Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine – Team Grant Program (Archived)

Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (co-lead)
Institute of Genetics (co-lead)
In partnership with
Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health
Institute of Aging
Institute of Cancer Research
Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health
Institute of Infection and Immunity
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
ALS Society of Canada
Canadian Stroke Network
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation
Stem Cell Network
The Foundation Fighting Blindness

Request for Applications

Important Dates
Opportunity Launched	June 2005
Content Last Updated	February 16, 2006 (Allowable Costs)
November 1, 2005	Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Team Grants Letter of Intent Deadline – Letter of Intent must be courier stamped by this date.
February 1, 2006	Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Team Grants Letter of Intent Decision
May 1, 2006	Full applications must be courier stamped by this date.
October 2, 2006	Anticipated notification of decision.
October 2, 2006	Anticipated start date.
Summary
Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Team grants are intended to support the creation or development of teams comprised of investigators undertaking collaborative, multidisciplinary research in the areas of regenerative medicine and nanomedicine. For more information on eligible research areas, please see the Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine - Strategic Initiative Announcement. Please note that Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Team grants are distinct from the CIHR Team Grant Program, an ongoing CIHR open competition. The CIHR Team Grant Program is designed to support experienced, expert teams across the entire spectrum of health and disease, health care and the health system, up to $2M per year per team. Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Team grants are limited to $500K per year, and are designed to foster new and expanding teams of researchers relevant to this Strategic Initiative. For more information on the CIHR Team Grant Program, please see the current CIHR Team Grant Program Announcement. 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, and the conditions that may be attached to them. The total amount available for this Strategic Initiative remains to be determined. This amount is dependant on the availability of funds among the funding partners on this initiative.

Table of Contents

Background
Objectives of the Team Grant Program
Eligibility
Allowable Costs
Peer Review Process and Evaluation Criteria
General CIHR Guidelines
Conditions of Funding
Communications Requirements
Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation
How to Apply
Contact Information

Background

This Team Grant Request for Applications is announced under the Strategic Initiative in Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine. Please consult this announcement for information on Background, Partners, and Objectives and Relevant Research Areas.

Objectives of the Team Grant Program

The objectives of the Team Grant program under the Strategic Initiative in Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine are to:

• supply support funds for the creation or development of competitive research teams, which show potential for successfully applying for infrastructure team funding in the future;
• support multidisciplinary research in identified areas of focus;
• support the training and establishment of new investigators in identified areas of focus;
• create a team environment to favour the development of new fundable research projects.

Although not a requirement of this Team Grant program, research teams are also encouraged to facilitate the integration of knowledge translation plans and activities into routine activities, when appropriate. For more information, please refer to the Knowledge Translation overview on the CIHR website.

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.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

Teams must consist of three or more researchers. A “team” under this Team Grant program is a group of researchers from a variety of disciplines and more than one institution or from a variety of faculties, departments, institutes or centres within a single institution, working collaboratively on projects that fall within one or more identified priority areas in regenerative medicine or nanomedicine.

The members of the team may pursue other avenues of research in addition to their commitment to the Team, however each individual investigator must contribute sufficient time to the Team to ensure the achievement of its research objectives. Members of a Team may be located in one or several departments, faculties or institutions in Canada. International Team collaborators are also encouraged in this initiative. The Team Leader must be a researcher with proven leadership capabilities.

