CCNA Phase III: Research Teams
Frequently Asked Questions

Notice

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage was created in response to questions submitted during the Applicant Webinars (September 10 and 24, 2024), and through the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Contact Centre. It is intended to support those interested in applying to the CCNA Phase III: Research Teams funding opportunity, including for the Australia component of the International Australia-Canada Indigenous Health Research application through the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)’s 2024 NHMRC-CIHR CCNA Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Please note that instructions provided in the CIHR funding opportunity and the 2024 NHMRC-CIHR CCNA Grant Opportunity Guidelines take precedence over this FAQ webpage.

This webpage may be updated frequently until the application deadline. If you have any questions related to this funding opportunity, please direct them to the CIHR Contact Centre (support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca or 1-888-603-4178). Questions may be edited for clarity and length.

Budget

• Will successful teams see a 20% budget reduction from their requested budget (similarly to what is done in CIHR Project Grant)?

  No, there will not be any across the board cuts for successful grants in this competition.

• Are projects required to budget for $1M, or is a smaller budget eligible?

  Applications proposing a budget of up to $1M CAD are eligible for this funding opportunity. The maximum budget amount that can be requested is $1M CAD.  

  For the International Australia-Canada collaborative team, in addition to the budget for the Canadian component (described above), the Australia component will be awarded a fixed budget of $1.5M AUD.  

  For applicants interested in the SPOR supplement, please refer to Question #3.

• For the SPOR supplement, do we add that $75,000 to the details in our budget and thus, augment the total budget for up to $1,075,000?

  Applicants can budget for Canada's Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) Supplement of up to $75,000 CAD, per grant, to support patient-oriented research, for a total budget of up to $1,075,000 CAD.

  Note that the International Australia-Canada collaborative team is inclusive of the Canadian and Australian components and is considered as one (1) team or grant. Therefore, the Australia‑Canada collaborative team can include up to $75,000 CAD for the SPOR supplement with justifications in the total budget request. 

  Applicants are required to include a Patient Engagement Plan with details on how People with Lived and Living Experience (PWLLE) and/or communities, including Indigenous, where applicable, will be part of the research team, designing and executing the research and subsequent knowledge mobilization. For more information, please also refer to SPOR's Patient Engagement Framework.

• Travel from Australia is expensive. Is there any option to increase the travel budget for enabling Australian applicants to attend the annual meeting(s)?

  The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is providing a fixed budget (up to $1.5M AUD per grant) and there is no room to increase the budget specifically for travel. Applicants are encouraged to consider these requirements within the budget limit when compiling their project application and associated budget. Applicants should also refer to NHMRC’s Direct Research Costs Guidelines.

Clinical Trial & Primary Data Collection

• Will clinical trials be considered for funding?

  Yes, an application involving a clinical trial can be submitted to this funding opportunity.

• Would a clinical trial application require the use of the CIHR clinical trial application format?

  No, the CIHR clinical trial application format is not required. The application will be evaluated using the Evaluation Criteria detailed in the funding opportunity.

• Can primary data be collected over the term of the grant?

  Yes, researchers may propose projects using primary data collection methodologies, as detailed in the Description section of the funding opportunity.

• If COMPASS-ND participants cannot be recruited into a clinical trial, then presumably, a clinical trial wouldn't fall within the scope of this competition, right?

  While COMPASS-ND participants can not be recruited into a proposed clinical trial, an application involving a clinical trial can be submitted to this funding opportunity using other participants.

CCNA Operations Centre's Central Resource Supports, Data and Biological Sample Holdings

• Is there a limit on the aliquots of plasma for analysis from COMPASS-ND participants?

  Yes. Please refer to the Applicant Guide, section 3.3.1, for details on the maximum quantity of biological material that can be requested:

  Funded teams will complete a biological sample access request on the LORIS platform. Projects will need to detail the materials required for their research and may request biological material from a reasonable number of participants up to a maximum of:

  • 1.0mL for serum, plasma, urine, or saliva;
  • 1 vial for buffy coat; or
  • 0.5mL for CSF.
• If we include resources from COMPASS-ND (for example, plasma), how can we identify that this resource will be available at the time of the grant?

