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

This research programme is coordinated by the Academy of Finland and implemented jointly by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and its partners.  Through this funding opportunity, Finnish and Canadian research teams (i.e. international consortia) can apply jointly for funding for bilateral projects.

The purpose of this program is to promote long-term systematic research collaboration, as well as to establish and strengthen research collaboration networks between Finland and Canada. The funding opportunity is linked with the Academy’s and CIHR’s research programmes on mental health and addiction in children and youth.

The Canadian partners will support integrated multidisciplinary international teams of Canadian scientists to elucidate important research questions concerning the early origins of addiction in children and youth.

Funds Available

CIHR’s contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds voted annually to CIHR by parliamentary appropriations. Should CIHR funding levels be decreased by Parliament, CIHR reserves the right to defer or suspend payments to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

• The total amount available for this initiative is $3M.  This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate.
  
• The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $250,000 per annum for up to 4 years.
  
• The equipment amount is awarded in year one.
  
• Canadian teams invited to submit full applications may be offered development grants of up to $10,000 if requested at the Letter of Intent stage (see Letter of Intent instructions).

For more information, please consult the Academy of Finland web site.

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

Addictive behaviour in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood may have its origins in early adverse environmental exposures.  Research investigating these relationships is the subject of this call. The focus of research includes not only substance use (alcohol, drugs and tobacco), but also other types of addictive behaviours that become manifest during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood.

Relevant Research Areas

The CIHR-IHDCYH, CIHR-IGH, CIHR-INMHA, the Norlien Foundation, the ACCFCR, and the AIHS will provide funding for applications in the area of early origins of addiction in children and youth.

Priority topics include:

1. Family and community risk factors (including exposure to parental mental illness, domestic violence or other adverse experiences or chronic stressors, recent immigration, or homelessness) for later addictive behaviours
2. Early-life interventions to prevent later addictive behaviours
3. Preconceptional, pregnancy, and early childhood influences on later addictive behaviours
4. Links between intrauterine exposure to alcohol (FASD), cigarette smoking, and drugs of addiction and later addictive behaviours
5. Neural mechanisms underlying the above effects
6. Roles of genetics, epigenetics, and gene-environment interactions in the development of addictive behaviours

CIHR-IGH is particularly interested in funding applications that examine the gendered and sexed aspects of the priority topic areas.

Norlien Foundation will support research in topic areas 1,2,3,5, and 6 only.

If an application is deemed relevant to more than one Canadian partner, the corresponding partners may consider co-funding the project to maximize the number of funded applications.

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 accepted, the Nominated Principal Applicant (i.e., the Canadian Team Leader) must be an independent researcher.

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will be considered under this funding opportunity. For details, please contact the program delivery person. See Contact Information section.

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 following expenditures will be considered eligible for funding received through this funding opportunity:

• Research operating costs for the proposed collaborative research program, which must be distinct in its objectives from those for which team members currently receive funding.
  
• Purchase of equipment and maintenance contracts for common services and shared facilities;
  
• Costs of data collection, database and maintenance of information holdings directly related to the international research program;
  
• Costs of regional, national and international networking activities, including collaboration, planning, and knowledge exchange activities, directly related to the international research program;
  
• Salaries of research assistants, technicians and other research personnel who will enhance the collaborative research productivity of the Team;
  
• Support of research trainees, at the rate specified by CIHR for trainees paid from research grants.
  
• Salary of a professional coordinator;
  
• Costs involved in linkage with and dissemination of research findings to those who use the results, as appropriate for the research program (including other researchers, the public, practitioner and policy communities, and the industrial sector).

The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.

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.

In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements, the following special requirements shall apply:

• CIHR and AIHS contribution will pertain to the project component that is carried out in Canada and relevant to CIHR-Institutes and AIHS mandate and research priorities. The Norlien Foundation will only fund projects led by an Alberta principal investigator and that are relevant to its mandate and research priorities. The ACCFCR contribution will pertain to the project component that is carried out in Alberta and relevant to its mandate and research priorities.

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 research teams receiving funding from the program are required to submit a final report to the Academy of Finland and CIHR upon the completion of the projects. For more information about the report, please consult the Academy of Finland website.
• 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

The Academy of Finland will manage the review process of this funding opportunity.  For more details, please consult the description of the review process on the Academy of Finland website.

How to Apply

This funding opportunity is open to consortia made up of research teams from Canada and Finland. The application process is comprised of two stages: Letter of Intent and Full Application.

1- Letter of Intent (LOI)

Each Finnish-Canadian consortium has to prepare a joint LOI.  The Finnish consortium leader will then submit the LOI via the online services of the Academy of Finland (using the online application form).

In addition to the joint LOI, CIHR will require a minimum amount of information from the Canadian applicants to be provided to meet our administrative requirements.

The following appendices must be included with the joint LOI:

• The consortium’s proposed research plan, no more than six pages in length. The research plan should describe the objectives of the project, the nature of the international team, the anticipated value added of the research program proposed, the capacity of the team to carry out the research, the importance and novelty of hypothesis or questions to be addressed, the expected findings and how to disseminate them;
• Curricula vitae for the Finnish and the Canadian consortium leaders, as well as the curricula vitae of the responsible leaders of the sub-projects (Finnish and Canadian co-applicants), all combined as one document, with no more than four pages for each researcher. 
• Lists of publications of the Finnish and Canadian consortium leaders, as well as the list of publications of the responsible leaders of the sub-projects (Finnish and Canadian co-applicants), all combined as one document with the 10 most relevant publications to the proposed research plan for each of the sub-project leader;

For Canadian Applicants

• 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.
• 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.

