ResearchNet - RechercheNet
Funding Opportunity Details
Important Dates
Competition |
Expression of Interest (via email)
CLOSED |
Full Application (via ResearchNet) (202011CKS)
CLOSED |
---|---|---|
Application Deadline | 2020-11-05 | 2020-11-19 |
Anticipated Notice of Decision | N/A | 2020-12-15 |
Funding Start Date | N/A | 2020-12-01 |
Notices
The content of this funding opportunity has been updated
Date updated: 2021-09-16
Section(s) updated: Guidelines
The content of this funding opportunity has been updated
Date updated: 2020-11-13
Section(s) updated: How to Apply
Applicants are required to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by email to EHTRF-FRNMS@cihr-irsc.gc.ca no later than 8:00 p.m. (ET) on November 5, 2020, prior to beginning their full application. Note that this task is mandatory to be eligible to submit a full application. See How to Apply for more details.
Full Applications may be submitted starting November 6, 2020.
Partner Linkage Tool
CIHR is providing a linkage tool that is intended to facilitate connections and collaborations (domestically and internationally) should there be interest. This is not a mandatory tool. Information is provided on a volunteer basis and does not confer any advantages in the evaluation and funding of applications. Please note that potential applicants are not required to use the linkage tool or contact those who have submitted their information.
If you would like to use this tool, please complete a short form. The information you provide will appear on a public CIHR web page.
(Updated: 2020-11-02)
Table of Contents
Description
This funding opportunity is part of the Government of Canada's continued response to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding will enable the coordination, prioritization, and development of rapid and timely knowledge syntheses and evidence-based products to ensure the Canadian and international response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be informed by the best available science.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many groups involved in both the production and coordination of knowledge syntheses have pivoted their focus to COVID-19. However some of these networks within the knowledge synthesis landscape have specialized scopes and most often, deliverables are evidence reviews with longer timelines.
There is a need to fill two critical gaps within the Canadian knowledge synthesis space in the response to COVID-19:
- The development of rigorous and rapid knowledge syntheses, on a broad scope of topics related to COVID-19, to address evidence needs of Canadian knowledge users, most notably decision-makers at the Federal, Provincial, and/or Territorial levels; and
- Strengthened and deliberate national and international coordination across knowledge synthesis bodies as a means to promote best practices, disseminate Canadian products, and improve efficiencies in the production of reviews in the context of COVID-19.
Please note, the collection of primary data or activities related to primary research are not meant to be supported through this funding opportunity.
Funds Available
CIHR's financial contributions for this initiative are subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR funding levels not be available or are decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR reserves the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to the grant received as a result of this funding opportunity.
- The maximum amount available through this funding opportunity is for one grant of up to $1,000,000 for one year.
- This grant is non-renewable.
For more information on the appropriate use of funds, refer to Allowable Costs.
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Objectives
The objective of this funding opportunity is to support a knowledge synthesis network designed to collaborate and rapidly respond to the need for synthesized evidence across the full breadth of Canada's COVID-19 pandemic response (including public-health measures, clinical management, health-system arrangements, and economic and social impacts). Through a highly collaborative approach, the knowledge synthesis network is expected to:
- Produce rapid knowledge syntheses and associated evidence-based products (e.g., evidence profiles) related to the COVID-19 pandemic, based on current evidence and that responds to an identified evidence need;
- Provide decision-makers with high-quality, timely, accessible and relevant evidence for the rapid translation of knowledge into policy, practice and/or clinical guidelines to address the immediate response to the pandemic; and
- Address evidence gaps and build the evidence base for the response to COVID-19;
- Enhance national and international coordination across knowledge synthesis experts and organizations involved in producing COVID-19 related products.
These objectives will be achieved through the following actions:
- Preparing and updating rapid knowledge syntheses and/or associated evidence-based products (e.g., evidence profiles), and contextualization briefs for knowledge users, as requested;
- Maintaining and updating completed knowledge syntheses with relevant publications, as required/requested;
- Creating and/or maintaining a free, publically available, searchable inventory of knowledge syntheses, other evidence-based products (e.g., evidence profiles, health technology assessments), and knowledge synthesis guidance documents related to COVID-19;
- Sharing expertise, leveraging resources, and minimizing duplication of effort with knowledge synthesis stakeholders by participating in Federal/ Provincial/Territorial coordination mechanisms (e.g., through the Canadian Public Health Network);
- Developing an environmental scanning function to identify future Canadian evidentiary needs; and
- Coordinating with Canadian and international knowledge synthesis groups and organizations in order to exchange best practices, disseminate Canadian products, and improve knowledge synthesis efficiencies in the content of COVID-19.
