Research Grants Program 2025

Eligibility

The project team members could include but are not limited to the fields of clinical medicine, epidemiology, population health, rehabilitation, basic sciences, law, economics, and other social sciences.

In 2025, the Research Committee is particularly interested in receiving proposals that focus on: 

1. The assessment and treatment of work-related psychological injuries 
2. Outcomes of medical and other interventions 
3. Treatment or service outcomes for individuals from traditionally underrepresented or equity-seeking groups
4. The unanticipated additional costs and psychosocial impacts of experiencing a work injury
5. Employment services and return-to-work outcomes for injured workers at or beyond age 50
6. Improving access to timely, quality health care for injured workers in Alberta

Research related to the broader themes below will also be considered:

1. Disability management and rehabilitation 
2. Return to work
3. Medical/rehabilitative interventions
4. Changing nature of work and the work environment
5. Improving the predictability of workers’ compensation financing (including economic and demographic factors)
6. Policy, system-design, and decision-making in workers’ compensation
7. Technological change and innovation
8. Knowledge transfer to communities of interest

Summary

WCB-Alberta’s Research Program collaborates with the local research community to find solutions for workers’ compensation issues, develop research in the areas of work-related injuries and illnesses, and improve the administration of injury compensation systems. The program enhances the relationship between the WCB and the scientific, academic and medical research communities. The Research Program provides support to high-quality scientific and scholarly research projects that address the most pressing issues facing the workers’ compensation system.

Submission Process

There is a two-stage process consisting of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and Full Proposal, which is by invitation only. Both stages of 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.

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)

The LOI, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record, must be submitted to RSO by March 11, 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.

Once you have received RSO approval, you must submit the LOI by by the deadline of March 14, 2025.

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

2. Full Application (by invitation only)

Deadline is TBA. Please follow the instructions WCB-Alberta provides at the time of invitation. The application deadline will be updated once WCB-Alberta releases this information.

The Full Application, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Application record,* must be submitted to RSO at least 3 business days (at 12:00 pm) ahead of the funding agency deadline. 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.

*Creation of a new Pre-Award/Application record in RMS is not necessary. You can automatically generate an Application record from the existing LOI record by changing the status of the LOI record to 'Invited for full application' (under Save & Progress).

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 by the funding agency deadline.

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

• WCB-Alberta Research Grant LOI Form
• WCB-Alberta Research Grant Program Guidelines
• WCB-Alberta contact: Research Program Coordinator, research@wcb.ab.ca

Overhead

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

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.

Ethics Requirement

Unless WCB-Alberta has specifically dispensed with the ethical approval requirement, they will not approve a proposal unless appropriate ethical approval is obtained from the university host institution. Common exceptions to this requirement include systematic literature reviews or environmental literature scans. It is the principal investigator’s responsibility to ensure an appropriate ethical review is received and that a copy of the approval is forwarded to WCB-Alberta prior to the start of their project. Research teams should obtain the required ethics approval or ensure the process is underway before submitting their proposals for review. The WCB-Alberta Research Committee may accept a project pending ethics approval; however, all approvals must be completed before any funds are released.

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 to Impact Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca. For more information, please visit the KI 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 edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information. 

Support for Research Security: 

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

Creating a Pre-Award Application (do not create a new Application record if you have an existing LOI record for the same competition)