  Refer to the Applicant Guide for details on the CCNA’s Central Research Support and Data and Biological Samples holdings, including what CCNA data and biological samples are currently available for researchers. CCNA data and biological samples listed in the Applicant Guide are available for researchers.

  Applicants are encouraged to reference the information (section and page number) found in the applicant guide within their application. The Applicant Guide will be the only source of information used by peer reviewers to assess feasibility of planned research projects leveraging supports and COMPASS-ND as described within the Guide.

  Data availability at the time of the application, and data accessibility by the start of funding, must be demonstrated ONLY for projects using existing datasets that are non-CCNA data (i.e. not included in the applicant guide).

• Is leveraging COMPASS-ND resources the only way to qualify, or does leveraging other CCNA resources (e.g. CCNA CAN-THUMBS-UP cohort) also count?

  All applicant teams are required to leverage the CCNA Operations Centre's Central Resource Supports. In other words, researchers must leverage any of the five programs identified in the Applicant Guide (section 2). However, applicants are not required to use CCNA data sets. Leveraging CCNA data sets, i.e. data and biological samples from the COMPASS-ND study, is optional. Further, in the context of this funding opportunity, CCNA resources and datasets are ONLY those included in the Applicant Guide.

  The Canadian Therapeutic Platform Trial for Multidomain Interventions to Prevent Dementia (CAN-THUMBS UP) platform and its associated Brain Health Support Program referred to as “Brain Health Pro” (i.e. a 12‑month online educational program) are components of the CCNA Phase III Operation Centre, however, both are not considered available resources and thus, not included in the Applicant Guide.

  Please refer to the Applicant Guide for details on the CCNA’s Central Research Supports and Data and Biological Samples holdings.

• While appreciating that no CAN-THUMBS-UP data have yet been released, would proposing new or follow-up data collection in CAN-THUMBS-UP count?

  CAN-THUMBS UP is in development, no data is available at the moment, it is not available to researchers applying to this funding call. All proposed projects must include how they will leverage any of the five programs from the CCNA Central Research Support (Applicant Guide, section 2).

• Can proposed projects involve the use of Brain Health Pro online educational programs?

  Brain Health Pro is not included in the Applicant Guide and thus, on its own, would not qualify as “leveraging” the CCNA’s Central Research Supports and Data and Biological Samples holdings.

  *At the time of this application, Brain Health Pro materials are only available to researchers who were involved in their development. Projects involving Brain Health Pro must show leveraging of at least one of the five programs from the CCNA Central Research Support (Applicant Guide, section 2) and/or CCNA data sets (Applicant Guide, section 3).

Evaluation Criteria & Peer Review

• How will reviewers be asked to weigh “the continued improvement and optimal use of CCNA research platforms and central research support”?

  As a specific objective in the funding opportunity, applicants will describe how they plan to use and contribute to the CCNA research platforms, as applicable, and any of the central research support programs. The following evaluation criteria will apply, for “Impact of the Research”, i.e.:

  “Extent to which the proposal links clearly with the CCNA Operations Centre and demonstrates the ability of the research to be enhanced by the supports offered by the CCNA Operations Centre.”

  For more details, refer to the Evaluation Criteria section of the funding opportunity.

• Could you please elaborate on the structure of the review panel or panels? Are there separate review panels for each of the strategic areas and themes or is there one large review panel with appropriate expertise?

  There will be one large peer review panel for this funding opportunity. Reviewers will be asked to declare their “Ability to Review” on all applications in the competition and thereafter, will be assigned to review applications within their declared expertise.

• Will Australian peer review be completed before CIHR peer review?

  As described in the Review Process and Evaluation sections of the funding opportunity and the 2024 NHMRC-CIHR CCNA Grant Opportunity Guidelines, CIHR will perform a relevance review to identify applications that are in alignment with the objectives and research areas of this funding opportunity. Relevant applications that have opted to select a Strategic Research Priority Area will undergo a secondary relevance review by funding partners for each of the strategic priority areas. 

