CIHR Research Translation Programs - Commercialization Programs
| Important Dates | |
| Opportunity Launched | June 2006 |
| Content Last Updated | (No updates since launch) |
| October 1, 2006 | Registration Deadline - email notification of your intent to apply must be sent to msajedi@cihr-irsc.gc.ca by this date. |
| October 15, 2006 | Full applications must be courier stamped by this date. |
| February 1, 2007 | Anticipated notification of decision. |
| April 1, 2007 | Anticipated start date. |
| 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.
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| Summary | |
| Seed Grant: Drug Development is intended to enable researchers from Canadian universities and research hospitals to carry out early-stage drug development of innovative and promising compounds by taking advantage of existing drug development centre(s) or networks. Health researchers in collaboration with medicinal and organic chemists may apply for funding to carry out high-throughput target validation studies, or lead optimization using the drug development facilities at their institution or at any other Canadian academic institution. These collaborations will enable institutions to undertake enhanced drug development research and further strengthen the intellectual property (IP) position within Canadian universities and research hospitals. | |
The mandate of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (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 health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system". To fulfill its research translation mandate, CIHR has developed a Commercialization and Innovation Strategy comprised of four complementary and synergistic themes - Research, Talent, Capital and Linkages. Our focus is primarily on the early stages in the commercialization and innovation pipeline - stages where CIHR and others have identified a growing gap between a good idea and its successful exploitation for economic and health advantage. As with all CIHR initiatives, the strategy is driven by scientific excellence, as determined by peer review, high ethical standards, public private partnerships, accountability, and, most important, the public good.
In December 2002, the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research held a workshop involving representatives from the academic drug development and the clinical trials communities. The workshop participants concluded that there is a shortage of made-in-Canada drugs, and that it is due to a funding gap in the drug development pipeline. Governments support discovery research and early stage clinical trials, while biopharmaceutical companies and venture capitalists are currently investing in late stage drug development and clinical trials. Consequently, very little early stage drug development is carried out in Canada. One recommendation that came out of the workshop was that the federal government (CIHR) should create a Canada-wide resource for preclinical drug development involving the academic and private sectors.
Through the Research arm of the Commercialization and Innovation Strategy CIHR is committed to creating programs to facilitate the identification and advancement of promising drug compounds discovered in academia to subsequent commercial and clinical development through licensing and spin-off enterprises and through Canada's strong CRO (contract research organizations) community. The mandate of CIHR to foster the translation of new scientific knowledge into more effective health services and products, the approval of CIHR's Commercialization and Innovation Strategy, as well as the expressed need for a national drug development infrastructure have prompted CIHR to establish the Seed Grant: Drug Development Request for Applications aimed at target validation and lead optimization.
The purpose of the Seed Grant: Drug Development is to allow university- and hospital-based health researchers, and organic and medicinal chemists to undertake early-stage drug development at institutional drug development centres or networks. It is hoped that through collaboration between chemists, health researchers and academic drug development facilities, the discovery and creation of new therapeutic drugs will be enhanced; allowing researchers and institutions to more readily attract investors to aid in the translation of promising lead compounds into new products and new therapies to improve the health of Canadians.
The specific objectives of this initiative are:
Relevant Research Areas:
Relevant research areas include:
Note that applications dealing with the generation of new chemical entities will NOT be deemed relevant to this Request for Applications.
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.
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.
A CIHR peer review committee will evaluate the full applications. 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
Peer review will be conducted in accordance with The CIHR Peer Review Process: Policies and Responsibilities of Grants Committee Members, including the standard evaluation criteria described under "Factors for Assessment" (section 6.2).
Applications will be evaluated as per the criteria laid out in the "How to Apply" section below. The onus is on the applicant to address all of the criteria in order for the committee to accurately evaluate the proposal.
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.
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:
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.
Review the application instructions provided in How to Apply for Funding.
Select Operating Grant (Application) from the Application Packages.
The following CIHR application forms (modules) are required:
Additional instructions must be followed for this RFA:
Text to be attached:
Attach a maximum of 5 pages labelled 12a-e addressing the following criteria:
Experience and Training
Research
Impact
Four copies of the application (1 original and 3 copies) must be submitted.
RE: "Seed Grant: Drug Development"
Canadian Institute 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:
Melody Sajedi
Program 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 research 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
