WCHRI Innovation Grants Application information session 2019

1. WCHRI Innovation Grants Application information session 2019 January 30, 2019 Presented by: Dr. R. Todd Alexander Chair, WCHRI Innovation Advisory Committee

2. WCHRI Innovation Grant Program Up to $50,000 in operating funds over 24 month Projects must align with WCHRI strategic roadmap and meet WCHRI relevance criteria Since 2013, WCHRI has funded 30-35% of Innovation applications

3. Eligibility • must be WCHRI academic member • must hold a faculty appointment at the U of A (academic or clinical), where the PI is eligible to apply and hold funding according to UAPPOL • may submit one application per cycle • Guideline limitations on application eligibility for current Innovation grant awardees

4. New this year • Grants submission portal • https://www.wchri.org/grants-submission-portal • WCHRI academic membership limitation • The principal investigator must be a WCHRI academic member for not less than 1 year prior to application; except new recruits with an academic appointment of less than 1 year at time of application deadline. 

5. Application types Art placed here • Applied Health • Chair: Dr. Geoff Ball • aligns with health systems services, clinical, or social, cultural, environmental & population health themes. • corresponds to CIHR themes 2,3, and 4

6. Application types Art placed here • Biomedical • Chairs: • Dr. R. Todd Alexander • Dr. Lynne Marie Postovit • corresponds to CIHR theme 1

7. Committee composition • Committees are broadly composed • Do not expect an expert reviewer exactly in your field of research • Avoid jargon/ specific scientific language

8. Committee Review Criteria & Ratings Committee Consensus Rating Scale

9. Committee Review Criteria Application Evaluation Criteria • The review criteria is available at: https://www.wchri.org/innovation-grants

10. Application Relevance • Applications must be: • directly related to women and/or children’s health and health outcomes • aligned to WCHRI vision, mission and strategic plan • meets WCHRI relevance criteria

11. Relevance Criteria • The research question must specifically target improving outcomes for women and/or children through health research. • The primary research question must address the unique and distinct health needs of women and/or children. For example • Stating that a particular disease or risk factor is higher in women or in children is not sufficient rationale; the study must explore why prevalence is higher in women or children. • If a study is exploring sex/gender comparisons, the comparison must be embedded as the primary research question, not as a secondary outcome. • Methodology must clearly demonstrate direct applicability to women and/or children’s health outcomes. The applicant must provide rationale for their chosen research model, including factors such as sex and age. • The above items are some common considerations; alternative or additional factors may need to be included depending upon the proposed research.

12. Application Alignment Eligibility to hold WCHRI funds is based on: Relevance to WCHRI Scientific merit

13. Preparing your application • Read the application and guidelines • Plan timelines – leave sufficient time to get signatures • Ensure you and a colleague proofread the entire application

14. Co-investigators and collaborators • Co-Investigatorcontributes to the proposed research activities. A maximum of five co-investigators are allowed. • Collaborator is an individual whose role in the proposed activities is to provide a specific service or resource (e.g., access to equipment, provision of specific reagents, training in a specialized technique, statistical analysis, access to a patient population, etc.).

15. Team composition • Each team member should have a specific role and bring expertise that is unique to them to drive the section of the work they are committed to completing. • Team members may not benefit financially from the grant.

16. Letters of Collaboration • should clearly detail each collaborator’s role or contribution • must be signed by collaborator • (date and letterhead) • NO additional letters of support should be included.

17. Previous WCHRI funding • Include information on outputs from previous funding. • Reviewers expect to see successful project completion resulting in: • publications, presentations and other KT outcomes/ outputs • leveraging of funding to received additional grants

18. Lay summary • A lay summary is a brief non-scientific summary of your research - written in simple terms for non-experts (grade 8 level). • Why it’s important • Raises awareness and encourages interest • Promotes your research activities to our foundations and the public • Fulfills grant requirements

19. Work Plan • Think about feasibility and how the work process will flow • Detail: • timelines for recruitment, data collection etc. • be realistic! • be sure to include outputs (presentations, publications, etc.)

20. Project development • Consider… • what are your hypotheses/research questions? • why is your research/project important? significant? novel? • potential / immediate / future application(s)? • do you plan on using quantitative methods? qualitative methods? mixed methods? have you discussed with an expert? • will you be undertaking experimental research? clinical research? community?

21. Typical project organization • Background - about 1/3 of proposal: • statement of the problem/focus (one/two sentences) • background and significance: current state of knowledge, and gaps • short and long-term objectives • hypothesis/research questions • progress / preliminary studies if possible

22. Typical project organization • Proposal itself - 2/3 of proposal: • research design and methods • characterize sample (cells or people) • data analysis • clearly describe the role of all team members • timelines • strengths and weaknesses

23. Knowledge Translation Plan • Knowledge translation activities and plan are worth 10% of total score, include: • a KT plan that details the anticipated outcomes and impact • details on knowledge users, how they will be involved in study or KT process • next steps (future grant applications, preclinical or clinical development, impacts on health policy)

24. Writing the Budget • make sure the budget is justified • do not request items that are not allowed • publication is an anticipated outcome - costs should be included!!!

25. The quality of science of applications in the 10% below the cut-off for funding is not significantly different from the 10% just above the cut-off Grantsmanship can make the difference Art placed here

26. Top 3 committee discussion points • Feasibility - Can the work be done in the timeframe allowed with the budget available? • Methods - Does the research support the question? Will the outcome flow from the methodology? • Team Qualifications - Are the investigators qualified? Does the team have appropriate expertise, credentials and experience?

27. Closing Comments • you are responsible for your fundability • ask for clarification (if necessary). • you have some very good resources at this university – start with your colleagues or research mentor

28. Grants submission portal Applications must be submitted through the grants portal – WCHRI will no longer accept hardcopy (paper) applications. You will need to build your application PDF – refer to the portal landing page/ How to PDF your application. System maintenance - portal access will close immediately after deadline.

29. WCHRI Can Help! Contact us at wcgrants.ualberta.ca Further information on this program may be located on our website at: www.wchri.org