2016 WCHRI Innovation Grant Application Instructions

2016 WCHRI Innovation Grant Application Instructions

Application Deadline March 16, 2016 at 4:00pm

Research Grants Administration, 4-081 ECHA, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 1C9

The Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI)InnovationGrant competition is focused on supporting research studies that will lead to improved health outcomes for women and/or children. The competition offersa single application stream with two review Committees comprised of members who have expertise in two (or more) distinct areas:1) Biomedical Grants and 2) Applied Health Grants. Committees are broadly composed; applicantsare encouraged to take this into account when writing their application.

Submissions to this competition may be stand-alone projects, or used to obtain preliminary data for future applications to other funders or agencies.

WCHRI INNOVATION GRANT: BIOMEDICALGRANTS (CIHR Research Pillar 1)

Biomedical grants are typically those that align with a basic biomedical research theme and are therefore quantitative. Some examples of grants that would fall into the biomedical theme include cell biology or model system grants.

WCHRI INNOVATION GRANT: APPLIED HEALTH GRANTS (CIHR Research Pillars 2, 3, 4)

Applied Health grants are focused on projects working directly with human populations, patients in the hospital and/or clients in the community and/or health services. These applications align with CIHR pillars 2, 3 and 4. Such projects could include human-based methodologies or epidemiological studies.

WCHRI uses the CIHR definitions of the four pillars of health research to allocate the applications in this competition to reviewers. See below for the definitions of these pillars.

CIHR RESEARCH PILLARS:

1. BIOMEDICAL

Research with the goal of understanding normal and abnormal human functioning, at the molecular, cellular, organ system and whole body levels, including development of tools and techniques to be applied for this purpose; developing new therapies or devices that improve health or the quality of life of individuals, up to the point where they are tested on human subjects. These can include studies on human subjects that do not have a diagnostic or therapeutic orientation.

1. CLINICAL

Research with the goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment (including rehabilitation and palliation) of disease and injury; and improving the health and quality of life of individuals as they pass through normal life stages. Research will focus on, or for the treatment of, patients.

1. HEALTH SERVICES

Research with the goal of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of health professionals and the health care system, through changes to practice and policy. Health services research studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviors affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and, ultimately, Canadians' health and well-being.

1. SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND POPULATION HEALTH

Research with the goal of improving the health of the Canadian population, or of defined sub-populations, through a better understanding of the ways in which social, cultural, environmental, occupational and economic factors determine health status.

If you are unsure which review committee is relevant for your application,

please contact WCHRI Grants Administration at

Eligibility

Eligible Principal Applicantsmust hold a Faculty appointment at the University of Alberta and be an academic member of WCHRI. Those who do not meet these criteria may apply as a co-investigator with a Principal Applicant who meets the criteria.Membership is free; information may be found on our website. Each Principal Applicant may submit one application for each stream. Principal Applicantsalready holding Innovation Grant funding are not eligible to re-apply to the Innovation competition during the first year of support.

WCHRI defines a Principal Applicant as an individual who will:

• be responsible for the direction of the proposed activities;
• assume the administrative and financial responsibility for the grant or award; and
• receive all related correspondence.

WCHRI defines a Co-Applicant as an individual who contributes to the proposed research activities. A maximum of two co-applicants are permitted on this grant.

WCHRI defines a Collaborator as an individual whose role in the proposed activities is to provide a specific service or resource (e.g., access to equipment, provision of specific reagents, training in a specialized technique, statistical analysis, access to a patient population, etc.).

Budget

All funding requests are limited to a total maximum of $50,000. Applications with a budget request greater than $50,000 must include matching funds.The budget request in this grant application represents the total budget for the 24 month period of support. Funding associated with this award cannot be used as top-up funding. All Principal Applicants, Co-Investigators and Collaborators must demonstrate an independent stipend/ salary source.

