CRE-MSD Seed Grants May 2017

Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders

(CRE-MSD)

Internal Centre Grant Procedures

May 2017


Centre Internal Grant Procedures

CRE-MSD has an internal research seed grant program that normally considers applications twice per year (calls normally issued in January and May). Maximum budget for a seed grant is $10,000.The seed grants must normally be completed within one year of the award of funds, with afinal report due upon completion of the project (within 30 days).

Important Dates

  • Application deadline is July 10, 2017
  • Notification date will be by August 31, 2017
  • Funding will commence on September 1, 2017
  • A one-page six-month progress report for a funded seed grant is due March 1, 2018
  • Deadline for the final seed grant report is within 30 days of the grant end date of August 31, 2018

Eligibility

To be eligible for seed grant funding, applications must have at least one Centre researcher as a co-author (visit the CRE-MSD website for a list of Centre researchers).All listed applicants must be active collaborators and be actively engaged in the research project. The Principal Investigator may be a senior PhD student, a research associate at a participating institution or a new or established researcher from outside the Centre. If the Principal Investigator is not a Centre researcher, a biography of the principal investigator must be included with the application.

Evaluation Procedures

Applications for funding of seed grants are reviewed by the CRE-MSD Scientific Committee made up of a minimum of three Centre researchers who then make recommendations for funding to the Steering Committee and the Director. Applications will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria described below.

Funding Priorities

Proposals that address an MSD prevention related topic within the Centre’s priorities and that involve field research or use a laboratory based approach will be considered for funding. Priority will be given to proposals submitted that have a workplace partnership, include a component of the research being done in the partner facility, would be expected to have an impact relevant to prevention of MSD, and show plans to communicate results back to the workplace partner. Preference will be given to projects that will develop into or contribute to a future workplace intervention. Applications from new researchers, established researchers moving to focus on MSD prevention research or senior PhD students focusing on MSD prevention research will also be given priority. For this seed grant cycle, identified priority areas of interest include projects related to the healthcare sector, small to medium sized business partners, or aging.

Submission

All submissions must be completed using the WORD tables included. All text must be typed within the table following the instructions and length imitations on the application form.

Questions regarding eligibility or the application procedures should be sent to the CRE-MSD Associate Director of Research, Clark Dickerson, at , or by phone 519-888-4567 ext. 37844.

Please submit completed application forms to the Centre’s administrative assistant, Betina Butler,at , by the deadline.

Financial Accountability

  1. Funds must be dispensed in accordance with the budget submitted
  2. Funds must be dispensed in accordance with the Ministry of Labour’s guidelines
  3. The reporting requirements described must be fulfilled
  4. The award holder’s organization must complete a “GRANTS IN AID OF RESEARCH, FORM 300” within 30 days of the grant end date

Financial Procedures

When a seed grant is awarded, the following steps occur:

  1. The Office of Research at the University of Waterloo sends a contract letter to the award holder’s organization. This includes Ministry of Labour Guidelines on permitted research spending.
  2. The Director of Finance at the award holder’s institution accepts the contract and conditions and returns the signed contract to the University of Waterloo.
  3. Funds are transferred to the award holder’s organization.

Research Ethics

It is the responsibility of the applicants to obtain Research Ethics Approval for any project using Human Participants. Those organizations without a Research Ethics Board should utilize the Board of one of the co-applicant’s University, or the University of Waterloo if no applicant is affiliated with a University.

Budget Limitations:

To maintain a consistent funding approach across all seed grants the following funding guidelines have been established:

The funding for a research assistant or graduate student working on a project will follow the maximums proposed by NSERC ($5500 for MSc and $6333 for PhDs). It is expected that students working on the project will be identified as being CRE-MSD funded and the work produced within the project will be identified as being affiliated with and funded by CRE-MSD in journal articles and scientific presentations.

CRE-MSD will not fund travel to present work at conferences. There is a separate funding opportunity available for HQP (HQP Travel Awards).

Funds will normally not be used to pay external consultants or contractors.

  • Remuneration for study participants should not exceed $20 per hour.
  • Funds for indirect (overhead) costs are not permitted.

Seed Grants

To receive funding, a seed research proposal should support the goals of the Centre, namely:

  • To support workplace-partnered, stakeholder-focused research into the primary prevention of musculoskeletal disorders.
  • To generate transferable knowledge on the primary prevention of musculoskeletal disorders at work.

Seed grant applications should:

  • Address the research focus of the Centre and highlight the fit of the proposed project within the CRE-MSD mandate. For more information on CRE-MSD’s alignment with the Ministry of Labour’s mandate, see the MOL 2016-17 Research Opportunities Program (ROP) Guidelines document at:
  • Have a high workplace impact:A 100 word lay summary of the expected impact is required. This will be placedon the Centre’s webpage for funded projects.
  • Develop partnership/linkage with workplace stakeholders.
  • Attract new and established researchers to focus on MSD-prevention research.
  • Increase the number of students with training in the area of MSD prevention.
  • Provide advanced training to doctoral and post-doctoral candidates or workplace parties
  • Be high quality research and innovation.
  • Make a commitment to transfer knowledge of the research results to partners and other potential users. Include a communications plan in the proposal that includes workplace parties and practitioners.
  • Have an expectation of leading to an external submission (MOL, CIHR, NSERC, NIH/NIOSH, etc.), or expand the scope of the researchin some other direction.

Reporting Requirements for Seed Grants

  • Seed grant holders must provide a 1-page report of their progress at the six-monthmark after receiving funding. (see Important Dates for the deadline.)
  • The Seed Grant Final Report must be submitted within 30 days of the completion of the study. (see Important Dates for the deadline.)
  • Requests for no-cost extensions of grants must be made at least one month before the grant end date and include justification for the requested extension.
  • Reporting requirements for previously funded seed grants must be satisfied before new seed grant funds can be awarded to any of the investigators.

The Seed Grant report must include:

  • A 200 word lay-language summary outlining objectives, methods, results and conclusions
  • A description of results (2 pages)
  • Implications for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (1/2 page)
  • Description of partnership/linkage with workplace stakeholders (1/2 page)
  • Planned next steps related to this work (communication, further work, etc.) (1/2 page)
  • A copy of the external proposal (MOL, CIHR, NSERC, NIH/NIOSH, etc.) if one was submitted as an outcome of the seed grant
  • A description of the role of each of the researchers on the project.
  • Completion of the MSD Project and Research Template (included at the end the application)for posting on the Centre website

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CRE-MSD Seed Grants May 2017

Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD)
Application for Research Seed Grant Funding
Lead Researcher*:
*If not a Centre researcher please attach a curriculum vitae / Institution / Tel: / E:mail
Co-Researcher:
(add more as required) / Institution / Tel: / E:mail
Title of Proposed Project:
Key Words (up to 5):
Why is this project a critical component in prevention (i.e. why would Health & Safety personnel, industry and the Ministry of Labour be interested in the expected outcomes) (20 words max):
Provide a lay language description of the expected impact of the project for use on the Centre website (100 words max):
Please state the question addressed, the rationale for the project and the expected outcomes (1/2 page max):
Describe the methodology proposed (2 pages max):
Explain the role of each of the co-researchers and how they will contribute to the research and networking goals of the Centre (1/4 page max):
Explain how this project advances the research focus of the Centre (1/2 page max):
Address how this project will develop into or contribute to a future workplace intervention (1/2 page max):
Do you have a letter of support from partners? Y  N 
Partner(s):
Describe the interactions with workplaces and /or other partners expected during the project (1/2 page max):
A major aim of the seed grants is to develop applications for external funding. If the seed grant will be used for this purpose, state which agency and the expected competition date (1/4 page max):
Describe how the outcome of the work will be communicated to workplaces and /or other partners (1/2 page max):
For which period is the grant requested, yyyy, mm, dd
Start Date |2_|0_|_|__| |__|__| |__|__| End Date |2_|0_|_|__| |__|__| |__|__|
Budget* / Items and Description
Personnel / (If known, please list the name of research assistants). / $
Equipment / $
Consumables / $
Travel / $
Other / $
Total / (max $10,000) / $
*Funds for indirect (overhead) costs are not permitted.
Budget Justification(1/2 page max – see grant procedures for funding limitations):
Describe financial or in-kind contributions to the project. (1/4 page max):
Describe any related funding (1/4 page max):
I acknowledge that expenditures are governed by the Ministry of Labour (ON)/UWaterloo agreement and policies of the University of Waterloo Office of Research. I also agree to submit a short report on the work accomplished, partner /workplace interaction, communications with partners, and a financial summary at the end of the funded period. See the Internal Centre Grant Procedures guide for complete details of conditions and requirements.
Signed ______Date______

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CRE-MSD Seed Grants May 2017

MSD Project and Research Template(submit with seed grant final report)

Title
Key Words (up to 5):
Year(s)
Status (completed, in progress)
Researchers (with affiliations)
Funder(s) / CRE-MSD
Project type / Seed Grant
Partners
Sector/Workplace Type
Theme / To be determined by CRE-MSD
Background/Rationale
(100 words max)
Research Question/Objectives/ Methods
(200 words max)
Key Findings/Progress to Date/Summary
(200 words max)
Implications for the prevention of MSD
(100 words max)
Knowledge Dissemination (Publications, presentations, conferences, etc. – include links or products)
For more information contact:

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