Knowledge Translation Branch
| Important Dates | |
| Opportunity Launched | June 2006 |
| Content Last Updated | (No updates since launch) |
| October 3, 2006 | Full applications must be courier stamped by this date. |
| January 31, 2007 | Anticipated notification of decision. |
| January 31, 2007 | Anticipated start date. |
| Additional Information | Only recipients of KTA Phase 1 Development Grants are eligible to apply for KTA Phase 2 Funding. |
| 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 total amount available for this initiative is $ 2M over 2 years. The maximum amount awarded for a single grant in Phase 2 is 75% of the amount requested up to $ 100 000. A decision maker(s)/community partner(s) must provide at least 25% of the costs, in cash or in-kind contributions. | |
| Summary | |
| Part of CIHR's mandate is to promote research that addresses both the generation and application of new knowledge. This Request for Applications (RFA) constitutes Phase 2 of a long-term commitment to promote and sustain linkages between the generation of new knowledge and its application, to meet the needs of decision maker(s)/community partner(s). The purpose of this RFA is to build on the successes of KTA Phase 1. KTA Phase 2 grants will support implementation projects of up to 2 years duration that build on partnerships, knowledge and tools developed in Phase 1, ensuring a continuing acceleration of the translation of knowledge to strengthen Canada's health care system and/or improve the health of Canadians. This investment will continue to strengthen teams engaged in KT at the community, local or regional level. Applications will be reviewed by a Merit Review committee and only those recommended by the committee will receive funding. | |
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
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is pleased to announce the launch of Knowledge to Action (KTA) Phase 2: Operating Grants for Local Researcher-User Interactions. Grants will fund knowledge translation projects of up to 24 months duration designed to build on the successes of Phase 1, ensuring a continuing acceleration of the translation of knowledge to strengthen Canada's health care system and/or improve the health of Canadians. These operating grants constitute Phase 2 of a program to accelerate the translation of knowledge to strengthen health and healthcare in local communities.
CIHR is Canada's premier federal funding agency for health research. Its objective 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 health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Part of CIHR's mandate is to focus on areas where it can make a unique contribution on the basis of its recognized core competencies: researcher training and research funding; its close relationship with the health research community; its ability to develop integrated, strategic national research agendas; and its credibility as a forum for consideration of complex health research issues. CIHR's reputation as an independent, credible and objective source of knowledge about human health positions it as a key partner in efforts to translate health knowledge into beneficial action.
CIHR defines Knowledge Translation (KT) as "the exchange, synthesis, and ethically-sound application of knowledge within a complex set of interactions among researchers and users - to accelerate the capture of the benefits of research for Canadians through improved health, more effective services and products, and a strengthened health care system". This RFA is designed to support activities within the context of this definition.
In many communities and regions across Canada, actual or nascent local partnerships exist between health researchers in universities and hospital research institutes and potential users of research findings such as local public health organizations, regional health authorities and voluntary or charitable organizations with a mandate for health promotion, disease prevention, or provision of health care services. This funding opportunity will support researcher-user partnerships at the local and regional level to become more active and effective; support research designed to meet community needs; and facilitate rapid action on the basis of new knowledge to benefit health in the community.
A broad range of activities are recognized as being critical to accelerating the pace of application of the knowledge derived from research. At the heart of all of these lies authentic two-way exchange between researchers and users of research to ensure that research questions, methodologies and means of conveying results reflect the needs of those who will use the results of the research. This includes health practitioners, health institution administrators, and public policy decision makers including elected officials, educators, the media, health charities, patient user groups, the private sector and the general public.
There is a growing literature documenting effective approaches to the translation of knowledge. KT strategies must be tailored for each opportunity, based on the best available knowledge about what works. Relevant activities can include workshops for combinations of researchers, users and knowledge translation specialists; creation of communities of practice; design, implementation and evaluation of complex integrated health interventions; knowledge synthesis; communication strategies; education strategies; practice improvement initiatives; knowledge access projects etc. Two key components of any KT strategy are a built-in capacity to evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches selected and a plan for ensuring that knowledge about innovative aspects of the project are widely disseminated to others who could benefit from its application.
The objective of this Request for Applications is to support KT networks, one of several major objectives in the CIHR KT Strategic Initiative.
The specific objectives of this initiative are:
Proposals are invited from recipients of KTA Phase 1 grants only, either those holding a position in research institutions engaged in health research or their partners in community-based government or charitable organizations having a mandate for promotion of health, diagnosis, treatment or palliation of ill-health or avoidance of illness.
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.
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will not be considered under this RFA.
Specific Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility requirements specific to this Request for Applications include the following:
A decision maker/community partner is an individual who makes decisions about, or influences, health policies or practices. In addition to the standard CIHR eligibility requirements, the following special conditions apply:
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.
In addition, the following expenditures will be considered eligible for funding received through this Request for Applications.
The maximum CIHR contribution in Phase 2 (24 months) is 75% of the amount requested up to $100,000 per grant. A decision maker(s)/community partner(s) must provide at least 25% of the amount requested in cash or in-kind contributions (e.g., release time for its employees).
