Needs, Gaps and Opportunities Assessments (NGOA) in the Area of Microbial Contamination of Food and Water and Anti-Microbial Resistance (Archived)

Request for Applications

CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity
CIHR Knowledge Translation Branch
Canadian Water Network Centre of Excellence
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

Introduction
Background
Partners
Specific Objectives and Eligible Research Areas
Who is Eligible to Apply
Mechanism of Support, Allowable Costs
How to Apply
Evaluation Process and Criteria for Peer Review
General CIHR Guidelines and Conditions of Funding
Performance Measurement and Evaluation
Address for Submitting Application and Contact Information

Introduction

The goal of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) is to support 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.

III has been engaged in consultations for several months with a newly formed coalition of partners that includes representatives from other research funding organizations, industry, government, and academia in an attempt to focus and coordinate Canada's research agenda in the area of the microbial contamination of food and water and antimicrobial resistance. The purpose of this NGOA program is to support a number of environmental scans of current research in this field and identify Canadian research needs, gaps and opportunities. The final reports will provide III and the coalition of partners with a sound basis from which to collectively launch high impact research programs. A major objective of the initiative is to clearly identify and prioritize research areas in which Canadian scientists can establish a niche of research excellence and make important contributions both nationally and internationally. In addition, the program is designed to probe existing research networks and evaluate current methods of knowledge translation used in this field. Recommendations are expected for more effective methods for the exchange, synthesis and ethically-sound application of new knowledge amongst university and government based scientists, public health officials, government regulatory bodies, industry and the public at large.

Background

It has been estimated that over 200 known diseases are caused by food and/or water borne transmission of pathogens or their toxins. In reality, this number is likely much higher as the cause of a food and/or water borne illness is often never identified. Severity of disease can vary from mild discomfort lasting a few hours or days to severe vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. In some cases infection leads to acute illness involving renal failure, anemia and even death or to chronic disease that lasts a lifetime. Globally, these food and water borne diseases have significant health and economic impacts.

The severity of disease depends not only on the virulence of the pathogen but also on the immune status of the host. Most at risk are the very young, the very old and people with compromised immune systems such as those receiving cancer therapy, transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive drugs to prevent graft rejection or people living with HIV/AIDS. As our population continues to age and the number of immunocompromised people increases, the health and economic effects of infectious diseases, including those that are food and water borne become an increasing concern.

Increasing globalization has the potential for negative impact on the incidence and severity of food and water borne disease by removing geographic barriers to both new and traditional pathogens. We have less knowledge and influence on the agricultural and processing practices used in food production abroad and so it becomes increasingly important that international standards be applied that are based on good science.

The pathogens themselves also change over time. New pathogens emerge and previously non-pathogenic organisms become pathogenic. Global climate changes affect the emergence of pathogens both directly and indirectly by leading to changes in the environment. This effect is likely to increase in the future. Genomics technology is providing scientists with new tools to help in the identification of these organisms and in our understanding of microbial ecology, evolution and virulence, but there is a need for better coordination and uptake of this research.

Food and water borne pathogens can emerge at any time during the food chain starting with the agricultural environment in which the food is grown continuing through harvesting, processing and packaging procedures to storage, retail and food handling methods. In addition, the continuum from watershed to tap provides many opportunities for the introduction, or concentration of emerging or resistant pathogens from both human and animal sources, to the water supply. This may in turn have implications for the food supply chain. At the end of the chain, consumer knowledge and behaviour when handling and preparing food plays a significant role in food safety.

Modern agricultural practices are often blamed for contributing to the emergence of more severe infections. A growing body of evidence links the widespread use of antibiotics in both aquatic and land based food production to the emergence of resistance among common pathogens. These resistant pathogens have a significant impact on both human and animal health if they enter the environment via the food chain or water supply.

In view of these continuing changes in demographics, globalization, emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, food and/or water borne illness is likely to become an increasing problem. In order to best protect our food and water supplies, strategic national food and water safety policies need to be developed that are flexible enough to respond to changing conditions. Procedures and policies are needed that are based on the latest scientific evidence and that are applied in a consistent, coordinated and transparent manner that involves all interested parties working together towards a common goal.

