Table of Contents
Description
Part of CIHR's mandate is to promote strategic research concerning access to health services in both official languages. In 2001, the Consultative Committee for French-Speaking Minority Communities report revealed that more than half the francophones in these communities rarely, if ever, have access to health services in their language and hypothesized that there is a direct connection between language and the health of the population. This problem has also been observed by the Consultative Committee for English-Speaking Minority Communities for whom regional access is often limited or non-existent in some locations. However, we do not have evidence for understanding the health issue of French and English-speaking minority communities, particularly regarding their state of health, determinants of health and issues around access to first-language services. This lack of scientific evidence hinders the development of targeted health strategies and effective policies. The purpose of this Catalyst Grant is to further strengthen research on the health issues experienced in official language minority communities with the aim of increasing our knowledge on the three major relevant research areas identified by the members of official language minority communities: 1) Determinants of health, 2) Health service governance, management and delivery, and 3) Language, culture and health (see the Relevant Research Areas section below). It is expected that this targeted investment will lead to the forming of interdisciplinary teams and the development of relationships with community stakeholders.
Background
The CIHR Catalyst Grant program provides seed money, on a short-term basis, to support health research activities which represent a first step towards the pursuit of more comprehensive funding opportunities (e.g. operating grants, team grants), such as:
- the planning and execution of pilot projects or feasibility studies aiming to generate preliminary data, observations, or knowledge;
- the planning and execution of novel projects which clearly demonstrate the potential for significant impact, but which are considered high risk in nature in that they may be unsupported by proof of concept / preliminary data;
- development and / or validation of new inventions, tools, methodologies, protocols, theoretical models or frameworks;
- planning and / or development activities of expert teams (multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, etc...) coming together to address health research priorities.
Funds Available
CIHR's contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds voted annually to CIHR by parliamentary appropriations, and the conditions that may be attached to them.
- The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $100,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate.
- The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $50,000 per annum for up to 1 year. The equipment amount, where applicable, is awarded in year one.
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Objectives
The primary objectives of the Catalyst Grant program are to:
- Generate preliminary observations, data or knowledge, or to facilitate team formation, as a first step towards the pursuit of more comprehensive funding opportunities (e.g., operating grants, team grants) by researchers or teams of researchers
- Support original, high quality projects which have the potential to generate high impact results and/or innovative research proposals, research tools, techniques, devices, inventions, or methodologies.
The Catalyst Grant program is further expected to contribute to:
- Providing new or established investigators with funding to pursue new areas of investigation
- Providing investigators the opportunity to pursue high risk health research questions with the potential for high impact
- Providing the opportunity for a unique combination (e.g. multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, international) of individual researchers to develop as a team
- Development of a culture of invention and innovation in Canada
- Mobilization of research communities to develop research agendas and/or action plans to advance research in specific priority areas.
The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are:
- To support research on the health issues experienced in official language minority communities
- To increase our knowledge on the three major relevant research areas identified by the members of official language minority communities: 1) Determinants of health, 2) Health service governance, management and delivery, and 3) Language, culture and health.
Relevant Research Areas:
The CIHR research initiative on OLMC will fund applications that are determined to be relevant to the research priority areas described below.
1 - Determinants of health
The importance of language has a particular dimension with health issues in the areas of health promotion, disease prevention and effective communication between patients and health workers. The few studies on official language minority communities reveal a negative health differential and a stronger role of some determinants, such as living in a minority community, yet the studies do not explain these health inequalities.
Population health research looks at all determinants of health: the social and physical environment in which populations live, resources available to them, health services, lifestyle, cultural practices and biological determinants. This view incorporates two major factors that may explain health inequalities: the personal factor, which explores the characteristics of individuals, and the contextual factor, which looks at living environments (resources and infrastructures) and the collective functioning (sociocultural and historical characteristics of the community, degree of integration, mobility, norms and values).
This research area seeks to identify the bio-psycho-social determinants of health and the health needs of official language minority populations, document the access these populations have to health services and determine how accessibility affects their health.
2 - Health service governance, management and delivery
The issue of health institution governance by official language minorities is still not clearly documented. The community argument is only at the early stages, and research on this subject is therefore delayed. As such, it is important to reinforce knowledge to gain a better understanding of minority community governance regarding health in Canada. It is also important to identify the political and administrative issues raised by jurisprudence and institutional duality and better grasp the new health-related observations. Issues relating to greater participation by official language minority communities in governance bodies and decision-making guide this branch of research. The concerns of official language minorities surrounding health service delivery in both official languages and the management of this service suggest that governance of health care institutions is undergoing far-reaching changes that must be better documented.
3 - Language, culture and health
The connections between language, culture and health have to do with the effects of the minority linguistic and cultural experience on identity development and health. For example, this has an impact on access to health promotion and prevention services and to primary and specialized health care. This also comes into play with communication between people receiving health care and health workers. It is also important to understand the processes of linguistic assimilation and acculturation, which may affect the self-esteem and identity development of people in minority communities.
