Collaborative Health Research Projects Program

Description

The Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) Program supports focussed interdisciplinary collaborative research projects involving any field of the natural sciences or engineering and any field of the health sciences. Proposed research projects should be innovative and lead to health benefits for Canadians, more effective health services, and/or economic development in health-related areas. All applicant teams are required to demonstrate they will engage and collaborate with a knowledge/technology user organization that could benefit from the research results. Typically, support will be for up to three years for defined projects with clear milestones and decision points.

The CHRP Program is funded by NSERC and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR Institutes may support projects that align with  Institute priorities through this program. Financial contributions from other organizations including, but not limited to, federal and provincial government departments/agencies, health charities and not-for profit organizations may also be used to fund research projects through the CHRP Program.

The CHRP Program may also include a designated portion of the available annual funding for special calls for proposals in priority areas.

Objectives

In the context of improved health for Canadians, the objectives of the CHRP Program are to:

• translate research results to knowledge/technology users and other stakeholders;
• encourage the NSERC and CIHR research communities to collaborate and integrate their expertise;
• advance interdisciplinary research that lead to knowledge and technologies that are useful for improving the health of Canadians; and
• train highly qualified personnel in collaborative and interdisciplinary research relevant to health.

Engagement of Knowledge/Technology User Organization

The active participation and support of a non-academic knowledge/technology user organization is required at the time of application. At the Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI) stage, it is sufficient for the applicant to identify prospective knowledge/technology users. The knowledge/technology user must be an organization with the potential to use the knowledge generated through research and apply it to new health-related products, policies, programs and/or practices outside the research setting. Partnerships with Canadian-based knowledge/technology user organizations are strongly encouraged. Exceptions will be considered when applicants have been unable to develop a collaboration with a suitable Canadian-based knowledge/technology user organization. In such cases, the health and economic benefits to Canada resulting from the partnership must be clearly outlined in the proposal. The knowledge/technology user can be from the private, public or voluntary sectors and the individual representing this organization may vary accordingly (e.g., chief scientific officer at a company, decision-maker at a hospital, provincial government policy-maker etc.). Instances where an individual is identified as both a participating researcher and a knowledge/technology user representative (e.g., a professor who also manages a company) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The knowledge/technology user’s engagement in the research process may vary in intensity and complexity depending on the nature of the research and their information needs. This program is supportive of projects that adopt an  integrated knowledge translation approach (i.e., projects where knowledge/technology users are meaningfully engaged at appropriate stages throughout the research process). This collaborative approach is expected to produce research results that are more likely to be relevant and used.

At a minimum, the knowledge/technology user must make an in-kind commitment to participate in the project and to clearly demonstrate the relevance of the research findings to their work. Where possible, further commitment of resources (e.g., a cash contribution) is encouraged in order to demonstrate the strength of the partnership and prospects for knowledge translation. Knowledge/technology users cannot receive funds from the CHRP Program; they are expected to bring their own resources to the project. 

Eligibility

The participation of two or more independent researchers with complementary expertise is required. Team composition must include expertise in the natural sciences or engineering and expertise in the health sciences. The onus is on the applicant to clearly demonstrate that the assembled research team collectively has the necessary expertise for the project’s successful execution.

Both NSERC and CIHR criteria are used to determine eligibility for the CHRP Program. For more information about NSERC and CIHR eligibility, please consult NSERC’s Eligibility Criteria and CIHR’s  Eligibility Requirements for Grants and Awards.

Applicant Eligibility: The NSERC “applicant” role is similar to the CIHR “ nominated principal applicant” role. NSERC is the administrator of the CHRP Program and, for administrative simplicity, the applicant must meet NSERC’s criteria for eligibility (i.e., hold an NSERC eligible appointment at a Canadian university that is eligible to receive funds from NSERC). The applicant’s primary place of employment must be an NSERC-eligible university. The applicant must be eligible to administer NSERC funds. The NSERC eligibility appointment must take effect no later than the date on which the funds are released; normally April 1 of the year following the year of application. 

Co-applicant Eligibility: The NSERC “co-applicant” role is similar to the CIHR “ principal applicant” role. The co-applicant(s) must be eligible under CIHR’s regulations as they pertain to “ principal applicants” and hold an academic or research appointment at a CIHR eligible institution OR hold an NSERC-eligible position at an NSERC-eligible institution. Co-applicants must be eligible to administer funds from either CIHR or NSERC. Adjunct professors who meet NSERC’s eligibility criteria, but whose primary place of employment is not a university, may participate as co-applicants.

Collaborator Eligibility: Collaborators must be qualified to undertake research independently and will be expected to contribute to the overall intellectual direction of the research project, or program of research. Collaborators are expected to bring their own resources to the project, and are not eligible to administer funds from the CHRP Program. 

Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible as applicants or co-applicants, but may wish to be named as collaborators.  In such cases, the fellow must not be paid from the CHRP grant. 

