CIHR Webinar on "The Art of Writing a CIHR Application"

CIHR Webinar: “Art of Writing a CIHR Application”

Back by popular demand, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will offer six webinar sessions on “The Art of Writing a CIHR Application” in April 2012. Last year, this webinar was offered exclusively to members of the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators (CAURA) with immense success. Now, we are offering this webinar to the entire research community (including researchers and research institution staff who support researchers).

In this webinar, participants will learn some tips and get insights for writing a successful application for current competitions and programs offered at CIHR, from the planning stages through writing and submitting a CIHR application. (Please note that the technical aspects of how to apply using ResearchNet will NOT be covered in this webinar.)

Each 90 minute webinar will include approximately 45 minutes of presentation, plus 45 minutes of questions and answers from participants. Participants will also be provided with an electronic document containing application writing tips and insights not covered in the presentation.

To view the list of webinar sessions or to register for a session, go to the new Facilitated Online Session (Webinar) web page on the CIHR website - http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/45096.html.

CIHR Operating Grant: Advancing Theoretical and Methodological Innovations

Operating Grant: Advancing Theoretical and Methodological Innovations (2011)

Are you a researcher with an interest in health research that will contribute to our understanding of different phenomena through the study of theories, conceptual frameworks, methods and/or tools? Then, this funding call may be of interest to you and your colleagues.

The CIHR Institutes of Aging (IA), Population and Public Health (IPPH), and Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) have identified the need to further strengthen the theories, conceptual frameworks, methods and tools underpinning the conduct of uni-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary health research. Guided by different disciplinary traditions, researchers use a range of theories, frameworks, methods and tools to understand, observe and/or measure phenomena. Innovations need to be informed by the best available scientific methods emanating from a broad range of disciplines such as economics, political science, sociology, law and other relevant health and social sciences and humanities. Whether we seek to better theorize how policy interventions adapt to context, or to strengthen our approaches to analyzing and reporting data to inform health decision-making, we need to further enhance research's contribution to such efforts.

The objective of this Funding Opportunity is to:

Support research that is informed by a range of disciplinary perspectives and that advances theories, conceptual frameworks, scientific methods, and/or measurement approaches towards a strengthened Canadian health care system and improved health for Canadians.
This funding opportunity is intended to support research in one or more of the following three domains, addressing one or more of the relevant research areas outlined by each of the participating partners:

Domain 1: Develop or enhance theories and/or conceptual frameworks.
Domain 2: Develop and/or enhance quantitative, qualitative or mixed method approaches to research.
Domain 3: Develop and/or assess valid and reliable measurement tools.
IHSPR will fund applications relevant to the domains listed above and that also address one or more of the following relevant research areas within the Evidence-Informed Healthcare Renewal (EIHR) initiative:

Health Care Financing and Funding Models
Health System Sustainability
Governance and Accountability
IPPH will fund applications relevant to the domains listed above and that also address one or more of the following relevant research areas:
· Pathways to improve equity and reduce inequities in population health
· Population health interventions and implementation systems to reduce inequities and promote equity in Canada and globally

IA will fund applications relevant to the domains listed above and that also address one or more of the following relevant research areas:
· Population-based longitudinal cohort studies

For more information about these priority areas, please visit the funding opportunity.

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $3,200,000, enough to fund approximately 16 grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount per grant is $200,000 in total for up to three years.

Registration Deadline 2011-09-30
Application Deadline 2011-10-28

For more information, please visit:  http://www.researchnet-recherchenet.ca/rnr16/viewOpportunityDetails.do?progCd=10236&language=E&fodAgency=CIHR&view=browseArchive&browseArc=true&org=CIHR

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
3666 McTavish
Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1Y2

CIHR; Call for Contributions to Population and Public Health Ethics Casebook

Call for Cases for a New Publication: Population and Public Health Ethics Casebook


The CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH) together with partners, are pleased to announce a call for case submissions in Population and Public Health Ethics.  For more information, please visit the IPPH News and Announcements page for additional details and submission guidelines.

Fostering the development and refinement of ethical frameworks for population health interventions in Canada and globally is a strategic objective for the IPPH.  Population and public health ethics can be distinguished from clinical ethics by the focus on: (1) populations rather than individuals; (2) a wide range of population-level and/or environmental interventions often implemented outside of the health care setting or the health sector; and (3) equitable prevention of disease and disability.

The CIHR-IPPH, CIHR Ethics Office, Public Health Agency of Canada-Office of Public Health Practice, National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy, and Public Health Ontario have partnered to develop this casebook of ethical dilemmas in population and public health and related case analyses. The objectives of the casebook are to:
1)      Increase awareness and understanding of PPH ethics, and the value of ethical thinking in population and public health research, policy, and practice;
2)      Highlight cases from across population and public health research, policy, and practice that feature different ethical issues and dilemmas; and,
3)      Create a tool to support instruction, debate, and dialogue related to cases in population and public health ethics research, policy, and practice.

Structured case submissions of up to 850 words are due by Friday, September 30, 2011.  Cases should be realistic (either real or a composite based on a real situation) and can either focus on: 1) a particular ethical dilemma that arises in practice; 2) the ethical considerations of a specific population health intervention; or 3) how a public health organization(s) in other sectors deliberates or takes ethics into account in their priority setting or decision-making process.

