Designing for the Future: The New Open Suite of Programs and Peer Review Process – Questions and Answers - Transition

• Rationale
• Architecture
• Mechanics
• Transition
• College of Reviewers
• Next Steps

1. What are the competition timelines for the Foundation and Project Schemes?

The competition timelines for the Foundation and Project Schemes are represented in the following table:

	Competition Launch Date	Application Deadline	Funding Release Date
Foundation Scheme "Live Pilot" #1	Summer 2014	Fall 2014	Spring 2015
Foundation Scheme "Live Pilot" #2	Summer 2015	Fall 2015	Spring 2016
Project Scheme 1	Winter 2016	Spring 2016	Summer 2016
Project Scheme 2	Summer 2016	Fall 2016	Winter 2017
Foundation Scheme	Summer 2016	Fall 2016	Spring 2017

2. Who is eligible to apply to the Foundation "live pilots"?

The phase-in of the Foundation Scheme would start with two "live pilot" competitions. "Live pilot" competitions will be regular competitions where CIHR will implement specific application intake strategies to manage application pressure.

Existing grant holders with grant term-end dates during the transition period, along with new/early career investigators and researchers who have never before held CIHR grant funding, will be invited to apply to the first "live pilot" competition.

Successful applicants from the first "live pilot" competition will be the first Foundation grantees. Applicants and reviewers will be asked to provide feedback on the competition process, which will inform adjustments to the second Foundation Scheme "live pilot." Similar intake strategies will be applied to the second "live pilot" to manage application pressure.

A transitional Open Operating Grant Program competition (spring 2015) will be held in parallel to the "live pilot" competition to allow those who are unsuccessful after Stage 1 of the Foundation Scheme competition an opportunity to apply to the Open Operating Grant Program competition.

3. Why are Open knowledge translation programs being phased out?

The new Project Scheme was designed to reduce barriers and support a diverse suite of projects, including those which have been funded through Open knowledge translation programs. We recognize the importance of sustaining the Open knowledge translation programs until the Project Scheme is fully implemented. As a result, the Open knowledge translation funding mechanisms will have a delayed phase-out planned for the fall of 2016.

In designing the new Project and Foundation Schemes, a detailed program by program assessment of all Open knowledge translation program objectives, adjudication criteria, application requirements, and eligible expenses was undertaken to ensure that projects and programs of research presently supported by these funding mechanisms will be eligible and competitive in the new schemes. A monitoring process will be put in place to ensure that the types of projects supported by the Open knowledge translation programs are supported in the new schemes.

4. How will CIHR manage grantees whose term end dates fall within the gap between the last Open Operating Grant Program competition in spring 2015 and the first Project Scheme competition in winter 2016?

With the resources required to launch and fund the new Open funding scheme competitions, CIHR cannot support two regular Open Operating Grant Program competitions during the phase-in period of the transition. As such, there will be no competition with a fall 2014 application deadline. We recognize that this may impact currently funded researchers whose Open Operating Grant term-end dates fall within that period, as well as unfunded researchers seeking support. We are in the process of analysing a number of options to mitigate this effect. Discussions are underway to determine the most feasible and appropriate option for CIHR and its research community.

CIHR is committed to giving the research community enough time to plan their applications to CIHR.

5. If a current researcher who holds more than 1 OOGP grant applies for the first Foundation grant competition and is unsuccessful, will they be allowed to keep their remaining OOGP grants?

Current thinking suggests that successful applicants to the Foundation Scheme with multiple sources of Open funding would have their existing, ongoing funds rolled-up into the budget of their new Foundation grant. This process would apply to current grant holders with multiple sources of Open funding (e.g., Open Operating Grant Program; Open Knowledge Translation funding programs), as well as future Project grantees interested in consolidating their individual Projects into a cohesive program of research.

During the transition period, applicants with more than one active Open Operating Grant whose application to the Foundation Scheme is unsuccessful will not lose their existing funding before their term-end date.

6. Given the recent issues with the Common CV system, how will CIHR ensure a smooth implementation of future system changes?