Currently, many Canadian scientists are engaged in research into the microbial contamination of food and water funded by a variety of sectors (government, industry, academia) but the coordination of this research falls short of establishing a national agenda. The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity has been consulting for many months with partners from industry, government, research funding organizations and academia to explore mechanisms for establishing effective communications networks for coordinating and focusing Canada's research agenda in the area of the microbial contamination of food and water and antimicrobial resistance in food production. This coalition of partners is continuing to work together and is now ready to move ahead with a coordinated approach to research funding in this area. The results of this NGOA program will provide a sound basis from which to launch high impact research programs

Many priority setting workshops have already been held and there are numerous reports available exploring the issue of safe food and water and the threat of antimicrobial resistance both in Canada and abroad ( eg. CIHR New Opportunity Workshop, WHO Global Strategy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance, Institute of Food Technologists Expert Report, US.and many, many more). These reports will provide applicants with an excellent overview of the current state of research. However there is still a need for a systematic review of Canadian research activities and capacity across all sectors. This will provide research funding agencies including the Institute of Infection and Immunity, the Canadian Water Network and NSERC with a sound basis on which to prioritize priorities and identify research strengths and gaps where Canada can make a unique and important contribution on both the national and international scene.

New knowledge continues to accumulate in the various sectors involved in active research in this field. However, there are few effective processes in place to consolidate and coordinate new data to make it easily accessible to all potential users. This 'user' group includes, university researchers, food producers, water and wastewater professionals, policy makers, provincial, territorial and federal government departments, public health officials and the general public. This NGOA program is designed to provide recommendations on how all Canadian researchers working in this field can best coordinate their research in order to facilitate the translation and uptake of new and existing knowledge to the research community at large and to identified user stakeholder groups

Partners:

Funds for up to eight NGOA awards have been made available by the Institute of Infection and Immunity in partnership with the CIHR Knowledge Translation Branch, the Canadian Water Network and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Proposals that address this issue from the perspective of water contamination are of particular interest to the Canadian Water Network

Specific Objectives and Eligible Research Area:

The objectives are:

• To conduct a structured environmental scan of current and planned Canadian research activities in the area of microbial contamination of food and water and antimicrobial resistance in the food chain. Applications are encouraged in all areas of research related to the microbial contamination of food and water and antimicrobial resistance in the food chain and watershed to tap continuum. In addition five specific areas of research have been identified by the Institute of Infection and Immunity and it's partners as most likely to benefit from a needs, gaps assessment. These focus areas are described below under Eligible Research Areas. The design of the environmental scan should demonstrate scientific rigour and a creative approach. The environmental scan must include data from all sectors involved in this kind of research including federal, territorial and provincial departments, public health departments, industry, food and water producers, university based scientists and any other group involved in relevant research. Existing lists of priorities should be prioritized using justified criteria to provide advice to research funders on the most urgent and fundamental investments that should be made in the field.

• To compare the research activities and capacity in Canada with activities and capacity in other countries with similar levels of health research expenditure and research productivity and to identify specific areas of research where Canadian scientists could achieve world class excellence either because of existing strengths or because of circumstances specific to Canada.

• To prepare a comprehensive inventory of research in this field (both Canada and abroad) to enable the identification of gaps in current research activities and to recommend a course of action that would either lead to capacity building or collaboration with countries with more research strength in the identified area.

• To conduct, concurrent with the environmental research scan, an assessment of the mechanisms currently used by researchers to facilitate the uptake and application of their research findings by the appropriate user groups including policy makers, food producers, regulatory bodies, public and federal health departments, municipal utilities and the general public. Shortcomings in current practice should be clearly identified and linked to recommendations for improvement.

• To produce a comprehensive report that documents the process used to develop and conduct the environmental scan, the stakeholder groups consulted during the preparation of the scan as well as the criteria used for the prioritization of the identified needs/gaps/opportunities. This report should be very 'user friendly' to enable easy access to the information contained within it. The report is intended to inform and be used by the Institute of Infection and Immunity and all its partners including those supporting this application in order to enable the coalition to coordinate and co-fund research programs in high priority areas and to develop consensus reports to inform policy makers at the national level. Suggested headings might include:

  Definition of the topic
  Methodology
  Individuals and organizations providing input
  Horizon scanning and data mining
  What we are we doing now
  Which sectors are doing what
  How well we are doing it?
  How we compare to other countries
  Where are the strengths and gaps in Canadian research?
  What should be our most important research priorities and why?
  Clearly justified recommendations for future research directions
  Assessment of current knowledge translation processes
  Recommendations for improved communication and uptake of research findingsReferences

This report should be delivered to CIHR within eight months of receipt of funds

Eligible Research Areas

Applications will be accepted in any area of microbial contamination of food and water and antimicrobial resistance, including but not limited to the following areas.

