The purpose of this initiative is to support teams of researchers and decision-makers interested in conducting applied health research useful to health system managers and/or policy makers over the next two-to-five years. More specifically, successful applicant teams will conduct health services, systems and policy research projects of up to three years in length, in thematic areas identified as high priority in recent national consultations conducted by the Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and its partners.
This funding opportunity to support research projects was developed and previously managed by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) as part of its "Open Grants Competition"1. CHSRF will continue to manage a similar competition for longer-term programs of research.2 Applicants interested in knowing more about the transition of this funding opportunity from CHSRF to CIHR should consult the CHSRF-Transfer of OGC projects.
| November 22, 2004 | Letter of Intent Deadline - Letter of Intent must be courier stamped by this date. (Please refer to "How to Apply" section of this document.) |
| February 19, 2005 | Anticipated notification of letter of intent decision. |
| May 1, 2005 | Full proposals must be courier stamped by this date. (Please refer to "How to Apply" section of this document.) |
| August 31, 2005 | Anticipated notification of full application decision. |
| October 1, 2005 | Anticipated start date. |
| Duration of projects | Up to 3 years |
| Funds Available | The maximum CIHR contribution to each project is $100,000 over the life of the project. Applicants are required to find matching funding (through 1:1 funding ratio as the acceptable minimum, there is no limit on partner contributions that can be applied to a project). Total CIHR funds available for this initiative: $3.4 million, at a minimum. |
Introduction
Background
Partners
Objectives
Eligible Research Areas
Eligibility
Funding
How to Apply
Evaluation Process and Criteria For Peer Review
Guidelines and Conditions of Funding
Performance Measurement and Evaluation
Address for Submitting Application and Contact Information
Description of Partners
The purpose of this initiative is to support teams of researchers and decision-makers interested in conducting applied health research useful to health system managers and/or policy makers over the next two-to-five years. More specifically, this initiative focuses on supporting applied health services and policy research in the following thematic areas identified as high priority in recent national consultations.
The key features of this new funding opportunity for operating grants are:
This initiative is NOT intended to fund:
Researchers interested in applying for operating grants to support research projects in the thematic areas listed above, or in other areas of health services, systems and policy research, can also submit proposals to CIHR's open competitions.
Canadians care about their health and that of their families, friends and communities, and they take great pride in their health care system. Canadians have come to expect convenient access to high quality health services based on need. Recent surveys of Canadians suggest that their overall confidence in the health care system continues to erode, but that they are ready for new models of service delivery that will improve or sustain the level of care already provided.3 Canadians are open to a wide variety of initiatives to improve the health care system, and strongly support the notion that health research will contribute to the pace of innovation in health care and evidence-based decision-making.4
In order to forge an "integrated health research agenda across disciplines, sectors and regions that reflects the emerging health needs of Canadians and the evolution of the health system and supports health policy decision-making" (CIHR Act), CIHR and its Institutes have engaged, with a variety of partners, in consultations intended to elicit national priorities, and in a number of innovative research funding programs. Through partnerships with key stakeholders, CIHR is striving to support internationally competitive research initiatives that produce timely, high quality evidence with near term improving effects on the Canadian health care system and the health of Canadians. Partnerships are about shared vision, common objectives and alignment of priorities and programs. Partnerships are also critical to making more effectve use of resources for research and are key to any successful knowledge translation strategy. In keeping with that spirit of collaboration and common vision and objectives, this strategic funding initiative involves partnerships between researchers, users of research, and funders of research.
In early 2004 CIHR published Investing in Canada's Future: A Blueprint for Health Research and Innovation to articulate its vision, mandate and strategic directions for the coming years. One strategic direction is to "support health innovations that contribute to a more productive health system.". The foundation for CIHR's Blueprint is the extensive work of its 13 institutes in developing their own strategic plans. Since 2001, CIHR's 13 institutes have conducted wide-ranging consultations to develop coordinated, focused and integrated health research agendas within their respective health research domains. This strategic funding initiative has been designed to provide operating grant funds to support applied health services, systems and policy research in thematic areas that have been identified as a priority by one or more of CIHR's 13 institutes.
Applied health services, systems and policy research has played an important role in discussions, debate and decision-making in health care in Canada for decades, and will continue to do so in the current 'evidence-based' environment. While decision-making in health care is a complex process, research evidence has an important role to play. When the research process is guided by the information needs of users of research, findings are more likely to be translated into new knowledge. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly evident that effective knowledge translation requires continuous long-term interaction between researchers and users of research. Therefore, this initiative requires meaningful collaboration between a researcher(s) and system decision-makers likely to be able to make use of the results of the research, and will involve merit review of proposals where researchers and decision-makers jointly assess potential impact of the research on the health system, as well as scientific merit.
