Advancing Research on Care & Outcome Measurement 3.0 (ARCOM-3)

Eligibility

In general, scientists and clinicians from public, private research laboratories, medical centers, non-profit research institutes, hospitals and universities from around the world are eligible to apply.

• State and federal government-appropriated laboratories in the U.S. and abroad and for-profit organizations are prohibited from serving as the lead applicant institution. For U.S. VA-based investigators, please work with your affiliated non-profit organization to apply. In other circumstances, state and federal government scientists can participate as collaborating scientists with research teams from other eligible applicant institutions.
• Adjunct faculty, post-doctoral research associates/fellows and other trainees are not eligible to serve as the lead investigator but may be included as members of the scientific team.
• The Alzheimer’s Association and Brain Canada are committed to excellence through equity. We encourage applicants from representative backgrounds to apply to our funding opportunities, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives and approaches and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups.
• Only established, independent investigators at Canadian-based institutions are eligible for co-funding, as evidenced by:
  • Academic appointment (Assistant Professor and above or the equivalent at your institution);
  • Major, peer-reviewed, external multi-year grant support on which the applicant is the principal investigator (PI); and
  • Quality and independence of publication record

Summary

Leveraging an Interdisciplinary Consortium to Improve Care and Outcomes for Persons living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia (LINC-AD) is a five-year consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is undertaking a series of high-impact activities to usher in the next phase of psychosocial research in Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia. LINC-AD’s overarching goal is to broaden interdisciplinary interest in measuring person-centered outcomes that foster a constructive balance between strengths and deficits assessment; add a new emphasis on evidence-based tools to guide structures and processes of care; and provide a novel conceptual framework to inform measurement related to care.

Through these goals, LINC-AD aims to evaluate existing outcome measures and care tools within each of the nine domains of the Dementia Care Practice Recommendations to (a) establish criteria for evaluating measures and tools; (b) identify measurement priority areas; and (c) review existing measures and tools and identify gaps. The key priority area identified is person-centeredness/person-centered care. As a partner of LINC-AD, the Alzheimer’s Association International Research Grant Program is committed to identifying opportunities that address gaps and provide funding for pilot projects. The Advancing Research on Care and Outcome Measurement (ARCOM) funding program, in collaboration with LINC-AD, is the first collaborative program to address these care and outcome measures.

Advancing Research on Care & Outcome Measurement 3.0 (ARCOM-3) Program

The ARCOM funding program aims to address significant gaps in care and outcome measurement, and provide an opportunity to advance research – including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodological approaches - so that care providers can ensure that they are implementing evidence-based practices (using measures to guide care provision) and achieving desired outcomes (using measures to assess individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia and care partner outcomes). Work funded through ARCOM must directly advance research projects focused on: (i) development of new—and/or validation of previously developed—measures of care; (ii) measurement of outcomes where measurement gaps exist; and (iii) evaluating the use of such measures in improving care and outcomes across diverse and underrepresented populations, at different stages of dementia, and/or in various settings. Investigators awarded through ARCOM will be expected to engage with LINC-AD upon request to share research activities and advances as a part of the overall consortium.

Areas of interest include but are not limited to:

• Research aimed to develop and evaluate quality metrics that are meaningful to persons living with dementia and their care partners across diverse populations, including measurement of care preferences, outcomes, and behavior change
• Research focused on the development, application and evaluation of pragmatic and meaningful measures across systems of care (e.g., adult day, community dementia housing, hospital, long-term care), including measurement of care preferences, caregiving approaches, outcomes, and behavior change
• Mixed methods research designed to develop new measures or evaluate existing measurements in service of the translation of interventions across populations, communities, and systems.
• Measurement related to health equity and health disparities and research focused on increasing diversity within research and clinical trials to address equity outcomes
• Research focused on the measurement of risk reduction, including measuring the risk, outcomes, and related perceptions
• Proposals to develop novel methods of data collection or analysis that enhance the quality of new or existing measures
• Proposals to develop novel measures, to validate previously developed measures or evaluate measures in diverse and underrepresented populations are highly encouraged, as are studies that focus on the inclusion of diverse and underserved populations

Funding Amount and Award Period

The Alzheimer's Association and Brain Canada Foundation are pleased to partner on any successful application from a Canadian-led team.  The Alzheimer’s Association, in partnership with Brain Canada Foundation, anticipates funding up to 8 ARCOM proposals. Each award is limited to USD $250,000 total funding (direct and indirect costs) over a period of up to two years (minimum of one year) for research performance. Additional details on allowable costs are outlined in the Request for Applications. Indirect costs are not to exceed 10 percent (10%) of total direct costs. For successful applications with Canadian-led teams, Brain Canada will co-fund up to four (4) successful applications.

Submission Process

The application process will be completed in two-stages: Letter of Intent (LOI) and Full Application.

1. Letter of Intent (LOI). The first step in applying to the Alzheimer's Association for any research grant is to create and submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) through the online application system at http://proposalcentral.com. Applications will not be accepted without an approved LOI. First-time users must register and fill out a Professional Profile to begin the LOI/application process. The LOI and completed application must be submitted by a single Principal Investigator (PI).

Applicants must obtain institutional approval from the University of Calgary prior to submitting their LOI in ProposalCentral. Initiate required University of Calgary internal approvals by completing a Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record in RMS (https://my.rms.ucalgary.ca/)/. Attach a copy of your completed LOI materials and submit for approvals from your department head and/or faculty Associate Dean (Research). Please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services Office internal review deadline of 12:00pm MT, September 15, 2023.

2. Full Application. Each LOI is evaluated by a select panel of experts who will recommend whether to triage or invite a full proposal. If you are invited to submit a full application, the required materials including the application format, templates, and instructions, will be available online at proposalCENTRAL after your LOI has been approved in the system.

If you are invited to submit a full application, please email chantal.lemire@ucalgary.ca for further instructions on University submission processes.

Overhead

10% of direct costs.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

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.

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.

Additional Resources

Request for Applications