SCN - Impact Award

Eligibility

Applicants MUST submit an LOI to be considered for the full application stage of the research competition. LOIs will be used to identify peer review requirements, gauge the level of interest in SCNs programs, and ensure projects fall within SCNs regenerative medicine mandate. 

Projects must focus on proof-of-principle experiments or the development of novel therapeutic or technical approaches that will drive regenerative medicine therapies towards the clinic or commercialization. Projects must primarily be at Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 2¿4, representing the early-mid stages of translational development.

Summary

SCN is pleased to invite proposals under the Impact Awards Program. Funding through this program will support early-stage translational projects that have the potential to develop novel therapeutic approaches for regenerative medicine. Proposals must clearly identify the translational ¿bench to bedside¿ path of the research and where the proposed research stands along the path. Projects that may be funded within this program can involve proof-of-principle experiments for gene and/or cell therapy development, development of new models, and expression and epigenetic studies to understand behavior of stem and progenitor cells in disease relevant settings. Projects may also involve identification and characterization of compounds/drugs that target stem cell differentiation/proliferation or the development of gene therapies with the aim to develop novel regenerative medicine therapeutic approaches. Supportive preliminary data is an important component for all applications submitted to the Impact Awards Program. To be eligible for funding, proposed research projects must describe the translational pathway for the work. Projects can support the work of individual research groups but should include collaborators from outside of the lead investigator¿s institution to further the Network and research impact.

Partnerships with companies/industry, not-for-profit organizations, foundations, charities, research institutions/hospitals/universities, and government bodies are a valuable component of project proposals. Direct Partnering Support and Leveraged Support (in-kind and/or cash) will increase the application's ranking.

Applications will also be ranked more highly if they involve collaborations with other Canadian-based investigators and bring together multidisciplinary expertise. Applications that integrate equity, diversity and inclusion into team composition, training and research methods may also rank higher.

Overhead

0

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.

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