Important Dates

Notices

Table of Contents

• Description
• Objectives
• Eligibility
• Guidelines
• Performance Measurement
• Review Process and Evaluation
• How to Apply
• Contact Information
• Partner/Collaborator Description

Description

CIHR funds a great deal of research in both reproductive and child health, but far less attention has been given to maternal health, even though mothers assume a large responsibility for bearing and raising children, and even though there is a direct connection between the health of the mother and the health of her offspring.

To address this gap, IHDCYH, IGH, and IAPH organized a consensus workshop with key stakeholders (including researchers, clinicians, health care providers, and policy makers) to establish priorities in maternal health research and the appropriate funding tools to pursue those priorities. Based on in-depth discussions during the workshop, four priority research areas relevant to maternal health were identified:

1. Determinants and consequences of maternal health disparities across the life course
2. The relationship of pregnancy and its complications to subsequent maternal physical and/or mental health
3. Health systems, health care models, and health human resources
4. Pathways to positive maternal health: interventions, actions and policies

In order to foster and strengthen research in these areas, and properly address the perceived gaps in knowledge, 3 different funding tools have been incorporated into this initiative:

• Emerging Team Grant, for priority areas # 2 and 3;
• Operating Grant – Knowledge to Action, for priority areas #3 and 4;
• Catalyst Grant, for priority areas #1, 3, and 4 (this funding tool).

The following details of this funding opportunity described below are specific to the “Catalyst Grant: Maternal Health - From Pre-conception to the Empty Nest”.

This catalyst grant in maternal health provides short-term seed funding to support health research activities such as planning and execution of pilot projects or feasibility studies, or development and/or validation of new tools, methodologies, protocols, theoretical models or frameworks.

Funds Available

CIHR’s and partner contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR or partner funding levels not be available or decrease due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR and partner reserve the right to defer or suspend payments to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $300,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate.
• The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $100,000 per year for up to 1 year
• The equipment amount, where applicable, is awarded in year one.

Partner Participation

CIHR is dedicated to identifying and developing collaborations with other 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. Applicants are invited to visit the Partner/Collaborator Description section to find a list of partners and their respective mandates and/or strategic interests. This list will continue to evolve as new partners join in this initiative. The specific research foci and requirements for each partner are outlined in the “Objectives” section.

Objectives

The objective of this funding opportunity is to support feasibility studies and exploratory work on identified relevant research areas in maternal health as described below.

The specific objectives of this catalyst grant in maternal health are to:

• Achieve research excellence in maternal health by providing new or established investigators with funding to pursue new areas of investigation;
• Generate preliminary observations, data or knowledge as a first step towards the pursuit of more comprehensive funding opportunities (e.g., operating grants, team grants) by researchers or teams of researchers in the area of maternal health; and
• Support original, high-quality projects that have the potential to generate high-impact results and/or innovative research proposals, research tools, techniques, devices, inventions, or methodologies in the area of maternal health research.

Relevant Research Areas

The CIHR Institutes and partner organizations will provide funding for applications that are determined to be relevant to the following research areas and/or cross-cutting themes:

• Determinants and consequences of maternal health disparities across the life course (e.g., impact of obesity, chronic conditions, early or delayed childbearing, violence, or socioeconomic characteristics)
• Health systems, health care models, and health human resources (e.g., developing and evaluating innovative/anticipatory models of care for women who are marginalized and under-served by existing models of maternal care; evaluating effectiveness of existing models of care; assessing current infrastructure to track and link demographics, processes of care, and outcomes of maternity care; implementing evidence-based models of care)
• Pathways to positive maternal health: interventions, actions and policies (e.g., assessing effectiveness of interventions to promote healthy behaviours or reduce risky behaviours, or to promote mental health and psychosocial and social well-being; impact of sub-fertility or early/delayed childbearing on maternal health; effective ways of encouraging pre-conceptional health)

Cross-cutting themes

• First Nations, Inuit, Métis, northern, and immigrant mothers.
• Multidisciplinary and multisectoral approaches

The partners will support research in the relevant areas/cross cutting themes as detailed above and that are in alignment with their mission/mandate described in the Partner/Collaborator Description section.

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 Individual Eligibility Requirements regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions

Eligibility to Apply

For your application to be accepted the Nominated Principal Applicant must be one of the following:

1. An independent researcher
2. A knowledge user

Randomized Controlled Trials

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will not be considered under this funding tool.

