ResearchNet - RechercheNet

Funding Organization
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Program Name
Operating Grant : Evaluation of population-level interventions to reduce AMR ARCHIVED
(Evaluation of population-level interventions to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and prevent the spread of resistant pathogens)
Sponsor(s)
The CIHR Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research Initiative, under the co-leadership of CIHR's Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) and CIHR's Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH).
Program Launch Date
2022-10-05
Deadline Date
TBD

Important Dates

Competition 202302EMR
CLOSED
Application Deadline 2023-02-02
Anticipated Notice of Decision 2023-06-29
Funding Start Date 2023-07-01

Notices

The content of this funding opportunity has been updated
Date updated: 2022-12-08
Section(s) updated: Notices, How to Apply

On December 8, 2022, the Self-Identification Questionnaire task will no longer be available for this funding opportunity as CIHR is working to broaden the response options of the gender identity question (Question 2). As a result, you will not be required to complete the questionnaire for this funding opportunity at this time. As we transition, the collection of self-identification data for some funding opportunities will be paused. (Updated: 2022-12-08)

Webinar

CIHR will be hosting webinar(s) to support participants with the requirements of this funding opportunity and to answer questions. To find out more information and to register, visit the Webinars page.

Table of Contents

Description


Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical and growing global public threat that requires a unified global response for human, animal and environmental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that AMR threatens to reverse a century of medical progress and governments and health organizations around the world are paying increasingly more attention.

Successfully addressing the threat of AMR requires coordinated multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional action. Growing political attention and commitment from 148 countries that have developed and implemented national AMR action plans[1] offer a rare opportunity for meaningful, evidence-informed action in Canada and around the world. Despite the shared need for evidence on the most appropriate and effective population-level interventions to reduce antimicrobial use and prevent the emergence and spread of AMR, relatively few high-quality evaluations are available.

The overarching objective of this funding opportunity is to support research evaluating domestic or international population-level interventions to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and prevent the spread of resistant pathogens in humans, animals and the environment. Careful study of population-level solutions including regulatory, guideline, communication, legislation, service provision, environmental/social planning and fiscal interventions will contribute to building a body of evidence to support Canadian and international AMR decision-makers as they address the multi-faceted challenge of AMR.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity will support projects evaluating domestic or international population-level interventions to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and prevent the spread of resistant pathogens in humans, animals and the environment. Interventions being evaluated could fall into, but are not limited to, the following seven categories[2]:

Applicants proposing projects focused solely on human health are encouraged to demonstrate the impacts of their project on animals or the environment. Applicants proposing projects focused on animal and/or environmental health must include a human health component in their project and demonstrate the impacts on human health. Research focused exclusively on animal and/or environmental health with no link to human health are not eligible. (Updated: 2022-11-28)

Research supported through this funding opportunity is expected to demonstrate how results can inform the development of population-level interventions to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and prevent the spread of resistant pathogens in the Canadian context.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Indigenous Rights

CIHR is committed to promoting the inclusion and advancement of groups historically excluded from science as one of the means to enhance excellence in research, training and knowledge translation. This means recognizing and reducing systemic barriers, mitigating biases, as well as including and benefiting from the full pool of talented researchers and trainees in the system. CIHR's position on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is available in the Tri Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

CIHR recognizes that First Nations, Métis and Inuit are rights-holding as First Peoples of Canada and may not consider themselves to be part of equity-seeking groups (e.g., women, racialized minorities, persons with disabilities and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities). Taking a rights- and distinctions-based approach to Indigenous self-determination in research is important to reflect this position and to strengthen Indigenous health and well-being. CIHR's commitment to supporting Indigenous self-determination in health research is available in the CIHR Strategic Plan 2021–2031 and the Action Plan: Building a healthier future for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

Funds Available

CIHR and partner(s) financial contributions for this initiative are subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR or partner(s) funding levels not be available or are decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR and partner(s) reserve the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

