2009 Request for Applications: ASC-CIHR-IA Fellowship Awards in Mobility and Dementia
Sponsored by Alzheimer Society of Canada and the CIHR Institute of Aging. This Request for Applications is a collaborative effort between the ASC and the CIHR Institute of Aging.
Goal
of the Program
This Request for Applications (RFA) is intended to increase research capacity at the interface of Mobility in Aging and Dementia with the goal to address research and knowledge translation gaps that have been identified in relation to Mobility in Aging (for more detail see http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/33610.html), for example:
- Understanding and defining mobility in aging: trajectory of mobility status in health and disease, and from function to impairment.
- Maintaining and restoring mobility in aging: impact of behaviour, prevention, intervention and health system models.
- Measures, tools, and technologies in research, assessment and mobility aids.
Many of the above research issues are highly relevant to people with dementia. For example, an early history of multiple falls is a predictor of impaired executive control processes. Also, many people with dementia gradually lose their ability to walk and to perform everyday tasks unaided.
Partners
The
Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC) is a nation wide federation of provincial organizations, local chapters and support groups. The Society is dedicated to providing information and support to people affected with Alzheimer's disease, and to fostering research into biomedical and quality of life aspects of the disease. Through the Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP), the Society offers training awards and research grants to scientists engaged in the study of causes, prevention, treatment, and management of Alzheimer's disease.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is Canada's premier federal funding agency for health research. Its objective is to excel, according to international standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system. CIHR has created 13 institutes, each dedicated to tackling health issues of importance to the national health agenda.
The CIHR Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA) supports research that promotes healthy aging and addresses causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of issues associated with aging.
Eligibility
Candidates for this Post Doctoral award are graduates who have completed their doctoral training and wish to gain additional research experience in the area of mobility in aging and dementia.
Candidates must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in ASC's Application Guidelines and in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide. All conditions shall apply to applications funded through this Funding opportunity. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official languages policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of Support.
Candidates with more than three years of post-PhD research training by the competition deadline are not eligible to apply for this award. Any interruption in a candidate's post-PhD research training will be taken into account in determining eligibility.
Funds available
The funds available through this RFA is up to $400,000; therefore up to 4 fellowships may be awarded based on relevance and scientific merit. This amount may increase if additional Partners decide to participate.
The value of the Fellowship award is $40,500 per year for PhDs and $50,000 per year for MDs.
This amount includes a $2,500 travel allowance. The total duration of the award shall not exceed two years.
The approved Fellowships will be co-funded by ASC (50%) and CIHR IA (50%).
Applications
Applications to the RFA must be submitted by November 14, 2008 to ASC, using the ASC Application for Training Award form. In addition to the Training Award Form, applicants must provide, as Appendix A, a free-form half-page relevance justification of the fit to the Program's goal. Applicants should review ASC's Application Guidelines for detailed instructions on the application procedure.
Application documentation will be shared with all Partners for administrative and peer review purposes.
Review process
Applications to this RFA will be initially screened for their relevance to mobility in aging and dementia and Partners' mandates using the half-page relevance justification provided by the applicants. Information on elements considered relevant to Mobility in Aging can be found at: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/29994.html#6.
Only those applications judged to be relevant to mobility in aging and dementia will be retained as part of this RFA competition. Those judged not relevant will be retained in the regular concurrent ASC's Research Program competition.
All applications to the RFA will be evaluated by ASC's Quality of Life Review Panel through a peer review process that is in accordance with CIHR standards (see the ASC Guidelines).
The quality of the peer review and the appropriateness of the reviewers, including those in the ASC Quality of Life Review Panel, are the joint responsibility of the Partners.
Funding decisions on retained relevant applications to the Program will be based on their ranking based on peer review scores of the ASC's Quality of Life Review Panel, the funds available for this RFA and level of relevance. In the case of funding decisions between two equally peer review scored applications, the degree of relevance will guide the selection.
Only applications receiving a score of 3.5 or greater will be considered for funding under this RFA.
Applicants who are approved for funding through ASC's Quality of Life Review Panel, but are not funded within this RFA will be eligible for an award within the concurrent ASC's Research Program competition if that budget allows.
Notification and funding
Decisions will be made by late March 2009, at which time applicants will be informed by ASC of the outcome of the competition. Funding of successful applications may begin as early as April 1, 2009, but no later than September 1, 2009.
Conditions of funding
All conditions, as specified in ASC's Application Guidelines, shall apply to awards offered through this Program. In particular, applicants should note the following conditions:
- Research Dissemination and Commercialization: Upon acceptance, the ASC must be sent copies of papers and conference presentations which arise during or result from the funded project. Also, ASC must be informed of any commercial exploitation arising from activity supported through the Program. ASC will forward information to the other Partners.
- Progress/Final Reports: A progress report must be submitted at the end of each award year and a final report is required upon termination of the award. These summaries will consist of two parts: (a) a lay summary and (b) a scientific report briefly identifying the purpose & objectives, methods used, results obtained to date and the significance of on-going and anticipated findings (see ASC's Application Guidelines, Section II – 11. Progress/Final Reports). For the Progress report it should also identify plans for the next reporting period. These reports must be completed on the Progress/Final Report forms, available on the Downloadable Materials page on ASC's website. Failure to provide a progress report within three months after the first year of funding will result in all further funding being withheld pending receipt of this information.
- Acknowledgments: Awardees must acknowledge ASC and the CIHR Institute of Aging as sources of support in all research communication. The title of the Fellowship award is to be cited as: the Alzheimer Society of Canada/CIHR Institute of Aging Fellowship in Mobility and Dementia. Awardees must notify the ASC and provide copies of relevant material regarding any dissemination activities that they undertake including any symposia, conferences and any other promotional events, at least seven days in advance of any such activities.
- Intellectual property rights: The Partners do not wish to own or have a vested interest in intellectual property that may emanate from any of the research projects they support. The Partners do not wish to dictate terms to host institutions as to how they handle intellectual property. The Partners do, however, insist that the host institution have a clear policy regarding intellectual property and that such policy be in force at the time any award is made. The onus is on the awardee to seek patent protection in collaboration with the host institution for inventions or developments arising from research supported under this Program.
Contacts
For further information about this RFA, please contact:
ASC
Research Department
Alzheimer Society of Canada
20 Eglinton Ave. W.
Toronto, ON M4R 1K8
Tel: (416)847-2968
Fax: (416)488-3778
E-mail: research@alzheimer.ca
CIHR IA
Linda Mealing
Assistant Director, Partnerships
Institute of Aging
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
160 Elgin Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0W9
Phone: 613-952-4537
Fax: 613-954-1800
E-mail: linda.mealing@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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