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Other Grant: Science to Business (Archived)

(Science to Business (S²B) Program)

Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Commercialization Programs

Request for Applications

Important Dates
Opportunity Launched	April 2006
Content Last Updated	(No updates since launch)
June 1, 2006	Registration Deadline - email notification of your intent to apply must be sent to msajedi@cihr-irsc.gc.ca by this date.
June 15, 2006	Full applications must be courier stamped by this date.
October 31, 2006	Anticipated notification of decision.
October 1, 2006	Anticipated start date of funding. Student must begin by January 1, 2008.
Summary
CIHR's Commercialization and Innovation Strategy provides a coherent framework for transforming health research into action, improving the quality of life and stimulating economic development through discovery and innovation. To address the challenges and take best advantage of Canada's strengths, CIHR's Commercialization and Innovation Strategy has developed four complementary and synergistic themes: Research, Talent, Capital and Linkages. The Talent theme is focused on developing the very best Canadian expertise in research, technology transfer, venture capital and business expertise. CIHR's Science to Business (S²B) program is a partnership with Canadian business schools to encourage qualified PhDs in health research to pursue health and biotechnology stream MBAs. It is anticipated that graduates of S²B supported MBAs will pursue careers in research, management, regulatory affairs, public policy, patent law, and other specialties required to improve capacity and performance of commercialization and innovation. The long-term goal of this program is to strengthen the Canadian health research translational landscape by developing a cadre of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists knowledgeable in health research and business management and by fostering an entrepreneurial culture within the research community. 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. Applicants can request funding for up to three students for a maximum of two years of support. The funding available per student is as follows: Stipend for student (including fringe benefits): $20,000 per annum pro-rated monthly while attending classes full-time; or $10,000 per annum pro-rated monthly while attending classes part-time. and Tuition: 50% of tuition is paid by CIHR. This amount is expected to be matched by the institution. Recruitment allowance: up to $5,000 per student. A maximum of $10,000 may be requested for recruitment costs for the school.

Background
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

The objective of CIHR is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Harnessing our investments in health research is key to improving the health of our citizens, building sustainable, evidence-based, leading-edge health care and public health systems, and developing the transformative new technologies of tomorrow. To address the challenges and take best advantage of Canada's strengths, CIHR's Commercialization and Innovation Strategy has developed four strategic themes:

Research - Building the research core to translate discoveries that will strengthen commercialization and the innovation pipeline
Talent - Developing the very best Canadian expertise in research, technology transfer, venture capital and business expertise
Capital - Facilitating the growth of high-risk small business through development of better integrated, cohesive and knowledgeable capital
Linkages - Facilitating interactions between people and institutions at all stages of the innovation pipeline

Each theme will be realized through a series of programs and initiatives, national platforms and/or other activities. Under the theme of "Talent", CIHR's Science to Business program is designed to help fill a growing gap between discovery and its effective transfer to the consumer and marketplace. It is widely recognized that the Canadian health innovation system requires and does not have a sufficient number of people who possess the necessary scientific, managerial and entrepreneurial skills to support the commercial development of health research discoveries in Canada. This program aims to attract talented recent PhD science graduates with a desire to pursue a better appreciation of the entrepreneurial commercialization aspects of health research. It will enable business schools to recruit recent PhD science graduates to pursue a health or biotechnology stream MBA to better identify and facilitate the transfer of health innovations into useful products and services for the benefit of all Canadians.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this initiative are:

To encourage and enable recent health research PhDs to pursue a health or biotechnology stream MBA;
To strengthen health research translation by training scientists to recognize and manage health research innovations;
To develop a cadre of science-trained entrepreneurs;
To facilitate and/or accelerate the identification and technology transfer/commercialization of innovations residing in academia from CIHR-funded grants.
To nurture the entrepreneurial culture in health research at academic institutions and teaching hospitals in Canada

Relevant Research Areas:

Relevant research areas include:

Students are required to enrol in a health or biotechnology stream MBA program. Applications will be accepted only from schools with health or biotechnology stream MBA.

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 regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.

The institution paid must be eligible to receive CIHR funds. Please see the guidelines for Eligible Individuals and Institutions for further information.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements specific to this Request for Applications include the following:

Dean of business school must be the Nominated Principal Applicant;
Schools must agree to waive or otherwise finance 50% of the tuition;
School must offer a MBA program with a health or biotechnology stream.

When choosing the student, the business school must adhere to the following guidelines:

Student must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
Student must have obtained a PhD in health sciences within the last 7 years. Students must have received their PhD before starting the MBA;
Student must show evidence of entrepreneurship and success in his/her scientific career;
Schools must request that students submit an additional page with their application demonstrating how the MBA will advance the long-term goal of the CIHR Science to Business (S²B) program.
Student must enter into a full-time or part-time MBA program. Executive MBA programs are not eligible. Funding is available for a maximum of two years.

Allowable Costs

The funding will be administered in the form of a grant to the office of the Dean of business school. The Dean of business school must be the Nominated Principal Applicant.

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.

Each school may request funding for a maximum of 3 students. The funding available is described below:

Stipend:

CIHR will contribute an annual stipend of $20,000 for each student while attending classes full-time or $10,000 for each student while attending classes part-time. This amount will be pro-rated monthly based on the number of months per year that the student is in school for a maximum for two years. Students are not eligible to receive this funding while they are on a paid co-op term.
For Example:
- CASE 1: Student is attending a 16 month full-time MBA program with no co-op term. Their stipend would be calculated as follows: ($20,000/12) x 16 = $26,667 total over 16 month period
- CASE 2: Student is attending a 12 month full-time program including a 4 month co-op term. As the student is only attending classes full-time for 8 months, the stipend would be calculated as follows: ($20,000/12) x 8 = $13,333 total over 8 month period

Tuition Costs:

CIHR will contribute up to 50% of tuition fees for each student. A letter from the Dean indicating the tuition cost and agreeing to waive or otherwise finance the remaining 50% of the tuition fees for all requested students is required in the application. Exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis.

