Neurosciences, Rehabilitation & Vision Strategic Clinical Network (NRV SCN) 2023 Research Grant Competition: Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease & Quality of Care in Alberta

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible, it must include, at a minimum:

1. Principal Investigator (PI) who must be an independent researcher, affiliated with an Albertan postsecondary, academic institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation)
2. Front-line clinicians are welcome and encouraged to act as co-investigators but can only be the PI if they meet eligibility criteria #1.
3. Project area of the research that includes one or more of the following themes of health research: clinical, health services, and/or population and public health.
4. PI who is not a member of the NRV SCN leadership.
5. PI who is not actively holding a seed grant from the NRV SCN. The PI can only submit one application as PI but could be a co-investigator or Co-PI on another application.
6. At least one knowledge user from Alberta Health Services included on the research team.

Summary

This funding opportunity supports research grants that generate evidence to advance the quality of care for persons with lived experience of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and/or Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in Alberta. It will support research that will promote the recognition of, or directly address, the gaps and challenges recognized by the patient, community, research, and clinical stakeholders who participated in the 2022 NRV SCN MS & PD Research Planning Summit (June 17, 2022).

While it is not required, this funding opportunity may prioritize research that seeks to, or is able to, leverage in-kind and monetary supports from other institutions, organizations, and funders to promote broader impact and enable researchers to do more. The review committee for this grant competition may offer suggestions and support in the leveraging request, if feasible and appropriate.

Overhead Rate: N/A

Submission Process:

Please note that the full application stage to this competition will be part of the Research Management System (RMS), and approvals will be obtained electronically. 

Full applications, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS), must be submitted to RSO by February 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

A Research Funding Application Approvals (RFAA) form is not required as approvals are collected electronically in RMS.

Do not submit to the agency until RSO's approval has been granted in RMS. This application also requires a signed signature page from the RSO prior to submission (the completed document will be available for download in RMS). 

Once the institutional signature has been obtained, the Principal Investigator will receive an automated message from RMS to their @ucalgary email address. You can then proceed with submitting your application. Please be sure to email the application, as a single PDF, to kiran.poharmanhas@ahs.ca no later than March 1, 2023, 11:59 pm (MST).

A complete application includes:

• Proposal
• Appendix (including references)
• Participant Table
• Budget
• Signed Approval of Research Proposal

Resources:

• Relevant Documents:
  • NRV SCN 2023 Research Grant Competition Guidelines
  • Creating an application record in RMS
• NRV SCN Contact: Dr. Kiran Pohar Manhas, Assistant Scientific Director, NRV SCN, kiran.poharmanhas@ahs.ca

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.

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.

Funding may be requested for:

• Stipend support for trainees or salary support for research associates and technical/professional assistants
• Research operating expenses, including general office supplies, as relating to data collection, data analysis, meetings
• Expenses for provincial travel that is essential for the conduct of the study (e.g., data collection, knowledge translation, or to attend study training)
• Travel to conferences, symposiums, presentations, or meetings
• Other expenses will be considered (i.e., equipment, expendables), but must be justified and meet AHS guidelines.

Competition Timeline:

• March 1, 2023 — Applications Due
• March 2-30, 2023 — Adjudication Period
• March 31, 2023 — Notification of Awards