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


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Objectives


The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:


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Eligibility


Eligibility to Apply

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) at the time of funding.
      OR
    2. an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a 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 (individual) 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 before the funding can be released (for more information see Administration of Funds).
  4. The NPA 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 submit a Certificate of Completion. Select and complete the training module most relevant to your research. Applicants are encouraged to review the page "How to integrate sex and gender in research" on the CIHR website. See How to Apply for more details.
  5. Applications must have a minimum of one knowledge user AND one independent researcher in one of the following roles: NPA, Principal Applicant, Co-Applicant, Principal Knowledge User or Knowledge user.
  6. For the Early Career Researcher funding pool: NPAs must meet CIHR's requirements of being an Early Career Researcher at the time of funding.
  7. Any applications involving Indigenous Peoples must include an applicant who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or provides evidence of having meaningful and culturally-safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples (see How to Apply).

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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.

Allowable Costs

Applicants are advised to consult the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA) to determine if an expenditure is an appropriate use of grant funds.

To further clarify, the following expenses are examples of appropriate uses of grant funds, provided they satisfy the principles and pertinent directives of the TAGFA:

For this funding opportunity only, the following statement applies:

The following are examples of expenses not eligible to be paid from grant funds, as per TAGFA requirements:

Conditions of Funding


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Review Process and Evaluation


Relevance Review Process

The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III), Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH) and relevant sponsors will perform a relevance review to identify applications that are in alignment with all objectives and research areas of this funding opportunity.

Note: The Summary of Research Proposal must adequately explain how the proposal is in alignment with the objectives and research areas. The CIHR III and IPPH may access the full applications if additional information is required to complete relevance review.

Applications that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition.

Review Process

Peer review will be conducted in accordance with the Review Guidelines for Priority-Driven Initiatives.

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

Evaluation Criteria

To support the strategic objectives of this funding opportunity, the following evaluation criteria will be used:

  1. Research Approach
    1. Extent to which the application responds to all objectives and aligns with the research areas.
    2. Clarity of the research question; appropriateness of the proposed research design, methods and analyses.
    3. Feasibility of the proposed research approach, timelines and deliverables.
    4. Consideration of potential barriers or difficulties that may be encountered in the research and the inclusion of strategies to manage them.
    5. Appropriateness of plan for integrating Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Indigenous Rights (IR) into the proposed research. Refer to the Best practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research and How to integrate sex and gender into research for additional guidance. This includes incorporation of biological variables (e.g., sex, age) and/or sociocultural identity factors (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, language) into the research proposed, where applicable. It could also include a commitment to engaging a diverse research team.
    6. For research projects involving First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples: Demonstration that the research approach/design will uphold the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis including self-determination and self-governance by respecting the First Nations Principles of OCAP®[3] (i.e., Ownership, Control, Access and Possession), and/or other approaches as appropriate (e.g., CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance[4]), and show appropriate consideration of the protocols of the partnering Indigenous communities and, as necessary, the Tri-Council Policy Statement Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples in Canada to develop meaningful and culturally safe research designs, practices, plans and activities throughout the research project(s).
  2. Applicants
    1. Appropriateness of the research team's expertise and qualifications (including training, experience and independence, relative to career stage) in the proposed areas of research and with the proposed methodology/ies.
    2. Demonstration that necessary resources and partnerships are in place to execute proposed research and knowledge mobilization activities.
    3. Demonstration of commitment by the research team to interdisciplinary approaches to population health intervention research (e.g., collaboration of experts from a broad range of research disciplines and sectors).
    4. For research involving Indigenous Peoples, the following criteria will also be considered:
      • 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.
      • Evidence of the capacity and experience of the research team to work in Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way.
  3. Impact of the Research
    1. Potential for the proposed research to contribute to the development of population-level interventions to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and prevent the spread of resistant pathogens.
    2. Demonstration that results of proposed research can inform the development and implementation of population-level interventions to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and prevent the spread of resistant pathogens in the Canadian context.
    3. Appropriateness and adequacy of the proposed knowledge mobilization plan.
    4. Extent of the role(s) and contribution(s) of all applicant partner(s) in advancing research objectives (if applicable).
    5. Proactive and meaningful consideration of partnership risks, including the extent of real and/or perceived conflict of interest and appropriateness of its management and mitigation (if applicable).

