Team 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 NPA is a knowledge user, there must be at least one Principal Applicant (PA) who is an independent researcher.
      • if the NPA is an independent researcher, there must be at least one knowledge user in the Principal Knowledge User (PKU) role.

      OR

   2. an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with 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 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 applicant teams must include each of the following roles. Note that an individual can fulfill multiple roles.
   • A knowledge user as NPA or Principal Knowledge User (PKU).
   • An independent researcher as NPA or a Principal Applicant.
   • An Early Career Researcher (ECR) as NPA, Principal Applicant (PA) or Co-Applicant. ECR eligibility status is required as of the full application deadline date.
   • A person with lived and living experience (PWLLE) as NPA, PA, PKU, Knowledge User (KU) or Co-Applicant.
   • An Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Champion as PA, PKU, KU or Co-Applicant. (see Additional Information section for more details).
   • A Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Champion as PA, PKU, KU or Co-Applicant. This person can be, but is not limited to an investigator, clinician, policy maker, knowledge user, PWLLE etc. (see Additional Information section for more details)
   • Any research applications involving Indigenous Peoples must include at least one applicant who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) and/or provides evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples (see How to Apply section for more details).
5. The NPA* and the EDI Champion 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).

In addition to the criteria listed above, applications for Large Team Grants must also meet the following criteria.

6. The applicant team must include:
   • Team members listed as Principal Applicants or Principal Knowledge Users from at least 3 provinces or territories.
   • A mid-career researcher listed as NPA, PA or Co-Applicant.
   • A knowledge user as PKU or KU, who is:
     • A Community Leader affiliated with a Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organization (including community or charitable organizations) with a research or knowledge translation mandate;
       OR
     • A Canadian non-governmental organization (including Indigenous-led community organizations) with a research or knowledge translation mandate.

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

Notes:

• A participant can hold more than one role and a Champion may fulfill more than one requirement.
• Participants, including Elders and/or Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, may participate on the application in a Collaborator role without the need to secure a CIHR PIN. Follow the instructions in the How to Apply section that pertain to Collaborators and indicate their role in the participant table. Elders' and/or Indigenous Knowledge Keepers' contributions to the proposed activities and their meaningful engagement must also be captured in the research proposal to address the points outlined in the evaluation criteria. Please note, names of Collaborators do not appear in CIHR funding decision databases and documents.
• Applicants must demonstrate how EDI principles are applied in the formation of the team composition (see Evaluation Criteria section).

Summary

The CIHR HIV/AIDS and STBBI Research Initiative defines STBBI as infections that are transmitted primarily through exchange of body fluids during sexual contact and/or through blood, and supports projects with a primary focus on STBBI of public health relevance including but not limited to HIV/AIDS, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B (HVB), hepatitis C (HCV) and human papillomavirus (HPV). With respect to diseases or conditions common in people living with HIV/AIDS and/or other STBBI, the focus of the project must be on the disease/condition within the context of HIV/AIDS and STBBI including but not limited to, HBV, HCV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HPV. For infections caused by pathogens which may be transmitted through sexual contact amongst other routes of transmission, such as Mpox, Ebola Virus Disease and Zika virus disease, the research objectives must have a clear focus on the infection in the context of sexual and reproductive health.

This funding opportunity will support applications relevant to innovative technologies and next-generation interventions for STBBI across the cascade of care, from prevention to detection, to treatment and cure. This includes, but is not limited to, discovery research in biology, immunology, and pathology that contributes to the design, development, and implementation of interventions in the following two research areas:

• Next-Generation Therapeutic Interventions, including, but not limited to, research relevant to:
  • Antivirals and antibacterials; and
  • Targeting of viral reservoirs
• Next-Generation Prevention Technologies, including, but not limited to, research relevant to:
  • Vaccines, vaccine alternatives, and multipurpose prevention technologies; and
  • Innovative technologies for testing & surveillance

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 September 12, 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 September 17, 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