Critical Care Strategic Clinic Network (CC SCN) 2023 New Investigator Seed Grant Competition

Eligibility

Applicants

• Principal investigator (PI) must have a university appointment at one of Alberta’s academic institutions (e.g., clinical faculty or academic faculty such as adjunct/assistant/associate/full professors) and be eligible to hold funding at their institution.
  • The money must be held in a research account under the PI’s name at the academic institution.
• PIs must be a New Investigator and be within 7 years of initial faculty appointment (i.e. clinical or academic).
• A member of the research team must be affiliated with AHS
• PIs may only hold a single active grant from the 2023 CC SCN Seed Grant competition, but may be co-investigators on multiple awards.
• Successful applicants must submit proof of relevant ethics approvals BEFORE funds will be released.

Projects

Funding will be considered for any of the following activities:

• Priority will be given to research that aligns closely with the CC SCN’s Transformational Roadmap Strategic Priorities of System Transformation, Clinical Best Practices, and Maturing as a Learning Health System. A priority area of interest to the CC SCN are seed grant proposals that look at supporting critical care staff facing moral distress/injury and burnout (i.e. consistent with the quadruple aims of improving patient and caregiver experience and improving critical care provider satisfaction).
• Research focused on improving health outcomes of critically ill populations in Alberta.
• Pilot research projects, with intent to use the results to pursue later funding for a larger grant application to agencies such as Alberta Innovates (PRIHS, HIIS), CIHR, or other external research funding agencies.
• Pilot or small studies that conduct new research, are feasibility studies, test new approaches, or develop a new idea.
• Pilot or small research projects/activities that are realistic in terms of scope and goals within the grant timelines. Projects should have clear and measurable goals.
• Important changes to the study design, including study population, recruitment or intervention, must be reported to the CC SCN immediately. If changes substantially deviate from the original application, the grant may be closed and the funds returned.
• Funds must be expended within 1 year from the time they are made available.

Summary

The Critical Care Strategic Clinical Network (CC SCN) New Investigator Seed Grant competition supports biomedical, clinical, population health, and health services research proposals that are designed to provide critically ill patients with better care and better health outcomes. Proposals can target science and innovation in any part of the continuum: from improved understanding of the biologic aspects of a particular disease, to the application of a new therapy or supportive care, to improvement of the quality of life for patients, their families, or both, to enhancing the quality of survivorship or bereavement and to strengthen the training of critical care providers. This competition is designed to advance the Critical Care SCN’s long-term research goals.

The 2023 New Investigator Seed Grant competition supports research focused on innovative approaches to improve health outcomes in Alberta’s critical care population. Priority will be given to research that aligns closely with the Critical Care SCN’s Transformational Roadmap. A new priority of interest to the CC SCN and the critical care community focuses on supporting critical care teams facing moral distress/injury and burnout, that in some instances are leading to individuals leaving critical care to work in other areas.

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.

Registration

Submission of the registration to RSO is not required. Please be sure to email your registration, in PDF format, to Samantha.Bowker@ahs.ca no later than January 5, 2024, 4:00 pm (MST).

Full Application

Full applications, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS), must be submitted to RSO by February 9, 2024 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 (this document will be available for download in RMS). 

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, as a single PDF, and Principal Investigator's CV to Samantha.Bowker@ahs.ca no later than February 14, 2024, 4:00 pm (MST).

Resources

• CC-SCN-2023-Seed-Grant_Program-Guide
• CC-SCN-2023-Seed-Grant_Registration-Application-Instructions
• CC SCN Contact: Dr. Samantha Bowker, Assistant Scientific Director, Samantha.Bowker@ahs.ca

Overhead

N/A

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

Registration

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.

Funding Eligibility

Use of funding shall follow the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA).