ResearchNet - RechercheNet

Table of Contents

• Description
• Objectives
• Eligibility
• Guidelines
• Review Process and Evaluation
• How to Apply
• Contact Information

Description

The Project Grant program is designed to capture ideas with the greatest potential for important advances in fundamental or a pplied health-related knowledge, health care, health systems, and/or health outcomes by supporting projects with a specific purpose and a defined endpoint. The best ideas may stem from new, incremental, innovative, and/or high-risk lines of inquiry or knowledge translation approaches.

Research Areas

The Project Grant program is open to applicants in all areas of health research that are aligned with the CIHR mandate: "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". The onus is on the applicant to clearly demonstrate the alignment of the application with CIHR's mandate.

Funds Available

The CIHR's financial contributions for the Project Grant program are subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR funding levels not be available, or be decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR reserves the right to reduce, defer, or suspend financial contributions to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

• The total amount available for CIHR’s 2018-19 Investigator-Initiated Research Programs competitions (Foundation Grant, and Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 Project Grants) is approximately $655M. The allocation of this investment between the Foundation and Project Grant programs is under review.
• Within the investment allocated to each Project Grant competition, there will be a funding envelope of $13.25M dedicated to large grants. Large grants are defined as those within the top 2% largest total grant amount requested by all applicants within the competition and will vary with each competition. Individual grant applications requesting a total of more than $13.25M from CIHR will be withdrawn.
• The Project Grant competition will also have a specific funding envelope to support early career researchers (ECRs).
• The number of grants funded will depend on the requested budgets and peer review recommendations.
• Project grant funding levels are proportionate to the requirements of the research proposed, which is expected to vary by research field, research approach, and scope of project activities.

Funding Opportunities in Specific Research Areas

• Funding is augmented by CIHR Institute Priority Announcements (PAs) that award grants in specific research areas relevant to the Institutes’ mandates. PAs offer additional sources of funding for highly ranked and competitive applications that were not funded through the Project Grant competition budget. Streamlined applications (see the Review Process and Evaluation section below) and those rated below 3.5 are not eligible for funding through PAs since they were assessed as being non-competitive.
• In order for an application to be considered for funding through a PA, applicants must select a relevant PA from the drop-down menu in their ResearchNet application form. Selection of PA is not available in the registration form.
• Refer to the Project Grants: Spring 2019 Priority Announcements (Specific Research Areas) for further details.

(Updated: 2019-01-16)

Partner Participation

The Project Grant program has no formal requirements for partnering; however, depending on the nature of the research project a commitment (cash or in-kind) from interested or engaged knowledge user(s) or other partners will be reasonably expected by peer reviewers.

Objectives

The Project Grant program is expected to:

• Support a diverse portfolio of health-related research and knowledge translation projects at any stage, from discovery to application, including commercialization;
• Promote relevant collaborations across disciplines, professions, and sectors;
• Contribute to the creation and use of health-related knowledge.

Eligibility

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. Refer to the Individual Eligibility Requirements regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.

Eligibility to Apply

For an application to be eligible:

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant must be an independent researcher or a knowledge user.
2. The Nominated Principal Applicant must have an academic or research appointment at an eligible institution if he/she is an independent researcher (See Institutional Eligibility Requirements for eligibility process and associated timelines).
3. If the Nominated Principal Applicant is a knowledge user, there must be at least one Principal Applicant who is an independent researcher.
4. Principal Applicants must be an independent researcher or knowledge user (inclusion of one or more Principal Applicants is optional).
5. Co-Applicants can be one of the following (inclusion of one or more Co-applicants is optional):
   • An independent researcher;
   • A knowledge user;
   • A trainee;
   • Other.
6. While individuals can apply to Foundation Grant and Project Grant programs during overlapping competitions, the same application cannot be submitted to both competitions, as per section 1-E of the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide. If the same application is found to have been submitted to overlapping Foundation Grant and Project Grant competitions, the applicant will be asked to withdraw one of his/her applications. CIHR will not consider inclusion of components of a proposal into a second proposal as the same application. Note: Individuals applying to both programs will not be allowed to change their role (Nominated Principal Applicant or Program Leader) on either application.
7. An individual cannot submit more than two Project Grant applications per competition as a Nominated Principal Applicant. If the Nominated Principal Applicant submits more than two applications, CIHR will automatically withdraw the last application submitted based on time-stamp of submission.
8. NEW: Individuals who hold a Foundation Grant in the role of Program Leader and were originally funded as a mid-career or senior researcher are not eligible to apply to the Project Grant competition in the role of Nominated Principal Applicant and Principal Applicant. However, as per the announcement made on January 7, 2019, Foundation grantees originally funded as early career researchers (ECRs) are now eligible to apply for Project Grants in the role of Nominated Principal Applicant or Principal Applicant, starting with the Spring 2019 Project Grant competition. (Updated: 2019-01-16)

