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's mandate is "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 intent of this funding opportunity is to accelerate the translation of knowledge by linking researchers and knowledge-users to move knowledge into action. Applicants can request funding to support partnerships, knowledge and tools for implementation projects of up to two years duration. This program is intended to fund the knowledge application process (see action cycle) rather than conducting primary research. Applicants at the knowledge creation stage are encouraged to consider other funding opportunities such as Knowledge Synthesis or Planning Grants.

There is a broad spectrum of knowledge that can be applied/implemented, and applicants must demonstrate the strength of the evidence supporting the application/implementation.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for a renewal of their grant if they plan to scale up their implementation project, which might not be achievable within a two year time frame.

Background

CIHR's definition of knowledge translation is as follows: Knowledge Translation is a dynamic and iterative process that includes the synthesis, dissemination, exchange and ethically-sound application of knowledge to improve the health of Canadians, provide more effective health services and products and strengthen the healthcare system.

This process takes place within a complex system of interactions between researchers and knowledge users which may vary in intensity, complexity and level of engagement depending on the nature of the research results and on the needs of the particular knowledge user.

At CIHR we have divided KT into two main categories: end-of-grant and integrated KT. With end-of-grant KT, the researcher develops and implements a plan for making users aware of the knowledge that has been gained from the project; in integrated KT stakeholders or potential research users are engaged in the entire research process. Funding in the Knowledge to Action initiative requires an integrated approach to KT.

By end-of-grant KT, we mean the typical dissemination and communication activities undertaken by most researchers: KT to their peers such as conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. End-of-grant KT can also involve more intensive dissemination activities that tailor the message and medium to a specific audience, such as summary briefings to stakeholders; more interactive approaches such as educational sessions with patients, practitioners and /or policy makers; media engagement or the use of knowledge brokers. The commercialization of scientific discoveries is another form of end of grant KT.

The term integrated KT describes a different way of doing research with researchers and research users working together to shape the research process - starting with collaboration on setting the research questions, deciding the methodology, being involved in data collection and tools development, interpreting the findings and helping disseminate the research results. This approach, also known by such terms as collaborative research, action-oriented research, and co-production of knowledge, should produce research findings that are more likely be relevant to and used by the end users. End-of-grant KT is part of the integrated KT process.

For more information on KT at CIHR, please see About KT. Applicants are also encouraged to refer to the CIHR Knowledge Translation Learning Modules and "Knowledge to Action: A Knowledge Translation Casebook" for additional guidance.

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 are decreased 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 $2,000,000 over two years. 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 2 years.

Funding Opportunities in Specific Research Areas

Funds are available for the current competition to support Knowledge to Action Grant applications in specific research areas:

• Knowledge to Action: Fall 2010 Priority Announcement (Specific Research Areas)

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 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 specific objective of this funding opportunity is to:

• Increase the uptake/application of knowledge by supporting partnerships between researchers and knowledge-users to bridge a knowledge to action gap, and in so doing, increase the understanding of knowledge application through the process.

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:

In order for your application to be eligible:

1) The Nominated Principal Applicant must be one of the following:

• An independent researcher;
• A knowledge user;

2) The team (including the Nominated Principal Applicant) must involve one of each of the following listed as a Principal Applicant:

• An independent researcher;
• A knowledge user;

Randomized Controlled Trials:

Applications involving Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) are accepted and encouraged where appropriate based on scientific and methodological grounds.

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.

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:

• Cost associated with specific KT-related activities undertaken by the team members, including creation and distribution of KT tools (e.g. plain language summaries or other mechanisms);
• Purchase and maintenance of equipment and other research tools, maintenance funding for common services and shared facilities;
• Costs of data collection and maintenance of information holdings;
• Costs associated with networking activities, including community mobilization and consultation, collaborative planning, and knowledge translation activities directly related to the project;
• The salary(ies) of a professional coordinator, knowledge broker, or research assistant
• Costs associated with the dissemination of the results of this project;
• Consulting fees (as appropriate);
• Travel, accommodation, workshop/seminar costs, and other KT-related activities associated with establishing and maintaining appropriate collaborations.
• Costs associated with ensuring open access to the findings (e.g., costs of publishing in an open access journal or making a journal article open access).
• Release time funding may be used to replace part of the salary of a knowledge user to allow them time to participate in the research program.
• The maximum amount paid to an individual is $50,000 per annum (including the Nominated Principal Applicant).
• A release time stipend will only be awarded upon the approval of the employer of the knowledge user, if applicable.
• Recipients of release time funding are not considered employees of CIHR.

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 "policies and guidelines in the conduct of research". 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.

• The Nominated Principal Applicant, may be required to submit an End of Grant report to CIHR 18 months after the authority to use the grant fund period. This online report will be made available to the Nominated Principal Applicant on ResearchNet at the beginning of the grant funding period and can be filled in as the research progresses.
• For Randomized Controlled Trials, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a final report. The format to be used must follow the revised Consort Guidelines
• Within 6 months after the end of the grant's term, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a text "Knowledge to Action Final Report", summarizing the outcomes and describing how the grant funds were used.
• 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

Merit Review Committee

A CIHR merit review committee, comprised of researcher and knowledge-user peers, 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 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:

Applications will be evaluated by merit review.

The 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 grant applications in this funding opportunity:

Research Question
Explanation of the research project and justification for the need to conduct the research:

• To what extent does the project respond to the objective(s) of the Funding Opportunity?
• To what extent does the research question respond to an important need identified by the knowledge-user(s) on the research team?

