ResearchNet - RechercheNet

Funding Organization
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Program Name
Operating Grant : COVID-19 May 2020 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity ARCHIVED
Sponsor(s)
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) with the Institute of Aging (IA), in partnership with International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Alberta Innovates, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, New Brunswick Health Research Foundation, Research Manitoba, Research Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation
Program Launch Date
2020-04-23
Deadline Date
TBD

Important Dates

Competition 202005CVR
CLOSED
Application Deadline 2020-05-12
Anticipated Notice of Decision 2020-06-12
Funding Start Date 2020-05-01

Notices

The content of this funding opportunity has been updated
Date updated: 2021-09-16
Section(s) updated: Guidelines

The content of this funding opportunity has been updated
Date updated: 2020-05-27
Section(s) updated: Important Dates, Notices/Alerts

CIHR has extended the Anticipated Notice of Decision for this funding opportunity. (Updated: 2020-05-27)

CIHR has extended the submission deadline for this funding opportunity to May 12, 2020. (Updated: 2020-05-08)

CIHR is providing a linkage tool that is intended to facilitate connections and collaborations (domestically and internationally) should there be interest. This is not a mandatory tool. Information is provided on a volunteer basis and does not confer any advantages in the evaluation and funding of applications. Please note that potential applicants are not required to use the linkage tool or contact those who have submitted their information.

If you would like to use this tool, please complete a short form. The information you provide will appear on a public CIHR web page.

Table of Contents

Description


This funding opportunity is part of Government of Canada's continued rapid response to address the health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will enable rapid and timely research responsive to the current phase of COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and around the globe, which is focused on slowing and stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2, including but not limited to:

Given the absence of vaccines and effective therapies, the current focus in Canada is reducing transmission of COVID-19 through individual and population-level measures, including personal hygiene, physical distancing, testing, isolating and tracking contacts and travel restrictions. The sharp increase in infections and hospitalizations observed elsewhere, including in low- and middle-income countries, indicate that there is also need for support of health systems and health workers to prevent the system(s) from being overwhelmed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic and international organizations (e.g., Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, United States National Institutes of Health, and World Health Organization) have played critical roles in providing guidance, sharing data and coordinating the global response. The WHO R&D Blueprint has served as a guiding framework for international coordination, including the preparation of a coordinated Global Research Roadmap. The Government of Canada’s research investments have additionally been informed by its participation in the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R), an international organization composed of 28 members that coordinates closely with WHO.

Canada has a rich history of relevant expertise in health research to find solutions to the issues raised by COVID-19, especially through intervention research, health outcomes research and clinical trials. Moreover, research is a critical component of the response to COVID-19 as it informs the evidence base underpinning the effective deployment of these actions.

A broad portfolio of research is needed to effectively mitigate the rapid spread of COVID-19 and minimize its direct and indirect impacts on individuals and communities within and across jurisdictions in Canada and globally. Mitigation strategies require a coherent and integrated response from all Canadians, and especially from health care workers, researchers, public health authorities, industry, policymakers, and the health system. As such, research projects funded through this call are encouraged to amplify existing national and international networks, including in low-and middle- income countries, infrastructures and relationships with partners in order to leverage efforts and increase timeliness, efficiency, and impact of response.

Research areas

The Government of Canada will provide funding for clinical trials, including pragmatic and adaptive trials in addition to amplification of existing trials, trial networks, or platforms to include COVID-19 data elements. This can include the inclusion of Canadian sites for trials being led or funded internationally.

Funding is also available for other epidemiological studies (including observational), implementation science or other relevant study designs to scale-up promising existing projects, reorient current research or platforms, or initiate new rapid response research that can be initiated immediately upon successful application of funds, to address COVID-19 in one of more of the following research areas. (Updated: 2020-04-27)

Understanding the safety, efficacy, effectiveness, ethics, and implementation of:

Projects focused on scale-up or reorientation could include, but not be limited to, projects from the first COVID-19 rapid response competition, as well as efforts to amplify or adapt existing national and international clinical trials and related research networks and platforms. International collaborations and/or multi-site/multi-jurisdictional research is expected.

