Institute of Aging
Priority Announcements fund highly rated research applications that are determined to be relevant to specific CIHR research priority areas and do not receive funding through CIHR's regular competitions.
| Important Dates | |
| Opportunity Launched | June 2006 |
| Content Last Updated | (No updates since launch) |
| October 1, 2006 | Full applications must be courier stamped by this date. |
| March 31, 2007 | Anticipated notification of decision. |
| April 30, 2007 | Earliest start date. |
| Additional Information | Applications are submitted through the October 2006 - Fellowship Awards competition |
| Funds Available | |
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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 $ 60, 000 per annum for up to 5 years:
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| Summary | |
| Part of the mandate of the CIHR Institute of Aging (IA) includes the development and support of high quality research programs and initiatives related to aging. The purpose of this Priority Announcement is to further research advances and training within IA's priority research areas by encouraging applications in the areas as well as increasing the success rate of relevant applications. | |
Objectives
Eligibility
Review Process and Evaluation Criteria
General CIHR Guidelines
Conditions of Funding
How to Apply
Contact Information
The objectives of this priority announcement are:
Relevant Research Areas
The CIHR Institute of Aging will fund applications that are determined to be relevant to the research priority areas described below. More information on the research priorities of the Institute of Aging can be found on the Institute website.
Healthy and successful aging
Research is needed on the determinants of healthy and successful aging, including: positive health behaviours and lifestyles, physical activity, nutrition; population health, population aging; aging in rural and remote areas; housing, transportation, living arrangements; social support, isolation, loneliness; life course transitions; participation of seniors in society; family and intergenerational relationships, family structure and processes; economic issues, retirement; leisure / recreation; quality of life; wisdom; resilience; mental heath (prevention of depression, anxiety, and suicide); maintenance of cognitive abilities; death and dying with dignity; prevention of substance abuse and addictions (tobacco, alcohol, gambling); secure aging (prevention of elder abuse and violence).
Biological mechanisms of aging
Research in this area should target: cell and tissue senescence; apoptosis; stress and longevity genes; telomeres and telomerase; reproductive aging; neurobiology of aging; DNA maintenance and repair; free radicals and antioxidants; genetic animal models of aging; age-related changes in tissue; systems and functions.
Cognitive impairment in aging
The Institute is leading the development of a National Research Strategy on Cognitive Impairment in Aging encompassing cognitive impairment as a continuum, including Alzheimer Disease and other dementias, such as vascular dementia. Areas of research include: biomolecular basis of disease; neuropsychological aspects; genetics and environmental influences; social, psychological and lifestyle influences; normal vs abnormal changes in cognitive function; diagnosis; epidemiology; treatment and prevention (pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention); caregiving; health services and rehabilitation; safety issues (car driving, fire prevention); ethics; and quality of life.
Aging and maintenance of functional autonomy
The focus of the Institute of Aging is primarily on the functional limitations as the consequences of diseases rather than on the diseases themselves, as these are addressed by other CIHR institutes: frailty and functional decline; motor disabilities, gait and posture, falls; communication (speech, language) and sensory disabilities (hearing, vision); incontinence; aids and adaptation; rehabilitation, geriatric services; home and institutional care and caregiving; major causes of disabilities (stroke, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, respiratory diseases). Also see the Mobility in Aging Initiative of the CIHR Institute of Aging, which aims to address research and knowledge translation needs within the range of intrinsic and extrinsic challenges (from biological to environmental) associated with mobility of older Canadians.
Health services and policy relating to older people
The Institute of Aging will support research in the following areas: acute and long-term care; home care, community care; residential care (including assisted living, supportive housing and nursing homes); caregiving; nutritional services, dental services; geriatric services, nursing services, medical services (care gap); medication use; end-of-life and palliative care; integrated delivery systems; health and social services related policy analysis.
Relevance of the applications to the research priorities will be determined in the following manner.
Prior to peer review, the Institute of Aging staff in consultation with the Institute of Aging Advisory board members, as required, will review applications to determine the relevance, or alignment, of the research proposed to the research priority areas and/or mandates described above.
To conduct relevance review, these representatives will have access to the completed relevance form (see "How to Apply"), anonymized project titles and summaries, provided that applicants have indicated their consent on the "Applicant Consent Form for Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to CIHR for Peer Review," which is included in the application forms.
The following criteria will be used in conducting the relevance review. These must be addressed in separate paragraphs on the relevance form:
Criteria #1: Extent to which the proposal addresses one or more of the five IA priority topics;
Criteria #2: Extent to which the research and research design address issues of aging and/or the aged as essential elements of the research objectives, hypotheses and analyses (e.g., dynamics of aging, age-relevant models and/or aged subjects; uniqueness of aging or aged population).
Applicants should note that, unless otherwise stated in the priority, the focus of the Institute of Aging is primarily on the functional limitations as the consequences of diseases rather than on the diseases themselves, as these are addressed by other CIHR Institutes.
Upon completion of peer review, the Institute of Aging will receive the ratings, rankings and peer review committee recommendations on funding level and grant or award term for those applications that 1) are found to be relevant to the specific objectives of the research initiative and the research priority areas described under "Relevant Research Areas"; and 2) are rated within the CIHR fundable range but are not funded through the regular CIHR competition to which they were submitted. These applications will be funded from the top down in order of ranking as far as budgets will allow. Applications that receive a ranking below 3.5 will not be funded.
The relevance review occurs apart from the peer review (scientific review) and has no relationship to the results of peer review. Peer review committees will not be informed of applications submitted for funding through this announcement.
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.
Specific to CIHR training awards, please refer to the General Guidelines for Training Programs as well as the Fellowship Awards program description.
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will not be considered for funding through this Priority Announcement.
A CIHR peer review committee will evaluate the full applications. The peer review 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.
This Priority Announcement will follow the CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies. The CIHR Institute of Aging promotes research aimed at improving the quality of life of older Canadians, and therefore, encourages first and foremost the inclusion of seniors and aging issues in research and knowledge translation activities. Applicants are also 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 Priority Announcement. 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.
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 priority announcement 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 priority announcement will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.
Applicants are advised to review CIHR's grants and awards policies and guidelines outlined in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide.
Applications are submitted through the Fellowships - October 2006 competition by including a mandatory Relevance Form with your regular with your regular Fellowship Awards application. To select the appropriate application forms, follow the links beside Fellowship Awards from the list of Application Packages)
Additional Instructions for this Priority Announcement:
For questions about the objectives and relevant research areas:
Susan Crawford
Assistant Director-Vancouver
CIHR Institute of Aging
The University of British Columbia
2080 West Mall, Room 038
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Telephone: (604) 822-9075
Fax: (604) 822-9304
Email: susanmc@interchange.ubc.ca
For questions related to specific CIHR competitions and programs, including CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:
Leah Jurkovic
Program Delivery Coordinator
Research Capacity Development Branch
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 946-0088
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: ljurkovic@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
