Allied Health
Allied Health Research Grants
The purpose of the Allied Health Research Grant is to encourage research relevant to clinical practice in the areas of nephrology, urology and organ donation. Preference will be given to applications submitted by allied health professionals.
The award is for up to two years, to a maximum of $50,000/year. There must be a clearly demonstrated relevance of the project and its outcomes to the Mission of The Kidney Foundation. The research must be carried out in Canada.
Please ensure that you are using the current Kidney Foundation of Canada Allied Health Research Grant forms as no other form will be accepted for this competition.
2011 COMPETITION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 15, 2010
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR 2011
The Allied Health Research Grants Guidelines 2011 Competition, supersede all previous Kidney Foundation of Canada Allied Health Research Grants Guidelines. Applicants should always refer to the latest version. The Kidney Foundation of Canada may, without notice, alter the programs or terms of a grant. Any major changes will be announced immediately on the KFOC website at www.kidney.ca. The Kidney Foundation of Canada reserves the right to interpret these guidelines and policies. Applicants should contact the Director, National Research Programs, or the Coordinator, Research Grants and Awards as required.
WHAT’S NEW (Highlights) for 2011 Allied Health Research Grants Competition?
Incomplete / unacceptable
Applications In order to maintain the principle of fairness to all applicants, regulations must be adhered to in the preparation of Allied Health Research Grant application. Non adherence to the Guidelines and Checklist will lead to rejection (without appeal) of the application. Requiring adherence to the regulations have the advantage of being unambiguous for applicants, easily enforceable by staff and/or review panels, and fair and equitable for all applicants.
Public Information
Successful applicants need to be aware that the title of their research project and the lay summary will be used without notification and put into the public domain, e.g. web and news releases. Applicants are cautioned not to disclose information that could endanger a proprietary position in these sections.
Carryover of Grant Funds
The funding year of all grants is July 1 to June 30 for each year of the funding period. Up to 10% of the last year of funding may be carried over for up to 6 months after the end date of the grant. Carryover of other grant funds is not ordinarily permitted and any unspent balance of funds must be returned to the Foundation by October 15 following conclusion of the grant.
Grantees will submit an itemized account of expenditures no later than September 15 following conclusion of the grant period. The statement must be signed by the grantee and the business officer of the institution concerned.
2011 ALLIED HEALTH RESEARCH GRANT GUIDELINES
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1 KFOC Vision and Mission Statement
1.2 Application Submission Deadline
1.3 Incomplete / Unacceptable Applications
1.4 Closing of Award
1.5 Temporary Absence
1.6 Non-Employee Status
1.7 Privacy Information
1.8 Public Information
1.9 Ethical Requirements
1.10 Indirect Costs
1.11 Assessment of Applications
1.12 Publications
1.13 Notification of Award
1.14 Administration of Funds
1.15 Transfer of Award
2. RESEARCH INTEGRITY POLICY
3. ALLIED HEALTH RESEARCH GRANT INFORMATION
3.1 Description
3.2 Applicant Categories
3.3 Value of Grant
3.4 Scientific, Methodological or Budgetary Overlap: Current Funding and Pending or Contemplated Grant Submissions
3.5 Duration and Tenure
4. NEW AND RENEWAL APPLICATIONS
4.1 CD Submission of Application
5. CONTACT INFORMATION
APPENDIX 1
Research Plan
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1 KFOC Vision and Mission Statement
Vision:
Kidney health, and improved lives for all people affected by kidney disease.
Mission:
The Kidney Foundation of Canada is the national volunteer organization committed to reducing the burden of kidney disease through:
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Funding and stimulating innovative research;
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Providing education and support;
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Promoting access to high quality healthcare; and
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Increasing public awareness and commitment to advancing kidney health and organ donation.
1.2 Application Submission Deadline
The mandatory deadline date for full application for both new and renewal applications is October 15.
If the deadline falls during a weekend or on holiday, the deadline will be the next working day.
Deadline date indicates the latest acceptable date for courier-stamped application.
