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

Aboriginal peoples experience a profound burden of ill health that has resulted in health status that is significantly below that of the larger Canadian population. Many of the health issues facing Aboriginal communities are multi-factorial and are therefore best addressed through multi-pillar, multi-disciplinary collaborations that both identify the relevant health priorities for Aboriginal peoples and produce scientifically excellent research.

CIHR-Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (CIHR-IAPH) mandate is to promote research that addresses the special health needs of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and aims to improve the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples through the assertion of indigenous understandings of health and by fostering innovative community-based and scientifically excellent research. CIHR-Institute of Infection and Immunity (CIHR-III) is the CIHR institute for the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative. This Initiative, supported by the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada, promotes Canadian research and builds research capacity in order to increase our understanding of the virus, the epidemic and effective responses. (Updated: 2009-08-19)

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to further strengthen policies and programs that impact on the health of Aboriginal peoples by encouraging health intervention research. It is expected that this targeted investment will lead to enhancement and expansion of the evidentiary base concerning effective health interventions for the special health needs of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Population health intervention research involves the use of scientific methods to produce knowledge about policy and program interventions that operate within or outside of the health sector and have the potential to impact health at the population level (working definition adopted by the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada) Through intervention research we build the evidence base concerning the population health impacts of policies and programs, and identify what works to improve health and the social and physical environments in which we work, live, play and learn. Intervention research is not limited to research on impacts or effects; it may include, for example, research that looks at the reach of interventions, their processes, differential uptake, sustainability, and dissemination.

HIV is a disease of the immune system but the vulnerability of individuals and communities to infection and the impact of infection are strongly influenced by social, cultural and environmental determinants. HIV continues to have a disproportionate effect on certain groups of people - men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, Aboriginal people, people from countries where HIV is endemic, people who are street-involved and people in the correctional system. Rates of infection are increasing in many of these populations across Canada, and many people most at risk do not access health services. All of these populations require additional focused research to address their healthcare needs. As a population over-represented in rates of infection and reported AIDS cases, Aboriginal people constitute a population segment in particular need of targeted research development. (Updated: 2009-08-19)

The CIHR-IAPH encourages researchers to undertake community-based health research that incorporate innovative methodologies that may include participatory and indigenous research methods. Through development of collaborative research partnerships between researchers, Aboriginal communities and other stakeholders, it is anticipated that the knowledge generated will contribute to new understanding of how practitioners and policymakers can make effective decisions to improve the health services provided to Aboriginal peoples.

Funds Available (Updated: 2009-08-19)

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 initiative is $7,500,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate.
  • Included in the above amount is $5,000,000 from CIHR-IAPH to support multi-pillar, multi-disciplinary collaborations that both identify the relevant health priorities for Aboriginal peoples and produce scientifically excellent research.
  • Also included in the above amount is $2,500,000 from the HIV/AIDS Research Initiative to support relevant applicants that address Aboriginal populations' needs for strengthened population and public health as well as health services and policy research in HIV/AIDS, and which work to build research capacity within Aboriginal communities.
• The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $500,000 per annum for up to five years. The equipment amount is awarded in year one.

Partner/Collaborator 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/collaborators and their respective mandates and/or strategic interests. This list will continue to evolve as new partners/collaborators join in this initiative. The specific research foci and requirements for each partner/collaborator are outlined in the "Objectives" section.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are:

• To encourage innovative and collaborative intervention research between researchers and stakeholders in Aboriginal health;
• To support innovative health intervention research that addresses the special health needs of Aboriginal peoples in Canada; and
• To develop knowledge on effective health interventions for Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Relevant Research Areas:

• Areas of health and health research that are relevant to the mandate of CIHR-IAPH;
• Critical health issues for Aboriginal peoples including, but not limited to: infectious diseases; chronic diseases (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, musculoskeletal); mental health (e.g. suicide, addictions); health services and policy for Aboriginal populations across the lifespan (e.g. prenatal, infant, child and youth, adult, elder and aging populations); public health, and complex interactions of factors (e.g. biological, social ,cultural, environmental, economic, gender, life stage) which determine the health of populations;
• HIV/AIDS in Aboriginal populations resulting in strengthened population and public health, health services and policy research, and the building of research capacity within Aboriginal communities; (Updated: 2009-08-19)
• Innovative areas in Aboriginal health, including but not limited to: facilitating process and mechanisms to bring together traditional indigenous knowledge (including traditional medicine) and research as it related to health issues (e.g. diabetes, HIV/AIDS, traditional food and nutrition, etc.), and social determinants of health.

