in the Training Program Grant Guide. It is imperative the Training Program Grant Guide be used as it contains all the guidelines and evaluation criteria of the program.

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. Specific to CIHR industry-partnered programs, please refer to the General Guidelines for Industry-Partnered Programs.

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will not be considered under this RFA.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements specific to this program include the following:

The applicant must secure the sponsorship of an eligible company before a registration can be submitted.
An industry partner must contribute to the grant at a 1:2 (CIHR: Industry) ratio (including eligible in-kind contributions). The portion of matching funds towards trainee stipends must be in cash. Up to 25% of an industry partner's required contribution may comprise of in-kind (cash-equivalent) contributions. In-kind contributions are generally those that are entirely relevant and central to the research (such judgment may be referred to peer review) and would have to be purchased if they were not provided by the industry partner. The types of in-kind contributions that are recognized and therefore considered eligible to lever CIHR funding are listed in the "In-kind Eligibility Table".
Training programs may involve mentors in more than one institution. Such institutional collaboration is encouraged in order to facilitate interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary training opportunities with groups that have a track record of high quality and productive research collaboration, and excellence in research training. In such cases, the institution of the Program leader will be regarded as the host institution. Therefore, although institutional collaboration is encouraged, it is not necessary to have applicants from more than one institution.
Training programs may include some or all of the following training components:
- Introducing undergraduate and professional students to health research
- Leading to the awarding of a postgraduate research degree
- Providing post-doctoral research training
- Offering additional postgraduate research training experiences of not less than 11 months to health professionals, researchers or academics at any stage in their careers (For example, faculty training/retraining).
Clinical education programs are not eligible, unless they are intended exclusively to train health care professionals in research methods.
Training programs need not be restricted to formally approved graduate programs. However, if the program will include students registered for a degree program, the applicant must provide assurance that those students will be able to complete the degree requirements of an approved graduate program.
Training programs should normally provide full time research training. However, if well-justified, part-time research training is allowable.

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.

Applicants should review the Training Program Grant Guide and 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.

Allowable costs under a CIHR Strategic Training Program Grants include:

Stipends for a number of trainees may be used at the discretion of the Program Advisory Committee (PAC). CIHR funds may be combined with other sources of funding to provide the greatest degree of flexibility in funding the maximum possible number of trainees.
If the program involves more than a single geographical location, funds to support the travel of trainees and mentors between locations.
Funds to develop and coordinate program structure, format and content.
Funds for the development and dissemination of educational materials.
Advertising and trainee recruitment costs.
Other costs (including faculty release time) which can be justified as necessary for meeting the objectives of this program. Release time would normally mean providing funds to the Faculty to hire additional staff to relieve a key mentor of other teaching, administrative, and/or clinical duties.

** The CIHR contribution towards items 3-6 will not exceed 29% of the total over the lifetime of the grant.

** Tuition is not an item that can be requested in the budget. Tuition is an eligible expense for the use of the trainee stipend, but not as an additional request in the budget.
** Research related items are not eligible (e.g., research allowance, publication costs). These are the responsibility of mentors through their research grants.

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

A CIHR peer review committee will evaluate the full applications. The committee may be drawn from 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).

General CIHR Guidelines

This Request for Applications will follow the General Guidelines for Industry-Partnered Programs. Applicants 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. 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.

The contribution for funding support from the industry partner must meet the ratio of 1:2 (CIHR : Industry). The portion of matching funds towards trainee stipends must be in cash. It should be noted that CIHR funding cannot be levered against contributions provided in the past and/or for support of research that has already started or been completed.

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: 1) Registration, and 2) Full Application.

For the registration step, review the application instructions provided in How to Apply for Funding and follow the registration package guidelines for "Operating Program Grants - Industry-Partnered".

Details of the application package and procedure will be provided to those invited to submit a full application.

Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA.

Complete the Innovation and Industry Program identification page form [ PDF (220 KB) ] and include it on the top of your application package.
In the Research Funding Program(s) section of the Research Module cover page, select "Rx&D;" or "SME" under "Operating". Your selection will be dependent on the type of industrial partner involved. Reference "Who We Are" for more information.
In the Research Funding Program(s) section of the CIHR Research Module (page 7 when printed), select "Industrial Partner(s)" and enter the name(s) of the partner(s).
Provide a paragraph (free letter form) on how the application will ultimately contribute to the improved health of Canadians. How does the proposed research address the translational research objectives of CIHR? How can the proposed research be incorporated, developed or integrated into clinical research? Clinical research combines discoveries from the basic science laboratory incorporating the observations and insights of health professionals (a key aspect of translational research). This may include basic research endeavours that have not yet reached the clinic, per se.

Send the completed registration and application packages by courier to:

RE: "Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research - Industry-Partnered"
Research Translation Programs Branch
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 peer review process contact:

Jacqueline Jorge
Program Delivery Officer, Innovation and Industry Programs
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 952-5728
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: jjorge@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Created: 2006-07-14
Modified: 2006-07-14
Reviewed: 2006-07-14
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