Application Relevance to WCHRI’s Vision, Mission and Strategic Roadmap

All applications submitted through WCHRI Grants must align with WCHRI's vision, mission andstrategic roadmap as well as to ourrelevance criteria. Applications that do not present with clear alignment and relevance will not be eligible to hold WCHRI funds (other eligibility criteria must also be met).

WCHRI's stated vision, mission and strategic roadmap are included below and can be found on our website.

Vision:To harness the power of research innovation for a healthy future for children and women

Mission:WCHRI will foster the brightest minds to discover, innovate and ultimately transform the health of children and women through supporting research excellence.

WCHRI’s Strategic Roadmap:WCHRI has developed a five-year (2015-2020) strategic roadmap to focus our support for women and children's health research for maximum impact. The roadmap was created after extensive consultation with our members, partners and funders, and builds upon our past successes. The plan focuses on four strategic areas:

1. Research-integrated hospitals and communities

Improve health outcomes for children and women through research embedded at the point of care.

2. Children's health and well-being

Identify effective treatments to address the unique health needs of children; improve our understanding of rare and complex childhood diseases.

3. Healthy development

Optimize maternal and infant health outcomes; develop early intervention and prevention strategies to reduce the risk for lifelong chronic disease.

4. Lifelong women's health

Support research that addresses mechanisms related to the unique health needs of women; improve reproductive health outcomes.

To establish relevance, all applications must clearly address the following:

• The primary research question must be directly relevant to women and/or children’s health;
• The research question should specifically target improving outcomes for women and/or children through health research (i.e. context);
• If applicable, the animal model must be clearly justified and provide specific details that include rationale for the chosen model, animal age and sex, and relevance/applicability to the research question;
• Methodology, including details of study design sufficient to demonstrate benefit, impact, and/or potential for improved women and/ or children’s health outcomes.

Applicants should note that the above are some common considerations; alternative or additional factors may need to be included depending upon the proposed research.

All applications will be screened for relevance and alignment with our vision, mission and strategic roadmap using the following rating system. Applications with low relevance and alignment will not be considered fundable, regardless of scientific merit.

Project Relevance and alignment with WCHRI Vision, Mission and Strategic Roadmap
High relevance to WCHRI
Moderate relevance to WCHRI
Low relevance to WCHRI

Review and Evaluation of Applications

WCHRI uses a rating scale similar to CIHR to help assess the merits of applications submitted to this program. Committee members are asked to review only on the basis of: quality of proposal (75%), quality of applicant (15%), and impact/KT (10%) sections using the scoring system below. Applications are evaluated and scored on scientific excellence but must also meet the requirement of relevance to WCHRI’s vision, mission and Strategic Roadmap to be eligible for funding consideration. The rating table for scoring of each sectionis provided below:

Outstanding / 4.5 – 4.9
Excellent / 4.0 – 4.4
Very Good / 3.5 – 3.9
Good / 3.0 – 3.4
Needs Revision / 2.5 – 2.9

For further program information, please refer to the competition guidelines on our website. If you have any questions regarding the WCHRI Innovation Grant Program or application process, please contact .
Instructions for Completion of Application Form

• Complete the application form using Calibri with a font size of 11 pt.

• Do not exceed the space provided. Additional pages may be provided only where indicated and must be provided inCalibri 11 pt font size. All margins are restricted to no less than 2 cm. Additional pages must clearly provide the Principal Applicant’s name in the header and the page number in the footer (page 7a, 7b, 7c, etc…).

• Do not submit photo-reduced, double-sided or stapled application material.

• No copies of the application are required.

The complete, original, signed application package must be received by WCHRI on, or before, the deadline with all of the information below:

• Letters of Collaboration (as appropriate);
• Budget Justification;
• Principal Investigator’s DRAFT ACADEMIC CIHR CommonCV;
• PIs that do not have a CIHR CommonCV may submit an NIH bio-sketch (or other bio-sketch containing the same information);
• Co- Investigator’s DRAFT ACADEMIC CIHR CommonCV;
• Co-Investigators that do not have a CIHR CommonCV may submit an NIH bio-sketch (or other bio-sketch containing the same information);
• Summary of other funding including:
• A copy of the summary page from the other application;
• Statement clarifying conceptual and budgetary overlap with this application.