Institutional Support

The appropriate individual at the Nominated Principal Applicant’s institutionmust approve the application. By approving the application, the institution confirms that it agrees to support the applicant as articulated in the Grants and Awards Guide, and also as may be further articulated within the application.

Early Career Researchers (ECRs)

The success rate for ECRs will be equalized, ensuring that the proportion of ECRs funded equals the proportion of ECR applicants to the competition. Competition processes and peer review for this cohort will be fully integrated within the competition as a whole with no additional steps being required on the part of the applicant.

Inclusion within this cohort is based on the ECR eligibility status of the Nominated Principal Applicant, at the application deadline. All time spent in full-time independent research appointments/positions will be taken into consideration when determining eligibility irrespective of time spent in a clinical component or other duties (i.e. administrative, academic, etc). Should an applicant hold or have held a part-time appointment/position, CIHR will count that time as 50% (e.g., a one-year part-time appointment/position will count for 6 months towards the 60-month maximum).

Leaves of absence will be considered in the calculation of eligibility (i.e., will not count towards the 60-month maximum) and should be included in the Employment section under Leaves of Absence in the Common CV.

Indigenous Health Research

Applications with a central focus on carrying out ethical and culturally competent research involving Indigenous peoples, with the intent to promote health through research that is in keeping with Indigenous values and traditions and follows the TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada guidelines may be reviewed by the Indigenous Health Research (IHR) committee. The IHR committee may deem an application eligible for the Iterative Peer Review Process. A significant portion of the IHR committee will be composed of reviewers with lived-experience, knowledge, and/or expertise in Indigenous health research. Reviewers will provide their written reviews with a mentorship lens.

Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a study in which investigators randomly assign eligible human subjects or other units of study (e.g. classrooms, clinics, playgrounds) into groups to receive or not receive one or more interventions that are being compared. The results are analyzed by comparing outcomes in the groups. Applications involving RCT are accepted and encouraged where appropriate based on scientific and methodological grounds.

Commercialization

Commercialization refers to the component of knowledge translation that is focused on bringing new products, tools, or services to a state of use in the private, not-for-profit, or public sectors. It can extend beyond bringing intellectual property (IP) to the marketplace for profit (e.g., cost savings in the health system, humanitarian licensing). CIHR is committed to facilitating the commercialization of health research in Canada in support of its overall mandate.

Guidelines

General CIHR Policies

Successful applicants funded through this funding opportunity and any other persons working on the project must fully comply with the applicable CIHR Funding Policies.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

Reasonable expenses related to knowledge translation, networking, commercialization and community-based research are eligible. The applicants must justify these expenses in the context of their research projects and the appropriateness of such requests is subject to peer review.

The Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada) recognizes the importance of respecting the culture and traditions of Indigenous peoples and acknowledges the necessity to incur expenditures in that regard in the conduct of research. As such, CIHR considers these expenditures eligible for payment from the grant holder’s grant funds (with appropriate backup documentation):

• Costs related to community mobilization and engagement, including culturally relevant promotional items such as tobacco, cloth, and cash reimbursements (in a method acceptable to the individual or community being reimbursed) to compensate community participation; and
• Contracts and/or consultant fees for knowledge translation and communication activities for Elders, community members, and other Knowledge Holders involved in activities related to the Indigenous community.

The following costs are not eligible for support through this funding opportunity:

• Salaries for Principal Applicants, if eligible to apply for CIHR grants
• Salaries for Knowledge Users, if eligible to apply for CIHR grants
• Release time allowances

Conditions of Funding

Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial requirements either prior to the release of funds, or when they receive CIHR's funding documents.

Other conditions of funding specific to this program:

• The Nominated Principal Applicants are required to submit an electronic Final Report to CIHR.
• The Nominated Principal Applicants and Principal Applicants who are successful in this competition are strongly encouraged to actively participate in peer review, and as members of the CIHR College of Reviewers, when invited.
• Prior to obtaining funding, successful Nominated Principal Applicants are required to obtain the institution paid’s signature if said institution was not a CIHR eligible institution at the application deadline.