In addition to financial support from CIHR5, this funding program relies heavily on the participation of partners and stakeholders to promote effective knowledge translation and to match CIHR's contributions (at least 1:1 matching is required). Applicants are invited to visit the Description of Partners to find information about Partners and their specific mandates, involvement and contributions. This list will continue to evolve as new Partners join this initiative.
There are three types of partnerships as part of this competition:
These are active participants or advisory bodies on specific projects of research and are identified on grant applications.
Proposals must involve relevant decision-maker partners. Decision-makers and decision-maker organizations are considered partners when active as members of the investigative team or when participating through a significant advisory mechanism. Proposals that do not include relevant decision-makers as investigators or as significant advisors are not eligible for funding. Decision-makers' participation on research projects is a concrete demonstration of the importance of the topic to them and their commitment to the regular sharing of issues and results related to the research. Their partnership indicates a commitment to developing an ongoing relationship with a group of researchers to help answer questions in their managerial or policy-making area.
Although it is desirable to have decision-maker partners who also contribute funds or in-kind contributions such as staff release time, in situations where this is not possible, one or more of the other partner types must be approached to meet the matched funding requirement.
These are organizations that have agreed to provide funding support to this competition.
CIHR is negotiating competition partnerships with a number of health research funding agencies, Ministries or Departments of Health, and other stakeholders that have expressed an interest in supporting this competition. These commitments are generally restricted either to researchers from, or working on issues that are a priority for, a particular province, or to research on a particular theme. Although many competition partners only support researchers from their own province, they may also consider supporting other researchers with multi-jurisdictional projects.
To date, the following organizations and stakeholders have committed their support to the current competition: (For additional information on these competition partners, please see the Description of Partners).
The funding available from each of the competition partners is subject to revision without notice. Funding from competition partners may also be subject to confirmation that the proposed research fits within the partner's priorities.
In most cases, partnership arrangements with competition partners are negotiated directly between the applicant and the competition partner in question. Researchers and decision-makers interested in exploring such partnerships should communicate directly with the appropriate contact for each organization as indicated in the Description of Partners.
These are organizations identified by the applicants themselves, that will contribute cash or in-kind resources to specific projects of research.
Eligible applicants may obtain contributions (cash or in-kind) from other partners that they identify and with whom they negotiate. Such partners could be universities, foundations, voluntary health charities, provider associations, provincial government departments, or the private sector.
For private sector partners: please note, CIHR's financial contribution to a project is not to exceed that of private sector partner(s). The private sector consists of for-profit organizations, including companies, industry consortia, industry associations, and commodity or producer groups. Special circumstances may be considered on a case by case basis.
A list of such partners active in previous (CHSRF-sponsored) competitions is provided as a reference in the Description of Partners. Where "decision-maker partners" also bring ressources (cash or in-kind) to a project, they may also be considered project-specific partners.
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support teams of researchers and decision-makers interested in conducting applied health services and policy research in theme areas identified below, that will be useful to health system managers and/or policy makers over the next two-to-five years. More specifically, this initiative is intended to:
Ten priority thematic areas emerged during a national consultation earlier this year (Listening for Direction II) that was undertaken by CHSRF, CIHR - IHSPR, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Advisory Committee on Governance and Accountability of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health, and the Health Statistics Division of Statistics Canada. All of these are eligible research areas for this competition. Detailed descriptions of, and sample research questions for, each of these themes can be found in the Listening for Direction II final report.
Within these research areas, as appropriate, applications focused on particular populations such as: official language minority communities, informal/voluntary care givers, isolated populations (e.g., Aboriginal or northern communities) and vulnerable populations are of particular interest.
A number of other partners have identified areas of focused interest to which they have committed targeted funding (see Description of Partners for further details).
These include an 11th theme and three sub-themes:
Nurses make up the largest healthcare provider group in the healthcare system. Staffing and other workplace issues remain critically important to this group. As well, a recent nursing consultation identified the need for further work on strategies that address generational differences, such as recruitment and retention issues related to work-life balance expectations; full-time employment opportunities; and specific education and mentoring needs that support the transition of new nurses into a complex work environment. There is also increasing evidence that nursing care has a large impact on quality of care and patient safety. Thus there is significant overlap between this theme and two of the other strategic themes: health human resources and managing for quality and patient safety. Proposals responding to these other themes can be within the scope of the nursing theme as long as they have a nursing health services focus.