• For applicants that are re-submitting an application for the same project that was unfunded in the previous year’s competition, the applicant can submit a response to previous reviews. See the application for additional information.

All applications submitted for the March 2016 competition must use the current application form. Previous application forms will not be accepted. Applications with missing information or documentation will be submitted to the Committee as is. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the application is accurate and complete. Information or materials that are supplementary to the above instruction will not be forwarded to the committee.

Application Deadline

Applications must be received by the WCHRI Grants Administration Office, located at 4-081 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA), 11405 – 87 Avenue, not later than March 16, 2016 at 4:00 pm. Late applications will not be accepted.

Evaluation Procedure

All eligible applications will be reviewed by 2 committee members from an appropriate review committee. Applications which score below a 3.5 consensus rating, will not receive an in-depth, detailed discussion of the relative scientific merits. For applications scoring above a 3.5 consensus rating, the committee will engage in a full application discussion and provide a consensus recommendation (rating). Scientific Officer Notes will be available for applications above the 3.5 consensus score.

Competition Results

The Principal Applicant will be notified of the results by emailthose offered funding as a result of this competition will be posted on the WCHRI website. All application or award management remains the responsibility of the Principal Applicant; this includes notification of the research team of the application outcome.

Instruction – Innovation Grant1Application Deadline: March 16, 2016 at 4:00pm

2016 WCHRI Innovation Grant Application Form

Application Deadline March 16, 2016 at 4:00pm

Research Grants Administration, 4-081 ECHA, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 1C9

Name of Principal Investigator

Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)

WCHRI SUPPORT OF RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP PRACTICE AND BEHAVIOUR

WCHRI supports the University of Alberta’s efforts to ensure the highest standards of research and scholarship practice and behavior. By signing below, each candidate asserts that this application adheres to all research policies and procedures in place at the University of Alberta. WCHRI reserves the right to request institutional confirmation of assertions contained within this application.

Misrepresentations of authorship, credentials or research support may result in disqualification of the candidate from this competition. Further actions may include: disqualifying the candidate from future competitions for a time period determined solely by WCHRI, withdrawal of any remaining installments of support for any existing WCHRI grant or award for which misrepresentation appears in the submission, and seeking partial or full repayment of any past financial support under any WCHRI grant or award for which misrepresentation appears in the submission.

Further information on research and scholarship integrity, the University of Alberta’s governance policies may be found at:

SIGNATURES

The undersigned agree to abide by UAPPOL and the general policies and guidelines governing any award made pursuant to the sponsorship of this application.

Required Signatures / Printed Name / Date (day/month/year)
Principal Investigator
Department Chair
Faculty Dean
Research Services Office

NAME OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial

PRINCIPALINVESTIGATOR’S CONFIRMATION OF WCHRI MEMBERSHIP: YES NO

If not a member, please complete application at

RESEARCH TEAM: CO-INVESTIGATOR INFORMATION

By signing below, it is understood that each Co-Investigator agrees to abide by UAPPOL and the WCHRI Innovation Grant General Policies and Guidelines. The signature of each Co-Investigator is required.A maximum of two co-PIs is permitted.

Co-Investigator 1

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University
Co-Investigator Signature / Date (dd/mm/yy)

Co-Investigator 2

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University
Co-Investigator Signature / Date(dd/mm/yy)

Principal Investigator:Last Name, First Initial

RESEARCH TEAM: COLLABORATOR INFORMATION

Please list below the Collaborators that will work on the proposed research project.