Research Approach
Detailed description of the research approach and justification for the proposed methods/strategies:

• To what extent is it likely that the proposed methods will address the research question(s)?
• To what extent is the study design appropriate and rigorous?
• To what extent are the knowledge-user team members meaningfully engaged where appropriate (e.g. in defining the research questions, informing the research plan, interpreting the findings, informing the end-of-grant KT plan)?
• To what extent does the end-of-grant KT plan detail strategies appropriate for its goals and target audiences?

Feasibility
Demonstration that the researcher-knowledge-user team has the requisite skills, experience and resources to complete the project in the proposed time frame:

• To what extent are the knowledge-users on the team committed to applying the findings when they become available and is their application achievable in the particular practice, program and/or policy context?
• To what extent does the researcher-knowledge-user team have the necessary expertise, time and track record to deliver on the project's objective(s), including the objectives of the end-of-grant KT plan?
• To what extent is the project accomplishable in the given timeframe with the resources available/described?

Outcomes
Results expected from the successful uptake of project findings:

• To what extent will the project have a substantive and sustainable impact on health outcomes, practice, programs and/or policy in the study context?
• To what extent will the project's findings be transferable to other practice, programs and/or policy contexts?
• To what extent is the evaluation plan appropriate to assess the project's impact?

Note: applicants are not required to have created the knowledge to be applied/implemented. They must, however, demonstrate the strength of the evidence supporting its application/implementation.

Funding Decision:

CIHR Institutes, Initiatives, Branches, and Partners offering funding through the Knowledge to Action Funding Opportunity 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.

Unless otherwise stated, the applications relevant to the specific research focuses will be funded from the top down as far as the budgets will allow. The remaining applications will be funded by the general pool of funds (as stated in the Funds Available section of this Funding Opportunity) from the top down as far as budgets will allow.

Potential Impact and Scientific Merit will be weighted equally. Only those applications receiving a score of 3.5 or more on both potential impact and scientific merit will be considered for funding. These scores will be averaged into a single score to determine the ranking of the application.

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:

The following criteria must be met for your application to be accepted:

• The Research Proposal in the "Enter Project Information and Supporting Documents" task under "Project Information" is limited to 9 pages. References, figures and tables may be listed in additional pages in the "Research Proposal Appendix" tab.
• The Research Proposal must include the following sections:
• Research Question (approximately 3 pages)
• Description of the research project including: the objectives of the proposed project; an explanation of the knowledge that will be translated, including the strength of the research evidence.
• Justification for the need to conduct the project (i.e. the need to transfer the evidence into practice/programs/policy) including a description of the knowledge-users involved and the project's relevance to the identified knowledge-users.
• Explanation of how the project responds to the objective of this Funding Opportunity.
• Research Approach (approximately 4 pages)
• Description of the proposed research methods/KT activities and the rationale, based on KT literature, for the approach selected.
• Description of how knowledge-user team members are engaged in the project, including the nature of the collaboration and the extent to which it is, and will continue to be, an effective partnership.
• Description of the end-of-grant KT plan for disseminating the outcomes of the project so that others may benefit from approaches found to be effective. What knowledge should be transferred? What are the goals of the plan? Who is the audience? How will this be accomplished? How feasible is it? What resources are required?
• Feasibility (approximately 1 page)
• Demonstrated or potential strength of the team: the training or track record of the applicant(s) in terms of research and knowledge translation; the relevancy of the recent research of the applicant(s);
• Description of how each team member will contribute to the project.
• Description and justification of timeline
• Outcomes (approximately 1 page)
• Description of the impact the project will have on health outcomes, practice, programs and/or policy.
• Transferability of the project's findings to other practice/program/policy settings.
• Description of the evaluation plan to assess the effectiveness and impact of the proposed project
• Common CV (Validated for CIHR):
  • Please note you are required to identify your role on ResearchNet and the applicant role you select will determine which CV you are required to submit.
• Independent researchers: Submit full common CV modules for the Nominated Principal Applicant, Principal Applicants, and Co-Applicants.
• Knowledge-Users: A Knowledge-User CV has been created to capture relevant information for Knowledge-Users. Knowledge-Users must submit a Knowledge-User CV for the Nominated Principal Applicant, Principal Knowledge-User, and Knowledge-User roles.
• Letters of support:
  • Knowledge-Users: Submit signed letter(s) from each of the Knowledge user applicant(s).
  • The letter should explain the role, amount of time committed to the project, the cash and/or in kind contribution, and the precise degree of involvement of each of the knowledge user applicants as well as a description of how they intend to use the results of this research project.
  • Please note: the review committee reads these letters carefully to assess the degree of commitment of the knowledge user applicant(s). Knowledge users are advised to personally write their letters, rather than sign a template letter.
• Fill in the Budget Information in the "Budget Information and Supporting Documents" task and clearly justify all budget items (including cash and in-kind contributions, if relevant).

Contact Information

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

Tamsyn Farr (Updated: 2010-07-08)
Program Delivery Coordinator
Knowledge Creation Program
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-952-5737
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: tamsyn.farr@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Yumna Choudhry
Senior KT Specialist
Knowledge Translation Branch
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-954-1944
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: yumna.choudhry@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) applications contact:

Irwin Schweitzer
Trials Officer
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-941-0718
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: irwin.schweitzer@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Partner/Collaborator Description

Note: Additional partners are expected to 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 – Knowledge Translation Branch
The Knowledge Translation branch aims to advance CIHR's knowledge translation mandate by promoting and supporting excellence in knowledge translation practice and research, knowledge synthesis and exchange, as well as by building capacity in these areas.