General Information
The Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Eastern Health are pleased to announce the second competition for research funding following from the Cameron Inquiry. The objective of this program of funding is to increase the scope and scale of research and evaluation activities that can improve care for patients in this province, including those with cancer.
The Research Fund for Enhancing Health Care is offering grants of up to $75,000 each for projects involving up to three years of work on areas of concern identified by the Cameron Inquiry as they apply to patient care, including cancer care, within the province’s health care system. Applications may involve research on clinical questions or on the organization, administration, or provision of health care. They may also involve the evidence-based design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative projects for improving the organization and quality of care.
Eligibility
The Principal Applicant and any Co-Principal Applicant of an application must be an employee or graduate student of Memorial University, any of the province’s Regional Health Authorities, or any other non-profit organization based in this province. Research teams may include co-investigators or collaborators who do not meet these criteria. Collaboration across institutional, disciplinary and provincial boundaries is encouraged. Where appropriate, teams are encouraged to include decision makers from within the provincial health care system and administration who are in a position to facilitate the uptake of the project’s expected findings.
Special consideration for smaller grants of up to $25,000 each for up to two years will be given to projects submitted by Principal Applicants who qualify as emerging researchers (defined as applicants who have never received a research grant of more than $25,000).
Expenditures that are not fundable
The following types of expenditures may not be funded from grants in this program:
- salary support for any of the principal investigators or co-investigators on the team
- salary support for faculty members of educational institutions of any kind
- additional funding for ongoing research or demonstration projects
- development of medical devices or products
- capital costs (other than for equipment that is essential for conducting the proposed project).
Application Procedures
The application process for this program is being managed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (NLCAHR). It consists of two stages—a Letter of Intent Stage and a Full Application Stage.
Letter of Intent Stage
All applicants must submit a Letter of Intent using the electronic form that can be found here. The Letter of Intent must be submitted electronically, no later than February 28, 2013. It should be sent to: Tyrone White: tkwhite@mun.ca
All Letters of Intent will be reviewed by the program’s Advisory Committee for relevance to the mandate of the program as specified in the first paragraph of this webpage. Applications that are deemed relevant will be invited to proceed to the Full Application Stage. All applicants will be informed of the Committee’s decision no later than March 30, 2013.
Full Application Stage
Applicants whose Letters of Intent have been deemed relevant by the Advisory Committee will be invited to submit full applications. The full applications must be submitted on the electronic form that can be found here. Applications that do not use this form or that do not complete all the requirements of the form will not be considered.
As specified in the form, full applications must be submitted electronically, no later than May 30, 2013, to: Tyrone White: tkwhite@mun.ca
Review of Proposals
Full applications will be reviewed by a committee comprising individuals representing the academic community, Eastern Health, the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, representatives of patients, and other individuals with the requisite expertise. If necessary, projects may also be sent for review by external experts. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will receive feedback from the committee. The Committee will announce its decisions no later than July 18, 2013.
In evaluating the full applications, the committee will use the following criteria:
- Scientific merit of the application:
- feasibility of the project
- clarity of the research questions and objectives
- clarity and appropriateness of the proposed methodology and approach
- feasibility of the proposed timelines
- appropriateness of the proposed budget
- Merit of the applicants:
- experience and research record of the principal applicant(s) and of the other team members
- inter-professional and/or inter-jurisdictional representation on the team.
- Relevance
- potential benefit to the provincial healthcare system
- applicability of the project’s results to other jurisdictions and healthcare settings
- involvement of relevant stakeholders (e.g., patients, informal caregivers, health professionals, members of the public) in the development and implementation of the project
Reporting
Successful applicants must complete their proposed work within a maximum of three years from the date of the award and must report annually on the progress of their project and their expenditures. These annual reports must be submitted on the electronic form that can be found on this page within a few days. A final report is also required within two months of the end of the project’s duration and shall be submitted using an electronic form that shall be available on this page.
Information and Assistance
For further information, please contact Tyrone White at tkwhite@mun.ca or by telephone at (709) 777-7973.