The Common CV experience has prompted CIHR to extend its transition period. A major component of the piloting stage will include the piloting, and rigorously testing, of any new or modified systems and processes.

CIHR is currently in the process of assessing various IT-solutions to support the new funding schemes and peer review processes.

7. What type of training, support and resources will CIHR offer to applicants and reviewers?

Ensuring that the research community is able to navigate through this transition period with minimal disruption is a priority for us all. To achieve this, CIHR is developing an orientation program that will:

• Provide orientation to all applicants, reviewers and research administrators about the new schemes (objectives, application requirements, review criteria, etc.);
• Provide guidance on roles and responsibilities for College members and institutions;
• Support the mentoring of new/early career reviewers.

Orientation and development programs will be supported by short, self-directed on-line learning modules, as well as by instructor-led webinars. We are also discussing approaches that will involve institutional administrative staff who currently support researchers through the application process.

As part of our orientation activities, CIHR will provide the research community with information, systems, and tools that will enable them to experience program requirements and competition processes on a trial basis. These features will also be made available to institutions who wish to provide specific training to their students and researchers on how to use CIHR systems.

8. How will Foundation grantees transition out of the Foundation program?

At Year 6 of the Foundation grant, grantees will have an opportunity to signal whether they wish to continue their program of research by applying to the next Foundation Scheme competition. If no application for continued support is submitted, then end-of-grant reporting will be expected within 18 months of the term-end date of the Foundation grant.

9. Does CIHR have a contingency plan if the results of a pilot or a new measure indicate that the expected outcome was not achieved?

We are committed to continuous assessment of the outcomes of the new peer review process. We will conduct research projects that will involve rigorous analytics to gain a greater understanding of the complexities of peer review, and of how best to measure the ongoing performance of the new Open Suite of Programs. It is our intent to share our findings with the research community.

These pilots will be conducted using competitions of smaller size so that we can properly train applicants, orient reviewers, and monitor outcomes in a managed fashion. Participants will be asked to provide feedback on the design elements through surveys and focused discussions.

Given the scope of the proposed changes, CIHR recognizes that course corrections and adjustments to timelines may be required along the way.

10. What technology will CIHR use to support the two new funding schemes and peer review process?

We are currently assessing various IT-based solutions to support the new funding schemes and peer review processes. A major driver for the piloting stage of the transition strategy is the need to select and test the most appropriate IT solutions for the proposed peer review enhancements.

11. What KT programs are being phased out and when? [ new ]

The Project Scheme has been designed to attract a diversity of applications from all areas of heath research at any stage: discovery, demonstration, validation and/or application of health-related knowledge.

The specific sunsetting plan for the existing Open KT programs is still under discussion. It is anticipated that these programs will continue to be available to the community until the implementation of the first Project Scheme in 2016.

12. Will the multi-stage competition process mean competitions are longer? [ new ]

The two-stage competition process for the Project Scheme, will be approximately 5 months, which is comparable to the current Open Operating Grant Program competition. The three-stage competition process for the Foundation Scheme, will be approximately 7 months, which is 2 months longer than the current Open Operating Grant Program competition.

Given the scope and scale of the proposed changes, and the intention to learn from the results of the pilots, course corrections and adjustments to the timelines may be required along the way.

13. What will happen to large RCTs when the new schemes are implemented? [ new ]

Concerns have been raised about whether the proposed range of grant values for the new Project Scheme will be sufficient to support certain types of research, in particular, clinical research such as randomized controlled trials. Historically, CIHR randomized controlled trial grant applications have requested an average of $282,000 per year, over 3.6 years. This is within the range of grant values for the Project Scheme.

For Large RCTs, that is those with a value outside the Project scheme, the 2011 International Review Panel recommended that CIHR appropriately support RCTs but also that CIHR prioritize large investments in RCTs. As such an approach for funding large RCTs through CIHR's strategic funding envelope is currently under development.

"IRP statement: Provide sufficient funding for randomized controlled trials to ensure adequate sample size and statistical power. In view of current budget constraints, it will be important for CIHR to prioritize and only select trials with high potential impact. One effective approach to reduce cost is to develop international partnerships and collaborations."