Please complete the following tasks:

• Identify the participants: Only leaders, sub-project leaders and other co-applicants from Canada must be identified.
• Enter Project Information and Supporting Documents: The consortium’s proposed research plan must not exceed six pages in length and must be uploaded under sub-task “Attachments”.
• Enter Budget Information and Supporting Documents: The Canadian applicants must include a development budget (where applicable): a development grant request whereby Canadian applicants may request funds to be used in the development of the Full Application. The development grant request requires that the “Budget Information – Financial Assistance Requested” task outlines the activities for which the development grant will be used and a one-page budget justification be provided (see “Funds Available” section of Funding Opportunity for availability and amounts). This budget justification must be uploaded electronically to ResearchNet in PDF format under task ''Enter Budget Information and Supporting Documents'', sub-task ''Budget Attachments".
• Print/Upload Signature page: Signature from all Canadian participants must be obtained prior to being uploaded in ResearchNet.

2- Full Application

Finnish-Canadian consortia have to prepare a joint application. The Finnish consortium leader will then submit the Full Application via the online services of the Academy of Finland (using the online application form).

In addition to the joint application, CIHR will require a minimum amount of information from the Canadian applicants to be provided to meet our administrative requirements.

The following appendices must be included with the joint application:

• an abstract drafted in accordance with the consortium guidelines, no more than one page;
• a research plan drafted in accordance with the consortium guidelines, no more than 15 pages;
• curricula vitae for the Finnish and Canadian consortium leaders, as well as a curricula vitae for the responsible leaders of each sub-project (Finnish and Canadian co-applicants), all combined as one document with no more than four pages for each researcher.
• lists of publications of the Finnish and Canadian consortium leaders, as well as the list of publications of the responsible leaders of the each sub-project (Finnish and Canadian co-applicants), all combined as one document with the 10 most relevant publications to the proposed research plan for each of the sub-project leader;
• statement by an ethics committee or the Committee on Animal Experimentation, if relevant;
• For Finnish applicants: a progress report by the consortium leader and the responsible leaders of the sub-projects on their Academy-funded research projects for which no final reports have been submitted, combined as one document

For Canadian Applicants

• 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.
• 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.  

Please complete the following tasks:

• Identify the participants: Only leaders, sub-project leaders and other co-applicants from Canada must be identified.
• Enter Project Information and Supporting Documents: The Research Plan must not exceed 15 pages in length and must be uploaded under sub-task “Attachments”.
• Enter Budget Information and Supporting Documents: Detailed amounts must be provided for each year of support requested, as well as appropriate budget justification. A copy of the Canadian budget and justification must be included in the application package submitted to Finland.
• Print/Upload Signature page: Signature from all Canadian participants must be obtained prior to being uploaded in ResearchNet.

Contact Information

For questions on CIHR funding guidelines and how to apply, contact:

Anne-Marie Rollin (Updated: 2010-04-08)
Program Delivery Coordinator
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-957-8641
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: anne-marie.rollin@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Anne-Cécile Desfaits, PhD
Assistant Director
CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health
Telephone: 514-412-4414
Fax: 514-412-4253
Email: anne-cecile.desfaits@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions regarding the peer review process, contact:

Jukka Reivinen, PhD
Programme Manager
Academy of Finland
Telephone: +358 9 7748 8332
Email: jukka.reivinen@aka.fi

Partner/Collaborator Description

CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (CIHR-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 Gender and Health (CIHR-IGH)
CIHR-IGH’s mission 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.

CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addictions (CIHR-INMHA)
CIHR-INMHA supports research to enhance mental health, neurological health, vision, hearing, and cognitive functioning and to reduce the burden of related disorders through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.

Norlien Foundation
The Norlien Foundation's Alberta Family Wellness Initiative is a catalyst for concrete action by changing the way Albertans understand and approach childhood development and its life-long impact on addiction and other negative health outcomes. The Initiative connects Albertans with the best knowledge available about experience-based brain development related to childhood development, addiction and health through relationship building, knowledge translation and dissemination, professional development, applied research, and evaluation.

Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research (ACCFCR)
The Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research is an innovative resource that develops and mobilizes priority research evidence into policy. The Centre focuses on research themes that are relevant to: early childhood development, middle childhood and youth well being, family capacity building, community capacity building and tracking long-term outcomes.
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.
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. 

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions (AIHS)
AIHS supports a community of researchers who generate knowledge whose application improves the health and quality of life of Albertans and people throughout the world. The long-term commitment is to fund health research based on international standards of excellence and carried out by new and established investigators and researchers in training.

Academy of Finland
The Academy of Finland is the prime funding agency for basic research in Finland. The Academy operates within the administrative sector of the Ministry of Education. The Academy of Finland's mission is to advance scientific research and its application, support international scientific cooperation, act as an expert organ in science policy issues and allocate funding to research and other advancement of science.