CIHR requires the applicant team to describe the extent to which sex-and gender-based analysis (SGBA+) has been appropriately considered in publications included in their syntheses, including any potential limitations there may be in this regard. SGBA+ refers to the consideration and examination of sex, gender and other identity factors (e.g., age, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, geography, education, disability, income and sexual orientation) at all stages of the research process. Applying an SGBA+ lens is important to help formulate health research, policies and programs that are relevant to the diversity of the Canadian population.
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Eligibility
Eligibility to Apply
For an application to be eligible:
- The Nominated Principal Applicant must be an independent researcher.
- The Nominated Principal Applicant must be appointed at a CIHR eligible institution at the time of application (see the CIHR Application Administration Guide – Part 4).
- The Nominated Principal Applicant must have successfully completed one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a Certificate of Completion. Select and complete the training module most applicable to your project. Applicants are encouraged to review the "How to integrate sex and gender in research" section on the CIHR website. See How to Apply for more details.
- An applicant can only submit one application as a Nominated Principal Applicant.
CIHR is committed to promoting the inclusion and advancement of groups underrepresented in science as one of the means to enhance excellence in research, training and knowledge translation. CIHR's position on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is available in the Tri Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
In this competition, applicants are required to consider an appropriate representation of groups underrepresented in science, and a diversity of experiences, within the network. Applications must clearly describe the team's commitment to engaging a diversity of members, in particular related to how they will address team composition and recruitment processes; environment; training activities; and/or knowledge translation activities, as applicable. Additional guidance can be found on the Best practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research webpage.
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Guidelines
General CIHR Policies
Before submitting an application to this funding opportunity, applicants should review the relevant policies and guidelines on the CIHR Funding Policies page to ensure understanding of their responsibilities and expectations.
Allowable Costs
Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration for requirements regarding allowable costs and activities.
The following expenses will be considered eligible for funding received through this funding opportunity:
- The Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada) recognizes the importance of respecting the culture and traditions of Indigenous Peoples and acknowledges the necessity to incur expenditures in that regard in the conduct of research. As such, the Agency considers these expenditures eligible for payment from the grant holder's grant funds (with appropriate backup documentation);
- Costs related to community mobilization and engagement, including culturally relevant promotional items such as, tobacco, cloth, feasting and gift giving for honoring ceremonies, and cash reimbursements (in a method acceptable to the individual or community being reimbursed) to compensate community participation; and
- Contracts and/or consultant fees for knowledge translation and communication activities for Indigenous Elders, community members, and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers involved in activities related to the Indigenous community.
- Release Time Allowance is an eligible expense to facilitate the participation of knowledge user(s) in a research program.
Conditions of Funding
- Data produced as a result of this funding must be shared in line with the Joint statement on sharing research data and findings relevant to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak.
- Data related to research by and with First Nations, Inuit, Métis or Urban Indigenous communities whose traditional and ancestral territories are in Canada must be managed in accordance with data management principles developed and approved by those communities, and on the basis of free, prior and informed consent. This includes, but is not limited to, considerations of Indigenous data sovereignty, as well as data collection, ownership, protection, use, and sharing. (Updated: 2021-09-16)
- All COVID-19 related publications must be open access, in alignment with the call from the Chief Science Advisors.
- The applicant must consent to the use and disclosure of full application and nominative information at the time of application, for purposes of relevance review, funding decisions and analysis.
- The Nominated Principal Applicant will be required to submit an electronic Final Report to CIHR. Within the "Broader Impacts" section of the electronic Final Report, the Nominated Principal Applicant must:
- Report on the evidence profiles completed, requestor, and the associated timeframe for each.
- Identify the contributions of the funded knowledge synthesis network to the Canadian and global response to COVID-19, including improved use of evidence in decision-making, reduced duplication of effort, and any related lessons learned.