  In parallel to the CIHR relevance review, the Australian component of the applications submitted to the International Australia-Canada Indigenous Health Research pool, will undergo an Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria (IREC) review, facilitated by NHMRC. Peer reviewer(s) with specific expertise in Indigenous health research will evaluate how well each application addresses the IREC to ensure the research is being undertaken in a culturally appropriate manner. An IREC report for each application will be shared with the CIHR peer review panel for their consideration in the overall evaluation of the application (see below).

  Thereafter, all proposals considered relevant to the funding opportunity will proceed to one peer review at CIHR. CIHR will perform peer review in accordance with the Review guidelines – Priority driven initiatives, CIHR's peer review principles (see the Peer Review: Overview section of CIHR's website) and the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Eligibility

• Are current CCNA researchers eligible to collaborate on applications? And can current CCNA researchers eligible to be NPA?

  Yes, this is an open competition for the broader neurodegenerative diseases research community; CCNA researchers funded in Phase II can apply to this funding opportunity and are eligible to be named as Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) on an application.

Funding Decision

• Are there any protected slots in the open pool of 8 thematic grants? Or can Strategic Pool grants trump them?

  Yes, there are 8 protected slots through a general funding pool to fund projects relevant to the specific objectives in the three CCNA research thematic areas, with at least one application to be funded in Indigenous Health Research and at least one application in each of the three CCNA themes.

• Are projects from the Strategic Priority Area Pools funded first and ALL remaining grants will go into the 8 theme grants?

  Applications relevant to each Strategic Priority Area pool will be funded top down first in order of ranking. The highest ranked Indigenous Health Research (IHR)-relevant application in the General funding pool will be funded.

  Thereafter, remaining fundable applications in the competition will be pooled according to their relevant Research Theme(s) and the top application in each Research Theme will be funded. All remaining applications will be pooled together and funded in rank order.

  If a pool receives no applications or lacks fundable applications, funds may be rolled into an alternate pool to fund additional application(s).

  If the International Australia-Canada funding pool receives no applications or lacks fundable applications, the CIHR-Institute of Indigenous People’ Health (CIHR-IIPH) funding will be used to fund the highest ranked application(s) deemed relevant to Indigenous Health Research.

General Funding Pool and Strategic Priority Area Pools

• Can Australian applicants also apply for other priority areas (e.g.: cardiovascular disease and age-related cognitive changes)?

  NHMRC funding is only available through the International Australia-Canada Indigenous Health Research pool.

  Outside of the International Australia-Canada Indigenous Health Research pool, Australian applicants interested in applying to the General pool and other Strategic Priority Areas pools through the CIHR funding opportunity can only do so, by partnering with a Canadian Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) who meets all Eligibility criteria listed (with the exception of eligibility criteria #5).

  For more details, refer to the Eligibility section of the CIHR funding opportunity.

Indigenous Health Research and Australia-Canada Collaborative Teams

• Will the new Tri-Agency Policy on Indigenous Citizenship and Membership Affirmation be in place for this funding opportunity? And if so, is this required for Australian team members?

  No; the policy does not apply to the International Australia-Canada collaborative teams.

  This year, the Tri-Agency Policy on Indigenous Citizenship and Membership Affirmation and its associated Directive are being piloted within the Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot initiative led by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). This initiative provides financial support to meritorious Indigenous students who have applied to the Canada Graduate Scholars – Master’s program. Other programs and opportunities will be phased in gradually, based on lessons learned through the pilot process, and program readiness.

• Do all team members on the Canadian team need to be named on the Australian application, and vice versa?

  The CIHR ResearchNet application must name the Australia-based Chief Investigator A (CIA) as a Principal Applicant. The Canada-based Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) of the CIHR collaborating project must be listed in the research team as the Chief Investigator B (CIB) in the application to NHMRC. Other Australia-based researchers listed on the CIHR application must be identified as Chief Investigators (CIs) (CIC-CIJ) or Associate Investigators (AIs) in the application to NHMRC. Other eligibility criteria also apply and must be met to be eligible for both CIHR and NHMRC funding.

