Institute of Population and Public Health
The purpose of this Request for Applications is to support research that enables the development and refinement of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods and tools that are applicable to population and public health (PPH) research and that specifically address one or more of the Institute's strategic research priorities. It is expected that this targeted investment will strengthen and refine the methods and tools that underpin PPH research ultimately leading to improvements in the health of all Canadians.
| May 1, 2005 | Registration Deadline - Registration packages must be courier stamped by this date. |
| June 1, 2005 | Full applications must be courier stamped by this date. |
| January, 2006 | Anticipated Notification of decision. |
| March, 2006 | Anticipated start date. |
| Duration of projects | Up to 1 year. |
| Funds Available | For this initiative: Up to $ 1 Million over a total of 1 year. Per grant: $100K/year. |
Summary
Background
Partners
Objectives and Eligible Research Areas
Funding Information
Eligibility
Evaluation Criteria and Process
General CIHR Guidelines and Conditions of Funding
Communications Requirements
Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation
How to Apply
Contact Information
The CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH) supports research into the complex interactions (biological, social, cultural, environmental), which determine the health of individuals, communities, and global populations; and the application of that knowledge to improve the health of both populations and individuals, through strategic partnerships with population and public health stakeholders, and innovative research funding programs. The Institute aspires to enable Canadian researchers to be world leaders in population and public health (PPH) research and research application, fostering evidence-based policies and programs, and training in the fields of public health, health promotion, and occupational and environmental health.
In keeping with its overarching mandate and vision, IPPH is committed to strengthening the core research methods and tools that underpin the study of population and public health (PPH) problems and the policy and program interventions design to address them, so as to improve the health of populations. Such research draws upon developments and refinements in methods and tools that are influenced by a range of disciplines (e.g. epidemiology, biostatistics, geography, sociology, economics, psychology, anthropology) as well as the contextual knowledge generated from diverse policy, program and practice settings (e.g. federal/provincial/territorial governments, non-governmental organizations, regional health authorities, public health departments, schools, neighbourhoods, communities, etc.). The purpose of this Request for Applications is therefore to support research that enables the development and/or refinement of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods and tools that are applicable to population and public health research and that specifically address one or more of the Institute's strategic research priorities (see below). It is expected that this targeted investment will strengthen and refine the methods and tools that underpin PPH research, ultimately leading to improvements in the health of all Canadians.
The Institute of Population and Public Health's strategic research priorities are listed below. Eligible pilot projects supporting methods or tools development/refinement must also substantively address one of more of the following strategic research priorities.
Fore more information, please consult the Institute's Strategic Plan
Interested applicants may also wish to consult the following documents to inform the development of their pilot project proposals:
The Institute of Population and Public Health is dedicated to identifying and developing collaborations with other CIHR institute(s), branch(es) or office(s), funding organizations and stakeholders to enhance the availability of funding for this strategic initiative, and to create, where appropriate, opportunities for knowledge exchange and translation related to the scope of this particular initiative.
The objectives of this initiative are:
Eligible research areas include new quantitative and/or qualitative methodological developments or refinements as they relate to one or more of the Institute's strategic priorities. Illustrative examples include, but are not limited to the following:
This RFA is funded as a strategic initiative and is designed to solicit pilot project grant applications with the duration of up to 1 year. Pilot Project Grants are intended to build research capacity by supporting innovative, high risk, pilot or feasibility PPH research. Grants will allow investigators with novel ideas and observations to conduct pilot studies and/or gather evidence necessary to determine the viability of new research directions. Applicants who conduct successful pilot projects are encouraged to continue their research by applying to regular funding opportunities such as, Investigator-Initiated Open Competitions.
Applicants should review Use of Grant Funds ( and Eligibility of Expenses, Employment under Grants within the General Guidelines for All Research Grants for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.
The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.
Grants should not be used:
Funds should be aimed at methodological or intellectual content innovations as opposed to personnel or training innovations (the latter being supported by CIHR elsewhere).
Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budgets will allow. Applications receiving a score of less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding.
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. New investigators are especially encouraged to apply; however, this competition is open to all researchers.
Each proposal must describe how the grant will address one of the important health issues described under "Objectives and Eligible Research Areas." General criteria for assessing applications are listed below. Because different applications will emphasize different approaches to research and to knowledge translation, it is understood that reviewers and committees will weigh questions such as these differently from one application to another.
How important, novel and/or promising are the methods/tools to be developed, and how clearly are they formulated?