CIHR-IAPH would like to encourage Aboriginal health researchers and stakeholders in Aboriginal health to identify relevant and innovative themes and priorities, and therefore does not want to be prescriptive.
The research areas are not limited, however should focus on areas in the domains of biomedical, clinical, health services and policy, and population and public health that have potential to improve the profound disparities experienced by Aboriginal peoples.

Examples of research that might be conducted are provided below. These examples are not intended to be exhaustive and there is no intent to imply that applications in these research areas would be more successful than those in other research areas.

• Development of an Intervention and/or Research that relates to an initiation, change, adaptation or ending of a program, policy, service, or event with potential to impact the health of Aboriginal peoples. This includes those within the health sector or outside the health sector (e.g. education, social assistance, environment, housing);
• New/changes to health policy, programs or services provided to Aboriginal peoples at a population, regional or community level.

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:

• Research teams should have three or more researchers that bring their professional and disciplinary skills and resources to an Aboriginal health issue that is a relevant research area/s of their application to this funding opportunity;
• Applications with researchers employed in at least two different institutions are encouraged;
• The researchers and the research plan should be normally associated with two or more of CIHR's health research pillars: biomedical; clinical; health systems and health services; societal, cultural and environmental influences on health and the health of populations;
• Applications must identify an active partnership between an Aboriginal partner and the research team. An Aboriginal partner is an Aboriginal community and/or organization;
• This funding opportunity supports the development and translation of new knowledge to improve the health of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Therefore, partnerships with stakeholders in Aboriginal health from the public, private, voluntary, international and not-for-profit sectors are strongly encouraged. Partners may include Aboriginal organizations, Aboriginal communities, health and community organization(s), health professional organizations, health charities, hospital and research institute foundations, municipal and regional health authorities, and provincial government agencies; and
• Partner(s) may contribute funding or in-kind support to the research program.

Guidelines

General CIHR 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 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.

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 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.

In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements, the following special requirements 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.
• Successful applicants funded by the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative are expected to network with the two existing CIHR Centres for Population Health and Health Services Research Development in HIV/AIDS. (Updated: 2009-08-19)

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.

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 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.

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.

The following table is intended to further clarify objectives by linking them to expected outcomes and measures which will be included in CIHR's Management Resources and Results Structure (MRRS), as required by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Review Process and Evaluation

Relevance Review (Updated: 2009-08-19)

The CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health will provide funding for applications that are relevant to (in alignment with) the objectives and research priority areas described in the Objectives section.

CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative will support relevant applicants that address Aboriginal populations' needs for strengthened population and public health as well as health services and policy research in HIV/AIDS, and which work to build research capacity within Aboriginal communities.

Prior to peer review, the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health will have access to anonymized project titles and summaries to conduct relevance review.

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

• Alignment of the objectives of the proposed activity with the specific objectives of the CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health
• Alignment of the objectives of the proposed activity with the strategic research priorities of the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative

Upon completion of peer review, the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health 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 website.

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 are specific to this funding opportunity. CIHR recognizes that applications will emphasize different approaches to research and to knowledge translation, therefore reviewers and committees are expected to weight criteria such as these differently from one application to another.