Review Process and Evaluation

Project Grant applications follow a single-stage committee-based peer review evaluation process. As part of this process, expert reviewers will review their assigned applications remotely by focusing on the concept (i.e., significance and impact of the research) and the feasibility (i.e., approaches and methods, and expertise, experience and resources) of the project. Then, at the face-to-face committee meetings, these same reviewers will meet to streamline, discuss, and rate the applications. Their assessments are used as the basis for funding recommendations.

Review Process

Peer review will be conducted in accordance with the Peer Review Manual – Project.

Applications to the Project Grant Program are reviewed by peer review committees that are specifically constituted for this purpose. Each committee is comprised of a Chair, two Scientific Officers and reviewers. For a list of these committees and their respective mandates, refer to the Peer Review Committees and Mandates on the CIHR website.

Applicants are required, within the ResearchNet registration process, to indicate their suggestions of up to two most relevant peer review committees and to provide a justification for their suggestions (see Peer Review Committees and Mandates). Suggested committees and the corresponding justifications must remain unchanged between registration and application. If an application overlaps with more than one area of science, the peer review committee which best reflects the main research area and objectives of the application should be selected. CIHR will consult with committee Chairs and Scientific Officers in assigning applications to committees before making the final decision on which peer review committee will review each application based on the summary of proposed research received at registration. The final committee selected may not necessarily be the first or second choice of applicants. Applicants will be informed of which peer review committee reviewed their application on their Notice of Decision.

Please note that Indigenous Health Research, Randomized Controlled Trial and Commercialization committees have specific considerations that need to be taken into account during the application and peer review process. These are indicated as “Notes” in the sections below.

Evaluation Criteria

Based on the adjudication criteria below, each application will be rated by three reviewers on a scale of 0.0 to 4.9, with 4.9 being the highest possible rating.

Adjudication Criteria

Criterion 1 – Concept (25%)

• Significance and Impact of the Research (25%)

Criterion 2 – Feasibility (75%)

• Approaches and Methods (50%)
• Expertise, Experience and Resources (25%)

Notes:

• In the interpretation of the adjudication criteria, a research proposal may exert only a basic/mechanistic impact, which is as important as the translational impact. The impact does not only mean near-future clinical relevance. Reviewers should evaluate whether the anticipated project contributions are likely to advance fundamental or applied health-related knowledge or health care or health systems or health outcomes.
• When applicable, knowledge translation/commercialization approaches/methodologies should be considered, as well as opportunities to apply research findings nationally and internationally.
• Irrespective of the suggested peer review committee, evaluation of all applications containing an RCT as a major component will need to consider the specific RCT evaluation criteria.
• Evaluation of applications reviewed in the Commercialization committee will need to include the assessment of a Research and Technical plan and a Commercialization plan according to specific criteria.
• Specific considerations will need to be taken into account in the review of applications by the Indigenous Health Research committee:
  • Concept
    • Significance and Impact of the Research
      • The proposed research must be relevant to First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis priorities and have the potential to produce valued outcomes from the perspective of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis participants and Indigenous Peoples more broadly.
  • Feasibility
    • Approaches and Methods
      • In addition to demonstrating scientific excellence (Western, Indigenous, or both), the proposed research approaches and methods must respect Indigenous values and ways of knowing and sharing, and abide by the Tri-Council Policy Statement Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada and/or Indigenous partnering community/organizational ethical guidelines or clearly explain why other guidelines have been developed and agreed upon with the study governance body.
    • Expertise, Experience and Resources
      • Appropriateness of the team based on their overall scientific experience (Western, Indigenous, or both) and skills as well as their Indigenous community-based research experience, track record, relevance of past experience, including expertise related to Indigenous lived experience(s).

How to Apply

Important: Please read all instructions in order to familiarize yourself with the registration and application processes before applying. An overview of CIHR's registration and application processes can be found under the general application process. Note that these are general instructions only. To complete your registration and application, follow the instructions for this program along with any additional specific instructions and submission requirements listed below.

Registration

• Project Grant – Registration Instructions

Application

• Project Grant – Application Instructions
• CIHR Biosketch – Quick Reference Guide
• Priority Announcements and the Project Grant: Spring 2019 competition – Frequently Asked Questions

Additional relevant materials

• Peer Review Manual – Project
• Learning materials developed to support applicants can be found on the Learning for Applicants page.