Guidelines

General CIHR Guidelines

This funding opportunity will comply fully with the policies and guidelines outlined in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide. 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 and SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

Global Health Research and International Collaborations
 
As outlined in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide Global Health Research Section and International Collaborations Section, applicants who are eligible for CIHR funding may apply to CIHR's funding opportunities for funds to support research to be carried out in, or in direct collaboration with researchers and/or decision-makers based in, other countries. CIHR contributes to, and supports international research projects and international collaborations to address a range of research areas, including but not limited to established priorities in global health research and contributes to the development of health-research capacity both internationally and at home.

Conditions of Funding

Successful applicants funded through this funding opportunity and any other persons working on the project must comply fully with the CIHR Funding Policies. Policies and guidelines cover areas such as Applicant Responsibilities, Official languages policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of CIHR's Support. Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial requirements prior to the release of funds or when they receive CIHR's Authorization for Funding (AFF) 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 CIHR's Policy on Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality in the context of Merit, Relevance and Peer Review (CCIP).

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.

CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People

The CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People came into effect as policy for CIHR-funded research on July 1, 2008. Applicants whose proposed research will involve Aboriginal People are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with these guidelines and in particular with the section "Application of the Guidelines," which outlines the situations in which these guidelines apply.

Policy on Access to Research Outputs

CIHR believes that greater access to research publications and data will promote the ability of researchers and knowledge users in Canada and abroad to use and build on the knowledge needed to address significant health challenges. Open access will promote accessibility to CIHR-funded research and will serve to increase the international visibility of Canadian research. As of January 1, 2008, CIHR grant recipients are reminded to adhere with the responsibilities outlined in the Policy on Access to Research Outputs. Under this policy, grant recipients must make every effort to ensure that research papers and bio-molecular data generated from CIHR funding are freely accessible online.

Communication Requirements

Grant recipients are required to acknowledge CIHR, its institutes and partners in any communication or publication related to the project. See Communication of Competition Results for details on CIHR's communication requirements. The contributing institutes/partners will be identified on the Authorization for Funding and decision letter.

Performance Measurement

CIHR is committed to collecting and disseminating information on the outputs and impacts of the research it funds. This information is an important part of CIHR accountability within the Federal Government and to Canadians.

• In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements, the following special requirements shall apply:
  • Within 6 months after the end of the grant's term, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a "Catalyst Grant Final Report", summarizing the outcomes and describing how the grant funds were used. A standard template will be provided by CIHR to all successful applicants;
• The Nominated Principal Applicant 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;
• The Nominated Principal Applicant must also encourage their associates, trainees and administration to participate in the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes as required.

Review Process and Evaluation

Relevance Review Process

The CIHR Institutes and partner organizations will provide funding for applications that are relevant to (in alignment with) the objectives and research priority areas described in the Objectives section.

Prior to peer review, the CIHR Institutes and partner organizations will have access to anonymized project titles and summaries. Relevance review will be based on the summaries submitted by applicants.

The following criteria will be used in conducting the relevance review:

• Alignment with the objectives and relevant research areas of this funding opportunity
• Alignment with the priorities of the funding partners

All partners/collaborators will use the "Summary of Research Proposal" to conduct relevance review. Applicants are therefore encouraged to demonstrate how the proposed research project aligns accordingly

Applications that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition.

Review Committee

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) / branch(es) and partner(s), following CIHR's Policy on Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality in the context of Merit, Relevance and Peer Review (CCIP). For information on CIHR's peer review process in general, see the Understand Peer Review section of CIHR's website.

Evaluation Criteria

Peer review will be conducted in accordance with CIHR Peer Review Manual for Grant Applications. Reviewers will use the following set of criteria for the evaluation of all CIHR grant applications:

1. Research Approach
2. Originality of the Proposal
3. Applicant(s)
4. Environment for the Research
5. Impact of the Research

A detailed elaboration of these criteria can be found in the Revised Grants Evaluation Criteria - Criteria and Factors section of CIHR website.

Funding Decision:

Upon completion of peer review, the CIHR Institutes and partner organizations will receive the ranking list, 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 unless applicants have provided written consent to share nominative information.

Applications that receive a ranking below 3.5 will not be funded.

How to Apply

• The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of one step: Application.
• To complete your Application, follow the instructions identified in the Grants - ResearchNet "Application" Phase Instructions.
• An overview of CIHR's application processes can be found under Apply for Funding.
• Reminder to applicants: Please ensure that your application is complete (including all required signatures) and submitted on time to CIHR. Effective September 1, 2008, CIHR will assume no responsibility in following-up with applicants who submit an incomplete application. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted into the competition.

Submission Requirements

• Your Application will be submitted using ResearchNet. Scan and upload the signed signature pages including the routing slip in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task in ResearchNet prior to submitting your application.