How important and original are the contributions expected from the research proposed? What is the potential for important new knowledge in health research?
How well will the proposed pilot research aid in the development of the proposed tools/methods? How appropriate is the approach to methods/tools development/refinement for the conduct of the pilot project and analysis of data? How well have the applicants anticipated difficulties in their approach and considered alternatives?
How critically is the relevant literature appraised and evaluated?
In addition to these general criteria, the peer review committee will consider the criteria below:
"Fit" (responsiveness) Applicants should emphasize the ways in which the proposed Pilot Project Grant meets the criteria outlined in the objectives and eligibility criteria of this request for applications (see above).
Innovation/Advancement. The applicant should highlight how the proposed project will enable further innovative studies in population and public health. Pilot Projects should challenge current research thinking and paradigms and/or address unexplored areas. OR Added Value Demonstration that the pilot project will bring added value, in terms of the approach to the eligible research areas, and that it would not be possible to submit the proposal to the usual operating grant competition
On completion of the review, the appropriate Institute(s) and Partner representatives will receive the ranking lists, merit scores (ratings) and recommendations of the peer review Committee, with regards to term and funding level, for the submitted applications that fall in the fundable range. Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down, within priority thematic areas, as far as budget will allow. Applications receiving a score less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding.
All personal information collected by CIHR about applicants is used to review applications, 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.
Prior to peer review, the appropriate CIHR institute, portfolio and partner representatives may first review proposals for relevance to their strategic interests. The relevance review will be based on the extent to which the proposed research relates to the mandates or strategic priorities of the Institutes, portfolios and partners. As such, representatives will have access to the anonymized project titles and summaries. This review will have no impact on the peer review process.
On completion of the review, the appropriate CIHR institute, portfolio and partner representatives will receive the ranking list, merit scores (ratings) and recommendations of the peer review committee with regards to funding level, for the submitted applications that fall in the fundable range.
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 institute(s) / portfolio(s) and partner(s), following CIHR's policy on Conflict of Interest, Confidentiality and Privacy Issues in Peer Review. For information on CIHR's peer review process, see Peer Review.
Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
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.
The Parties, while respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, will also be bound by the PIPEDA. All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under cost-sharing agreements related to the Request for Applications will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.
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.
In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements, the following special conditions shall apply:
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:
The following table is intended to further clarify objectives by linking them to expected outcomes and measures which will be included in CIHR's Management Resources and Results Structure (MRRS) required by Treasury Board.
| Objective | Outcome | Measure / Indicator |
| To enable the development and refinement of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods and tools that are applicable to population and public health research and address one or more of the Institute's strategic research priorities | Development and refinement of PPH research methods and tools enabled | New/refined methods and tools that are applicable to PPH research and address one or more of the Institute's strategic priority areas |
| To promote innovative pilot or feasibility studies likely to lead to subsequent research operating grant(s) and programs of research in one or more of the Institute's strategic research priorities identified in this RFA | Innovative and methodological pilot work that leads to future research projects and/or programs of research in one or more of the Institute's research priorities identified in this RFA. | Successful operating grant or program of research in priority area(s) identified in this RFA. |
The application process is comprised of two steps: Registration and Full Application.
Review the application instructions provided in How to Apply for a Grant or Award.
Select Operating Grants (Registration and Application) from the Research Funding Programs Application Packages.
The following special instructions apply to this RFA:
Complete the Full Application using the CIHR Operating Grants Full Application Checklist, which consists of the CIHR Research Module, the CIHR Operating Budget Module and a Common CV for each applicant and co-applicant participating in the research project. When completing the CIHR Operating Budget Module provide a detailed justification of all project costs.
For the "Research Proposal" section (page 5), the submission is limited to a maximum of 5 pages, including figures and tables. References may be listed on additional pages.
When completing the Operating Budget Module provide a detailed justification of all project costs (including the costs of personnel, travel, supply/equipment, etc).
Courier the 9 copies [original, plus eight copies] of the full application by the application deadline indicated in the text of this RFA document.
Re: "Population and Public Health Research Methods and Tools - Pilot Project Grants"
Canadian Institutes 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:
Marie-Lynn Boudreau
Program Delivery Officer
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 941-0861
Fax: (613) 954-1800
E-mail: mboudreau@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:
Institute Representative
Michèle O'Rourke
Associate, Strategic Initiatives
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
Telephone: (613) 952-4539
Fax: (613) 954-1800
E-mail: morourke@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
