MSI Foundation Research Grant 2024

Eligibility

Only proposals meeting the following criteria will be considered:

• Principal investigator is a novice or emerging Alberta investigator with no more than five years research experience. Principal investigators who do not hold a regular university appointment should normally have a co-applicant with such an appointment. Post-doctoral fellows and graduate students are not eligible. Preference will be given to principal investigators who do not already hold external salary awards for research or major research grants.

• Studies must focus on health services or population health research in Alberta. The description of these two research areas outlined by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) will be used. Please see the links from CIHR http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/13787.html and http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/13948.html. Studies that involve health investigators and populations beyond the cities of Edmonton and Calgary, including rural Alberta, are encouraged.

• In order to enhance the practical application of the research, the principal investigator must involve a user of research as a co-applicant (e.g. health service or population health manager or decision maker, practitioner group). Researchers are encouraged to include people with lived experience on the research team.

Summary

The MSI Foundation is a research granting charitable organization which has supported more than 300 investigators over the past 50 years, many of whom have made significant contributions to health research in the province of Alberta. For the 2024 year, the Board of Trustees will continue to support novice or emerging investigators in the field of health services and population health research (similar to CIHR pillar 3 or 4). Projects also require a co-applicant who is a user of research. The Foundation is committing $300,000 to $350,000 per year to this initiative. The value of an award is up to $50,000.00 per year for a maximum of two years.

Since 2010 the MSI Foundation has awarded grants to 67 new investigators, often as their first substantial peer- reviewed grant. On average we receive 40 Letters of Intent per year, select 15 for full applications and fund 5-7 projects. A range of health disciplines and wide variety of projects have been supported as indicated on our website.

In keeping with our mandate, projects must be conducted in Alberta and directed toward “promoting matters of health in the best interests of the people of Alberta”. We are inviting Letters of Intent, describing the research project. From these letters, a number of investigators will be invited to develop full applications. These applications will undergo peer review for selection and funding.

Full application guidelines can be found here

Overhead

Not applicable

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 instructions:

**PLEASE NOTE that LOI submissions should be going through Research Services via RMS.

LOI Stage:

1. Complete LOI application template found here.
2. Upload a copy of your final and complete LOI application to the RMS Application record, and submit for academic approvals.  Please ensure that you allow enough time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services (RSO) final internal deadline of NOON, Thursday October 26, 2023.
3. RMS will notify you that institutional approval has been provided and will provide any institutional signatures if required. You may now submit via email to info@msifoundation.ca on or before October 31, 2023.

Full Application Stage:

1. Complete your application according to the agency guidelines
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 February 26, 2024.
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 by email to info@msifoundation.ca on or before Thursday Feb 29, 2024.