BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

JDRF is soliciting EOIs to encourage collaborations among bioengineers, chemists, immunologists, transplant researchers, and pancreatic beta cell biologists to incorporate engineering concepts and designs into current efforts toward improving islet encapsulation as a key component of cell replacement therapy for T1D. Ultimately, the funded projects should have established milestones and make progress toward making encapsulated human islets/porcine islets/hESC-derived pancreatic progenitors a translatable technology applicable in the clinical setting.

The IASP Developing Countries Project addresses the need for improved education about pain and its treatment in developing countries by providing educational support grants. These grants are intended to improve the scope and availability of essential education for pain clinicians of all disciplines, taking into account specific local needs. For example, funds may be used to combine practical instruction with theory, to develop specific written teaching materials, or to develop distance-learning materials.

IDRC invites applications for its 2011 Small Grants for Innovative Research and Knowledge-Sharing. Provided through our Canadian Partnerships program, these grants support research, knowledge-building, and knowledge-sharing projects. They also fund events and small dissemination activities and products. These grants are open to local, regional, national, and international organizations incorporated and headquartered in Canada that produce or share knowledge for development. Individuals may not apply. Organizations new to IDRC are encouraged to apply.

Use reverse flow sensing meters to better understand the frequency of reverse flow and identify the conditions in distribution systems that promote backflow. Develop guidance for utilities on reducing the occurrence of reverse flow promoting conditions. This guidance will be based upon meter data collected from a variety of utilities, in-depth case studies of backflow promoting conditions, and development and application of a testing protocol for the accuracy of reverse flow sensing meters.

Medical tourism refers to situations where individuals travel to another country for the purpose of obtaining health care services, in some cases, combined with a vacation. This is distinct from individuals who receive emergency services while abroad on vacation, due to an unforeseen injury or disease. BC patients do travel to other countries to receive care, but there is no solid information on volumes. There is a long history of Canadians going to the US for specialty services or those with long waits. Canadians also travel to other countries to receive services which are experimental, or not legal in Canada.

JDRF is soliciting expressions of interest (EOI) for innovative studies to identify factors conferring protection or resistance to complications, through analysis of clinical populations with extreme resistance or rapid progression to diabetic complications. JDRF is committed and most interested in investigator-initiated proposals that focus on research that will ultimately translate to results having significant clinical impact.

Grand Challenges Explorations is an agile, accelerated grant initiative with short two-page applications and no preliminary data required. Anyone with a bold idea that shows great promise can apply. Applications are submitted online, and winning grants are chosen approximately 4 months from the submission deadline. Initial grants of $100,000 are awarded two times a year. Successful projects have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to $1 million, and could eventually evolve into Grand Challenges project.

Evaluate the existing implementation of on-site generation of hypochlorite solutions and explore the occurrence of DBPs and contaminants formed during operation.

The International Development Research Centre is pleased to announce a call for Concept Notes concerning the promotion of healthy diets as a key strategy for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries. The key objective of this Call is to support Southern-led research designed to influence the adoption and implementation of effective policies and programs for the promotion of healthy diets in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The International Development Research Centre and the Canadian Global Tobacco Control Forum are pleased to announce a call for Concept Notes concerning the expansion of fiscal policies for global and national tobacco control.
The key objective of this Call is to generate knowledge designed to accelerate the adoption of effective fiscal policies for tobacco control in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Use reverse flow sensing meters to better understand the frequency of reverse flow and identify the conditions in distribution systems that promote backflow. Develop guidance for utilities on reducing the occurrence of reverse flow promoting conditions. This guidance will be based upon meter data collected from a variety of utilities, in-depth case studies of backflow promoting conditions, and development and application of a testing protocol for the accuracy of reverse flow sensing meters.

Expressions of interest are sought from investigators interested in elucidating the existence of and potential role for beta cell antigen modifications in type 1 diabetes immunopathogenesis. The translational potential of the investigations should be highlighted and thus, research plans involving human samples should be emphasized and will be given priority. This initiative encourages collaborations between experts in the fields of T1D, biochemistry, proteomics and other autoimmune diseases. We also welcome investigators with assays or hypotheses relevant to this initiative.

In 2012, Ecohealth invites research award proposals that advance the Ecohealth program by exploring the challenges of developing healthier communities in more resilient agro-ecosystems. Possible examples include (but are not limited to) examining the links between agricultural development (including innovative technologies), sustainable livelihoods, food security and health; the growth of agri-food systems and their impact on health and environments; and innovations in social policy that promote sustainable ecosystems and healthier livelihoods for resource-poor farmers.

The BCNRI Research Project program is aimed at building linkages and collaborations among academia, nurses and the broad health services practice and policy communities to develop, conduct and apply the findings of practice-relevant health services research that addresses one of three BCNRI priority areas:
• Nursing health human resources
• Practice relevant education
• Quality and safety of the practice (work) environment
There is sufficient funding for five to eight projects. Awards will be up to $100,000 per year for a maximum of two years to support research syntheses, research demonstrations, pilot/seed research, or research knowledge exchange projects.

The objective of this project is to develop improved strategies for minimizing nitrosamine formation during drinking water treatment and to develop treatment guidance for utilities.

To produce a best practices guide for water utilities for legal protection and management of claims before, during, and after an infrastructure failure event. The research should address the required best practices for claims management from the following perspectives: 1) Prevention and cost recovery of water infrastructure damages due to third party construction activities; 2) Mitigation strategies to protect from third party claims due to water utility construction projects; 3) Mitigation strategies to protect from third party claims due to water main break events; 4) Records collection and management of evidence after an event has occurred to mitigate the legal risks and/or assign damage assessments to the appropriate third party.

The objective of this project is to develop a computerized decision support system to guide water and wastewater utilities in determining the most cost effective measures for reducing consumer exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products (EDCs/PPCPs) in drinking water.

The project objectives include: (1) to synthesize and assess the growing body of work on the concept of “virtual water” that represents the total water embedded in consumer goods and activities, commonly called “water footprints,” for an examination of the importance of this concept to the work of drinking water utilities, (2) to consider questions of whether and how the concept and metrics of water footprints may offer a new approach, or supplement other water sector initiatives, in conveying the value of water to a public that is often unwilling to pay the full cost of the water on which they depend, (3) to identify opportunities for drinking water utilities to integrate the water footprint into appropriate planning and communications to support a sustainable water utility and sustainable communities; and (4) to propose a water footprint road map for leadership, research or integration opportunities for utilities and the water sector.

The purpose of this RFA is to invite outstanding proposals to identify and characterize novel drug targets or biochemical intervention points that will promote regeneration or expansion of beta cell mass in a highly selective, safe, and specific manner. Mechanistic studies may be proposed if they are specific to the beta cell and aimed at providing insight into druggable targets that may provide a basis for translation to a drug discovery platform. Validation of the relevance to human beta cell regeneration is a priority.

The SU2C-MRA Melanoma Dream Team Translational Cancer Research Grant will provide funding of a minimum of $6 million over a three-year period for a cancer research project that will accelerate the application of new preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic agents to the clinic. Proposals for Melanoma Dream Team projects must present plans indicating how the work will be translated into the clinic.