Each selected case will be peer reviewed and subsequently analyzed according to a common approach by an invited author who is not affiliated with the case submission authorship team.  Authors of selected cases will be given an opportunity to provide an alternative analysis and these responses will be included in the casebook, which will be published in Spring 2012.



The ethics casebook call for cases can be accessed at the following website:
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/44006.html
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/f/44006.html

CIHR, Call for Proposals on Aging Research

Open Call – Joint Call for Applications in Aging Research: Healthy Life Expectancy 2020 – LOI (Letter of Intent) Deadline October 3, 2011

As a partner of the European Research Area in Aging (ERA-AGE2), a European research network on aging, FRSQ is pleased to inform the scientific community of a call for proposals for multidisciplinary research in "Active and Healthy Aging across the Life Course".
Each project must be presented by a team of researchers from at least three different countries participating in the call for proposals.

The CIHR-IA will consider funding research programmes that are relevant to (in alignment with) the international research priority areas described below:

Biological mechanisms underlying the Aging process;
Cognitive Impairment in Aging;
Health Services across the continuum of care for the elderly;
Longitudinal Studies on Aging;
Mobility in Aging, including Age-friendly (inclusive) designs and environments.
The deadline for letters of intent is October 3, 2011. Details about the competition and confirmation of the participating countries can be found on the ERA-AGE2 website.

For more information, visit our website or contact FRSQ Program Manager Nathalie Champagne.

CIHR Open Operating Grant, Priority Annoucement in Pathways to Health Equity

Open Call – CIHR Open Operating Grants Program – Fall 2011 Priority Announcement – Pathways to Health Equity
The CIHR-Institute of Population and Public Health will provide funding for applications that support research related to pathways to health equity. Health equity suggests that all people can reach their full health potential and should not be disadvantaged from attaining it because of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or any other socially determined circumstance. Research furthering the understanding of the pathways that lead to health equity focuses on understanding interactions between biological, social, cultural and environmental determinants. Research addressing these priorities involves a range of research designs and theoretical innovations informed by diverse interdisciplinary perspectives such as epidemiology, sociology, political science, and other health and social sciences.

N.B. This Priority Announcement will require completion of a Relevance Form.

Visit the CIHR ResearchNet website for further information.

Registration deadline: Aug. 15, 2011

CIHR Open Operating Grant, Prioroty announcement for Population Health Interventions

Open Call – CIHR Open Operating Grants Program – Fall 2011 Priority Announcement – Population Health Interventions
CIHR-IPPH will provide funding for applications that support research related to population health interventions.

Population health interventions are policy, program and resource distribution approaches that address the determinants of health within and outside of the health sector. Population health interventions are complex, dynamic, and adaptable to different socio-cultural and political contexts.

Some examples include:
1) Municipal infrastructure policies to make communities safer and more walkable.
2) Housing renewal developments and their potential impacts on family well-being.
3) Social assistance policies to improve household food security.

Visit the CIHR ResearchNet website for further information.

Registration deadline: Aug. 15, 2011

Tri-Council Policy Change: Student Stipends

What follows is an announcement of a policy change from the Tri-Councils regarding student stipends in SSHRC and CIHR grants:


This is to advise you of important changes regarding stipends for students and postdoctoral fellows paid from grants from the three federal research granting agencies.
As you are aware, the federal research granting agencies (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC) have in the past followed different practices with regard to the level of stipends which can be paid to students and postdoctoral fellows. Over the years we had heard from institutions and researchers that these different practices were too rigid, may limit the researchers’ ability to recruit students and provide them with compensation that was competitive and fair, made it difficult to manage interdisciplinary teams and increased the administrative burden on institutions Thus, in March 2011, as part of the ongoing effort to harmonize policies across the three agencies, the agency Presidents agreed that granting agency regulations on support for students and trainees paid through grants should be removed.
The removal of these regulations will address the concerns we had received over the years.
Therefore, beginning September 2011, the policies and practices of the three agencies will be harmonized, and specific minima or maxima pertaining to stipends paid from grants will no longer be in effect. The Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide will no longer stipulate the value of stipends that can be paid from grants. In addition, the agencies will remove the restriction on providing supplements from grants (“top- ups”) to award holders.
Many institutions have already set policies on minimum support packages, where stipend support can be assembled from various sources. In other instances, collective agreements may come into play. The granting agencies encourage institutions to continue to ensure that students and postdoctoral fellows are appropriately compensated, commensurate with the important contributions that they make to the research environment of the institution.

CIHR Grant Writing Workshop with Roger Pierson, June 17

There will be a CIHR Workshop on Friday, June 17, 2011 at 9 – 11 am in B450 in the Health Sciences Building which will be led by Dr. Roger Pierson, University CIHR Delegate.  The session is entitled, “What does a CIHR grant proposal look like?”  Dr. Pierson will be outlining the strategic structural components of a CIHR proposal.  Please reply as soon as possible, but no later than Thursday, June 16th to Shalayne Benallack (Shalayne.benallack@usask.ca) if you are planning to attend.