Applications COURIER-STAMPED AFTER THE DEADLINE will be considered late.
The Kidney Foundation of Canada reserves the right to decline late applications.
1.3 Incomplete / Unacceptable Applications
All applicants are strongly advised to carefully read and follow the instructions and requirements outlined in the Allied Health Research Grants Guidelines and the Allied Health Research Grants Checklist page of the application form.
In order to maintain the principle of fairness to all applicants, regulations must be adhered to in the preparation of Allied Health Research Grant applications. Non adherence to the Guidelines and Checklist will lead to rejection (without appeal) of the application. Requiring adherence to the regulations has the advantage of being unambiguous for applicants, easily enforceable by staff and/or review panels, and fair and equitable for all applicants.
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1.4 Closing of Award
When research supported by an award is complete, or if for any reason the research cannot be continued, the award will be closed. Any remaining funds are frozen, and cannot be reallocated to other uses. The institution will prepare the final accounting and return outstanding funds to the KFOC.
1.5 Temporary Absence
Recipients wishing to take a temporary leave, e.g. parental leave, sabbatical, must inform The Kidney Foundation. If they wish funding to continue, details on how the research will continue in their absence must be supplied. The Kidney Foundation reserves the right to discontinue funding in such instances. Transfer of the grant from one person to another in the same institution is not permitted unless written authorization is received from the Foundation.
1.6 Non-Employee Status
The granting of an award is deemed to establish neither an employer-employee nor a partnership between the grantor and grantee.
1.7 Privacy Information
Providing your date of birth, language and gender on the application form or CV form is optional. However, this information will ensure accurate identification of applicants and will assist the KFOC with statistical analysis. This information will NOT be transmitted to any entity external to the KFOC.
1.8 Public Information
Successful applicants need to be aware that the title of their research project and the lay summary will be used without notification and put into the public domain, e.g. web and news releases. Applicants are cautioned not to disclose information that could endanger a proprietary position in these sections.
1.9 Ethical Requirements
By signing and submitting applications to The Kidney Foundation of Canada, applicants undertake the responsibility to ensure any experimentation will be acceptable to the institution on ethical grounds and comply with the Tri-Council Policy Statements: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans .
1.10 Indirect Costs
The Kidney Foundation of Canada supports only the direct costs of research. The definition of indirect costs of research for the purposes of this policy is costs that cannot be directly associated with a particular research program or operating grant, including but not limited to costs associated with the operation and maintenance of facilities (from laboratories to libraries); the management of the research process (from grant management to commercialization); and regulation and safety compliance (including human ethics, animal care and environmental assessment).
1.11 Assessment of Applications
Applications are reviewed by the Allied Health Scientific Committee, a standing committee of the Research Council of the Foundation. The Allied Health Scientific Committee is composed of a Chair, an Assistant Chair and additional members. Each committee member has demonstrated scientific expertise in kidney disease or related area. Appointment of the committee members takes into consideration the required expertise, regional distribution, gender and language to ensure a fair and balanced peer review process. Members are appointed for three years, renewable for one additional year. Additional members may be added to the committee depending on the number of applications received and the expertise required.
The Committee chair reserves the right to allocate applications to the committee with the appropriate expertise.
All applications are first reviewed by the Chair and the Assistant Chair for relevance to the vision and mission of The Kidney Foundation of Canada. All relevant applications are reviewed by two committee members and, whenever deemed appropriate by one or two external reviewers when additional expertise is required. Each reviewer (internal or external) conducts a thorough written review and evaluates the application on the following criteria:
- Relevance to the Vision and Mission of The Kidney Foundation of Canada,
- Applicant’s expertise with respect to the proposed research, the synergy of the research team,
- Merit of the proposal, including originality, clarity and feasibility of the research hypotheses, transparency and appropriateness of methodologies, statistical rigour, and achievability, and
- Appropriateness and justification of the budget.
Each application for a grant is first assessed from the standpoint of its scientific merit by one or more referees from Canada or abroad, and then is thoroughly reviewed by The Kidney Foundation’s Allied Health Scientific Committee. Final approval is given by the Foundation's National Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Allied Health Scientific Committee.