Anti-microbial resistance

Antimicrobial use in agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture can have both a direct affect on human health via the presence of drug residues in food and water and an indirect affect by promoting antimicrobial resistance in the microbial population including human pathogens. Resistant organisms can be transmitted to humans either by direct contact or through the consumption of contaminated food and water. Alternatively, resistance genes may be transferred from animal to human bacterial flora. Evidence suggests that the widespread and indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in certain food producing sectors is becoming an increasing public health problem. An NGOA in this area should address the current state of knowledge and the breadth and coordination of research on the use of antimicrobials in animals, poultry, horticulture and aquaculture in Canada. Research strengths and weaknesses should be identified and put in the context of the international research scene. Priority areas of research should be identified in order of importance and potential impact on the health of Canadians and the Canadian economy. Existing networks between researchers studying antimicrobial resistance in the food chain and those studying antimicrobial resistance in the general population and in hospitals and long term care facilities should be identified and recommendation should be made as to how such links could be strengthened. An assessment should be made of the mechanisms currently in place to inform public health officials and other stakeholder groups of the current status and implications of research in this area. Suggestions for improved methods of knowledge translation would be of value.

Health Impact of Food and Water Borne Infections

Study of the short as well as long term health effect of both endemic and accidental exposure to microbial pathogens in food and water is critical to address the serious health outcomes of infection. Exposure to environmental pathogens has recently been linked not only to disease but also an elevated or reduced risk of autoimmune diseases, allergy and asthma. The scope of this research theme includes, but is not limited to, the epidemiology of disease, role of age, gender and genetic factors; risks of immediate and delayed signs of other diseases and complications, emotional, psychological, mental health, social effects on the community, impact on the delivery of health services and economic impact on individuals and the community. An NGOA in this area should identify existing research and assess the degree of networking and collaboration currently in place between research groups. Apparent gaps in research and in the coordination of current research teams should be clearly identified. The effectiveness of the communication of research findings to the appropriate health professionals, patients, community groups, public health officials and other concerned parties should be assessed and evaluated.

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is an approach to organizing and analyzing evidence on health risks in a manner that will allow judgments to be made about the scope, utility and need for risk management interventions. Risk assessments may range from qualitative and informal to quantitative and highly structured. The latter are usually dictated by specific regulatory requirements and these have been developed in relation to a number of environmental contaminant regulatory activities. The former may not even be called risk assessments but an evaluation of risk has been inherent to logical processes of problem solving in public health. Until the past few years, formalized, quantitative risk assessments have not been as fully developed nor applied for pathogens as they have been for chemical contaminants. The mounting concerns over bio-terrorism are likely to increase applications for quantitative risk assessment of pathogens.

An NGOA in this area should address the foundations of knowledge, availability of evidence and the scope of research activities in Canada on approaches and methodologies for risk assessment of pathogens in water and food. Research strengths and weaknesses should be identified and related to areas of specific international research expertise that might provide opportunities for international collaboration of benefit to Canada. Priority areas of research should be identified in order of importance and potential impact on decision-making in relation to the health of Canadians and their impacts on the Canadian economy. Existing groups of researchers studying chemical and other health risks and those who generate the knowledge needed for undertaking improved microbial risk assessment should be evaluated to determine opportunities for sharing and developing improved methodologies. An assessment should be made of the use of risk assessment methodologies and related research by decision-makers and affected stakeholders to determine how the processes can be improved to enhance their credibility and influence on decision-making. Opportunities to use advances in risk assessment to improve risk management aspects of public policy should be identified.

Real Time Diagnostics - New technologies

Recent advances in genomics research have led to a greater understanding of the continuous and often rapid evolution of pathogens. It is of primary importance in the event of food or water contamination to be able to rapidly detect and accurately identify the pathogen(s) involved. This is true if the contamination is due to natural causes but it is even more critical in the case of intentional contamination, such as a bioterrorism event in which food and/or water is used as the vehicle for transmission. New tools, techniques and analytical systems must be developed, refined and evaluated to enable rapid detection and to facilitate risk assessment for both existing and emerging pathogens. The technique of genetic fingerprinting has value in epidemiology studies and genomic microarrays or "gene chips" show promise in the assessment of stress and injury of pathogens in food production and processing. In the area of antimicrobial resistance, over 120 resistance genes have already been identified in bacteria alone. New technologies must be applied to gain an understanding of the mechanisms of resistance and to discover novel therapeutic targets and therapies. Increased basic research using functional genomics and proteomics will lead to an improved understanding of the molecular basis of resistance. An NGOA in this area should provide a comprehensive evaluation of existing, new and emerging technologies identifying wherever possible the potential of new tools for application in this particular area of research. Mechanisms should be suggested to facilitate the uptake and application of new techniques, developed in other research fields, by researchers studying the microbial contamination of food and water and associated antimicrobial resistance.

