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Rural and Northern Health Research - Operating Grants with Community Involvement (Archived)

Request for Applications - Archive

CIHR is pleased to announce a strategic initiative in Rural and Northern Health Research

Rural and Northern Health Research (RNHR) is a CIHR strategic cross-cutting initiative. Led by the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health with co-lead involvement from the Institute of Public and Population Health and the Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, RNHR is supported by all CIHR institutes.

Summary

The purpose of this strategic initiative is to support innovative, community-based, multi-pillar, multi-disciplinary research projects in an area of Rural and Northern health. The research areas are not limited but should focus on areas that have potential to improve on the burden of ill health experienced by rural and northern Canadians. An important goal of this initiative is to develop and enhance the capacity of the scientific, research and the rural and northern communities to undertake community-based research. CIHR will support research programs that are undertaken in partnership with rural and northern communities and meet international standards of scientific excellence in health research.

Timeline
Nov 1, 2003	Registrations must be courier stamped by this date
Jan 15, 2004	Full proposals must be courier stamped by this date.
March 1, 2004	End of Peer Review Process
May 1, 2004	Notification of decision
July 1, 2004	Anticipated start date
Duration of funding	Up to 3 years
Funding	Up to $1.5million over 3 years, depending on the availability of funds. The maximum amount per grant is $ 100 000 per year.

Introduction
Background
Specific Objectives and Eligible Research Areas
Who is Eligible to Apply?
Specific Eligibility Requirements
Mechanism of Support
Funds Available
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

Information on the following areas can be found in the strategic initiative announcement Rural and Northern Health Research:

Introduction, Background, Eligible Research Areas, Funds Available, Partners and their Specific Focus Areas, Research Programs, Peer Review Process, Contacts for Further Information.

Introduction

The purpose of this strategic initiative is to support community-based research that is multi-pillar (i.e. includes two or more of the following health research pillars: biomedical, clinical science, health systems and services, and the social, cultural, environmental and other aspects that affect the health of populations) and involves the research community in a multi-disciplinary, team-based approach to Rural and Northern health research.

Background

Many of the health issues facing rural and northern communities are multi-factoral and are therefore best addressed through multi-pillar, multi-disciplinary collaborations. CIHR would like to encourage researchers to undertake community-based health research projects with rural and northern communities in the spirit of participatory action research principles (i.e. participation, collaboration, empowerment, knowledge and change in health status), because it is not enough for Canadians who live in rural and northern communities to be merely informants and respondents, but they should also be full partners in research. CIHR will support research programs that demonstrate partnerships between academic institutions and rural and northern communities, and that involve community representatives in all stages of the research process including the definition of the research question; in the carrying out of the research; in the analysis and interpretation of findings; and in the development and implementation of the dissemination strategy.

Specific Objectives and Eligible Research Areas

It is the objective of CIHR to promote original, innovative coordinated and feasible research and to facilitate the rapid uptake of research results through appropriate communication, dissemination and rapid transfer of knowledge for strategic action. CIHR would like to encourage scientific researchers to develop innovative research approaches for this initiative, and therefore does not want to be prescriptive. The CIHR will accept community-based research proposals that are multi-pillar and multi-disciplinary.

The specific objectives of this request are:

To foster partnerships between rural and northern communities and health research organizations
To begin to address health issues from a multi-pillar, multi-disciplinary and holistic perspective
To promote participatory research

Who is Eligible to Apply?

Eligibility criteria for all CIHR research funding (grant) programs apply. Please refer to Eligibility for Research Funding Programs on the CIHR website. The business office of the institution of an eligible Principal Applicant generally administers CIHR funds. The eligibility requirements for Institutions are found on the CIHR website in the Financial Administration of Funds Guide.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

Teams will consist of three or more independent researchers who will pool their expertise, different perspectives, and resources to address that include, but are not limited to, Rural and Northern health issues concerning child/youth development, older adults living in small/remote communities, genetic counselling, oral health services, traditional/elder knowledge, the need for greater access to health services and gender influences on the health of men and women and boys and girls and other rural and norther issues articulated by communities in partnership with investigators.
The research plans of the team will require an ongoing, active and substantive working relationships among researchers who would normally be associated with two or more of CIHR's health research themes:
1. biomedical
2. clinical
3. health systems and health services
4. societal, cultural, and environmental influences on health and the health of populations.
This RFA supports the development of new knowledge and the translation of research findings into the improvements of the health of Rural and Northern Canadians. It encourages partnerships from public, private sector, voluntary, international and not-for-profit organizations both as funders and as active members of the research team.

At least 2 members of the team must be fully qualified independent researcher(s) employed at a Canadian not-for-profit institution. In addition, the team leader must be a researcher who holds his/her major academic appointment, whether full-or part-time, at a Canadian university or affiliated institution. The university or institution must have agreed to allow the team leader responsibility for directing research projects and supervising students.
The team leader is the person who will act as research program director and will assume administrative responsibility for the grant. No persons listed as a member of the team may receive a salary from the grant.
Proposals with researchers working in at least two different institutions are encouraged.
Proposals must be based on an active partnership between a community organization(s) and research team(s) whose members are affiliated with local universities, hospitals or other not-for-profit institutions capable of conducting health research. The partner may also contribute funding or in-kind support to the research project (such as office space or staff time), according to its ability to do so.

Community partners can include tribal councils, school boards, health-oriented service clubs, community foundations and organizations, local, provincial and national health charities, hospital and research institute foundations, municipal and regional health authorities, district health councils, and provincial government agencies. The guiding principle is that teams from the community be active and ongoing participants in research, training and dissemination activities, and that their roles have been agreed upon in a spirit of equity and the pursuit of mutual benefit and ultimately, to improve the health of rural and northern Canadians.

Mechanism of Support

This RFA is funded as a strategic initiative and is designed to solicit project operating grant applications with the duration of up to 3 years.

Funds Available

The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $ 100,000 per annum for up to 3 years, including equipment.
The total amount for this initiative is $ 1.5million over a 3 year period, depending on the availability of funds.

Allowable costs

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

The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.

How to Apply

Applicants should review the instructions on "How to Apply" on the CIHR Website. There are two steps to applying to this RFA:
1. Register your intent to apply - see the Registration Procedures on our Website and send this to CIHR by the deadline indicated at the beginning of the RFA.
2. Send in your full application by the deadline indicated at the beginning of the RFA.
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 application forms (modules) .
1. 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.
2. CIHR Research Module
3. CIHR CV Modules for all applicants/team members
4. CIHR Operating Budget Module (including the costs of personnel, travel, supply/equipment, etc.), which fully justifies each item of funding, requested.

The following special instructions apply to this RFA:

Near the top of page one of the Research Module where you are asked "Name of Industrial Partner(s) OR Partnership Program OR Special Program (if applicable)" please indicate "Rural and Northern Health Community-based Research."

Evaluation Process and Criteria For Peer Review

Each proposal must describe how the grant will address important health issues, such as those described under "Specific Objectives and Eligible Research Areas" above. CIHR will first evaluate proposals for relevance/responsiveness to one of the health research areas identified in the RFA.

Applications deemed relevant will then be evaluated by a CIHR peer-review committee. The committee may be drawn from one of CIHR's pre-existing committees or may be created specifically for this Initiative. Committee members are selected based on suggestions from many sources including the Institutes and partners. Names of committee members are published on the CIHR Website. The committee will follow the CIHR peer review process for grants.

General criteria for assessing applications are listed below. It is understood that referees and committees will weigh questions such as these differently from one application to another.

The Research Proposed

How will the proposed research try to improve the burden of ill health of Canadians who live in rural and northern communities?
How does the proposed research balance the pursuit of scientific excellence with direct involvement of rural and northern communities in the research process from initiation of the research through to knowledge translation?
How important and/or original are the research questions to be addressed, and how clearly are they formulated?
How important and/or original are the contributions expected from the research proposed? What is the potential for important new observations or knowledge?
How well do the proposed experiments address the research questions?
How appropriate are the methodologies and the proposed analyses of data?
How relevant are the new methodologies proposed. How are they introduced and/or explored? How well have the applicants anticipated difficulties in their approach and considered alternatives?
Is the relevant literature appraised and evaluated critically?

The Applicant's Productivity, Experience and Training

How appropriate to the research proposed is the training or track record of the applicant(s)? How important and/or original is the recent productivity of the applicant(s)? How much confidence do you have that the applicant can do the work proposed?

In addition to these general criteria, the peer review committee shall consider the criteria below:

What is the extent and the nature of community involvement in the identification of the research problem, development and implementation of project strategies (i.e., working relationship with Rural and northern communities and organizations)? Required information on community partnerships includes:
- Identified partnership(s) with community organizations, and a brief description of how they operate or will operate with regard to governance, mutual accountability and interaction during the research; and
- The contribution and support for the project provided by the institution(s) and community organization(s). Their contribution may be in staff time, in kind, and/or in cash, where feasible.
How is the research project action oriented? How does the proposed research aim to have transformative effects on Rural and Northern health? How will research results be disseminated to the community in a manner that will improve health?
How is the research community-based?
Is the ability to bring together, in a meaningful collaboration, researchers from different disciplines, CIHR research themes, institutions, and regions demonstrated?
Does the research environment provide a superior and effective experience for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees?

On completion of the review, CIHR and partners will receive the ranking lists, merit scores (ratings) and recommendation of the Committee for the applications submitted. Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budget will allow. Applications receiving a score less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding.

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.

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

Communication Requirement

Recipients who receive funding are required to acknowledge CIHR in any communication or publication related to the grant.

Performance Measurement and Evaluation

CIHR has made plans to assess performance of this initiative through ongoing monitoring and periodic evaluation. We are committed to informing 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.

Objective	Outcome	Measure / Indicator
To foster partnerships between rural and northern communities and health research organizations	Increased linkages, networking and collaboration between researchers and rural and northern communities	Type and frequency of consultations between researchers and rural and northern communities.
To begin to address health issues from a multi-pillar, multi-disciplinary and holistic perspective	Greater understanding of Rural and Northern health from a broader research paradigm	Disciplinary and geographic diversity in strategic research teams Evidence of transformative interaction among researchers with different perspectives
To promote participatory research	Increased research capacity in Rural and northern communities	Satisfaction of rural and northern communities with respect to involvement in research planning and conduct

Address for Submitting Application and Contact Information

Send Application by Courier to:

RE: "Rural and Northern Health Community-based Research"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Research Portfolio
410 Laurier Avenue W., 9th Floor
Address Locator 4209A
Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9

Contacts for Further Information:

For questions regarding application forms and submission requirements, contact:

Kalpana Phansalker B.Sc., B.A.Sc. (Eng.)
Program Officer
Health & Clinical Research Unit
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
410 Laurier Ave. W., 9th Floor, Address Locator 4209A
Ottawa, ON Canada
Tel: (613) 954-5998
Fax: (613) 952-2277
E-mail: kphansalker@cihr.gc.ca

For general questions about the strategic initiative Rural and Northern Health Research, please do not hesitate to contact:

Ginette Thomas B.A., M.A.
Project Director
Rural and Northern Health Research
Research Portfolio
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
410 Laurier Ave. W., 9th Floor, Address Locator 4209A
Ottawa, ON Canada
Tel: (613) 954-0616
Fax: (613) 941-0568
E-mail: gthomas@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Created: 2003-06-30
Modified: 2004-04-21
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