The proposals will be assessed on the following: hypothesis, background information and literature review, design and methodology, analysis, and relevance to The Kidney Foundation of Canada’s Vision and Mission.
Reviewers’ comments will be made available to all applicants. The Foundation reserves the right to withhold any part of the reviewers' comments. Appeals of decisions taken on the basis of any such reviews will not be entertained.
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1.12 Publications
Research grant recipients must acknowledge the support of The Kidney Foundation of Canada in all scientific communications and press releases related to their award. To facilitate the implementation of the KFOC’s program for knowledge transfer and exchange, we request that the KFOC be notified in advance of the publication date of any major publications arising from research funded by the KFOC.
It is important that The Kidney Foundation receive information on the outcomes of the research funding program. To this purpose the Foundation requests an electronic copy of each publication derived from the funded research and citing the support of The Kidney Foundation as these become available as well as press releases related to the award. This information is used not only to evaluate the effectiveness of our research programs, but also as an important tool for the peer review process. Thus, publications and reports from previous funding may be provided to evaluate past performance of applicants returning to the Foundation for new research support. Applicants may also use this opportunity to submit a small report (not to exceed four pages) at the completion of the project, describing the significance of the resultant publications, the progress and accomplishments achieved that have yet to be published, and/or any problems and impedances that limit the progress on the project. In this regard, it is in the interest of applicants receiving Kidney Foundation funding to comply with this request.
Successful grantees may be called upon to assist future applicants in the preparation of applications for research grants.
1.13 Notification of Award
Successful applicants will be notified by an official letter before May 31, setting forth the amount and duration approved by the National Board of Directors. A copy of this letter will be forwarded to the Dean or the institutional administrative officer, and comptroller named on the application.
The Kidney Foundation expects that all those who receive support will willingly accept invitations to discuss their research with lay members of the Foundation.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by an official letter. It should be recognized that the Foundation has a limited amount of funds and, although applications may have merit, there may not be sufficient funds to award all such applications.
1.14 Administration of Funds
Payment of Funds
Funds for all grants are to be administered through the business officer of the university or institution concerned, whose name and address must be submitted by all applicants.
The Foundation will make equal quarterly instalments during the months of July, October, January and April of the granting year, payable in trust to the designated financial officer of the sponsoring institution.
Disbursement of Grant Funds
Payments of accounts for the purposes set forth in the grant are made by the business officer of the institution or university concerned upon authorization from the grantee.
The total disbursements must not exceed the award. Any expenditure in excess of the award will not be assured by the Foundation nor reimbursed by it to the university or institution concerned.
Expenditures are only to be made for the purposes set forth in the terms of the grant, and any alternative use of funds requires written approval by The Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Carryover of Grant Funds
The funding year of all grants is July 1 to June 30 for each year of the funding period. Up to 10% of the last year of funding may be carried over for up to 6 months after the end date of the grant. Carryover of other grant funds is not ordinarily permitted and any unspent balance of funds must be returned to the Foundation by October 15 following conclusion of the grant.
Under special circumstances and upon written request to the Foundation, authorization for an extension of time to utilize the unexpended funds in continuation of research may be allowed provided the request is received prior to the termination date of the grant. To request an extension the grantee should send a letter to the Foundation indicating the extension period (max. 12 months), a justification of how the funds will be used in this period as well as an interim expense report signed by the applicant and the financial officer reflecting the estimated amount of unexpended funds.
In such a case, the Foundation must be provided with a final financial and scientific report no later than 60 days after the end of the granted extension.
Provision of Kidney Foundation funds to institutions is dependent upon timely and complete financial reporting from the financial administrators of the institutions at the termination of each fiscal year.
Grantees will submit an itemized account of expenditures no later than September 15 following conclusion of the grant period. The statement must be signed by the grantee and the business officer of the institution concerned.
