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Description
In June 2006, the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis in partnership with the Institute of Aging brought together 65 delegates from the muscle and MSK rehabilitation communities for a consensus meeting entitled Muscles: From Molecules to Mobility - Direction setting workshop on Muscle and musculoskeletal rehabilitation research. The purpose of this meeting was to identify common research objectives and to set integrated research directions in the focus areas of muscle and musculoskeletal rehabilitation research. This was the first time that such a diverse group of stakeholders had an opportunity to meet and discuss these topics; participants included patients representatives, representatives from government, non-governmental and voluntary organizations, and researchers from such diverse backgrounds as physical therapy, mechanical engineering, rehabilitation sciences, biochemistry, occupational therapy, molecular biology and kinesiology. The meeting educated participants about each other's research areas, fostered communication and collaboration, and resulted in the creation of a list of defined research priorities. This funding opportunity is a first product of that workshop. For a more detailed overview of this meeting, please refer to the workshop's proceedings.
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;
- planning and/or development activities of expert teams (multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, etc...) coming together to address health research priorities.
Funds Available (Updated: 2007-08-21)
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 $400,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate.
- The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $100,000 per annum for up to 1 year. The equipment amount, where applicable, is awarded in year one.
Knowledge Translation (KT) is an integral component of IMHA's strategic plan.
KT is defined as the exchange, synthesis and ethically sound application of research findings within a complex set of interactions among researchers and knowledge users - to accelerate the capture of the benefits of research for Canadians through improved health, more effective services and products, and a strengthened health care system.
IMHA encourages researchers to partake in KT. Additional funds might be provided to those researchers who choose to apply for them. For further details on Knowledge Translation funding opportunities please their Website.
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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
The Catalyst Grant program is further expected to contribute to:
- Providing new or established investigators with funding to pursue new areas of investigation
- Providing the opportunity for a unique combination (e.g. multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, international) of individual researchers to develop as a team
- Mobilization of research communities to develop research agendas and/or action plans to advance research in specific priority areas.
Relevant Research Areas:
The strategic research priorities of this funding opportunity are related to IMHA's three research priorities.
- Physical activity, Mobility and Health
- Tissue injury, Repair and Replacement
- Pain, Disability and Chronic Diseases
More specifically, areas of investigation should include one or more of the following:
- Muscle atrophy - collaborations on linkages between activity and atrophy, with reference to aging, dystrophy, prevention versus reversal, disease progress and interventions, maintenance of function and/or muscle mass, frailty, and metabolic impact. This area spans the spectrum from basic research to patient interventions.
- Muscle function and dysfunction - in primary muscle diseases (dystrophies), secondary muscle dysfunction (osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, fractures), muscle injury (prevention, overuse, chronic, reversible/irreversible) impact of joint replacements on muscle and pre- and post surgical intervention and overuse.
- Movement, Exercise and Rehabilitation - physical activity guidelines and the impact of exercise on various medical conditions, with emphasis on individual variation, dose/response, different age-groups and genders, and medication. This includes identification of the factors and tools to promote adherence/compliance to/with activity/exercise and healthy behaviors as well as monitoring outcomes to determine safe exercise progression and maximizing the impact of rehabilitation interventions and strategies.
- Animal models for therapy and rehabilitation research - correlation/integration of techniques used on animal models that are transferable to humans; outcomes measurements; interactions between physical activities and medications; electronic advances; and robotics.
- Muscle response to non neuromuscular diseases/conditions - including oncology, diabetes, neuromuscular deficits, spinal cord injuries, and alcohol.
- Modern imaging technology related to muscle/neuromuscular research - MRI, FMRI, eclectromyography, accelerometry, dynamometry, robotics, GPS to quantify mobility
- Translational research - involving the four pillars of CIHR, this research has strong stakeholder involvement and is bidirectional, where the results of rehabilitation and patient outcomes are used to inform basic research. This includes primary and secondary management and covers the spectrum from acute care to community-based approaches.