Examples of issues that proposals could address include:
Integral to all of the above are strategies to implement models of innovation at a system level, including recommendations from the foundation's report Commitment and Care published in 2001 and the final report of the Canadian Nursing Advisory Committee published in 2002.
The three sub-themes in the current competition are:
i) Mental health and the health care workplace (fits within the "Management of healthcare workplace" LfD II theme)
Eligible research questions under this topic focus on mental health and health care workplaces, and include health system decision-makers from human resources, other relevant departments, and/or a variety of agencies (e.g., institutions, health regions, provincial ministries). Research priorities include, but are not limited to: mental health promotion in health care workplaces, stigma and health care work, transforming knowledge into practice, and disability management and return to work.
In early 2004, CIHR's Institutes of Population and Public Health, and Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addictions sponsored a national workshop that focused on Mental Health in the Workplace. Please consult the full report from that workshop, for more information.
ii) Infections acquired in hospitals (fits within the "Managing for quality and safety" LfD II theme)
Infections that are acquired in acute, long term or continuing care facilities pose an important threat to patient health and safety. A recent national study estimated that 10% of patients in major Canadian teaching hospitals acquire nosocomial infections, including urinary tract, pneumonia, surgical site, and blood stream infections.7 In addition to the financial cost, nosocomial infections add to functional disability, emotional stress and may, in some cases, lead to disabling conditions that reduce the quality of life or even result in death. One example is the recent increase in incidence and severity of clostridium difficile infections, the leading cause of infectious diarrhea among hospital patients. At least 83 hospital patients in Montreal and Calgary alone have died from Clostridium difficile infections in the last 18 months.8
Last year's outbreak of SARS was primarily due to transmission of infection in hospitals. The occurrence of this outbreak emphasizes that important gaps in knowledge exist in how infection in hospitalized patients can best be prevented. These gaps range from identifying the most effective and efficient methods for surveillance to implementing interventions for preventing infection. For example, although it is generally accepted that hand washing can reduce the spread of infection and antimicrobial resistance in hospitals, studies show that fewer than 50% of healthcare providers wash their hands before seeing patients, even when they know they are being observed.9 Procedures performed in hospital, such as surgery, are an important source of infection.10 The level of hospital cleanliness may also be a contributing factor.11 Thus, important questions exist as to how best to reduce risk of these occurrences and how to translate existing knowledge into clinical practice.
Of particular interest is the potential for applying research findings directly to changing policies or procedures in order to reduce infection rates. In order to facilitate change, this funding opportunity offers an ideal opportunity for partnership between infection control practitioners, epidemiologists, and administrators or policy makers in hospitals, and long term or continuing care facilities. Research of particular interest in this sub-theme is that aimed at the evaluation and discovery of best practices and methods that will:
iii) System support for managing obesity and overweight (could fit within the "Linking care across place, time and settings", "Workforce planning, training and regulation", "Timely access to quality care for all", or "Linking public health to health services" LfD II themes)
Eligible research questions under this topic on system support for managing obese and overweight should address ways in which the health care or public health systems can be strengthened to support effective clinical interventions in obesity and overweight. Examples of possible foci for such a project include (without implying that this exhausts eligible research areas, or that applications in these areas will be more successful than others):
Eligibility criteria for all CIHR research funding (grant) 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 under CIHR's Grants and Awards Guide on the CIHR website, regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.
Please note: In addition to standard CIHR applicant roles (i.e., Principal Applicant, and Co-applicant), two new applicant roles have been added specifically (and only) for this competition: Principal Decision-maker Applicant and Decision-maker Applicant, which are equivalent to Principal Applicant and Co-applicant respectively.
A decision-maker is an individual who makes decisions or influences policies that have a direct influence on the organization, delivery, financing, management, regulation or delivery of health systems or services.
In addition to the standard CIHR eligibility requirements, the following special conditions apply:
This competition is funded as an operating grants competition, and is designed to solicit project grant applications with duration of up to 3 years.
Applicants should review the "Eligibility of Expenses, Employment under Grants" section of the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.
The full application must provide a detailed budget and justification of all costs. This justification must include direct costs that relate to the proposed knowledge translation activity outlined in the project description itself.
Grants should NOT be used:
Allowable costs for these project grants include:
Letters of Intent (LOI) and Full Applications must address the criteria described under the Evaluation Process and Criteria For Peer Review section of this competition. Please refer to the Tips and Traps at the end of this section when applying.
To access CIHR web forms, all applicants and co-applicants must acquire Personal Identification Numbers (PIN). There will be a delay of approximately one working day to receive confirmation of a PIN. More than one working day may be required in peak periods - late January and early August. The PIN will also be needed to complete the Common CV for CIHR.
