Parkinson Canada Pilot Project Program

Eligibility

An applicant cannot submit the same unfunded application more than three times in a three-year period.

If you currently hold another Parkinson Canada grant as a PI or Co-PI or have pending final reports from a Parkinson Canada grant or award you are not eligible to apply. Individuals wishing to be involved in an application proposal must be listed as collaborators.

Parkinson Canada is committed to supporting the most advanced and/or highest quality of Parkinson’s research in Canada. As such, Applications will be accepted from individuals who are representative of a broad spectrum of health-related communities and sectors, including, but not limited to, researchers, scholars, and health professionals. Applications will be accepted from applicants who meet the eligibility criteria established by Parkinson Canada (as summarized in this Request for Applications) and who are
affiliated with and/or conduct research with the following institutions and organizations (an “Approved Institution”):

• Canadian post-secondary institutions and their affiliated institutions (including hospitals and research institutes).
• Canadian non-governmental not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations) with an explicit research or knowledge translation mandate.
• Other organizations, as determined by the Research and Clinical Advisory Committee of the Board of Parkinson Canada in consultation with the Advisory Council, provided that the applicant’s research or research-related activities fall within the mandate of Parkinson Canada.

The applicant must be a researcher who has completed formal training in health-related research. Applicants must have some form of research appointment with an Approved Institution, typically, an employment relationship with such institution or organization.

The applicant’s research appointment with his or her Approved Institution must:
1. Allow the applicant to pursue the proposed research project, to supervise trainees and to publish the results of the research.
2. Require the applicant to conform to institutional regulations concerning the conduct of research, the supervision of research trainees, and the employment conditions of trainees and/or support staff paid from the Parkinson Canada grant.

The applicant must be responsible for the intellectual direction of the proposed project and must be willing and able to assume all administrative and financial responsibilities for any funds awarded under the Program. In Applications where the responsibility for the intellectual direction of the proposed project is shared more or less equally between two or more individuals, there may be two or more applicants. However, in this situation, the applicants must nominate, by mutual written agreement, one of the individuals to assume administrative responsibility over funds awarded under the Program. These funds will be paid in trust to the nominated individual's Approved Institution.

Summary

Parkinson Canada is pleased to offer the Pilot Project Program (the “Program”) as part of its strategic initiative to encourage investigators (researchers) with faculty or equivalent appointments, to enter and perform research in new, specifically targeted, high priority areas of Parkinson’s research in Canada. It is our intent that successful applicants in this Program will utilize the funds provided under the Program to acquire preliminary data leading to development of larger projects eligible for funding from a major granting agency. Parkinson Canada intends to provide awards in the amount of up to $75,000 over a one-year term to outstanding applicants who meet the eligibility criteria of the Program and who have been approved by Parkinson Canada’s Scientific Advisory Council (the “Advisory Council”). Funds awarded under the Program are to be used to cover operating expenses, technical support staff salaries, trainee stipends, and equipment costs for research grants in Parkinson’s-related areas.

Through this initiative, Parkinson Canada invites grant applications (“Applications”) from applicants committed to conducting novel, emerging, or innovative research in areas relevant to the cure, cause, prevention, improved treatment and/or understanding of Parkinson’s disease, related disorders including: Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), other Parkinson’s conditions and its implications on society.

The Program is available to individuals who propose to conduct research on the biomedical, clinical, health services and systems and population areas of Parkinson’s. Parkinson Canada plans to adopt a flexible framework in funding awards under the Program.

Full guidelines available here

Overhead

Not eligible

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 Info:

1. Complete Full Application on the Parkinson Canada Smart App platform
2. To initiate internal approvals, complete the Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/additional-resources/resea...), attach your completed Application, and submit for approvals from your department head and/or faculty Associate Dean (Research). *Important: when submitting in RMS, please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services review deadline of 12:00pm on November 30, 2023
3. Once these approvals are obtained, RMS will automatically forward the Application record to Research Services for institutional review and approval.
4. Research Services will review, provide feedback (by email) if necessary, and will provide the institutional approval. If digital or wet-ink signatures are required, we will provide the capping institutional signature and will advise when ready.
5. Full Applications, including any supplementary documentation, should be submitted to the agency via the portal on December 5, 2023 by 9:59PM Mountain Time via the Smart App platform.