• How the proposed research aims to improve the burden of ill health experienced by Aboriginal peoples, including how the proposed research aims to have transformative effects on Aboriginal peoples' health;
• Description in the research plan of the partnerships with the Aboriginal partner(s) and other partner(s) that demonstrates the partners' role, contribution and involvement in the each stage of the research process, including:
• • A brief description of how they will operate with respect to governance issues, mutual accountability and ongoing interaction during the research process.
  • The contribution and support for the project provided by the partner(s). Contributions may be in staff time, in kind, and/or cash.
  • How new knowledge generated through the research process will be disseminated and translated to appropriate partners and stakeholders.
• Description in the research plan of how the research is relevant to the Aboriginal partner/s, including:
• • A brief description of how the research priority was established and its relevance to the Aboriginal partner/s.
  • A brief description of any specific issues that form a part of an agreement between the Aboriginal partner/s and the research team, for example, stewardship of data and material of human origin, and plans for knowledge dissemination.
  • A brief description of how participation of Aboriginal people in the proposed research will be sought including attention to those who are traditionally underrepresented in the research process.
• The importance and originality of the research questions to be addressed and the contributions expected from the research proposed;
• Appropriateness of the methodology and data analysis in the proposed research;
• How the proposed research balances the pursuit of scientific excellence with direct involvement of the Aboriginal partner(s) in the research process;
• How the proposed research aims to address the relevant ethical considerations that are specific to the research methodology proposed; and
• The involvement and quality of experience provided to graduate students and postdoctoral trainees in the proposed research program.

How to Apply

Note: This funding opportunity requires the use of CIHR Web Forms to apply for funding.

• The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of two steps: Registration and Application.
• To complete your Registration and Application, follow the instructions identified in the Operating Grants - Web Forms "Registration" Phase Instructions and the Operating Grants - Web Forms "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, includes all required signatures (application participants, organizational and partner signatures both National and/or International, as identified in the "Participant Categories for CIHR Grants" and the "Meaning of Signatures on Application Forms" sections of the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide) and is submitted on time to CIHR. As of September 1, 2008, CIHR no longer assumes responsibility in following-up with applicants who submit an incomplete application. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted into the competition.

Additional instructions that must be followed for this funding opportunity: (Updated: 2009-08-19)
(Note: These additional instructions supersede all other policies or guidelines published by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, including, but not limited to, the Grants and Awards Guide, the Memorandum of Understanding, etc.)

• In the Research Funding Program section of the Research Module, select "Strategic Initiative" and enter the title of this funding opportunity.
• The CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People came into effect as policy for CIHR-funded research on July 1st 2008. In order to obtain institutional Research Ethics Board (REB) approval, applicants must obtain a Research Agreement , signed and dated by the appropriate community authority. In situations where obtaining a formal Research Agreement is not necessary or desirable from the community's perspective, applicants should provide a letter of community approval and a short statement of justification explaining the absence of a Research Agreement. These documents are not required as part of a complete application submission, but may be of use in demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed research to the peer review committee.
• As outlined in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide, applicants must inform themselves about any formal review processes that may exist within the community. In communities with local Aboriginal Research Ethics Boards (REB) or other formal means of local Aboriginal research review, research projects involving Aboriginal people will need to be reviewed both by the local Aboriginal Ethics Review Board, as well as the Institutional Research Ethics board.

Send the completed registration and application packages by courier to:

RE: "Operating Grant: Aboriginal Health Intervention Research"
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9

Contact Information

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

Danielle Halloran (Updated: 2010-02-10)
Acting Program Coordinator
Canadian Institutes for Health Research
Telephone: 613-941-4392
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: danielle.halloran@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Jacques Dalton
Institute Project Officer
Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-941-4440
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: jacques.dalton@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (Updated: 2009-08-19)
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: HIVAIDS-VIHSIDA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Partner/Collaborator Description

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (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 to nearly 12,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (CIHR-IAPH)
CIHR-IAPH supports health research that addresses the special health needs of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and aims to improve the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples through the assertion of Aboriginal understandings of health and by fostering innovative community-based and scientifically excellent research.

CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (CIHR-III) HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (Updated: 2009-08-19)
CIHR-III is the lead CIHR institute for the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative. This Initiative, supported by the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada, promotes Canadian research and builds research capacity in order to increase our understanding of the virus, the epidemic and effective responses.