Applicants are advised to refer to the "Guidelines for Completion" specific to each application module, and the instructions on How to Apply for a Grant or Award, including the applicable section of the Grants and Awards Guide.
The following special instructions apply to this competition:
There are two stages to the application process:
Applicants are encouraged to use the web forms for the letter of intent. Please Note: As of January 1, 2005 CIHR will only accept PDF forms if there is no web form equivalent. The Partnership Module (for "Partnerships for Health System Improvement") has no web form equivalent and must be completed manually (inputted electronically) using the PDF form format.
1) Letter of Intent (LOI)
The team must submit one original and six copies of a Letter of Intent, which will be reviewed for responsiveness/thematic fit. Letters of Intent must be postmarked no later than November 22, 2004.
The Letter of Intent is comprised of:
a) CIHR Research Module
The Research Module must be completed using the Webforms:
Please refer to "The Meaning of Signatures on Application Forms" and "Applicant Categories for CIHR Grants," in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide.
b) Letter of Intent
The letter of intent itself must not exceed four pages. Letters of Intent will be evaluated as per the evaluation criteria detailed in the Criteria for Merit Review section. Applicants are expected to use the headings below to organize the letter of intent:
Research: This section should describe: the objectives and question(s) to be addressed, based on an assessment of the existing literature and practice; the methods and approach to be employed; the importance and likely outcome of the research, the likely generalizability and validity of the results, and the research timeline. Please note that the methods and approach should be sufficiently well developed and clearly described that it is possible for the merit review panel to assess feasibility and relevance.
Impact: This section should address questions such as the following: Are the "process" or "outcome" measures relevant and useful to a significant number of health-system managers and policy makers? How will the research results be used in the planning, allocation, or management decisions of policy makers? Can the research results be applied? Are they applicable outside a single region or institution? Are appropriate numbers of the decision-maker audience active in the proposal? Will this audience still be interested in the results when they are available? Will the dissemination of the research results respect the ways in which decision-makers are likely to acquire and apply information? Has the communication plan been informed by decision-maker preferences?
Investigative team: This section should include the names and affiliations of the investigative team members, with a brief statement of their roles (e.g., researcher, decision-maker), experience, area(s) of expertise, time commitment and planned contributions to the project. It should also include a brief description of the structures and processes in place (or that will be put in place) to encourage the regular collaborative planning, resolution of issues, and sharing of results between members of the investigative team.
Knowledge Translation plan: This section should include the identification of the audience(s) the research is relevant to, and a description of the approaches that will be taken to reach the audience(s). Applicants should describe plans for linkage and exchange activities, and outline how these approaches will increase potential use/broader application of results. Applicants should indicate whether there are plans to informally evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen approach to knowledge translation. The more sensitive the plan is to the preferences of the relevant managers and/or policy makers, the higher it will be rated.
Budget: This section should include:
c) Attachments
The general presentation guidelines for completing CIHR application forms must be followed, e.g., use single-spaced type NO smaller than 12 point. These guidelines are available on the CIHR web site.
All invited teams must submit one original and eight copies of the full application. Full applications must be postmarked no later than May 1, 2005.
The Full Application is comprised of:
a) Covering Letter
This document should state, at a minimum: the name of this funding opportunity - 'Partnerships for Health System Improvement', the name of the decision-maker partner organization(s), and which of the 11 eligible thematic areas the proposal primarily addresses and any sub-themes, if applicable.
b) The CIHR Operating Grants application package
When completing the CIHR Operating Grants application package, please note the following information:
In the Research Module:
In the CIHR Operating Budget Module:
In the Common CV (for CIHR):
c) The Partnership Module
d) Attachments
The following criteria will be used to evaluate both the letter of intent and invited full scale applications:
a) Potential Impact
Assessment criteria include:
b) Scientific Merit
Assessment criteria include:
Eligibility Screening
Letters of intent will be initially screened by CIHR staff in conjunction with members of a Merit Review Panel. Letters of Intent will first be screened for eligibility on the basis of the following factors:
Merit Review of LOI
Letters of intent deemed eligible will then be evaluated by a CIHR Merit Review Panel. The panel will be created specifically for this program. Committee members are selected based on suggestions from many sources including the Institute(s), partner(s) and the research community. Names of panel members are published on the CIHR website. The committee will use the CIHR Merit Review Scale.
| Potential Impact | Scientific Merit | ||
| Fundable: |
enormous |
4.5-4.9 4.0-4.4 3.5-3.9 |
outstanding excellent very good |
| Seldom funded: | significant | 3.0-3.4 | acceptable, but low priority |
| Not fundable: | acceptable limited negligible |
2.5-2.9 2.0-2.4 0-1.9 |
needs revision |
All letters of intent will be reviewed by at least one decision-maker and one researcher, who will assess potential impact and scientific merit, as well as the quality of the research team. Potential impact and scientific merit will be given equal weight in the assessment of the LOI by the merit review panel. The entire merit review panel will then determine the final ranking of each letter of intent. Only those letters of intent that exceed the threshold score on both potential impact and scientific merit will be considered for invitation to the full-scale application stage.