The connections between "language, culture and health" particularly affect certain "client groups": early childhood, youth, seniors, women, new Canadians and people with mental health or psychosocial problems. Speech, verbal and non-verbal communication, the meaning of "symbols" and general comprehension are closely linked to culture and language. When it comes to health problems, it is particularly crucial for people to be able to use their own language to explain their symptoms, state of mind, difficulties and pains to a professional who understands their language. It is important to understand the situation of members of official language minority communities, how they view the limited access to services they encounter and the impact this situation has on their health. With an active immigration policy, the specific situation of new francophones from Africa, Asia and the West Indies is among the shifting issues of access to French-language services. The importance of language and culture becomes even clearer for seniors with memory problems or depressive people under great psychological distress. Only research into these issues will improve our knowledge so that we can document the connections between language, culture and health.
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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. Please refer to the Eligibility Requirements for CIHR Grants and Awards regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will not be considered under this funding opportunity.
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Guidelines
This funding opportunity will follow the General Guidelines for Grant Programs. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the use of Gender and Sex-Based Analysis in applications.
Allowable Costs
Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC ad SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.
The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.
Conditions of Funding
All conditions specified in CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies shall apply to applications funded through this Funding opportunity. 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:
- Within six months after the end of the grant's term, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a final performance report, summarizing the results and describing how the grant funds were used. A standard form will be provided by CIHR.
Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
All personal information collected by CIHR about applicants is used to review applications, to recruit reviewers, 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.
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 Funding opportunity and all matters pertaining thereto.
While respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, all signing parties involved in a collaborative agreement will also be bound by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under collaborative agreements related to the Funding opportunity will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.
Communication Requirements
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, Public Communication and 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.
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Performance Measurement
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:
- contribute to the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes by participating in evaluation studies, surveys, workshops, audits and providing data or reports as required for the purpose of collecting information to assess progress and results;
- encourage their associates, trainees and administration to participate in the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes as required.
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Review Process and Evaluation
Relevance Review
The CIHR Research Initiative on Official Language Minority Communities will provide funding for applications that are relevant to (in alignment with) the specific objectives and research priority areas described in the "Objectives" section.
Prior to peer review, the CIHR Research Initiative on Official Language Minority Communities will have access to anonymized project titles and summaries to conduct relevance review.
The following criteria will be used in conducting the relevance review:
- Determinants of health
- Health service governance, management and delivery
- Language, culture and health
Upon completion of peer review, the CIHR Research Initiative on Official Language Minority Communities will receive the ranking list, merit scores (ratings) and recommendations on funding level and award term for the applications that fall in the fundable range and have been determined to be relevant to the specific research areas and objectives of the initiative. The list will be used for funding decision-making purposes and will remain anonymous.
Peer Review
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 funding opportunity. Committee members are selected based on suggestions from many sources including the institute(s) / portfolio(s) and partner(s), following CIHR's Policy on Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest and Privacy Issues in Peer and Relevance Review (CCIP). For information on CIHR's peer review process in general, see the Peer Review section of CIHR's web site.
Evaluation Criteria
Peer review will be conducted in accordance with The CIHR Peer Review Process - Policies and Responsibilities of Grants Committee Members, including the standard evaluation criteria described under "Factors in the Assessment" (section 6.2).
The following evaluation criteria will apply to peer review of Catalyst Grant applications:
- How important and original are the hypotheses, questions, or issues to be addressed, and how clearly are they formulated?
- How important and novel are the outcomes expected from the proposed research activities? What is the potential for important new observations, tools/techniques, knowledge or impact in health research, or for the expected outcomes to build a foundation for the pursuit of more comprehensive funding opportunities?
- How well will the proposed approach address the hypotheses or questions? How well have the applicant(s) anticipated difficulties in their approach and considered alternatives? How critically is the relevant literature appraised and evaluated?
- How appropriate to the proposed research activities is the training or track record of the applicant(s)? Are the reviewers confident that the applicant(s) can accomplish the work proposed?
Notes:
- It will be recognized by reviewers that preliminary data or observations for novel ideas or totally new research directions will generally not be available, and therefore there will be a minor emphasis on preliminary data or observations.
- Researchers, regardless of career stage, would not be expected to have an extensive publication record in the new field, but rather to possess a set of transferable competencies that will enable them to accomplish the proposed objectives.
- For projects of a high risk nature, the potential for great scientific gain should offset the risk of failure.
- There should be minimal or no overlap with other funded work.
CIHR recognizes that applications will emphasize different approaches to research and to knowledge translation, therefore reviewers and committees are expected to weight evaluation criteria such as the above differently from one application to another.
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How to Apply
The application process is comprised of two steps: Registration and Full Application.
Review the application instructions provided in How to Apply for Funding.
Select "Operating Grants" (Registration and Application) from the Grant Programs Application Packages.
(Updated: 2007-08-21)
Please submit your application using CIHR Web Forms and not through ResearchNet. If you have already submitted your registration using ResearchNet, please advise the contact for questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process identified in the “Contact Information” section of this funding opportunity. Applicants will not be penalized provided their full applications are submitted using the CIHR Web Forms.
Additional instructions must be followed for this funding opportunity:
- In the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module, select "Strategic Initiative" and enter the title of this funding opportunity.
Send the completed registration and application packages by courier to:
RE: "Catalyst Grant - CIHR Research Initiative on Official Language Minority Communities"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
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Contact Information
For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:
(Updated: 2007-09-26)
Eric Bergeron
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-941-0847
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: ebergeron@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:
Johanne Lapointe
Project Manager, Research Initiatives
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-954-2474
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: jlapointe@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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