Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) 2025-2026

Eligibility

The Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) grant program has 2 separate funding streams:

• Stream 1 (Services) provides project-based grants to not-for-profit or public sector organizations. These projects must provide services to Alberta first responders or emergency health care workers living with, or who are at risk of, post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI).
• Stream 2 (Applied Research) provides grants for applied research to develop and evaluate effective programs and services to support Alberta first responders or emergency health care workers living with, or who are at risk of, PTSI. Examples of such programs and services include early intervention or resilience-building. Stream 2 projects must generate evidence on prevention or intervention for PTSI in first responders and emergency health care workers.

Stream 2 Eligibility Criteria:

Principal Applicant must:

• Be affiliated with a Canadian-based organization.
• Have the qualifications and appropriate expertise to conduct the proposed research.
• Agree to provide data and reports outlined in the grant agreement.

Co-Applicant (if applicable) must:

• Make a significant contribution to the intellectual direction of the research or research-related activity.
• Play a significant role in the conduct of the research or research-related activity.

Proposed Project must:

• Generate evidence on prevention or intervention for PTSI in first responders.
• Be completed within 12 months.

Summary

The Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) grant program is a competitive grant funding program. It supplies funding to provide or improve services for first responders or emergency health care workers living with or at risk for post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI).

Submission Process

This competition will be part of the Research Management System (RMS), and approvals will be obtained electronically. Research Funding Application Approvals (RFAA) forms are not required as approvals are collected electronically in RMS.

Full Application

The Full Application, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Application record, must be submitted to RSO by May 21, 2025 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.

Do not submit to the agency until RSO's approval has been granted in RMS. Once this institutional approval 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 via email to SPHIFR@gov.ab.ca by May 26, 2025.

This application also requires a signed signature page from the RSO prior to submission (this document will be available for download in RMS).

Program Resources

• SPHIFR Stream 2 Application Instructions
• SPHIFR grant program contact: SPHIFR@gov.ab.ca

Overhead

Not applicable. The SPHIFR program does not allow overhead and/or indirect costs.

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

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.

RESOURCES  

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be! 

 
Contact the following Research Service units for support with: 

Projects Involving Indigenous Research: 

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management 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. 

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:  
Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.  

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.  
For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage. 

Research Data Management: 

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.    

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 edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information. 

Research Security: 

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC). 

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.  

Pre-Award Submissions: 

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI 

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application