Should the Foundation so require the grantee shall render whenever called upon, an itemized account of expenditures supported by an approved statement of accounts from the university or research institution that administers the grant.
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1.15 Transfer of Award
A Grantee may seek to transfer the grant to another Institution by forwarding a new, completed copy of page 1 and 2 of the Research Module, duly countersigned by the appropriate authorities at the new Institution and the principal applicant(s) on the grant, as well as all the appropriate approvals e.g. Ethics Approval from the new institution. Note that co-applicants are not required to sign page 2 of the Research Module. The grant recipient must also submit a revised cover page (page 1) of the CV with the address of the new institution. The Grantee should include a letter stating the project title, an estimate of the remaining grant funds available at the current Institution and the effective date of the transfer. Arrangements will then be made to transfer a portion of the unexpended balance of the grant. The remainder of the unexpended balance will be transferred upon receipt of a final statement of expenditures from the business office of the Institution to which the grant was originally made.
2. RESEARCH INTEGRITY POLICY
Institutions receiving funds must have appropriate policies in place for investigating allegations of misconduct as outlined in “A Tri-Council Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship” as published by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Any questions concerning scientific integrity or scholarly conduct that arise during the course of the evaluation of an application will be referred back to the parent institution for that body to proceed with an enquiry. The Foundation is to be informed of the outcome of such investigations.
As a condition of funding, all KFOC grant and award recipients agree to comply with the Principles and Responsibilities set out in that policy.
3. ALLIED HEALTH RESEARCH GRANT INFORMATION
3.1 Description
The Kidney Foundation of Canada has established a national goal of encouraging and supporting research that may further the current knowledge pertaining to the kidney and urinary tract or improve health in areas relevant to the Vision and Mission of the Foundation.
The Foundation wishes to point out that it is seeking grant applications that are relevant to its Vision and Mission. The Foundation reserves the right to make a decision on the relevance of a given project to basic and clinical kidney disease. Applications deemed irrelevant will not be funded regardless of the excellence of the science.
All awards become tenable July 1 following announcements of the competition results.
Funds are available for research conducted in Canada related to clinical practice in nephrology, urology, or organ donation and relevant to the mission of the Foundation. The intent of the KFOC is to fund the best kidney research conducted at Canadian universities or other recognized Canadian academic institutions. The KFOC will, therefore, allow as many qualified researchers in Canada as possible to compete for its grants and will accept applications from Principal Applicants (see definition below, under Participant Categories) from various communities and sectors. Preference will be given to applications submitted by allied health professionals, including but not limited to, nurses, psychologists, social workers, technicians, biomedical engineers, dietitians, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
Funds are not provided for research conducted by a principal/co-investigator as part of his/her Master’s Degree.
3.2 Applicant Categories
The KFOC defines a Principal Applicant as a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident (e.g. a person who has been granted admission to Canada as an immigrant) who is an independent researcher. Exception: Applicants with the necessary educational qualifications who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents may be Principal Applicants if they are employed or can provide evidence that they will be employed (at the time the grant begins,) by a Canadian Institution in a position that permits them to engage in independent research activities for the duration of the grant. Note that an independent researcher is someone who is autonomous regarding their research activities (e.g. not a trainee, not a post-doctoral fellow, not a research assistant, and not under the supervision of another person, who is directing the research).
The Principal Applicant has the responsibility for the intellectual direction of the proposed research, assumes administrative and financial responsibility for the grant, and holds an appointment, usually an employment relationship, with an eligible institution. This appointment:
- Is the major research appointment of the Principal Applicant;
- Allows the Principal Applicant to pursue the proposed research project, to supervise trainees, and to publish the results of the research; and
- Obliges the Principal Applicant to conform to institutional regulations concerning the conduct of research, the supervision of research trainees and the employment of staff paid from the KFOC grant.
Researchers who do not qualify as Principal Applicant at the time of application, but who expect to be so qualified by the start of the funding period, July 1 of the year following the competition deadline, may apply. They must provide a letter, signed by the responsible official of the Institution to administer the funds, stating the Institution’s commitment to confer eligible status. If the application is successful, funds will be released to the Institution only after the researcher’s status is confirmed.