KT grantees in Phase 1 applying for a grant in Phase 2 of the Knowledge to Action initiative are required to submit a progress report of the first six months of activity under the Phase 1 grant as part of their application for Phase 2 funding (deadline, October 3, 2006)
Proposals are expected to outline the following elements:
1. Potential Impact:
2. Technical Merit:
The Merit Review Panel will review full applications identified as eligible by CIHR staff. This panel will be created specifically for this competition and will be composed of relevant research peers and decision makers/community partners. Members of the panel will be selected by CIHR staff, informed by suggestions put forward by CIHR Institutes and the research and decision-maker communities.
Full applications will be assessed and rated by the Merit Review Panel using the evaluation criteria listed above and the CIHR Merit Review Scale shown in the Table below. Potential Impact, relative to the objectives of the RFA and Technical Merit will be weighted equally. Applications receiving a score of less than 3.5 on either Potential Impact or Technical Merit will be not to be considered for funding.
CIHR's Merit Review Scale
| Potential Impact | Technical Merit | ||
| Fundable: | A highly rated application will address an important health issue through a realistic and feasible plan for activities, which when completed, will have immediate and continuing impact on the health of the local community. Phase 2 activities build on the successes and experience of Phase 1. | 4.5 - 4.9 | outstanding |
| 4.0 - 4.4 | excellent | ||
| 3.5 - 3.9 |
very good | ||
| Not fundable: | A low-rated application will address a health issue with minor impact on the health of the local community and/or It is doubtful that the plan of activities could be implemented and/or the partnership between researchers and users is weak and/or there is little potential that this approach could be generalized to other settings. There is little indication that Phase 2 activities are linked to Phase 1 experiences. | 3.0 - 3.4 | good |
| 2.5 - 2.9 | needs revision | ||
| 2.0 - 2.4 | needs major revision | ||
| 0 - 1.9 | seriously flawed |
This Request for Applications will follow the General Guidelines for Grant Programs. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the use of gender and sex-based analysis in applications.
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.
Within six months after the end of the grant's term, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a final performance report, summarizing the results and describing how the grant funds were used. A standard form will be provided by CIHR.
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.
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.
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:
Only recipients of KTA Phase 1 development grants are eligible to apply for KTA Phase 2 funding. The
Principal Applicant(s) should be the same individual(s) who applied for Phase 1 funding.
Registration into the application process for the KTA Phase 2 RFA is not required. Any instructions relating to Registration in the Application Package will not apply and should be ignored.
Review the application instructions provided in How to Apply for Funding.
Select "Operating Grants" (Registration and Application) from the Grant Programs Application Packages.
Full Application
Complete the Full Application using the CIHR Operating Grants application package, which consists of the CIHR Research Module, the CIHR Operating Budget Module and the Common CV. Select Operating Grants Application from the Research Funding Programs Application Packages. In addition to these modules you must also append a Partnership Module for each funding partner contributing funds to your application.
Applicants are advised to follow the Acceptable Application Module Formats which outline formatting requirements for attachments. Please do not send material other than what is requested. Any additional material such as letters of support, updates on publications, updates on other support received, letters confirming academic appointment, reprints, etc. Such materials will be discarded and not sent to the review committee.
You must include the 6-month progress report for your KTA Phase 1 project with your application. A template for the 6-month progress report was included with the CIHR Authorization for Funding form that was sent to you in February 2006. If you do not have a template for the report, please contact Louise-Michelle Verrier at (613) 941-4644 or lverrier@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA:
a) Research Module
In the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module, select "Strategic Initiative/RFA" and enter the title of this RFA.
The research proposal section of the Research Module for this initiative is limited to a maximum of 6 pages (this includes the research summary - page 9 and any figures and tables). References may be listed in additional pages. The summary of progress (page 10) and response to reviewers (pages 11a & 11b) should not be submitted.
b) Budget Module
Clearly justify all budget items (including the costs of travel, workshops, etc.). In-kind contributions and cash support from community partner(s) should be clearly outlined in the budget justification.
c) A Partnership Module must be completed for each decision maker/community partner making a commitment to provide support (cash, in-kind, or a combination of the two) and submitted with the application. All cash and in-kind contributions from Partners, totalling a minimum of 25% of the total budget, as outlined in the Budget Module, must be corroborated by explicit statements of support in Partnership Module(s).
d) CV Module
You must submit full common CV modules for the Nominated Principal Applicant, Principal Applicants, Principal Decision-maker Applicants and one Co-Applicant on the team. Only abbreviated CVs (maximum 3 pages) are required for any additional Co-Applicants. Full CVs will not be considered for these co-applicants. The first page of the abbreviated CV should only include the contact information of the applicant (mailing address, telephone number, fax number, e-mail address, and CIHR PIN number). This information must be kept separate from the rest of the CV because it will not be forwarded to reviewers. All applicants including Decision Makers must have a CV and a CIHR PIN number. To acquire a CIHR PIN, please refer to: The second and third page of the CV should include information on current grants held, relevant publications from the last five years, and expertise keywords.
e) Courier the original and 6 copies of the Full Application package, and the KTA Phase 1: 6-month Progress Report post-marked by the full application deadline of October 3, 2006 to the address below:
Send the completed registration and application packages by courier to:
RE: "Knowledge to Action (KTA) Phase 2: Operating Grants for Local Researcher-User Interaction"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:
Louise-Michelle Verrier
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
Telephone: (613) 941-4644
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: lverrier@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:
Loretta Wong
Knowledge Exchange Specialist
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 941-4437
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: lwong@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
