Prize: Voluntary Sector Outreach 2011-12

A CIHR Institute of Aging (IA) Program

Important Dates
September 9th, 2011 Full applications must be submitted by this date.
November 4th, 2011 Anticipated notification of decision
Funds Available $40,000
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.

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Objectives

This initiative aims to develop communications-related partnerships with Canadian voluntary sector organizations.

The specific objectives of this initiative are:

  • To foster partnership and strengthen the voluntary sector promoting the health of Canadians and/or improving the health system through an understanding of health research and its importance;
  • To identify original communications opportunities, and define an approach and work-plan for completing them;
  • To target specific audiences/communities that will benefit from being better informed about CIHR initiatives.

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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. Please note that for this program, registered voluntary sector organizations are eligible to apply for funding.  The List of Eligible CIHR Institutions does not apply to this program; nor do the principal applicants have to meet the criteria described in CIHR's Grants and Awards Guide.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

The competition is open to Canadian-based non-governmental and/or voluntary sector organizations sharing common priorities with the Institute of Aging. Proposals may be officially submitted by single organizations, or in partnership.

If applicants are seeking support for financial assistance for consensus meetings, planning and/or development meetings, networking and partnership development events, please refer to the Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant (MPD) funding opportunities and MPD tool. These applications are not considered eligible for this program. 

Scope of Work:

CIHR aims to effectively inform the Canadian public, scientists and researchers, the media, government officials, health-care practitioners, and other stakeholder groups. Communications will have greatest impact when the target audience is identified and those constructing the message are clear of their goal.

The scope of the proposal may be targeted to a specific audience who would benefit from being better informed about the impacts of health-related research (e.g., improving communications with front-line physicians, policy-makers etc), or the scope could be more general for the greater public (e.g., proposing an event associated with a national or international initiative dedicated to increasing awareness). The proposed initiative(s) should be original.

A detailed budget that includes a justification for the use of funds, as well as a complete breakdown into components outlining the allocation of funds is required in the proposal.

The proposal must include a section on expected outcomes. This section should focus on identifying the long term impacts as well as evidence that the project will be completed as described.


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Allowable Costs

Applicants should review the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) financial administration guidelines Use of Grant Funds for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

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

The total amount available for this initiative is $40,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate.

The CIHR Institute of Aging will award up to four prizes of up to $10,000  for applications that are determined relevant to the Institute's five priority topics for research on aging and health are (in no particular order):

  • healthy and successful aging 
  • biological mechanisms of aging 
  • cognitive impairment in aging 
  • aging and maintenance of functional autonomy 
  • health services and policy relating to older people

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Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

Relevance Review Process

The CIHR Institute of Aging will provide funding for applications that are relevant to (in alignment with) the objectives and research priority areas.

Prior to peer review, senior Institute of Aging staff will have access to applications to conduct relevance review. Applications that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition

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

  • Alignment of the proposed project with the objectives of this funding opportunity;
  • Extent to which the proposal addresses the Institute of Aging’s relevant research areas. For the Institute of Aging, it is critical that proposals include aging and/or the aged as essential elements of the proposal (e.g., dynamics of aging, age-relevant models and/or aged subjects). With respect to diseases common in old age, the focus must be on the effects of the disease specifically in the elderly, rather than on diseases in a general context, as these are addressed by other CIHR Institutes.

Peer Review Process

A committee of Institute representatives with communications expertise will review proposals and evaluate them according to the criteria below:

  • Does the proposal aim to foster partnerships and strengthen the voluntary sector community, promoting the health of Canadians and/or improving the health system?
  • Does the proposal address the communication of research knowledge and/or the benefits of research, in an effective manner, to a specific audience?
  • Does the proposal identify an original approach for communicating with the specified audiences?
  • Are expected outcomes clearly identified?

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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.

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 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 Opportunity will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.


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Communications Requirements

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 institute will be identified on the Authorization for Funding and decision letter.


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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:

  • 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;
  • Within three months after the end of the grant, the Nominated Principal Applicant will be required to submit a final report.

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How to Apply

All requests made by individuals or organizations with a health research and health research knowledge translation mandate, must be sent in writing by courier and e-mail to the Institute and express details of the event/initiative.

Please submit your application using the "ICS Application Form" [ PDF (241 KB) | Help ].

Please see below instructions for the application form:
Section 1d:
Institution Paid – insert the name of your organization
Section 2c:
Indicate the Institute of Aging.
Section 2d:
You do not need to fill in this section
2h:
You do not need to fill in this section
3f:
Only describe the need for this activity


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Partners

CIHR-Institute of Aging (IA) works to create knowledge in the field of aging and advance this knowledge into action to improve the quality of life and health of older Canadians. Older Canadians, along with those who set policy and provide programs to serve them, have a significant stake in the work done by the Institute of Aging. To ensure that Canadian health research on aging is relevant to these stakeholders, the Institute has hosted a series of Seniors' Workshops on Research across Canada. Workshop participants identified health-related topics which, from their perspective, require attention from the scientific community. Those most frequently cited were: age-appropriate health services, the housing-care continuum, preventing disease and disability, promoting wellness, and isolation and mental health. Cutting across these issues was acknowledgement that a considerable amount of health research relevant to older adults had already been carried out, and the resulting information needed to get to those who could and should use it.

Proposals must be sent on or before September 9th, 2011 by email to sharon.nadeau@cihr-irsc.gc.ca and a hard signed copy by mail to:

Sharon Nadeau
Associate, Strategic Initiatives
Institute of Aging
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin St., 9th Floor 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9


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Contact Information

For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:

Sharon Nadeau
Associate, Strategic Initiatives
Institute of Aging
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin St., 9th Floor 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9
Tel: 613-946-1270
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: sharon.nadeau@cihr-irsc.gc.ca