Principal Applicants may not receive a salary, a stipend or an honorarium from a KFOC research grant.
A Co-Applicant may be an independent researcher, a research associate, a trainee or a foreign researcher.
The KFOC defines a research associate as a researcher who has completed formal training in research in a discipline relevant to health research and is employed by an Institution. Although research associates may contribute substantially to the intellectual content of the research, they continue to work under the supervision of a Principal Applicant, i.e. they are not independent researchers. A research associate may also contribute to, but is not ultimately responsible for, the supervision of staff, including other research associates and trainees, at the discretion of the Principal Applicant.
The KFOC defines a trainee as an individual in the process of learning how to conduct research or enhancing their research skills. Training must include actual involvement in research, rather than being limited to courses in research methods. A trainee being paid from a grant would normally fall into one of the following categories:
- Undergraduate student enrolled in a course of study at an academic institution;
- Graduate student enrolled in a postgraduate course of study at an academic institution. In the case of research (e.g. to complete their thesis);
- Postdoctoral fellows (post-PhD) with some form of relationship with a research institution;
- Post-health professional degree fellow (e.g. nursing, physiotherapy, medicine, dentistry) with some form of relationship with a research institution. These fellows need not be pursuing a graduate degree.
Trainees work under the supervision of a Principal Applicant or another Co-Applicant and are not themselves independent researchers. There are no restrictions on trainees with regard to nationality or country of residence provided that they meet the requirements of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Research associates and trainees may receive a salary, stipend or honorarium from KFOC research grants on which they are Co-applicant. In cases where it is proposed to pay Co-applicants who are research associates or trainees from the KFOC grant, the Budget Module of the application must provide full details of the other proposed salary sources (if applicable) for the named Co-applicant and the time commitment to the project.
Co-applicants who are not research associates or trainees may not receive a salary, stipend or honorarium from KFOC grants on which they are Co-applicant.
The KFOC defines a Collaborator as an individual whose role in the proposed research is to provide a special service (such as access to equipment, provision of special reagents, training in specialized technique, statistical analyses, access to patient population, etc.) but who is not involved in the overall intellectual direction of the research. Collaborators need not be included as signatories on the application module, and may be added to the research team during the course of the research, as requirements for additional services may emerge. However, all those appointed as Collaborator in the application must provide a letter, addressed to the Principal Applicant, indicating the agreement to provide the service as described in the application.
At the discretion of the Principal Applicant, Co-applicants who have an appointment at an eligible Canadian institution to administer KFOC funds in trust may receive KFOC funds from the “institution paid” to support the direct costs of their research activities relating to the work described in the application.
All individuals whose signatures appear on the signature page of the Research Module as Principal Applicant or Co-applicants assume responsibilities for the legal and ethical conduct of the research, for the integrity of the research activities and reported data, and for communicating the results of the research recognizing the contributions of the other applicants.
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3.3 Value of Grant
The grant application may not exceed the amount of $ 50,000 CAN per year.
The maximal budget allowed for two year research grants may not exceed $ 100,000. Applications meeting this criteria, but requesting an early release of year 2 funds will be considered for funding only after specific permission is obtained from the Foundation. Such permission is granted only when fully justified by the project. Under no circumstances can any awardees receive more than the maximal allowable budget for any sequential two year period.
These funds are allocated to assist in defraying the cost of research. This includes materials, supplies and equipment, and the payment of laboratory assistants. Salaries should conform to those of the institution in which the research is carried out and may include the employer's share of staff benefits for which such personnel may be eligible. Personnel employed under grants are employees of the institution concerned, not The Kidney Foundation.
Grant applications for equipment only will not be considered. Equipment requested as part of the grant application will be considered provided the total amount for equipment does not exceed $10,000 CAN. In such cases, a full and adequate justification for required equipment must be provided. All apparatus, materials or supplies purchased by the grantee for use with any research funded by The Kidney Foundation becomes the property of the institution concerned.