- The successful grantee must submit their initial engagement plan to CIHR within one month of funding, describing in a one-page document how they plan to respectfully and meaningfully engage the researchers and the source communities from which the data originated if Indigenous knowledges and studies are to be included in evidence syntheses and/or evidence profiles, in alignment with TCPS2 Chapter 9 and other Indigenous ethical guidelines including the Principles of OCAP® (i.e., ownership, control, access and possession/protection) and Métis-specific and Inuit-specific research ethics.1
- Note: grantees may continue to engage and refine their Indigenous knowledge mobilization plan over the course of the remaining months of the grant, and submit revised syntheses and plans in their Final Report.
- Members of the applicant team are strongly encouraged to actively participate in peer review, and as members of the CIHR College of Reviewers, when invited.
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Review Process and Evaluation
Relevance Review Process
CIHR will perform a relevance review to identify applications that are in alignment with the objectives of this funding opportunity. Applications that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition and not proceed to peer review.
Review Process
Peer review will be conducted in accordance with CIHR peer review principles. For information, see the Peer Review: Overview section of CIHR's website.
Iterative review may be incorporated in the review of the applications. As a result, the applicants may have the opportunity to present their application and/or respond to the question(s) of clarification in regards to the application posed by the evaluation committee. The final funding recommendation will take into consideration the answers supplied by the applicants.
Evaluation Criteria
Full Applications will be assessed using the following criteria:
- Science
- Quality of proposal:
- Extent to which the application responds and aligns to each the funding opportunity objectives;
- Addresses the feasibility and methodology that the applicant team will utilize to produce rapid knowledge syntheses;
- Appropriateness of the proposed approach including the plan for coordination among key stakeholders;
- Quality of the plan for prioritization of requests for knowledge syntheses across multiple knowledge users;
- Quality of the plan for mobilizing the knowledge syntheses and evidence-based products produced by the network, most notably to reach F/P/T decision-makers;
- Considers the quality and appropriateness of the sex- and gender-based analysis+ (SGBA+) undertaken in each study and/or publication under review for inclusion in the knowledge syntheses, when applicable;
- Considers an appropriate representation of groups underrepresented in science and a diversity of experiences including in team composition and recruitment process, environment, training activities, and/or knowledge translation activities; and
- The proposed knowledge synthesis approaches and methods respect Indigenous values and ways of knowing and sharing, and abide by the Tri-Council Policy Statement Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada.
- Quality of Applicants:
- Strength, diversity, and track record and ability of team members to carry out proposed knowledge syntheses and related knowledge translation;
- Appropriateness of the governance plan, including structure and functioning to achieve defined goals and enable knowledge synthesis coordination and priority-setting within and beyond Canada; and
- Relevance and value-add of collaborations and partnerships to the objectives, including the quality of the engagement plan to mobilize decision-makers and knowledge users in the network.
- Quality of proposal:
- Impact
- Impact of the Network:
- Clear justification for rapid response nature of proposal including the use of funding to achieve timely impacts and maximize health benefits through knowledge synthesis activities;
- Likelihood of the proposed approach to accelerate availability of high quality, real-time knowledge syntheses for translation of research into policy, practice, and/or clinical guidelines to address the immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Addresses clear knowledge translation gap/need, rigour, relevance, and feasibility; and
- Appropriateness of the proposed process for priority-setting and demonstrating responsiveness to needs of Canadian knowledge users, including decision-makers at F/P/T levels.
- Impact of the Network:
- Budget:
- Appropriateness of the budget and justification for amount requested.
Funding Decision
The names of successfully funded applicants as well as project details will be published on the CIHR website.
The top-rated application (in the fundable range) will be funded.
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How to Apply
- The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of two steps: Expression of Interest (EOI) and Full Application.
- To complete your EOI, follow the instructions found below under "Specific Instructions": "Step 1 – Expression of Interest".
- To complete your Full Application, follow the instructions in the Grants – Application Guidelines along with any additional instructions found below under "Specific Instructions".
- All participants listed, with the exception of Collaborators, are required to:
- Have/obtain a CIHR PIN.
- Complete the Equity and Diversity Questionnaire.
- Due to the expedited nature of the process, there will be no extensions to the application deadline and late applications will not be accepted.
Specific instructions to complete your ResearchNet application
Step 1 – Expression of Interest (EOI)
- Applicants are required to submit an EOI by email prior to beginning their full application. Note that this task is mandatory to be eligible to submit a full application.
