Catalyst Grant: Biomedical Research for HIV/AIDS and STBBI (2024)

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). 

      • if the Nominated Principal Applicant is a knowledge user, there must be at least one Principal Applicant who is an independent researcher

      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 with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
2. The NPA (individual) 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 funding start date.
4. The NPA* must have successfully completed one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and have submitted a Certificate of Completion (see How to Apply section).
5. For any research applications involving First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis, the research team must include at least one knowledge user who self-identifies as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis and/or who can demonstrate their experience of meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples in an Indigenous Health Research environment (see How to Apply section for more details).

While not a requirement for eligibility, research applications NOT involving First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis populations are also encouraged to include knowledge user(s) when appropriate.

*Organizations as NPAs: For organizations applying as the NPA, a representative of the organization must complete the training module on the organization's behalf.

Summary

The overall goal of the Catalyst Grants is to catalyze and strengthen the innovation landscape of HIV/AIDS and STBBI biomedical research in Canada in order to address the most pressing and persistent biomedical challenges to effective treatment of key populations disproportionately affected by STBBI.

The Catalyst Grant funding opportunity will support projects relevant to the following research areas:

• Innovation for next-generation testing and surveillance technology, including, but not limited to, use of digital technology, AI, remote imaging, and wastewater testing;
• Innovation for next-generation therapeutic interventions, including, but not limited to, long-acting anti-virals and anti-bacterials, and novel drugs or approaches for targeting viral reservoirs, or to overcome antimicrobial resistance;
• Innovation for next-generation prevention technologies, including, but not limited to, new vaccine and/or delivery platforms, alternatives to vaccines, and multipurpose prevention technologies.

Applicants will be required to articulate the innovative elements of their proposals that will address a critical gap in the cascade of care.

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• Enable researchers to generate preliminary data or evidence necessary to demonstrate feasibility of new and innovative technologies for testing and monitoring of outbreaks and next-generation interventions;
• Support researchers in pursuing high-risk, high-reward research questions which have the potential to generate novel, innovative and high impact results to address persistent challenges in HIV/AIDS and STBBI for key populations in Canada and globally; and
• Stimulate innovation in HIV/AIDS and STBBI research by promoting cross-disciplinary research collaborations.

Overhead

n/a

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:

Full application, plus approvals in RMS, will be required by RSO by noon on October 18, 2024. 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 October 23, 2024.

RESOURCES 

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research: 

Support with the development of your grant application is available 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, community partnerships, and responsible research assessment (DORA) is available through the Knowledge Engagement Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KE team at knowledge.engagement@ucalgary.ca. 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@ucalgary.ca OR research.data@ucalgary.libanswers.com. 

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. 

Support for Research Security: 

The Research Security Division is available to offer guidance and support on safeguarding research and ensuring that principles of research security are upheld while conducting leading edge research. Learn more on their webpage or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.  

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with RSO units, the more help we can be! 

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application