  For more details, refer to the Eligibility section of the CIHR funding opportunity and the 2024 NHMRC-CIHR CCNA Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

• Is it only the 12-page proposal that must match in both CIHR’ and NMHRC’ applications, as each agency has its own specific required additional forms (e.g. IREC form; patient engagement)?

  This is correct; only the research proposal and its associated appendices (e.g. References, charts, tables, figures and photographs) must be identical in both CIHR’ and NHMRC’ applications. Other application materials can differ based on the specific requirements of each funding agency.

  For more details, refer to the How to Apply section of the CIHR funding opportunity and the 2024 NHMRC-CIHR CCNA Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

• What is the expectation of the relationship between the CCNA Phase III Operations Centre and the Australian teams?

  The International Australia-Canada collaborative team is inclusive of the Canadian and Australia components and is considered as one (1) team. The Canadian researchers will work alongside their Australian counterparts to interact with the CCNA Phase III Operations Centre.

• Should the Canadian and Australian teams conduct the same research study, or can they complete different research studies in collaboration, to help address the same research gap?

  The International Australia-Canada collaborative team must submit one single cohesive research proposal, which may include several aims that may be addressed by either Canadian and/or Australian researchers, based on their specific expertise. This would be like a team with multiple sites and/or members across Canada.

  For more details, refer to the Evaluation section of the CIHR funding opportunity and the 2024 NHMRC-CIHR CCNA Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

• Does the Australian research have to be Indigenous-led and the CIA must be Indigenous?

  There is no specific NHMRC requirement for the Australian component of the Australia-Canada collaborative team to be led by an Indigenous Chief Investigator A (CIA). However, NHMRC applicants must propose to undertake research that advances the field of age-related neurodegenerative diseases in any of the recognized forms of dementia, specifically in Indigenous populations. Indigenous refers to First Nations, Inuit and Métis in a Canadian context and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in an Australian context. Applicants will be required to consider the key elements outlined in NHMRC's Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria when addressing the evaluation criteria.

Research Team Composition

• For existing CCNA Phase II Teams applying, will it be important to alter the group composition and demonstrate how this new Phase III Team will be different?

  There are no requirements for existing CCNA Phase II Teams to alter and/or keep their current team composition.

  The team composition will be evaluated based on the criteria for “Applicants”, i.e.: “Appropriateness of research team's expertise and qualifications (including evidence of meaningful engagement of participating knowledge user(s), EDI implementation, sex and gender considerations, and experience relative to career stage) in the proposed areas of research and with the proposed methodology.”.

  For more details, refer to the Evaluation Criteria section of the funding opportunity.

• How do you view international collaborations outside of the Canada-Australia pool?

  International collaborations, beyond the Canada-Australia pool, are welcome.

  The team composition will be evaluated based on the criteria for “Applicants”, i.e.: “Appropriateness of research team's expertise and qualifications (including evidence of meaningful engagement of participating knowledge user(s), EDI implementation, sex and gender considerations, and experience relative to career stage) in the proposed areas of research and with the proposed methodology.”

  For more details, refer to the Evaluation Criteria section of the funding opportunity.

• Can a researcher be a co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) in multiple applications?

  As described in the Eligibility section of the CIHR funding opportunity: “An applicant can only submit one application as a Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) but can participate in any number of applications in other applicant roles.”. 

  Similarly for the International Australia-Canada collaborative team, an Australian applicant can only submit one application as a Chief Investigator A (CIA) but can participate in any number of applications in other applicant roles.

Trainees

• Can trainees, including postdoctoral fellows, be co-applicants on applications? Can trainees be an applicant AND get paid from the grant?

  Trainees, including postdoctoral fellows, can be named as co-applicants on an application. Trainees may receive a salary and/or stipend on grants including those on which they are co-applicants. Please consult the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA) for further details.

Date modified:

2024-10-22