Funding Decision

Applications relevant to the ECR pool will be funded first from the top down in order of ranking as far as the budget will allow. Remaining fundable applications in the ECR pool will then be combined into the general pool. The general pool will then be funded in rank order as far as funds will allow.

The names of successfully funded applicants 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

Note: All documents must be in PDF format and must adhere to the guidelines for attachments on the Acceptable Application Formats and Attachments.

Task: Complete Summary of Research Proposal

Task: Enter Budget Information

Task: Attach Other Application Materials

Note: Any documents exceeding page limits will be removed prior to peer review.

Task: Identify Application Partners (optional) – Upload Partner Information

Task: Peer Review Administration Information (optional)

Task: Apply to Priority Announcement/Funding Pools (mandatory for ECR pool)

This task is only required for those applying to the Early Career Researcher pool. Those not applying to the Early Career Researcher pool do not complete this task.

Task: Print/Upload Signature Pages


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Contact Information


For all inquiries, please contact:

CIHR Contact Centre
Telephone: 613-954-1968
Toll Free: 1-888-603-4178
support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For service hours, please consult our Contact us page.


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Sponsor Description


Note: Additional partners/internal collaborators, including from industry and the private sector, may join this funding initiative over the coming year.

Internal Collaborators

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.

CIHR – Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research Initiative
Under the strategic leadership of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity and CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health, the CIHR AMR Research Initiative supports the development of broader, more cohesive engagement and actions, methods and tools to combat AMR and improve antimicrobial use to address the global health problem of AMR.

CIHR – Institute of Infection and Immunity (III)
The Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) supports research and helps to build research capacity in the areas of infectious disease and the body's immune system. Through the Institute's programs, researchers address a wide range of health concerns related to infection and immunity including disease mechanisms, disease prevention and treatment, and health promotion through public policy.

CIHR - Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH)
The Institute of Population and Public Health's (IPPH's) mandate is to support research into the complex biological, social, cultural and environmental interactions that determine the health of individuals, communities and global populations; and to apply knowledge to improve the health of individuals and populations through strategic partnerships with population and public health stakeholders and innovative research funding programs. IPPH's mission aims to improve the health of populations and promote health equity in Canada and globally through research and its application to policies, programs, and practice in public health and other sectors.


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Additional Information


Administration of Funds

CIHR grants are generally administered by the business office of an institution or organization declared eligible to administer CIHR funds after a financial and eligibility review.

Organizations identified as the Institution Paid may be required to undergo a financial and eligibility review, if they have not already done so, in order to administer the grant funds. They may be required to sign a funding agreement with CIHR. If necessary, a successful applicant may choose to have their funds administered by a CIHR eligible institution.

Funds will not be released to the Institution Paid of a successful applicant unless they have been approved to administer funding.

If your Institution Paid is not currently eligible to receive funding from CIHR, please contact the Contact Centre to enquire about the process.

References

  1. World Health Organization. Supporting countries with National Action Plan Implementation; 2022.
  2. Rogers Van Katwyk S, Grimshaw JM, Nkangu M et al. Government policy interventions to reduce human antimicrobial use: a systematic review and evidence map. PLOS Medicine 2019;16(6): e1002819.
  3. OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC).
  4. S. R. Carroll, I. Garba, O. L. Figueroa-Rodríguez, J. Holbrook, R. Lovett, S. Materechera et M. Hudson, (2020) The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, Data Science, pp. 19(1), 43.

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


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Date Modified: