It is our pleasure to bring you another edition of IHSPR's newsletter.
For many readers, this newsletter is arriving electronically for the first time. IHSPR is transitioning to electronic distribution to provide you with information on a timely basis. Please help us to establish and maintain accurate information regarding your email addresses so that we can continue to bring you news and information from CIHR and the health services and policy research community. We appreciate your candid feedback about this newsletter and the ways in which it is distributed.
In this newsletter you will find information and web links to new funding opportunities that IHSPR and partners launched in June 2004. The Requests for Applications (RFAs) respond to thematic research priorities identified during the Listening for Direction II national consultation completed earlier this year. CIHR expects to launch new funding opportunities in the Fall of 2004, many of which are highlighted in this newsletter.
We are delighted to officially announce the launch of our expanded Workshop and Community Development Funding Program designed to support the health services and policy research community and enable IHSPR to attain the goals and objectives identified in its strategic plan. Web links in this newsletter will direct you to the new and simpler application process. Note that the first competition deadline of September 30th. is fast approaching!
Best wishes for a healthy and productive autumn!
Diane Watson
Assistant Director
Workshop and Community Development Funding Program
IHSPR is pleased to announce the launch of its expanded Workshop and Community Development Funding Program. The objectives of this program are as follows:
This funding program consists of three competitions per year, the first of which will remain open for applications until September 30, 2004. Applications must be submitted electronically. The application form and guidelines can be viewed via this pagelink.
Requests for Applications (RFA)
Check out the June 2004 round of CIHR RFAs. IHSPR and its partners posted the following funding opportunities:
Pilot Project Grants in Strategic Health Services and Policy Research Theme Areas
Launch: June 2004
Registration Deadline: October 1, 2004
Application Deadline: November 1, 2004
Launch: June 2004
Registration Deadline: October 1, 2004
Application Deadline: November 1, 2004
Research Syntheses: Priority Health Services and Systems Issues
Launch: July 2004
Registration Deadline: September 15, 2004
Application Deadline: October 15, 2004
Priority Announcements: Additional opportunities for support through CIHR's Open Competition process - Fall 2004 Competitions
Launch: June 2004
Deadlines:
a) New Investigators: Registration: August 15, 2004
Application: September 15, 2004
b) Fellowships: Application: October 1, 2004
CIHR Knowledge Translation Award 2004
CIHR wishes to increase and accelerate the flow of benefits to Canadians resulting from their investments in health research and to establish Canada as an innovative leader in health-related knowledge translation (KT). To reward those already working in this area and encourage others to engage in KT activities or research, CIHR has established an annual Knowledge Translation Award, which will recognize teams or organizations that have achieved excellence in this field.
The CIHR Knowledge Translation Award honours and supports teams or organizations that, through research on KT and/or active evidence-based KT, make an outstanding contribution to the health of Canadians or to the health system. The aim of the $100,000 award is to recognize excellence in KT and to provide financial support to further foster excellence in KT in Canada. Nominations for this Award will be accepted until September 20th, 2004. Further information is available at the following weblink.
In September of 2004, CIHR will introduce a new funding opportunity to support interdisciplinary teams of researchers and decision-makers interested in conducting applied health research useful to health system managers and/or policy-makers over the next two-to-five years. More specifically, successful applicants will conduct 3-year health services, systems and policy research projects in thematic areas identified as being of high priority in recent national consultations conducted by CIHR and its partners. This funding opportunity was developed and previously managed by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) as part of its "Open Grants Competition". For more information, please visit: [External site | Help]
Introduction of the CIHR Team Grant in September 2004
In September of 2004, CIHR will introduce the CIHR Team Grant. We are currently in consultation with our applicant community and our partners to ensure that the CIHR Team Grant is carefully designed as a flexible and inclusive funding vehicle that can accommodate all desirable aspects of collaborative research. Expected to be an on-going annual competition, this program will replace the Interdisciplinary Health Research Team (IHRT) and Community Alliances in Health Research (CAHR) programs. Look for the first Request for Applications for this new program in early September with a January 2005 deadline for Letters of Intent.
Funding Announcements
Spring 2004 IHSPR Priority Announcements:
To support health research in strategic areas, IHSPR funded two applications, addressing its research priorities that were submitted to CIHR's March 2004 Open Operating Grants competition. Please visit the following site for details on the two funded projects.
Listening for Direction II - Release of the Final Report
IHSPR is pleased to announce the release of the final report of the Listening for Direction II (LfD II) national consultation. The Institute partnered with five national partners in order to examine, evaluate and update IHSPR's research priorities via LfD II.
Joint Canada/United States Health Survey (JCUHS)
Results from the first Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health (2002-03) have been posted and data from this survey are available for research purposes. The survey was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and Statistics Canada and funded by CIHR, NCHS, Statistics Canada and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It was designed to enable accurate comparisons between countries regarding population health status, risk factors, health disparities, access to health care, and quality of and satisfaction with health care services. The data from this survey have been made available for research and can be accessed using the following weblink: [External site | Help] .
A first look at the data suggests that the health status of Americans and Canadians is similar, though the range of health status was more polarized in the United States. Americans were more likely than Canadians to report that they were very satisfied with health care received, though citizens report similar access to health care. What are the main determinants of unmet need? Waiting times in Canada, and cost in the United States. Morris Barer, IHSPR's Scientific Director, was quoted in a Globe and Mail feature article in June 2004 as saying, "Americans are spending a lot more money and not getting more access or better treatment."
The full report is available on the World Wide Web at [External site | Help].
CIHR Voluntary Sector Institute Advisory Board (IAB) Members' Meeting
Voluntary sector members from 12 of the 13 CIHR institutes' IABs met to discuss common issues and share best practices in March of this year. The event was hosted by CIHR's partnerships branch and was chaired by Suzanne Lawson, a member of IHSPR's IAB and a former member of the Institute of Genetics' (IG) IAB. The group identified their organizations and other voluntary health organizations as key partners, and outlined the current or potential roles they can play in knowledge translation, communication, and the sharing of best practices. These organizations also partner to jointly fund research. Participants underscored the message that the voluntary sector is well positioned to be a powerful advocate for the research enterprise in Canada. It was suggested, therefore, that linkages between the voluntary sector and CIHR's Governing Council should be enhanced so that the voluntary sector can fulfill these roles more successfully. A basis for communication between the voluntary sector and CIHR exists in an Accord that has been struck by the federal government and the voluntary sector on how the two sectors can work together effectively. Planning for a second voluntary sector meeting is already underway.
2004 Summer Institute
The Western Regional Training Program, the Partners in Community Health Research training program, and the Research in Addiction and Mental Health Policy and Services training program hosted the 2004 Summer Institute in Whistler, British Columbia.
The 2004 Summer Institute's theme was Negotiating the Shoals of Applied Research in Population and Public Health and Health Services and Policy Research. More than fifty doctoral, postdoctoral and masters students from many social science disciplines participated. By all accounts, the event was a success. The final report will be available on IHSPR's website in early fall.
Plans are underway for a similar event in the summer of 2005. Watch for more information on our website and in future newsletters.
We wish to thank the local hosts for the triumphant event, on behalf of our co-sponsors, including: CIHR's - Institute of Population and Public Health, Institute of Aging, Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health, Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and DIABetes, as well as the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR).
