Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) 2023-2024

Eligibility

The Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) grant program has 2 separate funding streams:

• Stream 1 (Services) provides project-based grants to not-for-profit or public sector organizations. These projects must provide services to Alberta first responders or emergency health care workers living with, or who are at risk of, PTSI.
• Stream 2 (Applied Research) provides grants for applied research to develop and evaluate effective programs and services to support Alberta first responders or emergency health care workers living with, or who are at risk of, PTSI. Examples of such programs and services include early intervention or resilience-building. Stream 2 projects must generate evidence on prevention or intervention for PTSI in first responders and emergency health care workers.

Stream 2 Eligibility Criteria:

Principal Applicant must:

• Be affiliated with a Canadian-based organization.
• Have the qualifications and appropriate expertise to conduct the proposed research.
• Agree to provide data and reports outlined in the grant agreement.

Co-Applicant (if applicable) must:

• Make a significant contribution to the intellectual direction of the research or research-related activity.
• Play a significant role in the conduct of the research or research-related activity.

Proposed Project must:

• Generate evidence on prevention or intervention for PTSI in first responders.
• Be completed within 12 months.

Summary

The Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) grant program is a competitive grant funding program. It supplies funding to provide or improve services for first responders or emergency health care workers living with or at risk for post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI).

Overhead: 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 May 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.

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 to SPHIFR@gov.ab.ca no later than May 28, 2023, 11:59 pm (MDT).

Resources

• SPHIFR Stream 2 Application Instructions
• SPHIFR Application Form
• SPHIFR grant program contact: SPHIFR@gov.ab.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.