Specific Instructions (Updated: 2019-01-16)

• All application participants will require a CIHR PIN. It is important to provide a PIN number for Collaborators.
• All Co-Applicants are required to submit a CIHR Biosketch CV.
• A CV is not required for Collaborators and will not be considered in the review of the applications. The contribution and services provided by the Collaborator(s) should be highlighted in the research proposal.
• Because CIHR is committed to ensuring that its programs and peer review processes result in the fair and impartial treatment of all participants, applicants to CIHR programs must complete an Equity and Diversity Questionnaire.
• Indigenous Health Research (IHR): For an application to be considered for review by the IHR committee and for the IHR peer review members to assess the level of engagement as required by the TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 on Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada and Indigenous partnering community/organization ethical guidelines, the following steps must be completed at registration:
  1. Selecting ‘yes’ to the question regarding the TCPS 2 – Chapter 9 (“Does your proposal address the TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada and Indigenous partnering community/organizational ethical guidelines?”);
  2. Providing a detailed justification in the related text field to indicate how the project addresses the principles of the TCPS 2 – Chapter 9;
  3. Selecting the Indigenous Health Research (IHR) committee as the first suggested peer review committee.

For the applications to be considered by the IHR committee, the research proposal’s central focus should be to carry out ethical and culturally competent research involving Indigenous peoples, with the intent to promote health through research that is in keeping with Indigenous values and traditions; the proposal must also explicitly describe engagement with the community in relation to the research. The IHR committee may deem an application eligible for the Iterative Peer Review Process. See the Peer Review Manual – Project for additional information on the iterative review process. Applications that do not fit with the IHR committee mandate will be reviewed by another relevant discipline-based committee.

• Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

  Applications including an RCT as a major component (irrespective of whether or not the applicant self-declared the application as containing an RCT) have specific requirements:

  1. If the budget requested is less than $250,000 in every project year, applicants may suggest the most relevant discipline-based peer review committee or the RC peer review committee;
  2. If the overall budget requested is greater than or equal to $250,000 in any project year, applicants must select the RC peer review committee;
  3. Irrespective of the suggested Peer Review Committee, all applications containing an RCT as a major component must be structured according to the RCT headings provided. Use of the RCT headings can help better organize the information required and will facilitate the RCT review. Failure to comply with these requirements can negatively impact the evaluation of the application.

     In all cases, CIHR will decide on the most appropriate peer review committee based on expertise required for the review.

• Commercialization Projects: For commercialization projects, the applicant should integrate a Research/Technical Plan and a Commercialization Plan as part of their 10-page research proposal; these will be evaluated according to specific criteria.

Submission Requirements (Updated: 2019-01-16)

• It is important to be aware of your internal institutional deadline.
• Applications must be submitted using ResearchNet.
• This funding opportunity follows the eApproval process. This means that when the applicant submits an application, it will be directed electronically to the Research Institution which the applicant has identified as the Institution Paid. The Research Institution will review the application and submit their approval electronically to CIHR on behalf of the applicant.
• In order to ensure fairness in the evaluation of grant applications, equivalent time must be guaranteed for each reviewer to assess each application. As a result, CIHR will not accept any updates to applications after the application deadline.
• Registrations will be accepted between January 16, 2019 and February 6, 2019, 8 p.m. EDT
• The application will open as soon as the registration has been submitted. Applications will be accepted until March 6, 2019, 8 p.m. EDT.
• In order to ensure that all applicants have exactly the same amount of space to write their research proposals, applicants must adhere to the following formatting requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements will negatively impact the evaluation/rating of the applications and can lead to their withdrawal from the Project Grant competition.
  • Use a font size of 12 point, black type. Maximum of six lines per inch. Do not use condensed/narrow font sizes, type density, or line spacing.
  • Insert a margin of 2 cm (3/4 inch) – minimum – around the page.
  • Observe page limitations.
  • Use only letter size (21.25 X 27.5 cm / 8.5" X 11") white paper/background for all attachments.
  • Photo-reduce the supporting documents if the originals are larger than 21.25 X 27.5 cm / 8.5" X 11".
  • Attachments must be uploaded in PDF format (unprotected).
  • The size of the attached document(s) cannot exceed 30 MB per document.
  • For more information about converting documents to PDF, please refer to Help with Accessibility page.

Contact Information

For all inquiries please contact:

CIHR Contact Centre
Telephone: 613-954-1968
Toll Free: 1-888-603-4178
Email: support@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Note: For service hours, please consult our Contact us page.