Global Climate Change and Emerging Infectious Disease

The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases has been the subject of significant research activity over the past decade. While many diseases continue to decline or remain in remission such as small pox, polio, and leprosy, others such as malaria, cholera, plague and dengue fever, among many others, are emerging or re-emerging. While numbers vary, the cost, to the economy of Canada, of foodborne and waterborne infections is most certainly in the billions of dollars. While multiple human, biological and ecological factors are involved, an important influence on the occurance of certain pathogens is climate. It is now generally agreed by the scientific community that climate change is occurring and upward trends in global temperatures have been identified by climatologists. Pathogens generally thrive under extreme or disturbed conditions and like most opportunists reproduce rapidly when biological communities are out of balance and biodiversity is low.

Climate changes can affect the emergence of pathogens in both direct and indirect ways. Changes in vector geographical range or improved survival of environmental stages of pathogens will increase the potential for expansion and extent of impact on human and animal populations. Indirect influences include changes or extremes in weather patterns or increasing temperatures, which can damage water management infrastructure, overwhelm drinking water treatment systems, alter agricultural activity or change human behaviour including migration patterns. Extremes of draught or flooding can result in dramatic increases in occurence, concentration and exposure to pathogens by both livestock and humans.

Analyzing the role of climate change in the emergence of foodborne and waterborne pathogens as well as their potential impact requires interdisciplinary study among ecologists, biologists, climatologists, public health professionals and social scientists. An NGOA in the area of climate change and emergence of pathogens should provide and understanding of the extent of research activity and expertise related to climate change and the potential impact, both direct and indirect on both ecosystem and human health. Existing research networks and their activities should also be identified in order to strengthen links and synergies and provide policy makers, public health professionals and other government and industry partners with an understanding of these activities as they relate to protection of public health and the economy of Canada.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

Eligibility is according to the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide. Applications are invited from teams of investigators consisting of three or more researchers. The team leader must be a fully qualified independent researcher employed at a Canadian not for profit institution/ organization. Given the scope of the NGOA, proposals from researchers working in at least two different institutions are encouraged. Teams including researchers from sectors other than university academia such as federal departments and industry are very strongly encouraged. It is anticipated that future research initiatives, based on these NGOA reports will be conducted by such multidisciplinary, cross sector teams. The team leader is the person who will act as research program director and assumes responsibility for the grant. The business office of the institution of the team lead will be responsible for administering funds. The eligibility requirements for institutions are found on the CIHR website in the Financial Administration of Funds Guide. International or private sector collaborators who make a significant intellectual contribution to the research program may be listed as additional team members. No person listed as a member of the team may receive a salary from the grant.

Additionally, the applicant's home institution, if not already in the possession of a CIHR Common Grant and Award Account, must meet the conditions for establishing one. To do this, the home institution must have the capacity to administer grants according to CIHR policies, regulations, and reporting requirements as specified in CIHR's CIHR Grants and Awards Guide; and must have access to duly constituted review mechanisms to ensure that the research performed meets high standards of (a) ethics and, (b) health and safety, in accordance with applicable law and relevant national and international guidelines.

Mechanisms of Support, Allowable Costs

This RFA is designed to solicit non-renewable operating grant applications up to a maximum of $100,000 per grant for a time period of up to eight months. Up to eight grants will be funded under this agreement.

Applicants should review CIHR's guidelines on Eligible Expenditures For Research Funding Programs for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

• Operating support for specific research activities undertaken by the members of the team

• Costs of data collection and maintenance of information holdings

• Costs of regional, national and international networking activities including collaboration, planning, and research exchange activities directly related to the research project

• Consultation support - travel and accommodation costs for stakeholders

• The salary of a professional coordinator and/or administrative assistant

• The salaries of research assistants as appropriate

• Consulting fees (e.g., environmental scan)

The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs

How to Apply

• All applicants must register their intention to apply for an NGOA grant one month before the deadline date for the full application. Letters of registration are due no later than September 1, 2002. Applicants should check the complete registration description on CIHR's website for details on how to register an application.

• Applicants should also review the instructions on "How to Apply" on the CIHR website.

• In completing CIHR forms, be sure to refer to both the Grants and Awards Guides and the guidelines for completion specific to each module. The proposals must address all criteria as described below under "Evaluation Process and Criteria for Peer Review"

• Please note that in order to apply to CIHR you must have a CIHR or MRC Personal Identification Number (PIN). If you do not already have a PIN, please follow the application procedures and allow at least one working day to receive confirmation. More than one working day may be required in peak periods - late January and early August.

• The following application forms/modules are required using the CIHR applications forms.

Registration

• CIHR "Registration Module" which is a collection of some pages of the following modules and is described on the "application forms" website page referred to above.