The strategic research priorities of this funding opportunity are related to IA's Mobility in Aging Initiative. While the CIHR Institute of Aging is interested in co-funding successful applications that address intrinsic and/or extrinsic challenges (from biological to environmental) associated with Mobility in Aging, it will also sincerely consider those applications that fit within one or more of IA's priority research areas. For the Institute of Aging, it is critical that applications include aging and/or the aged as essential elements of the research objectives, hypotheses and analyses (e.g., dynamics of aging, age-relevant models and/or aged subjects).
Please note that the Institute of IA is also offering a Catalyst Grant for Planning and Development in Mobility in Aging covering themes that potentially overlap with this funding opportunity. Researchers are encouraged to look at both funding opportunities and to apply to the one that is most relevant to their research. While the peer review panel will be common to both funding opportunities, the rankings will be distinct. The two Institutes have agreed to mutually fund highly ranked research that is relevant to both funding opportunities.
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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.
Specific Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility requirements specific to this funding opportunity include the following:
- It is mandatory that at least one excellent new investigator be included as part of the proposed team. A new investigator is defined as a researcher, who has completed all formal training, but with 5 years or less experience as an independent investigator. In the context of this funding opportunity, one does NOT need to hold a CIHR New Investigator Salary Award to be classified as a new investigator.
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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.
The following expenditures will be considered eligible for funding received through this funding opportunity:
- Operating support for specific research-related activities undertaken by the members of the team;
- Purchase and maintenance of equipment and other research tools, maintenance funding for common services and shared facilities (up to $5,000);
- Costs of data collection and maintenance of information holdings;
- Costs of regional, national (and, if necessary, international) networking activities, including community mobilization and consultation, collaborative planning, and research exchange activities directly related to the research project;
- Systematic review(s) of relevant research literature;
- The salary of a professional coordinator and/or research assistants (as appropriate);
- Salaries of excellent trainees (students or fellows) only if they are generating pilot data of relevance to the team and if it is in the best interest of the attraction, retention and career development of that trainee;
- Costs involved in dissemination of the results of the work funded under this funding opportunity to target audiences;
- Consulting fees (as appropriate)
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:
- Proceedings of any workshop or consultative event must be submitted electronically to the CIHR - IMHA within 3 months of the event. A standard format will be provided by the CIHR- IMHA. CIHR - IMHA may decide to post such proceedings on its website or other public document.
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-IMHA and CIHR-IA 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-IMHA and CIHR-IA will have access to anonymized project titles and summaries to conduct relevance review.
The following criteria will be used in conducting the relevance review:
- Extent to which the proposal addresses the above relevant areas of inquiry
- For the Institute of Aging, it is critical that proposals include aging and/or the aged as essential elements of the research objectives, hypotheses and analyses (e.g., dynamics of aging, age-relevant models and/or aged subjects);
Upon completion of peer review, the CIHR-IMHA and CIHR-IA 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, 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.
- 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.
(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.
Select "Operating Grants" (Registration and Application) from the Grant Programs Application Packages.
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.
- Research Proposal section of the Research Module is limited to 9 pages (including the summary page 9). Please note that this page limit is different from the usual 11-13 pages required for regular CIHR operating grant applications.
- In order to give sufficient emphasis to the work being planned, confine your Background discussion to issues that are directly pertinent to the topic of your application, rather than generalities of oral health, such as descriptions of its epidemiology. Provide an overview of research in the specific area nationally and internationally. Limit this discussion and review of the literature to two pages.
- In no more than two pages of text, describe the larger project being planned and/or developed through the work proposed in this application.
- Use the remaining four pages to outline the planning and development activities themselves, including anticipated outcomes and their timelines, justification of how they are important to the larger project, and the names and roles of key individuals and organizations involved.
Send the completed registration and application packages by courier to:
RE: "Catalyst Grant - Muscle: From Molecules to Mobility"
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:
Annie-France Bernier
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-941-0317
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: afbernier@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:
Todd Lavictoire (Updated: 2007-09-10)
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-957-8678
Fax.: 613-954-1800
Email: tlavictoire@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For questions about this initiative and research objectives under the Mobility in Aging Initiative, contact:
Gwendoline Simard
Associate, Strategic Initiatives
CIHR - Institute of Aging
Telephone: 613-946-1270
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: gsimard@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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