Collaborator 1

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University

Collaborator 2

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University

Collaborator 3

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University

Collaborator 4

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University

Collaborator 5

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University

Collaborator 6

Name / Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial(s)
Department/Faculty / University

LETTERS OF COLLABORATION

Letters of Collaboration shouldclearly detail the Collaborator’s role in the proposed research project. All letters must be signed by the Collaborator.

Principal Investigator:Last Name, First Inital

COMMITTEESTREAM IDENTIFICATION

Please indicate below whether your application is:

BIOMEDICAL APPLIED HEALTH

NOTE THAT WCHRI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ALTERAPPLICATION COMMITTEE STREAM SELECTION (AS APPROPRIATE)

RESEARCH CLASSIFICATION

Please select the type of research that best classifies the proposed project.

QuantitativeResearchQualitative ResearchMixed

RESEARCH RELEVANCE

Please indicate below whether this proposal aims to improve or impact outcomes for children and/or women. For research that proposes outcomes for both women and children, select both checkboxes.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH WOMEN’S HEALTH

LOCATION OF PROPOSED RESEARCH

DepartmentFaculty
Room Number & Building

ETHICS INFORMATION

Indicate whether the proposed research requires the following ethical approvals. The Principal Investigator is responsible for ensuring that applications have received appropriate ethics, animal certification or biohazards approval. While WCHRI does not require this documentation, evidence of approval(s) must be in placein order for RSO to release funding. Please note that ethics approvals must list WCHRI as the funder.

Animal Care / Approved / In Process / Not required
Human Subjects (HREB) / Approved / In Process / Not required
AHS Administrative Approval / Approved / In Process / Not required
Biological & Genetic Therapeutics Directorate (Health Canada) Approval / Approved / In Process / Not required
Biohazard Certification - Level / Approved / In Process / Not required

Principal Investigator: Last Name, First Inital

PREVIOUS WCHRI FUNDING

Please indicate if you have had WCHRI-funded trainees under your primarysupervision:

Summer Students / YES NO / Graduate students / YES NO

Please indicate if you have received the following WCHRI operating awards as the Principal Investigator:

Partnership / YES NO / Recruitment / YES NO / Innovation Grant / YES NO

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION AND LEVERAGING OUTCOMES FROM PREVIOUS WCHRI FUNDS

If you have held funds or supervised students from the above funding types, please list any publications, abstracts and presentations that have arisen. Include details of publications and leveraging such as other grants received based on the research.Additional pages may be added to this section; please refer to the instructions for formatting requirements. Additional pages may be added.

Principal Investigator: Last Name, First Inital

HOW DOES THIS PROPOSAL RELATE TO WOMEN AND/OR CHILDREN’S HEALTH

In the space provided below, detail the relevance of the proposed research to women’s and/or children’s health.

IS THIS A RESUBMISSION OF A PREVIOUS WCHRI INNOVATION GRANT?YES NO

RESPONSE TO PREVIOUS REVIEW

If this is a re-submission of a previously unfunded application, please detail the concerns identified by the committee and addressed the concerns since the last submission.

Principal Investigator: Last Name, First Initial

LAY ABSTRACT

In the space provided below, provide a non-technical summary of your research. This abstract may be released to our stakeholders and funders and should be written in simple, clear language suitable for a lay audience.

SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT OR SUMMARY

In the space provided below, provide the scientific abstract or summary of the proposed research.

TITLE OF PROPOSED RESEARCH

Principal Investigator:Last Name, First Initial

RESEARCH PROJECT

Please provide a clear outline of your research proposal, including a concise summary of the current state of knowledge relating to the work proposed. The objectives and research plan must be clearly detailed and rationale for the choice of particular methods and approaches addressed. A maximum of four (4) additional pages may be appended to this application section. Two (2) additional pages for appendices (charts, figures, diagrams, questionnaires, and/or surveys) may be submitted. Page totals do not include references. Note that you can append five (5) pages if you do not use the text box below.