Operating Grant: Addressing Infectious and Congenital Syphilis in Canada (2023)

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible, all the requirements stated below must be met:

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be one of the following:
   1. an independent researcher or a knowledge user affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary 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) at the time of funding.
      OR
   2. an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
      OR
   3. an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada (including community organizations and regional health authorities) with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
2. The NPA must have their substantive role in Canada for the duration of the requested grant term.
3. The Institution Paid must be authorized to administer CIHR funds before the funding can be released (see Administration of Funds).
4. The applicant team must include at least one (1) of each of the following among its NPA, Principal Knowledge User(s) (PKU), and Principal Applicant(s) (PA):
   1. An independent researcher as either the NPA or a Principal Applicant (PA).
      AND
   2. A knowledge user who is affiliated with a community or community organization as NPA (must meet NPA eligibility criteria listed above), PA or PKU, specifically, one of the following:
      1. A Community Leader from a Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organization (including community or charitable organizations) with a research or knowledge translation mandate;
         OR
      2. A Canadian non-governmental organization (including Indigenous-led community organizations and regional health authorities) with a research or knowledge translation mandate.
5. In addition to the NPA, the applicant team must include a minimum of one (1) representative from each of the two (2) following categories listed as a PA, Co-Applicant (Co-App), PKU or KU:
   1. A Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Champion; and
   2. An Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Champion with expertise in sound EDI practices and principles.
6. The NPA* and both Champions must have successfully completed all relevant sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a Certificate of Completion. See How to Apply section for more details.
   *Organizations as NPAs: For organizations applying as the NPA, a representative of the organization must complete all relevant training modules on the organization's behalf.
7. For applications applying for funding in the Indigenous-led pools:
   1. The NPA must self-identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, or provide evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples. The NPA is required to provide a maximum 1-page statement describing how they meet the criteria of self-identification and/or meaningful and culturally safe engagement (see How to Apply);
      AND
   2. Must include at least one (1) of the following: Indigenous Elder, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, Indigenous person with lived/living experience, or Indigenous service provider identified on the application in any role.
8. For applications applying to the four Prairie funding pools:
   1. The NPA must have their primary affiliation based in Alberta, Manitoba, or Saskatchewan;
      AND
   2. Include participation of at least one Prairie-based community organization.
9. An individual cannot submit more than one (1) application to this funding opportunity as an NPA. If the NPA submits more than one application, CIHR will automatically withdraw the subsequent application(s) submitted based on timestamp of submission.

Summary

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to address the urgent needs for implementation science and intervention research in the rapidly changing syphilis landscape. Proposed research should identify strategies and models that improve access to care and lead to more effective diagnosis and treatment, as well as reduced transmission of infectious and congenital syphilis. It is envisioned that by establishing meaningful community partnerships, these intervention research and implementation science teams will also lay the foundation for future community-centred responses to health emergencies.

The aim of this funding opportunity is to advance collaborative partnerships with communities focused on implementation science and intervention research to reduce the transmission and health impacts of infectious and congenital syphilis.

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• Advance community-centred approaches to conducting implementation science and intervention research by establishing meaningful partnerships between communities most affected by rising rates of syphilis — particularly Indigenous, those in the Prairies and rural, remote and isolated communities — and health researchers from academic or other research institutions;
• Accelerate knowledge mobilization across the continuum of care between populations that are disproportionately affected and health care providers, community organizations, decision/policy makers and researchers by supporting the co-creation, synthesis, application and sharing of research findings; and
• Improve health equity by conducting research that addresses the systemic, social and behavioural causes of health inequities in our health system that have contributed to the rise in syphilis within specific populations including Indigenous and rural, remote and isolated communities.

Overhead

N/A

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.

Webinar:

CIHR is hosting the following webinar to support participants with the requirements of this funding opportunity and to answer questions on how to apply.

When: September 26, 2023, at 1:00 PM MT | Join
Duration: 60 minutes

Submission Process:

Registration due directly to CIHR via ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on October 12, 2023. No RMS needed for this step.

Full application, plus approvals in RMS, will be required by RSO by noon on November 22, 2023. Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in enough time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the internal RSO deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines.

Do not submit through ResearchNet until RSO's signature has been granted!! 

Once institutional signature has been obtained, a copy of the CIHR signature page will be available via the RMS record, under Documents. Upload the CIHR signature page and routing slip in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task in ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on November 27, 2023.

RESOURCES

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research:

Support with the development of your grant application is available internally through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST). Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Support for Knowledge Engagement:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation is available internally through the Knowledge Engagement Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KE team at knowledge.engagement@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information, please visit the KE team webpage.

Support for Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@libanswers.ucalgary.com and/or visit https://libguides.ucalgary.ca/researchdatamanagement.

Support for EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice. Contact Erin.OToole@ucalgary.ca for more information.

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application