Relevance Review
Prior to merit review of the invited full applications, the appropriate Institute and/or Competition Partner representatives may first evaluate full applications for relevance in relation their particular interests (for partnership purposes). As such, those representatives will have access to the anonymized project titles and full application summaries (page 9 of the Research Module).
Merit Review of the Full Application
Invited full applications will be evaluated by a CIHR Merit Review Panel. The panel will assess potential impact and scientific merit, as well as the quality of the research team. Only those full applications that exceed the threshold score on both potential impact and scientific merit will be considered for funding.
All conditions, as specified in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide, shall apply to grants funded through this program. 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.
In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements, the following special conditions shall apply to this competition:
Recipients who receive funding are required to acknowledge the CIHR Institute(s)/partner(s) in any communication or publication related to the grant.
The KT Branch 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Support research that "reflects the emerging health needs of Canadians and the evolution of the health system and supports health policy decision-making". |
Funded research is identified as a high priority by health policy decision-makers. Funded research supports health policy decision-making. |
Activity decision-maker involvement throughout the research project due to their perceptions of high priority theme. Decision-maker partners report that funded research supports health policy decision-making. Examples of policy decision-making based on research. |
| Support research relevant to decision-makers by producing results that can be applied to multiple regions and/or settings. | Applicability of results to multiple regions and/or settings. |
Decision-makers in other regions and/or settings who are not involved in the funded research report that the work supports health policy decision-making. Peer reviewed article addresses the applicability of the results to multiple regions and/or settings. |
| Foster "collaboration with the provinces and with individuals and organizations in or outside of Canada that have an interest in health or health research" and engage a variety of partners, "in or outside Canada, with complementary research interests". | Collaborations among a variety of researchers and decision-makers that are attributable to involvement in the funded research. |
New collaborations among a variety of researchers and decision-makers, attributable to involvement in the funded research, that last throughout the term of the work. Collaborations among a variety of researchers and decision-makers, attributable to involvement in the funded research, that are sustained long after the term of the work. |
| Promote the involvement and recognition of, and respect for, health researchers from an array of health disciplines. | Multidisciplinary research teams. | The array of disciplinary backgrounds of research team members, and the extent to which these backgrounds are engaged to enhance the quality of the funded work. |
| Enable the dissemination of knowledge and application of health research to improve the health of Canadians and the strength of the Canadian health care system. |
Improved linkages and exchanges among researchers and users of research. Created new knowledge and influenced decision-making in health care policy and practice. |
Number and nature of knowledge translation activities. Increased awareness among decision-makers about the research findings. Increased awareness among researchers about the research needs of decision-makers. Extent to which new knowledge has been created. Extent to which new knowledge has influenced decision making. |
RE: "Partnerships for Health System Improvement"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Research Portfolio
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address Locator 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply and details about the merit review process, please contact:
Anna-Lisa Kates
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
160 Elgin Street, 9th floor
Address Locator 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
Telephone: (613) 957-6125
E-mail: akates@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
1 CHSRF Open Grants Competition Call for Letters of Intent.
2CHSRF is also a partner in this projects competition, and, in particular, is providing funding to support successful projects submitted under the nursing leadership, organization and policy theme, via the CHSRF Nursing Research Fund.
3 Health Care in Canada Survey: Retrospective 1998-2003. 2003. Pollara Research. Accessed August 10, 2004.
4 Health Care in Canada Survey. 2003. Pollara Research. Accessed July 6, 2004.
5 CIHR support for the current competition Partnership for Health System Improvement (PHSI) comes from (at time of posting):
Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (IAPH)
Institute of Aging (IA)
Institute of Gender and Health (IGH)
Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR)
Institute of Infection and Immunity (III)
Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA)
Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD)
Knowledge Translation Branch
Research Translation Programs
6 The Objectives for the current competition refer to: Statutes of Canada 2000 Chapter 6 Bill C-13 . "Act to establish the Canadian Institutes of Health Research" 13, April 2000.
7 Gravel D, Matlow A, the Point Prevalence Working Group, the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP) and the Canadian Hospital Epidemiology Committee (CHEC). Nosocomial Infections Identified during a Point Prevalence Survey within Selected Canadian Health Care Institutions. Presented at the Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America Meeting, Arlington Virginia, April 2003.
