BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

Page Contents:

       Health and Medical Research Grant Opportunities: A Brief Summary

       Available Health and Medical Research Grant Opportunities

       Funding Priorities for Research Grants

       How to Apply for a Health and Medical Research Grant

       The Process

       Completing the Application

       WebEx Recording of a Grant Writing Workshop

  

Health and Medical Research Grant Opportunities: A Brief Summary

• Grants are provided through the BC Medical Services Foundation (a foundation within Vancouver Foundation)

• Supports health research in academic and community settings in BC

• Encourages interdisciplinary and collaborative research

• Promotes health education, explores solutions to health care issues, and advances study in the health sciences

• Length of funding: 5 years maximum

• 2009 funding applications accepted in fall; deadlines posted in June

 

Available Health and Medical Research Grant Opportunities

Development Grants:

• $10,000
• to assist in the development of a full proposal or
• to conduct a pilot study to test the efficacy of a research project

Research Grants:

• $80,000 maximum to be expended within 5 years
• recipients of development grants are eligible to reapply for a research grant
• available to BC post-secondary educational institutions and health and community organizations (your research and academic development office can administer funds)

 

Funding Priorities for Research Grants

Priority is given to:

• projects that will have an immediate and direct impact on health and health care in BC (special interest in rural and remote health and health care)
• distinct research projects, which may be related to a previous or existing research project, but which are discrete

Applications are encouraged from:

• clinicians, younger and/or less experienced researchers, or researchers moving into a new field
• project teams and projects that will create new opportunities for training, skill development, mentoring and knowledge transfer

Province-wide dissemination is encouraged, particularly to communities being evaluated

 

How to Apply for a Health and Medical Research Grant

Call Vancouver Foundation to discuss the eligibility of your project: Tel: 604.688.2204

Submit a Letter of Intent online

• Cover sheet
• Attachment of up to 4 pages including all of the following:
  • name of applicant institution/organization
  • names, professional designation and roles of Principal Investigator, Co-investigators, including information related to career development, mentoring or skill transfer that will occur during the project
  • project contact (if different from Principal Investigator), address, telephone/fax numbers, and e-mail address
  • title and summary of the project
  • summary of budget, including amount requested from BCMSF and identifying sources of other required funding as confirmed or pending
  • a description of immediate application and implication for health and health care in BC
  • relevance to rural and remote health
  • charitable registration number (if applicant organization is not a university/college or health authority or other PHSA agency)

 

The Process

If your Letter of Intent is complete and submitted on time:

• It will be reviewed to evaluate if:
  • you have met the basic eligibility requirements
  • your proposed project fits within the funding priorities, goals and limitations

• If the above conditions are met:
  • you will be invited to submit a formal application
  • you will receive a package containing the application form and guide
  • you will complete and submit the application by the deadline

• The review process:
  • your application will be considered by the Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors
  • the Advisory Committee may recommend a development grant of $5,000 for proposals that have merit but which appear to require additional work
  • if successful, your project will gain approval of funding, with possible recommendations

 

Completing the Application

• Remember - you must not submit an application unless you are invited to do so
• Review “Guide to Completing the Application”
• Review the application form in its entirety
• Review your Letter of Inquiry
• Begin!

Walking through the application, I will provide you with some tips for sections that seem to pose a common struggle for many researchers. If you have questions, please contact me.
 

Section A - Information Regarding the Applicant

• Heed the formatting requirements and the line and page limitations throughout the application
• Create a Project Title that relates to your project goal or focus
• Letters of Support (that you will attach to your application) demonstrate that you have the support necessary to carry out the project successfully

Section B - Information Regarding the Project

• The Summary of your Project is your sales pitch! Clearly describe why your project is important and unique, how it addresses the funding priorities of Vancouver Foundation, and how you will address the research problem you are proposing
• Describe how your project will have an immediate direct impact on health and health care in BC
• Reviewers want to know the impact and relevance of your project
• Describe your Dissemination Plan: Reviewers want to know how you will disseminate the new knowledge you create - Vancouver Foundation has produced a “Dissemination and Utilization Information Kit”, which is available upon request
• Provide a Budget Summary: The application includes a budget summary table that you must complete - disregard headings that do not apply to your project (simply type N/A); in addition to providing the summary table, you may also attach a detailed budget if necessary
• Keep in mind that neither you nor your team members can take the role of Financial Administrator for the research you propose
• Ethics Certificates: Even if you are simply speaking with people, you may still require Ethics Approval
• Signatures must be provided: Select the page in the application that applies to you - University/College Applicants, Clinical Agency Applicants, or Community Agency Applicants

Appendix I - Applicants’ Qualifications and Experience

• A separate Appendix I (<2 pages) must be submitted for each applicant
• Demonstrate that the team members collectively will have the necessary skills to conduct the proposed project activities

Appendix II - Letters of Support

• You must include Letters of Support showing a strong team for the proposed research
• Letters may come from organizations, community agencies, individuals, or institutions that are collaborating, participating or contributing to the proposed research
• Request these letters six weeks prior to the deadline to give collaborators enough time to review your proposal and evaluate how they may be able to contribute
• It is generally recommended to begin developing partnerships months before a project is submitted to a funding competition

Appendix III - Resubmissions

• If you are resubmitting an application for the same project, you must include the Reviewers’ Comments
• You must respond to the concerns identified by reviewers, often explaining how you have improved the proposed project, or sometimes defending your choice of methods

Appendix IV - Project Description

• Background
  • Write a brief review of existing knowledge - what is already known about your topic?
  • Where are the knowledge gaps?
  • How well was previous work conducted?
  • Provide a rationale for why your project is needed

• Goals and objectives
  • Indicate your overall project goal/aim
  • State each objective clearly and concisely

• Project activities, methods, analyses, and limitations
  • Re-state your objectives, followed by a detailed description of methods used for each
  • Describe data collection: how? what type? from where? from whom?
  • Describe how you will analyze those data
  • If applicable append interview guides and questionnaires
  • Discuss any limitations of your approach
• References
  • Use recent literature
  • Provide complete references

Appendix V - Explanation of Investigators’ Role

• You must describe the role of each investigator in this project and the reasons why they were added
• Co-investigators are individuals whose participation is required for the project to succeed
• Why you have included them: what is each investigator bringing to the project?
• Why have you selected investigators from outside of BC, over someone from here?
• If you are contributing to the development of research capacity, explain how

Checklist of Application Requirements

• Print and post this checklist
• Check ‘away’ dates for those from whom you need signatures
• Request Letters of Support at least 3 weeks before deadline: six weeks is typically recommended
• It is in your benefit to distribute a draft of your proposal for review by colleagues (an internal pre-review)
• Make revisions, carefully review every question to ensure you have not missed anything
• Submit by the deadline!

 

WebEx Recording of a Grant Writing Workshop

• In January 2009, BCEOHRN collaboratively delivered a grant writing workshop with a portion focusing on the Health and Medical Research grant application
• You can watch and listen to a WebEx recording (approximately 3.5 hours in length)

 

Need assistance? Contact Dr. Tanya Wahbe, Research Capacity Development Officer

 

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