Operating Grant: Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) 2023

Eligibility

Eligibility to Apply

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

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be an independent researcher 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).
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 by the application deadline (see List of CIHR Eligible Institutions)
4. All Canadian applications must also meet JPND eligibility criteria.

Summary

CIHR is joining EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND)  on their launch of this joint transnational call with the aim of improving the understanding of the complex and multifactorial pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases through multi-OMICS and 'Big Data' approaches designed to find new drug targets and target biomarkers for the development of tailored and personalised treatment approaches.

Research Areas

Proposals submitted under this call may include, but are not limited to, the following types of research:

• Using the potential from existing animal models and cohorts, e.g. available data and biomaterial, for conducting large-scale OMICS approaches to unravel the interplay and interactions of molecules from multiple molecular levels driving disease pathogenesis.
• Better understanding the complex and multi-factorial mechanisms of disease onset and progression as well as the corresponding influencing factors.
• Translating the findings from 'Big Data' analysis and multi-OMICS approaches to existing animal and cellular models, thereby enhancing the potential of these models.
• Identification of new drug targets or novel starting points for pharmacological interventions and prevention.
• Sharpening the current understanding of disease definition, thus leading to enhanced sub-classification and better patient stratification.
• Identification of novel and validation of already established biomarkers.

Proposals must focus on one or several of the following neurodegenerative diseases:

• Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
• Parkinson's disease and PD‐related disorders
• Prion diseases
• Motor neuron diseases
• Huntington's disease
• Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)
• Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)

Proposals should have novel, ambitious aims and ideas combined with well-structured work plans and clearly defined objectives deliverable within three years. If the proposals are complementary to research already funded or submitted to other funding initiatives, it should be clearly stated how JPND funding can supplement the ongoing research or applications. Each proposal must involve a minimum of three and a maximum of six applicants, including the coordinator, from at least three different countries participating in the JPND call. Applicants should demonstrate that they have the expertise and range of skills required to conduct the research project or that appropriate collaborations are in place. The value that will be added to ongoing national activities and the expected impact on future scientific use, medical application and well-being of people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases should be explicitly stated.

Proposals should consider the diversity and differentiation of the target group in terms of factors like gender, age, socioeconomic situation, level of education, migration and cultural background, and sexual orientation, where it is relevant for the implementation of the project. For assessing the well-being of people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, quality of life measures should be used. 

For more information, consult the JPND Call for Proposals.

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.

Submission Process:

The Application Process for this funding opportunity is comprised of up to three steps: 1 - Pre-Proposal and 2 - Full Proposal to JPND and 3 - Abbreviated Application to CIHR.

Step 1 – Pre-Proposal to JPND

• Note that NO documents need to be submitted to CIHR at this stage.
• Pre-Proposal must be submitted to the Joint Call Secretariat via the Proposal Submission Tool. For more information, please consult the JPND Call for Proposals.
• Pre-Proposals must be submitted in English only.

Step 2 – Full Proposal/Full Application to JPND (if invited)

• Full Proposals must be submitted to the Joint Call Secretariat via the Proposal Submission Tool. For more information, please consult the JPND Call for Proposals.
• Full Proposals must be submitted in English only.

Step 3 – Abbreviated Application to CIHR (only if invited to Full Proposal stage)

This additional application to CIHR is to provide CIHR with an Operating Budget for the project with the amounts quoted in Canadian dollars, a complete justification for funds requested, and a one-page research summary of the project.

Submission to RSO:

1. Submission Process:

   Full application, plus approvals in RMS, will be required by RSO by noon on Thursday, June 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 Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

General CIHR Policies 

Before submitting an application to this funding opportunity, applicants should review the relevant policies and guidelines on the CIHR Funding Policies page to ensure understanding of their responsibilities and expectations.

Overhead N/A

Allowable Costs

Applicants are advised to consult the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA) to determine if an expenditure is an appropriate use of grant funds.

Resources

Call text** – download all specific information about the call. [PDF]
Call procedures – description of the evaluation procedure and decision-making process applied for this call. [PDF]
Country-specific information – all requirements and details from participating funding organisations. [PDF]
Pre-proposal template – mandatory for creating proposals. No other formats are accepted.
Proposal Submission Tool – mandatory for submitting proposals. No other routes are accepted.