8 Valiquette,L; Low, DE; Pepin J, McGeer, A. Clostridium difficile infection in hospitals: a brewing storm. CMAJ. 2004; July 6, 171(1)
9 Weinstein RA. Hand hygiene--of reason and ritual. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Jul 6;141(1):65-6.
10 Jarvis WR. Benchmarking for prevention: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system experience. Infection. 2003 Dec;31 Suppl 2:44-8.
11 Collins, BJ. The Hospital Environment: how clean should a hospital be? J Hosp Infect 1988;11 Suppl. A. 53-56
CIHR is Canada's major 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.
In addition to the strategic funding identified below, an allocation of $500,000 is available to researchers undertaking projects of research in the provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. This provincial partnership initiative is intended to expand the pool of available funds and thereby increase health research activity in these provinces.
CIHR-IAPH supports research to address the special health needs of Canada's Aboriginal people.
Depending on available resources, through this RFA the CIHR-IAPH will support research that contributes to the improvement of the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis people. It will support innovative research projects that generate new knowledge based on scientific excellence, cultural relevance and community collaboration. Applicants should also build partnerships and alliances between aboriginal communities and relevant health research organizations/institutes at the local, regional and/or national levels.
CIHR-IA supports research to promote healthy aging and to address causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with aging. IA has identified five priority areas for research on aging and health (in no particular order): healthy and successful aging; biological mechanisms of aging; cognitive impairment in aging; aging and maintenance of functional autonomy; and health services and policy relating to older people.
IA will contribute up to $200,000 to successful applications that fit within one or more of its priority research areas.
The mandate of CIHR-IGH is to support research that addresses how sex (biological-genetic dimensions) and gender (social-cultural dimensions) interact with other socio-cultural, bio-physical, and political-economic factors to influence health, and create conditions that differ with respect to risk factors or effective interventions for males and females throughout the lifespan.
IGH will contribute $200,000 to successful applications in all research theme areas which are relevant to its mandate and any of the following research priorities.
Five research priorities were identified through extensive consultations with investigators representing the full spectrum of health research in the CIHR pillars, and with representatives of policy, program and public arenas. These research priorities include:
(1) Access and equity for vulnerable populations;
(2) Promoting health in the context of chronic conditions and disabilities;
(3) Gender and health across the lifespan;
(4) Promoting positive health behaviours and preventing addictions; and
(5) Gender and the environment.
CIHR-IHSPR supports outstanding research, capacity-building and knowledge translation initiatives designed to improve the way health care services are organized, regulated, managed, financed, paid for, used and delivered, in the interest of improving the health and quality of life of all Canadians.
IHSPR has committed up to $1,000,000 per year to this competition available to applicants working in areas identified as priorities in the recent LFDII priority setting-process.
CIHR-III seeks to establish national leadership, priorities and programs that promote innovative research to reduce the global burden of infection and immune-based disease and improve quality of life.
III will contribute $200,000 per year for up to 3 years to successful applications in the thematic area of "Managing for quality and safety" within the 'Infections Acquired in Hospitals' sub-theme. Specifically III is interested in research aimed at the evaluation and discovery of best practices and methods that will:
CIHR-INMD's mandate is to support research to enhance health in relation to diet, digestion, excretion, and metabolism; and to address causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions and problems associated with hormone, digestive system, kidney, and liver function. INMD's current strategic research focus is obesity/heathy body weight.
INMD will support one innovative project within the 'System Support for Managing Obesity and Overweight' sub-theme, which could fit within the "Linking care across place, time and settings", "Workforce planning, training and regulation", "Timely access to quality care for all", or "Linking public health to health services" themes, that addresses ways in which the health care or public health systems can be strengthened to support effective clinical interventions in obesity and overweight. Examples of possible foci for such a project include (without implying that this exhausts eligible research areas, or that applications in these areas will be more successful than others):
CIHR-INMHA supports research to enhance mental health, neurological health, vision, hearing, and cognitive functioning and to reduce the burden of related disorders through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.
INMHA will commit up to $200,000 for up to three years for applications in the thematic area "Management of healthcare workplace" theme within the "Mental Health and the Workplace' sub-theme.
An important part of CIHR's mandate is to translate knowledge into improved health for Canadians. In responding to this broad mandate, it will be necessary for CIHR to strengthen relationships among health researchers and users of health knowledge, enhance capacity for knowledge uptake, and accelerate the flow of knowledge into beneficial health applications.