Recruitment Allowance:

CIHR will provide up to $10,000 to be used by the institution for activities associated with the recruitment of the appropriate student(s). The amount requested for these activities must be appropriately justified. Examples of eligible expenses include:
- Travel to advertise or interview potential candidates;
- Creation of web pages and/or posters to advertise the CIHR Science to Business (S²B) program.

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

A CIHR peer review committee will evaluate the full applications based on the criteria listed below under "How to Apply". 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.

Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budgets will allow. Applications receiving a score of less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding. The committee will recommend the number of students to be awarded to each institution based on merit and available budget.

General CIHR Guidelines

This Request for Applications will follow the General Guidelines for Grant Programs.

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.

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

The school receiving the grant is expected to waive or otherwise finance 50% of the tuition for the funded students;
Schools are required to submit the CV of the selected students to CIHR as well as a copy of the 1 page document submitted with the student's application demonstrating how the MBA will advance the long-term goal of the CIHR Science to Business (S²B) program;

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.

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

Upon completion of the program, the Nominated Principal Applicant will be required to submit a final report, summarizing the achievement of the student(s) and describing how each student integrated into the MBA program;
One year after the completion of the program, the funded student will be required to submit a final report outlining their current and intended career path and describing the impact that the MBA had on influencing that path;
Students may be required to participate in a one-day meeting.

How to Apply

Step 1 - Notify CIHR of your intent to apply by e-mail to msajedi@cihr-irsc.gc.ca by the registration deadline indicated above. This informal e-mail notification will be used only for administrative planning and to ensure that your application is received by CIHR.

Step 2 - Submit a full application following the guidelines below:

Full applications must have the Dean of business school as the Nominated Principal Applicant. The school listed as the institution paid must be eligible to receive CIHR funds. If the business school does not wish to apply for an account with CIHR, the affiliated University may be listed as the institution paid. Please refer to the CIHR Financial Administration of Funds Guidelines for further information.

Four copies of the application (1 original and 3 copies) must be submitted.

The following CIHR application forms (modules) are required:

CIHR Research Module
CIHR Operating Budget Module

Applications must be made using the CIHR online Web Forms. Nominated Principal Applicants (Deans) must have a CIHR PIN number to access the Web Forms.

In completing CIHR forms/modules, be sure to refer to both the Grants and Awards Guide and the guidelines for completion specific to each module.

Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA:

1) Research Module:

Specific Guidelines for completion:

Once logged into the web forms, choose "Operating" under "Research Funding Programs";
Complete the following sections only: Research Funding Program, Nominated Principal Applicant/Candidate, Project, Abstract. The Acknowledgement box under of the General Guidelines section should be completed if the applicant would like to receive an acknowledgement of the receipt of the application.
To ensure that application is forwarded to the appropriate CIHR staff, in the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module (page 7 of the web form printed report), select "Strategic Initiative/RFA" and enter the title of this RFA; "Science to Business (S²B) Program".

Text to be attached:

Only page 12 must be completed. Applicants are encouraged to address the following criteria as these will be used in the evaluation of the proposal. Please note that a maximum of 5 pages may be submitted (numbered 12a-e). Figures and references are not included in page limitations.

Background on business school (history of school and program, statistics, faculty and student track records). Alternatively, if the health or biotechnology stream MBA program is recent, identify the school's past successes in introducing programs (approximately 1 page for this bullet);
Description of health or biotechnology stream curriculum, length of program, and course design. Identify the terms where the student will be attending classes and if there are any co-op work terms;
Strengths and objectives of the program;
Anticipated career paths of graduates of the program;
Justification of the number of students requested;
Description of supporting infrastructure/receptor community around school including the school's links with industry;
If applicable, provide an update on previous Science to Business funding received (one additional page is permitted in this case).

Please append (not included in page limitations):

The CVs of the professors teaching in the health or biotechnology stream MBA program;
Health-related course descriptions for the health or biotechnology stream MBA program.

2) Operating Budget Module

Specific Guidelines for completion:

Under "Financial Assistance Requested" enter:

Under "Postdoctoral Fellows", the number of students requested, a pro-rated stipend of $20,000 for students attending classes full-time and $10,000 for students attending classes part-time (per 12 month period), and the total (# of students x stipend) under the CIHR column.
Under "Materials, Supplies and Services - Other", the value of 50% of tuition + the amount requested for recruitment (up to $10,000) under the CIHR column and the value of 50% of the tuition under the "Other Sources of Funding - Cash" column.

Text to be attached:

On page 4 of the Operating Budget Module, describe the recruitment plan in detail and provide itemized justification of the costs (recommend approximately 1 page).
Provide a letter from the Dean (who is also the Nominated Principal Applicant) listing the cost of tuition and agreeing to waive or otherwise finance 50% of the tuition for all requested students.

Send Application by Courier to:

RE: "Science to Business (S²B) Program"
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:

Melody Sajedi
Program Delivery Officer
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 957-1188
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: msajedi@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and objectives contact:

Michelle Peel, PhD
Deputy Director
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 946-5621
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: mpeel@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Created: 2006-04-13
Modified: 2006-04-13
Reviewed: 2006-04-13
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