- There will be no review process or screening out at the EOI stage.
- CIHR may schedule a call to explore collaborations across teams that have submitted EOIs for the competition.
- To submit an EOI, the NPA must send an email to EHTRF-FRNMS@cihr-irsc.gc.ca confirming their intent to submit a full application no later than 8:00 p.m. (ET) on November 5, 2020. The email subject line must be "COVID-19 Knowledge Synthesis Network".
- Email submission of the EOI affirms that you have read and agree to respect all the policies of these Agencies that are relevant your project, including the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research. In cases of a serious breach of agency policy, the agency may publicly disclose any information relevant to the breach that is in the public interest, including your name, the nature of the breach, the institution where you were employed at the time of the breach, the institution where you are currently employed, and the recourse imposed against you.
- Email submission of the EOI also affirms your consent for CIHR to coordinate calls with other applicants to explore collaborations across teams.
Step 2 – Full Application
Task: Identify Participants (Updated: 2020-11-13)
- All participants are required to be identified in ResearchNet, including the applicant role that they will have (e.g. Nominated Principal Applicant [NPA], Knowledge User, Co-Applicant, Collaborator, etc.).
- For this competition, Biosketch CVs and Applicant Profile CVs (a 3-page CV) are uploaded as PDFs in the Identify Participants task. After you add each participant, press "save" and the Attachment subtask will become available for you to upload the PDF Curriculum Vitae. Please verify that your CV has loaded correctly and save this task.
- The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) and Principal Applicants (PA) must provide either a CIHR Biosketch CV OR the Applicant Profile CV (a 3-page CV).
- The Co-Applicant(s) and Knowledge User(s) are not required to submit CVs but it is encouraged. A CIHR Biosketch CV OR an Applicant Profile CV is acceptable.
- CVs are not required for Collaborators. (Updated: 2020-11-13)
Task: Enter Proposal Information
- The proposal must address each of the elements outlined in the evaluation criteria.
- The proposal can be a maximum of six (6) pages for English and seven (7) pages for French.
- Note: Your proposal must include all crucial information (including tables, charts, figures and photographs) that a reviewer will need to read in order to assess your application.
Task: Complete Summary of the Research Proposal
- Summarize your proposal. Note that your summary cannot exceed one page.
Task: Enter Budget Information
- The budget overview must provide a detailed overview of the amount requested and a justification for how the budget requested is appropriate for the scope of the proposed project in maximum of 3 pages.
- For release time allowance requests, you must include a letter (upload as "Other Supporting Documents") from the recipient's organization.
Task: Attach Other Application Materials
- Other – attach the following under "Other":
- Certificate of Completion for the sex- and gender-based analysis training module (mandatory):
- Download the PDF Certificate and upload the PDF (or Print Screen jpg) here. Note that this document is mandatory for the NPA (see Eligibility).
- References (optional):
- Additional pages for references are permitted.
- Certificate of Completion for the sex- and gender-based analysis training module (mandatory):
- Letters of Collaboration:
- A signed letter is required from all Collaborator(s) listed on the application that outlines their contribution to the project.
- Letters of Support:
- Provide a letter of support from each funding partner, confirming their contribution(s).
Note
- No attachment outside of the ones list above will be considered by reviewers (i.e., they will be deleted from the application prior to being provided to the reviewers).
- For all letter attachments: Original signatures are not required; an email approval will be accepted in lieu. Attach each email approval with each letter.
Task: Complete Peer Review Administration Information
- Suggest reviewers that have the expertise to review your application.
Task: Print, Scan and Upload Signature Pages
- Required signatures:
- Signatures must be included for all applicants (except Collaborators), and individual(s) with signing authority from the Institution Paid.
- Original signatures are not required. The scanned signed signature pages and the Routing Slip must be uploaded in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task in ResearchNet prior to submitting your application.
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Contact Information
For all inquiries, please contact:
Email: EHTRF-FRNMS@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
For service hours, please consult our Contact us page.
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Sponsor Description
Internal Collaborators
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.
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Additional Information
- For more information and resources related to COVID-19, please consult the following webpage.
- Why Sex and Gender Need to be Considered in COVID-19 Research
References
- OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC).
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- Date Modified: