Catalyst Grant: Development and Validation of New Biomedical Techniques and Technologies

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 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. an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate;
   3. an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada 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 by the funding start date.
4. The NPA must have successfully completed one of the sex- and gender- based analysis online training modules available through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a Certificate of Completion (see How to Apply section).
5. Any research involving Indigenous Peoples must include at least one applicant who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis) and/or provides evidence of the capacity and experience to work with Indigenous Peoples in a meaningful and culturally safe way (see How to Apply section for more details).
6. An individual or an organization cannot submit more than one application as an NPA. If the NPA submits more than one application, CIHR will automatically withdraw the last application(s) submitted based on timestamp of submission.

Summary

New biomedical technology development and validation has been identified as a major gap in funding that is required to advance biomedical research in Canada; this gap will be addressed through the catalyst grants funded through this funding opportunity (FO). Development and validation of new biomedical technologies is a high-risk high-reward endeavour.

There is, and clearly will be, an ongoing and ever-increasing demand for new technologies and applications to carry out highly technical research and its transition to application to human health in the public and private sectors.

Examples of activities that might be conducted under this FO are (but are not limited to):

• Human organs on chips
• Stem cell differentiation and implantation
• Computational methods applied to in vivo applications
• Gene editing, mRNA and other oligonucleotides as potential therapies, vaccines, diagnostics, and detection of diseases
• Software and methods development to support and/or improve ‘omic’ analysis (e.g., increased reliability, reproducibility, analysis, sensitivity)
• Viral vector development and delivery of human genes
• Peptide and/or protein therapies or vaccines
• Nanoparticles for the delivery of therapies or vaccines
• Innovative methods to generate animal models
• Biomedical imaging

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.

Submission Process:

Registration due directly to CIHR via ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on May 8, 2024. No RMS needed for this step.

Full application, plus approvals in RMS, will be required by RSO by noon on July 4, 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 July 9, 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