The CIHR-KT Branch will commit up to a maximum of $500,000 per year to projects which will strengthen relationships among health researchers and users of health knowledge for effective knowledge translation that will lead to improved health for Canadians, more effective services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system.
CIHR's Research Translation Programs will commit up to $500,000 in this current competition towards research projects in eligible competition themes, where applicant teams secure the required matching funds (cash or in-kind) from public (other than federal government), not-for-profit, or private sector sources.
The planned research must be of value to all partners, in addition to having expected beneficial impacts on the health of Canadians and/or the strength of the Canadian health care system. Note that CIHR's financial contribution to a project under this competition cannot exceed that of any private sector partner(s). For this purpose, the private sector is meant to include for-profit organizations, including companies, industry consortia, industry associations, and commodity or producer groups with the ability to further develop and/or exploit benefits of research.
For further information, please contact:
Kalpana Phansalker
Program Delivery Officer
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 954-5998
Fax: (613) 952-2277
Email: kphansalker@cihr.gc.ca
Partnership and support is being negotiated with a number of other health research funding organizations. These commitments are generally restricted to either researchers from or working on the issues related to a particular province, or research on a particular theme. Although many provincial partners will only support researchers from their own province, consideration may also be given to multi-jurisdictional projects.
In all cases commitment is subject to availability of appropriated funds in the budgets of each parties. The funding ceilings are subject to revision without notice and are also subject to their confirmation that the proposed research fits within their priorities and regulations.
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
AHFMR supports a community of researchers who generate knowledge whose application improves the health and quality of life of Albertans and people throughout the world. The long-term commitment is to fund health research based on international standards of excellence and carried out by new and established investigators and researchers in training.
Funding is available for successful projects in all themes through the AHFMR Opportunity Fund. AHFMR will not usually contribute more than $100,000 per project or 50 percent of total costs, whichever is less. AHFMR's total contribution through the fund will not normally exceed $500,000 per year. Applicants seeking co-sponsorship funds from AHFMR must obtain letters of support at the letter of intent stage. Funding is usually reserved for Alberta-based researchers and decision-makers. For further information see the AHFMR website or contact:
Mr. Mark Taylor
Director, Grants & Awards
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
Tel.: (780) 423-5727
Fax: (780) 429-3509
E-mail: mark.taylor@ahfmr.ab.ca
Up to $200,000 is available for successful projects in this CIHR competition (maximum of $100, 000 per project), submitted under the nursing leadership, organization and policy theme. Applicants can continue to access other NRF funds made available through the CHSRF through various foundation competitions, including one for programs of research to be launched this fall. Applicants under this theme may also wish to identify other potential partners in case there are insufficient funds from the Nursing Research Fund to support all the meritorious proposals submitted under this theme. For further information contact:
Joanne Casey
Grants and Awards Management Coordinator
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
Tel: (613) 728-2238 ext. 218
Fax: (613) 728-3527
E-mail: joanne.casey@chsrf.ca
http://www.chsrf.ca/
In this competition, funding is available for successful projects at an amount equivalent to 40 percent of the annual budget. For projects, the maximum contribution is $80,000 over the duration of the project. Applications will be funded based on available funds. Applicants must obtain the remaining 10 percent from another source. Note that as for other FRSQ operating grant's programs, priority will be given to applications originating from new investigators, i.e. from investigators that would normally be eligible for a Junior 1 FRSQ Chercheur Boursier award (8 years or less after last degree). However, in compliance with CIHR guidelines, high priority applications from senior investigators will also be considered.
Letters of intent should be submitted simultaneously to the FRSQ and to CIHR by the November 22th deadline. Funding is for Quebec researchers and decision makers only. For further information visit the FRSQ website or contact:
Mme Ginette Piché
Directrice des programmes
Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec
Tel. (514) 873-2114, poste 241
E-mail: gpiche@frsq.gouv.qc.ca
M. Claude Dussault
Directeur de l'évaluation, de la recherche et de l'innovation
Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux
Tel. (418) 266-7025
E-mail: claude.dussault@msss.gouv.qc.ca
Saskatchewan researchers successful in the 2005 review process are eligible to apply for matching funds through the Innovation and Science Fund established by the Saskatchewan government. After the competition, successful applicants can apply for these matching funds through their university/research institutes:
Mr. Kevin Veitenheimer
Saskatchewan Learning
Tel.: (306) 787-7974
E-mail: kveitenheimer@sasked.gov.sk.ca
Matching funds are available for successful projects. In the event that there are more successful applications than available funds, applications will be funded based on the priority rating established by the CIHR merit review panel, until the fund is expended. Letters of support are not required, as all Manitoba applicants are eligible. Please note that this competition is administered by CIHR and all queries should be directed there, not to Manitoba Health. For further information visit Manitoba Health or contact:
Mr. Louis Barre
Manitoba Health
Tel.: (204) 786-7149
E-mail: lbarre@gov.mb.ca
The purpose of the Medical Research Fund of New Brunswick is to provide financial assistance for health-related research within the province.