Full Application

• CIHR Research Module
  Near the top of page one, where you are asked "Name of Strategic Initiative OR Industrial Partner(s) OR Partnership Program OR Special Program (if applicable)" please indicate "Needs, Gaps and Opportunities Assessments (NGOA) in the Area of Microbial Contamination of Food and Water and Anti-Microbial Resistance".
• CIHR CV Modules for all applicants/team members.
• CIHR Operating Budget Module (including the costs of personnel, travel, supplies/equipment, etc.), which fully justifies each item of funding requested.
• The original application and eight copies of the application are required.

Evaluation Process and Criteria for Peer Review

Full applications will be reviewed by a special multidisciplinary, expert CIHR review panel created specifically for this initiative. Committee members will be selected based of suggestions from many sources including the Institute of Infection and Immunity and its partners. The names of committee members will be published on the CIHR website. The committee will follow the CIHR peer review process for grants. In addition to scientific excellence, the peer review committee will consider the following criteria:

• Evidence of the scientific excellence and appropriateness of the methodology to be used to conduct the environmental scan and assess the current state of knowledge transfer in the field.

• Adequate identification of key stakeholder groups to be consulted in the process of determining and evaluating research activities and capacities.

• Credibility of the applicant team, in terms of relevant research experience and leadership in the field, including evidence that the applicant team has prior experience working with stakeholders to achieve collaborative outcomes.

• Evidence that the research team is multisectoral and/or mutidisciplnary in nature

• Likelihood that the final report will inform CIHR and its partners of key, high priority research areas for prudent and strategic investments in the area of microbial contamination of food and water and anti-microbial resistance.

• Likelihood that the final report will lead to improved methods of knowledge translation facilitating the uptake of research findings by the user groups identified in this request for applications.

All applications will be ranked according to the CIHR rating scale. III and KT together with representatives of NSERC and CWN, have agreed that full applications ranked at 3.5 or above (defined as "very good" or better on the 0-5 CIHR rating scale) will be eligible for funding.

All partners will abide by the guidelines and honour the terms and conditions as established under the NGOA Program.

General CIHR Guidelines and Conditions of Funding

All conditions, as specified in CIHR's Grants and Awards Guides, shall apply to those funded through this initiative. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official Language Policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, Acknowledgement of CIHR support etc. Successful recipients will be informed of any special financial conditions when they receive CIHR's Authorization for Funding Form (AFF). The principal applicant (with funding responsibilities) will be required to submit a final report to CIHR summarizing the results and describing how the grant funds were used.

Each grant provides 8 months of non-renewable funding (up to $100,000) to successful teams. Successful teams are likely to be comprised of researchers from academia, potential research users (e.g. policy makers and/or program administrators, government researchers) and stakeholder organizations, all hereafter collectively termed "Stakeholders."

In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements the following shall apply:

Communication Requirement

Recipients of the NGOA awarded under this partnership are required to acknowledge the support of CIHR, NSERC and CWN, in all written, oral and electronic presentations of their research. They are asked to notify CIHR, NSERC and CWN at least seven days in advance of any presentations at major research meetings, press conferences, or the publication dates of research papers in high-impact journals, and provide CIHR, with copies of any prepared press releases. CIHR will ensure that all other partners are copied. Embargo dates will always be respected.

Performance Measurement and Evaluation

The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity will assess the performance of this initiative through ongoing monitoring and periodic evaluation. We are committed to informing our partners and all Canadians about the performance of our initiatives and the results that they deliver.

The following table is intended to further clarify objectives by linking them to expected outcomes and measures. All funded applicants will be expected to participate in the evaluation strategy, contributing advice, data and reports as required for assessment purposes.

Send Application by Courier to:

Re: Needs, Gaps, Opportunities Assessment Program
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Research Portfolio
410 Laurier Avenue W., 9th Floor
Address Locator 4209A
Ottawa, On. K1A 0W9

Contact for Further Information

For questions regarding the review process, application forms and submission requirements, please contact:

Joanne De Montigny
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
410 Laurier Avenue W., 9th Floor
Address Locator 4209A
Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9
Telephone: (613) 954-6242; Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: jdemontigny@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Dr. Judy Bray, Institute Liaison
Institute of Infection and Immunity
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
410 Laurier Avenue W., 9th Floor
Address Locator 4209A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
Tel: 613-954-7223; Fax: 613-941-1040; Email: jbray@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

or

Bruce Moor, Assistant Director
Institute of Infection and Immunity
Siebens-Drake Research Institute, Suite 214
The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario N6G 2V4
Tel: 519-663-3324; Fax: 519-663-3095; Email: bmoor@uwo.ca