Please see the Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine - Strategic Initiative Announcement for more information on eligible research areas.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review -A9">Use of Grant Funds and -A10">Eligibility of Expenses, Employment under Grants within the General Guidelines for All Research Grants for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

A Team Grant is a non-renewable five-year award, subject to satisfactory progress review at three years. The grant can be used to support:

• salaries for technicians and other research personnel;
• equipment purchase, and maintenance contracts;
• salaries of research trainees (graduate and postdoctoral) and other personnel whose participation will enhance the collaborative research productivity of the Team;
• operating costs for the proposed collaborative research projects, which must be distinct from those for which team members currently receive funding;
• costs of data collection and maintenance of information holdings directly related to the Team research program;
• costs of networking activities, including collaboration, planning, and research exchange activities directly related to the Team's research program, and extra travel funds required for members and trainees separated by a significant distance;
• establishment funds and salary of new investigators joining the team; New investigators are within the first five years of their independent research careers. Salary contributions paid from a Team grant must not exceed the stipend paid to CIHR new investigators (currently $50,000 plus benefits). Those paid from Team grants cannot also hold a Canada Research Chair or another salary award;
• the salary of a professional study co-ordinator.

A Team Grant cannot be used to purchase major equipment (over $50,000) (Updated: 2006-02-16) or to support team members' currently funded research projects.

N.B. If the application includes a request for equipment, it must be indicated as an expenditure for the first year. The first instalment of the grant may then include a one-time payment of up to $50,000 (Updated: 2006-02-16) for equipment.

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

Peer Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

The Team Grant program under Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine has a two-step application process; 1) Letter of Intent (LOI), and 2) Full Application. For more information on the application process, please see How to Apply later in this announcement.

LOI Review

A CIHR LOI review committee will evaluate the LOIs. The committee will be drawn from many potential sources, including members of the full application peer review committee, members of partnering Institute Advisory Boards, members of external partner Science Advisory Boards, and other scientific experts as required. The committee will assess the LOIs according to the following criteria:

Objectives of the Strategic Initiative Announcement

• Does the proposal respond to one of the strategic research themes identified in the Strategic Initiative Announcement?
• Is the proposal relevant to one of the identified funding partners for the chosen strategic research theme?

Objectives of this Team Grant program

• Does the team bring together researchers from different disciplines, with adequate expertise to cover the proposed subject area and research project?
• Is there sufficient collaboration between team members so that the team approach will enhance the understanding or resolution of the health issue, when compared to an equivalent number of independent research projects (i.e. value added)?
• Does the proposal aim to create opportunities for young and established investigators who are new to conducting health research? (NB: while training is encouraged, this is not a requirement of the Team Grant program).

Although a detailed scientific merit review will not be performed, the LOI review committee will consider the broader scientific implications and potential impact of LOIs when formulating their decision.

Team leaders will be notified of the results of the LOI review by February 1, 2006, and a listing of the approved LOIs will be posted on the CIHR website. Only if the LOI is deemed acceptable by the LOI review committee will the Team leader be invited to submit a full application for the deadline of May 1, 2006. The full application will involve a full description of the individual components making up the team's research program, as well as the justification for supporting the synergistic aspects of the entire proposal.

Full Application 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 Request for Applications. 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, Confidentiality and Privacy Issues in Peer Review. For information on CIHR’s peer review process in general, see Peer Review.

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 for Assessment” (section 6.2).

On completion of the review, the Institute(s) and partner(s) will receive the anonymized ranking lists, merit scores (ratings) and recommendation of the Committee for the applications submitted. Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budget will allow. External partners may choose to fund independently applications deemed relevant to their strategic interests which might not otherwise be funded on the basis of the rank order of merit. Applications receiving a score less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding by any party.

General CIHR Guidelines

This Request for Applications will follow the -A">General Guidelines for All Research Funding Grants.

Conditions of Funding

All conditions specified in CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies shall apply to applications funded through this Request for Applications. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official language policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of CIHR Support. Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial conditions prior to the release of funds or when they receive CIHR's Authorization for Funding (AFF) document.

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

• 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. A standard form will be provided by CIHR.

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 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 Request for Applications and all matters pertaining thereto.

The Parties, while respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, will also be bound by the PIPEDA. All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under cost-sharing agreements related to the Request for Applications will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.

Communications 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, 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.

Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation

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:

• adhere to CIHR’s reporting requirements and provide required information in a timely fashion. A -A7">Progress Report will be required in year 3 of five-year grants. Grantees are required to submit the “Progress Report for 5-year grant holder (Form 44)” describing the progress made and the publications issued since the start of the grant. CIHR will cancel the last 12 months of the grant if the progress is unacceptable and will cancel the final two years of the grant if it does not receive a report;
• 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) required by Treasury Board.

Objective	Outcome	Measure / Indicator
To promote the development of novel, innovative, inventive, high risk, and high impact health research in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine.	Development of new important knowledge.	Success/effectiveness of the research project.
	The generation of valid, reliable data.	High quality publications (long term).
		Conferences (short term).
To create an environment and review culture in Canadian Health Research that supports the most novel applications and ideas in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine.	Increase in the number of successful applications to carry out innovative research.	Number of projects that follow through to the regular operating grants competition.
	Innovative culture is accepted.	Amount of collaboration between researchers.
	Increased collaborations between researchers.	The views of the research community on the relevance of health research.
To facilitate the rapid transfer of research findings through appropriate communication strategies.	Improved health care and strategies for preventing disease.	Translation, dissemination and use of results (quantity and quality of clinical and lay publications, etc.) (long term).

 

How to Apply

The application process is comprised of two steps: 1) Letter of Intent (LOI), and 2) Full Application.

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)
In the first step of the application process the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a Letter of Intent.
The Letter of Intent should include:

a) A cover page (maximum one page) indicating:

• the title of the Team program as it will appear in publicity and other announcements;
• the relevant area of focus;
• the name, title, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the Team Leader; and,
• a statement indicating which university or affiliated institution will administer the funds.

b) A list of all team members and their affiliations. (N.B. The list need not be final at the Letter of Intent stage.)

c) The following pages from the CIHR Research Module Web form printed report:

• Routing Slip of Registration/Application
• Research Module, Page 1
• Applicant Consent Form for Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to CIHR for Peer Review
• Signature page, Page 2a

To generate these printed pages, you must complete the following four sections of the Research Module Web form:

• Research Funding Program
• Nominated Principal Applicant / Candidate
• Project
• Applicants / Co-Applicants

d) Letter.
In a maximum of three pages, the letter should outline clearly each of the elements below:

• The objectives of the research program, its multi-disciplinary nature, and the relevancy to the identified focus;
• The nature and extent of the collaboration among investigators, with an explanation of the anticipated value added to the research program through the formation of the team;
• The individual research components that make up the program;
• The preliminary plan for the research program and schedule of work.

e) Attachments:

• A brief curriculum vitae (maximum two pages) for each Principal Applicant. The CV must include information on current grants requested or held, relevant publications from the last five years, and expertise keywords. Full CVs will not be considered;
• A short bibliography (one page) of any references cited in the Letter of Intent;
• A list of the areas of expertise of the team members.

Applicants are advised to follow the instructions on the Acceptable Application Module Formats page, which outlines formatting requirements for attachments.

Any additional material will be discarded and not sent to the review committee; this includes letters of support, updates on publications, updates on other support received, letters confirming academic appointment, reprints, etc.

Send the Letter of Intent by Courier to:
Submit one original and seven copies of the Letter of Intent to the address below, by the deadline date indicated at the beginning of this Request for Applications.
RE: “Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine – Team Grant Program”
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9

2. Full Application
Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application by the deadline date.

Details of the application procedure will be provided to those invited to apply. This will involve a full description of the individual components making up the team’s research program, as well as the justification for supporting the collaborative aspects of the entire proposal.

Contact Information

For questions on CIHR funding guidelines, how to apply, and the peer review process contact:
Kelly Fitzpatrick
Program Delivery Officer
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Tel:(613) 941-4640
Fax:(613) 952-2277
Email: kfitzpatrick@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:
Eric Marcotte, Ph.D.
Team Lead
Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Tel: (905) 467-1822
Email: emarcotte@cihr-irsc.gc.ca