A total of $30,000 per year, for a three-year period, is available to successful projects. Individual projects will usually receive a maximum contribution of $10,000 per year, over the three-year period. Applicants seeking funding must obtain a letter of support before sending their full-scale application. Please note that New Brunswick researchers will be given preference in negotiations with this partner. For further information consult the Medical Research Fund of New Brunswick or contact:
Mr. John Boyne
Director
Program Analysis and Evaluation
New Brunswick Department of Health and Wellness
Tel.: (506) 444-3222
E-mail: john.boyne@gnb.ca
The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) leads, partners and serves as a catalyst to build British Columbia 's capacity for excellence in clinical, biomedical, health services and population health research. Through a grant from the BC Ministry of Health, the Foundation has facilitated the development and supports the operations of a provincial Health Services and Policy Research Support Network (HSPRSN) to advance health services and policy research activity and capacity in the Province.
The HSPRSN Steering Council has agreed in principle (subject to final approval at the October Meeting of BC's Leadership Council - Deputy Minister of Health and the CEOs and Chairs of BC's six Health Authorities) that some Network funds be allocated to partner with CIHR in this operating grant competition.
The following restrictions apply to the partnership funding available for this initiative:
A letter of support from the appropriate BC Health Authority or Health Authorities or the Ministry of Health Services is required at the full-scale application stage, indicating how the proposed research supports Health Authority priorities. Please note that these funds are administered by, and all inquiries should be directed to, CIHR, and not to MSFHR or the HSPRSN.
Dr. Patricia Coward
Director
Health Services & Policy Research Support Network
c/o Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
Tel: (604)714-6606
E-mail: pcoward@msfhr.org
The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research has a mandate to increase the capacity of the province of Newfoundland to carry out high-quality research on applied health issues (by which is meant all health matters with a relevance to public policy and clinical decision-making).
NLCAHR has up to $30,000 per year available for successful new applications. Only projects involving a principal investigator who is a researcher or a decision maker based in Newfoundland and Labrador are eligible for funds. In the event that there are more successful applications than available funds, applications will be funded based on the priority rating established by the CIHR merit review panel, until the funds are expended. For further information, visit the NLCAHR website or contact:
Stephen Bornstein
Director
Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
Tel.: (709) 777-6768
E-mail: sbornste@mun.ca
The mission of the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation is to help improve the health of Nova Scotians by developing and supporting a vibrant and sustainable health research community throughout the province.
Matching funds are available for successful projects of research under the PHSI. In the event that there are more successful applications than available funds, applications will be funded based on the priority rating established by the CIHR merit review panel, until the fund is expended. If the principal investigator is currently based in Nova Scotia , a letter of support is not required at the letter of intent stage. A letter of support is required if the principal investigator is not currently based in Nova Scotia (see NSHRF web site for details) - this letter of support must be obtained PRIOR to submission of the LOI for funding to be considered.
Funding is for projects of research in which Nova Scotia researchers and decision makers figure prominently. For further information, visit the NSHRF website.
Ms. Krista Connell
Executive Director
Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation
Tel.: (902) 424-4043
E-mail: connelke@gov.ns.ca
Matching funds, to a maximum of $100,000 per project, are available for successful applications. In the event that there are more successful applications than available funds, applications will be funded based on the priority rating established by CIHR's merit review panel, until funds are expended. A letter of support from a Ministry of Health and Long Term Care Program Area is required at the full-scale application stage, indicating how the proposed research supports Ministry priorities, and how it will be used by the Ministry decision maker partner. Please note that these funds are administered by, and all inquiries should be directed to, CIHR, and not to the Ministry. Funding is for Ontario researchers and decision makers only.
Consideration may be given to multi-jurisdictional projects where at least one principal investigator resides in Ontario and where the outcome of the research is determined to be of direct benefit to Ontario .
Further information is available at the Ontario Ministry of Health website.
Applicants may also approach other partners when seeking sources for matching funds. Formerly referred to as "Triggered Co-sponsors", a list of such partners active in previous (CHSRF-sponsored) competitions is provided below.
Please note: CIHR's financial contribution to a project is not to exceed that of any private sector partner(s). The private sector consists of for-profit organizations, including companies, industry consortia, industry associations, and commodity or producer groups. Special circumstances may be considered on a case by case basis.