Specific instructions for this funding opportunity

The following criteria are mandatory for your Application to be accepted:

• The Research Proposal must be no more than 5 pages not including references, charts, tables, figures and photographs.
• References, charts, tables, figures and photographs can be appended in the task entitled "Attach Other Application Materials".
• Provide Common CVs for all applicants except collaborators: Please note you are required to identify the role of each project participant on Research Net and the applicant role selected will determine which CV type is required.
  • Independent Investigators must submit a Full CV if they are identified in the Nominated Principal Applicant, Principal Applicant or Co-Applicant role.
  • Knowledge-users must submit a Knowledge-User CV if they are identified in the Nominated Principal Applicant, Principal Knowledge User, and Knowledge User role.

Optional criteria

• Publications are optional but may be used by the peer review committee to make recommendations on funding. The maximum number of publications to be appended is 5.

Contact Information

For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:

Monique Dunbrack (Updated: 2010-08-23)
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-960-9473
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: monique.dunbrack@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Elisabeth Fowler, MBA
Assistant Director
CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health
Telephone: 613-941-0946
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: elisabeth.fowler@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Partner/Collaborator Description

Note: Additional partners may join this funding initiative over the coming year.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
CIHR is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

CIHR – Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH)
CIHR-IHDCYH promotes and supports research that improves the health and development of mothers, infants, children, youth and families in Canada and throughout the world. Through our support, researchers address a wide range of health concerns, including those associated with reproduction, early development, childhood, and adolescence.

CIHR – Institute of Aboriginal People's Health (IAPH)
IAPH fosters the advancement of a national health research agenda to improve and promote the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada, through research, knowledge translation and capacity building. The Institute's pursuit of research excellence is enhanced by respect for community research priorities and Indigenous knowledge, values and cultures.

CIHR – Institute of Gender and Health (IGH)
The mission of the Institute of Gender and Health is to foster research excellence regarding the influence of gender and sex on the health of women and men throughout life, and to apply these research findings to identify and address pressing health challenges. Accounting for gender and sex in health research has the potential to make health research more just, more rigorous and more useful.

IGH will fund applications that include gender and sex in their approaches and research designs (e.g., designs that desegregate data by sex, studies focused on similarities and differences within or between groups of women, girls, men or boys, etc.), and that frame their responses to the specific objectives of this request for applications in terms of gender and/or sex.

Partners

The Gender and Health Unit (GHU), Regions and Programs Branch, Health Canada
The GHU's mission is to promote equitable health outcomes for the women and men, boys and girls of Canada, across the lifespan. The GHU is policy-oriented and works horizontally across the department, with other federal departments, provinces, territories and stakeholders to:

• Develop equitable and effective policies, programs and legislation; 
• Increase knowledge of sex, gender and diversity as determinants of health;
• Advance domestic and international commitments to women's health and gender equality.

Public Health Agency of Canada's Health Surveillance and Epidemiology Division
The mission of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is to promote and protect the health of Canadians through leadership, partnership, innovation and action in public health. PHAC's core functions include public health surveillance, which is carried out collaboratively with provinces, territories and many other stakeholders. The Health Surveillance and Epidemiology Division manages maternal and child health surveillance and epidemiology programs for perinatal health, child injury, child maltreatment and other child health conditions.

Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research (the Centre)
Two of the driving forces behind the creation of the Alberta Centre for Child Family and Community Research (The Centre) in 2003 were the need to promote world-class, policy relevant research, and the need to reduce the time lag between research discoveries and the implementation of research knowledge into policy and services, to benefit our children, families and communities.
 
The Centre has since become an innovative resource that develops and mobilizes priority research evidence into policy. Because children and their families in Alberta share fundamental needs with children living elsewhere, our research has relevancy and impact that extends to outside of Alberta, thus making The Centre an innovative nexus for the most important issues for children. 
 
The Centre also manages The Child and Youth Data Laboratory, the world's first lab to focus exclusively on a population of children and youth. The CYDL will substantially advance our understanding of the impact of, and need for, government policies and programs to improve child health and well being.

Canadian Women's Health Network
The Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN), a voluntary, bilingual, national organization, is a network of individuals, groups, organizations and institutions working to improve the health and lives of girls and women in Canada and the world. CWHN acts as a knowledge broker between and among researchers, clinicians, decision-makers, women and the public and develops links to information and action networks. We monitor emerging issues and trends affecting women's health and our publications act as a forum for critical debate on sex- and gender-based analysis, women's health research and policy issues. Our large and popular website and 15,000-record on-line database provide easy access to reliable health information, resources and research. We produce user-friendly materials and maintain an active media relations program.