Knowledge/Technology User Representative Eligibility: Knowledge/technology user representatives must have the authority to represent their organization, are expected to provide intellectual contributions to the project and provide periodic assessments of the project’s success to NSERC and CIHR as part of the CHRP Program reporting requirements. Knowledge/technology user representatives are expected to bring their own resources to the project, and are not eligible to receive funding from the CHRP grant.

Review Procedures and Selection Criteria

Applicants must first submit a Notification of Intent (NOI) to NSERC. All NOIs are then reviewed by the CHRP selection committee and applicants whose projects best fit the CHRP Program objectives are invited to submit complete applications by the deadline date.
Full applications will be evaluated by external reviewers and the CHRP selection committee. Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria (the onus is on the applicant to address these explicitly in the proposal):

• Knowledge translation and knowledge user engagement – The impact and potential for the translation of the research results into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services, and economic development must be demonstrated. This includes the knowledge translation plan, the demonstrated level of knowledge/technology user engagement in the project, the anticipated impact of the proposed research on the health of Canadians, the importance of the proposed health issue, and the significance to the health care sector. Justification and the added benefits to Canada must be provided when applicants have been unable to develop a collaboration with a suitable Canadian-based knowledge/technology user organization.
• Quality of the research project – This includes the novel aspects and originality of the project, clarity and scope of objectives, methodology (including experimental design) and feasibility.
• Appropriateness of the team and management, including the team’s leadership and the integration of team members – This includes the knowledge, expertise and experience of researchers; quality of, or potential for, contributions of the team members; complementarity and interdisciplinarity between the natural sciences or engineering and health sciences, and synergy of the team members’ expertise; appropriateness of the management of the project; co-ordination and integration of activities; contribution and time commitment of participants; and clarity of the roles and responsibilities.
• Contributions to the training of highly qualified personnel in interdisciplinary research and to providing trainees with an understanding of the impact of the collaborative research on human health – This includes the quality and extent of past and proposed contributions to collaborative training in the health context within the proposed project (e.g., opportunity for trainees to spend time in different laboratories or settings), and the training environment.

In addition, the committee will consider the appropriateness and justification for the proposed budget in its final recommendations.

Randomized Clinical Trials

The CHRP Program is not designed to support randomized controlled trials (RCT) involving humans. RCTs are defined as an experiment in which investigators randomly assign eligible human research participants or other units of study (e.g., classrooms, clinics, playgrounds) into groups to receive or not receive one or more interventions that are being compared. The results are analyzed by comparing outcomes in the groups.

RCT applications may be submitted to the CIHR’s Open Operating Grant Program.

Reporting

Awardees will be required to acknowledge the funding received from NSERC and CIHR in all communications and publications resulting from the project funded by the CHRP Program.

All recipients of three-year grants in this program must submit a progress report during the second year. Payment of the final installment of the grant is contingent upon satisfactory progress.

An assessment of progress and final reports must be submitted by the supporting knowledge/technology user organizations. All grantees will be advised of the requirements for, and timing of, these reports. 

Application Process

Phase 1 – Complete Notification of Intent

About Notifications of Intent

A Notification of Intent (NOI) is used to screen for fit with the objectives of the CHRP Program and to set up the appropriate expertise on the peer review committee. The applicant must be designated to administer the grant. The applicant is responsible for completing and submitting the NOI on behalf of the group. The NOI application process is entirely performed on-line using NSERC’s On-line System.

Notification of Intent Application Process

Notification of Intent Submission

To apply to the CHRP Program, applicants must first complete a Notification of Intent application using Form 182, and submit the application through NSERC’s On-line System.

Form 182 includes:

• a cover page, including the title of the proposal, the name and contact information of the applicant, research subject code(s), and key word(s) that best describe the research proposal;
• a research summary and an estimate of the annual funding to be requested (maximum one page);
• an explicit description of how the proposed research would address the objectives of the program (maximum one page), including the names and descriptions of prospective or confirmed participating knowledge/technology user(s);
• a list of co-applicant(s), their department(s) and the host institution(s);
• a list of collaborator(s), their department(s) and the host institution(s); and
• a list of five suggested external referees.

Notification of Intent Review Committee

NOIs are reviewed by CHRP committee members. All NOI applicants will be informed of the results of the review by the CHRP Program staff, and selected applicants will be invited to complete their CHRP application (Phase 2).

Phase 2 – Full Application

The full application must include:

• an NSERC Application for a Grant (Form 101); requests for any equipment must be incorporated into the research proposal; applicants must justify the need and urgency for the equipment to effectively conduct the research;
• an NSERC Personal Data Form (Form 100) for the applicant and, for each co-applicant, a Form 100 or a curriculum vitæ using the CIHR Common CV form; and
• a letter from the knowledge/technology user demonstrating and characterizing the level of in-kind (and/or cash) commitment and how the project is relevant to the organization’s objectives, as well as a completed NSERC Participating Organization Form (Form 183A).

For further details, read the instructions on how to complete Forms 100, 101 and 183A.

Resubmissions: An applicant who was unsuccessful in one competition may submit a revised application in a subsequent competition. The applicant must, however, include a one-page response to any previous committee comments with the resubmission. The previous application may be used by the selection committee as a reference during the evaluation of the resubmitted application.