Proposals are encouraged to consider priority populations that may face unique contexts and/or challenges including:

For research projects involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples: Appropriate consideration of TCPS 2: Chapter 9 - Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada, and demonstration of meaningful and culturally safe practices, plans and activities throughout the research project.

A lifecycle approach may be relevant to the research areas outlined above and can be considered in the study design.

Sex and gender differences exist in the research areas above, making sex and/or gender issues an important component of this research initiative. CIHR will require applicants to consider sex as a biological variable and gender as a socio-cultural factor in their research.

Funds Available

Approximately $107.9M of funding is available. The Government of Canada's financial contributions for this initiative are subject to availability of funds. Should the Government of Canada funding levels not be available or are decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, the Government of Canada reserves the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

Note: Partner funding may increase.

The maximum amount per grant that can be requested for clinical trial research is $5,000,000 over 1 year.

The maximum amount per grant that can be requested for all other types of research is $2,500,000 over 1 year.

Please note that the budget amounts have been set at these levels to allow for adequate funding of some of the research projects that could be submitted. However, it is expected that most budgets will be significantly lower than these maximums. All budgets will be subject to rigorous analysis to ensure applicants are requesting appropriate funds for their research.

Partnership approaches, either in-kind or financial, to increase the budget available to projects and/or maximize the impact and reach is encouraged; however, they are not mandatory.

For more information on the appropriate use of funds, refer to Allowable Costs.


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Objectives



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Eligibility


Eligibility to Apply

For an application to be eligible:

  1. The Nominated Principal Applicant must be an independent researcher.
  2. The Nominated Principal Applicant must be appointed at a CIHR eligible institution at the time of application (see the CIHR Application Administration Guide – Part 4).

For an application to be eligible to receive funding from the IDRC:

  1. The team must include researchers that are based in Canada and researchers that are based in low and middle income countries (LMIC), as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (all countries noted in list).
  2. For teams in which research will be conducted in more than one LMIC country, there must be at least one researcher listed as a Principal Applicant based in each country.
  3. For teams involving sub-grantees (indirect beneficiaries of IDRC funds), these sub-grantee institutions must be identified and described by the Principal Applicant.

Applicants are encouraged to consider an appropriate representation of groups underrepresented in science, and a diversity of experiences, on research teams. Additional guidance can be found on the Best practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research webpage.

Note: All CIHR eligible institutions are located in Canada.


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Guidelines


General CIHR Policies

Before submitting an application to this funding opportunity, applicants should review the relevant policies and guidelines on the CIHR Funding Policies page to ensure understanding of their responsibilities and expectations.

As is the case with all Agency-funded research, ethics review in accordance with Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS) will be required for research involving human participants. Please note that the TCPS addresses research ethics review during publicly declared emergencies – Chapter 6, Section D, Articles 6.21, 6.22, and 6.23. Institutions and REBs are encouraged to refer to this guidance during the current emergency. Should you have any questions about how to interpret this section of the TCPS, please contact the Secretariat at secretariat@srcr-scrr.gc.ca.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration for requirements regarding allowable costs and activities.

The following expenses will be considered eligible for funding received through this funding opportunity:

For recipients of IDRC funding (including sub-grantees), they will comply fully with the policies and guidelines as outlined in the General IDRC Funding Guidelines.

Conditions of Funding


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Review Process and Evaluation


Relevance Review Process

CIHR will perform a relevance review to identify applications that are in alignment with the objectives and one of the research areas of this funding opportunity. Applications that are not deemed to be relevant to the objectives and research area(s) will be withdrawn from the competition and not proceed to peer review.

In addition, relevant partners and CIHR Institutes will perform a separate review to assess alignment to partner/Institute specific funding requirements.

Review Process

Peer review will be conducted in accordance with CIHR peer review principles.

For information on CIHR's peer review principles, see the Peer Review: Overview section of CIHR's website.

Evaluation Criteria

  1. Quality of project:
    1. Extent to which the application responds to the objectives;
    2. Extent to which the application responds to one or more of the research areas;
    3. Addresses clear knowledge gap/need and high feasibility;
    4. Appropriateness of the proposed approach, study design, and populations;
    5. Quality and appropriateness of the sex- and gender-based analysis+ (SGBA+). SGBA+ refers to the consideration and examination of sex, gender and other identity factors (e.g., age, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, geography, education, disability, income and sexual orientation) at all stages of the research process including planning and implementation of the research project and related activities – please visit How to integrate sex and gender into research and Why Sex and Gender Need to be Considered in COVID-19 Research for additional information;
    6. For research involving Indigenous Peoples, appropriate consideration of TCPS2: Chapter 9 – Research Involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada, and demonstration of meaningful and culturally safe practices, plans and activities throughout the research project.
  2. Quality of Applicants:
    1. Track record of team members in fields related to the proposed research;
    2. Relevance and value-add of collaborations and partnerships to the research objectives;
    3. Ability of the project team to carry out the proposed research, including project governance;
    4. Ability of team to quickly mobilize necessary resources, including by leveraging existing networks and/or research programs;
    5. For research involving Indigenous Peoples, extent to which the overall research team has the necessary knowledge, expertise and experience in Indigenous health research, and complementarity of expertise and synergistic potential to conduct Indigenous health research.
  3. Impact of the Research:
    1. Clear justification for rapid response nature of project including the use of funding to achieve timely impacts and maximize health benefits;
    2. Quality of the proposed knowledge translation plans to accelerate availability of high quality, real-time evidence for translation of research into policy, practice, and/or clinical guidelines to address the immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
    3. Potential to contribute to the global response to COVID-19.
  4. Budget:
    1. Appropriateness of the budget and justification for amount requested.

All applications that include a clinical trial will also be evaluated on the following additional criteria (note that clinical trial research proposals have an extra page to account for the additional criteria):

  1. Demonstrated networked capacity to conduct multisite trials, including evidence that relevant trial groups/networks and/or sites are engaged;
  2. Proposal provides evidence that the trial will be adequately powered and multi-site in order to have greatest potential for generalizability;
  3. Amplifies current clinical trial activities (nationally or internationally) or is ready to be implemented upon successful receipt of funds;
  4. Selection of appropriate outcomes with harmonized measures

Funding Decision

Funding decisions will be made in order to balance funding across the research areas while respecting rank order within each research area.

The names of successfully funded applicants as well as project details will be published on the CIHR website.

Partner and Internal Collaborator Participation

The opportunity to add new partners and internal collaborators to this funding opportunity may arise after publication. These partners and internal collaborators may not be listed; however, the principles that govern relevance review, including consent to share information and funding decisions, will still apply.


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How to Apply


Specific instructions to complete your ResearchNet application

Task: Identify Participants

Task: Enter Proposal Information

Task: Complete Summary of the Research Proposal

Task: Enter Budget Information

Task: Attach Other Application Materials

Note

Task: Complete Peer Review Administration Information

This task collects information used for the purpose of peer review administration and aids CIHR in recruiting appropriate expertise.

Task: Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools

Task: Print, Scan and Upload Signature Pages


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Contact Information


For all inquiries, please contact:

Email: EHTRF-FRNMS@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For service hours, please consult our Contact us page.


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Sponsor Description


Partners


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Additional Information


Additional information:

A Guide for Applicants and Peer Reviewers

First, sex-disaggregated data reveal that more men are dying from COVID-19 than women. It is not clear if there arebiological factors at play, or if comorbid and behavioural factors are to blame.

Second, pandemics can compound inequalities for girls, women, sexual and gender minorities and other at-risk populations. It is essential that these different subpopulations are considered in order to create effective, equitable policies and interventions.

