2023 MSI Foundation Research Grant

Eligibility

Only proposals meeting the following criteria will be considered:

• Principal investigator is a novice or emerging Alberta investigator with no more than five years research experience. Principal investigators who do not hold a regular university appointment should normally have a co-applicant with such an appointment. Post-doctoral fellows and graduate students are not eligible. Preference will be given to principal investigators who do not already hold external salary awards for research or major research grants.
• Studies must focus on health services or population health research in Alberta. The description of these two research areas outlined by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) will be used. Please see the links from CIHR http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/13787.htmlandhttp://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/1.... Studies that involve health investigators and populations beyond the cities of Edmonton and Calgary, including rural Alberta, are encouraged.
• In order to enhance the practical application of the research, the principal investigator must involve a user of research as a co-applicant (e.g. health service or population health manager or decision maker, practitioner group). Researchers are encouraged to include people with lived experience on the research team.

Summary

The MSI Foundation is a research granting charitable organization which has supported more than 300 investigators over the past 50 years, many of whom have made significant contributions to health research in the province of Alberta. For the 2023 year, the Board of Trustees will continue to support novice or emerging investigators in the field of health services and population health research (similar to CIHR pillar 3 or 4). Projects also require a co-applicant who is a user of research. The Foundation is committing $300,000 to $350,000 per year to this initiative. The value of an award is up to $50,000.00 per year for a maximum of two years.

Submission Process

Applications are submitted through the Research Management System (RMS) to initiate internal approvals.  Please note, when the RMS record finally reaches Research Services by the internal deadline, it should contain all the relevant Department and Faculty approvals, so please allow additional time for these steps.  Late applications will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances.  If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you will need to secure additional late approvals from your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) and the Executive Director, Research Services.  A link to RMS can be found here which includes training resources.

LOI:

1. Upload a copy of your final and complete LOI application to the RMS Application record, and submit for academic approvals.  Please ensure that you allow enough time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services (RSO) final internal deadline of NOON, October 25th, 2022. Please note that LOIs must not be more than 3 pages long.
2. RMS will notify you that institutional approval has been provided. You may now submit to info@msifoundation.ca by Friday October 28, 2022. 
3. Applicants will be notified as to the decision concerning their LOI by December 2022.

Full Proposal (by invitation only):

1. Upload a copy of your final and complete application to the RMS Application record, and submit for academic approvals.  Please ensure that you allow enough time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services (RSO) final internal deadline of NOON, February 23 2023. Please note this is a hard deadline. Exceptions will only be made with the approval of your faculty Associate Dean (Research).
2.  RSO will provide institutional sign-off on the application and internal approvals in RMS. RMS will notify you that institutional approval has been provided and the letter of institutional support will be attached. 
3. Full Proposals must be submitted to info@msifoundation.ca by February 28, 2023.

Relevant Documents

 loiform.docx

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Research proposals with the potential to leverage funds from other sources will be viewed favourably. However, researchers should clearly demonstrate the unique aspects of their project if they are leveraging funds from larger studies.  

Applicants will be notified as to the decision concerning their Letter of Intent by December 2022. At that time, successful candidates will be provided with formal application forms.