The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity hosted an application development workshop on Dec. 11, 2002, in Ottawa, Ont. The workshop, in support of a Request for Applications (RFA) launched by partners of the Canadian Research Coalition for Safe Food and Water (see Microcosm-III, January 2003), was attended by more than 80 federal and academic researchers working in areas relating to the safety of Canada's food and water.
The workshop activities included a "mock application process" in which teams of researchers, many meeting for the first time, developed an application that required them to incorporate the expertise of all team members in a hypothetical project. This exercise opened the door for further networking opportunities. Many of the participants pronounced the workshop a success, only wishing that the spirited discussions of mutual research interests which began at the workshop had not been cut short by its one-day duration.
Dr. Judith Bray, III Assistant Director, Special Projects, underlined the importance of Canada's researchers in food and water safety: "The grand plan is to put together a Canadian network (of food and water safety researchers) to serve as a model for the rest of the world as to how this could be done. As you all know, foundation is critical. You will form the foundation of this network."
The RFA, entitled "Microbial Contamination of Food and Water and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Chain, Phase II-Establishing a Framework," is supported by the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity, the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Environment Canada, Health Canada and the National Research Council Canada. The RFA requires applicant teams to incorporate researchers from both federal and academic sectors. Participants in the workshop hailed from all the partner agencies, as well as from industry and universities across Canada.
Dr. Jim Richards, representing the NRC, commended Dr. Bhagirath Singh, III Scientific Director, and Dr. Judith Bray for the workshop: "It's a great opportunity for scientists from universities and government labs to get together, strengthening existing ties and creating new ones." Kim Elmslie spoke for Health Canada. "Our job is to expand networks, to network more effectively, to help you to work together, and to facilitate connectivity."
Representatives from the CIHR Research Portfolio and Programs divisions were on hand to discuss the RFA, and both Dr. Mark Loeb and Dr. Rickey Yada presented their application experiences with the CIHR Interdisciplinary Health Research Team program and the National Centres of Excellence program, respectively.
For more information about grantsmanship, see the CIHR grantscraft seminar