Applicants and Reviewers should appropriately account for the following in COVID-19 research proposals:

Molecular Mechanisms of Viral Pathogenesis

Include both male and female cells, as the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, ACE2, is X-linked and escapes X chromosome inactivation1. Disaggregate results by sex.

Host Immune Response

Include male and female animals or humans, as sex hormones were shown to regulate the host immune response to SARS-CoV infection in mice2. Disaggregate results by sex.

Diagnostic Tests and Serologic Antibody Testing

Sensitivity and specificity should be tested for males and females separately, as sex differences in viral titers and IgM/IgG antibodies have been reported for viral infections in humans and mice3,4.

Vaccines and Therapeutics

Sex-specific dosing of vaccines and other therapeutics should be tested, as efficacy, safety and toxicity for males and females differences for some drugs, immunotherapies5 and vaccines6.

Clinical Trials

Stratify randomization by sex, as there are known sex-specific differences in the safety and efficacy of drugs and biologics7. Disaggregate results by sex.

Medical Devices and Personal Protective Equipment

Sex-specific anatomical differences and gendered user preferences should be incorporated into the design of medical devices and personal protective equipment for COVID-19.

Social, Behavioural Observational and Seroprevalence Studies

Sex, gender, age and other identity characteristics should be considered in survey questions and sampling strategy. Gendered behaviours should be investigated in studies of disease susceptibility. For example, men are more likely to smoke than women8 and less likely to seek healthcare9, whereas older women are more likely to live alone and experience social isolation.

Gender roles should also be considered. 70% of the paid and unpaid global healthcare workforce are women10, and they face a greater risk of infection being on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gender relations should be factored into research on the impact of the pandemic, as physical distancing puts women and girls at higher risk of domestic violence due to heightened tensions in the household11.

Mental Health

Mental health effects may reasonably vary by sex, gender, sexual orientation and other identity characteristics, as the triggers, causes, signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety may differ 12.

Implementation Science

Sex, gender and other identity characteristics influence the way in which an implementation strategy works, for whom, under what circumstances and why. Messaging should consider how to appropriately include and target different groups according to sex, gender and other identity characteristics 13.

Policy

The unintended outcomes of all COVID-19 policies, especially economic recovery policies, should be considered for groups such as Indigenous Peoples, sexual and gender minorities, racialized individuals, single parents, immigrants, unpaid workers, individuals with precarious work status, people with disabilities, the homeless and those living in rural and remote areas14.

References

  1. Tukiainen, T et al. Nature 550, 244–248 (2017).
  2. Channappanavar R et al. The Journal of Immunology. 198:4046-4053 (2017)
  3. Peretz, J et al. Am. J. Physiol. - Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 310, L415–L425 (2016).
  4. Channappanavar, R. et al. J. Immunol. 198, 4046–4053 (2017).
  5. Conforti, F. et al. Lancet Oncol. 19, 737–746 (2018).
  6. Zeng, F. et al. medRxiv (2020) Pre-print at: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.26.20040709v1
  7. Tannenbaum, C. & Day, D. Pharmacol. Res. 121, 83–93 (2017).
  8. WHO: 10 facts on gender and tobacco. (2010): https://www.who.int/gender/documents/10facts_gender_tobacco_en.pdf
  9. Thompson, AE et al. BMC Fam. Pract. 17, 38 (2016).
  10. WHO: Gender equity in the health workforce: Analysis of 104 countries: http://www.who.int/hrh/resources/gender_equity-health_workforce_analysis/en/
  11. UNFPA. COVID-19: A Gender Lens: https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/COVID-19_A_Gender_Lens_Guidance_Note.pdf
  12. House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. The Health of LGBTQIA2 Communities in Canada (2019): https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/HESA/Reports/RP10574595/hesarp28/hesarp28-e.pdf
  13. Tannenbaum, C et al. BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 16, 145 (2016).
  14. Hankivsky, O. & Kapilashrami, A. Beyond sex and gender analysis: an intersectional view of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and response. (2020): https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/3334889/Policy-brief_v3.pdf

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