Graduate student or postdoctoral (non-MD) support may be requested as part of the grant. In such cases, CVs for the graduate students or postdoctoral trainees should be included along with academic transcripts and a letter attesting to the degree program into which the graduate students have been accepted. The Foundation reserves the right to fund the grant with or without support to the graduate students.
Research grants do not provide for salary support of the principal applicant and/or co-applicants and are not intended to cover the entire cost of the research for which they are provided, since space and certain basic facilities are prerequisites to an application for a grant.
A principal applicant or co-applicant may not hold more than one (1) Allied Health Research Grant per year from The Kidney Foundation as an award.
3.4 Scientific, Methodological or Budgetary Overlap: Current Funding and Pending or Contemplated Grant Submissions
The Kidney Foundation wishes to encourage new and independent research projects directly related to all aspects of kidney function (e.g. physiology, biochemistry, etc.) and diseases of the kidney and urinary tract. Therefore, to avoid any question of duplicate funding (which will automatically disqualify an application), applicants seeking or already receiving monies from other agencies should clearly and unambiguously indicate the uniqueness to the Foundation of their proposal with respect to both the science and the budget. Complete documentation of all budgetary details submitted to other granting agencies (including equipment, program, private and institutional funding) must accompany submission to The Kidney Foundation. Failure to disclose such information will disqualify the application from being considered by the Allied Health Scientific Committee.
Applicants who already hold funding from the KFOC or another agency, or whom are submitting a renewal proposal to the KFOC must describe whether there is any scientific, methodological, or budgetary overlap with the current application. A percentage for the degree of overlap must be provided on the application, where requested, under each of the categories.
The Kidney Foundation will consider joint funding of a project, which is concurrently supported by a specific matching program e.g., the regional Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) program. The Kidney Foundation proposal must be complete in itself to be adjudicated on its own merit, independent of the match. A full description of the budget requested from both agencies must be included. If possible, the role of research assistants paid by The Kidney Foundation grant should be clearly identified in the research proposal.
3.5 Duration and Tenure
One or two year grants are available from the Foundation. The Kidney Foundation reserves the right to determine a shorter duration of award regardless of the initial request.
One-Year Grant
Funding for a one-year grant will run from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. If the grant is a continuation of work previously funded by the Foundation or by another agency, the applicant should provide a progress report on the work accomplished in the preceding grant period.
Two-Year Grant
Funding for a two-year grant will become effective July 1 and run to June 30 of the second consecutive year. The Kidney Foundation will consider further renewals providing that a progress report is submitted and that the reasons justifying the need for renewal are explained. All renewal applications will be submitted for review and assessment on a competitive basis with all other grant applications.
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4. NEW AND RENEWAL APPLICATIONS
Applications must be submitted on the prescribed current forms, which are available at The Kidney Foundation of Canada Web site (www.kidney.ca) and the Foundation’s National Office. The application and all addenda must be forwarded in one (1) original hard copy and one (1) PDF copy on CD to the Foundation. Applications and all addenda (see Application Checklist for details) must be courier marked no later than October 15.
Applications courier-marked later than October 15 will not be reviewed.
- Font sizes must not be smaller than 12 point. 'Times New Roman' or 'Times' 12 point must be used. No other font will be permitted. The use of condensed font and/or condensed character spacing is prohibited and will be returned to the applicant.
- Single-spaced with no condensed spacing. A minimum margin of 2 cm (3/4 inch) around the page is mandatory.
- Use only letter size (21.25 X 27.5 cm / 8.5” X 11”) white paper for all attachments. Presentation in columns is acceptable.
- If numerous abbreviations are used, please provide an explanatory table. It is preferable to avoid abbreviations.
- The Allied Health Scientific Committee requires strong evidence of the applicant's prior experience and research related to the current application.
- Both new and renewal applications must be submitted by October 15.
- The Summary of Progress reports are due January 7, 2011 @ 5:00 pm EST. Note: the last Summary of Progress report received by January 7 will be submitted to the committee. The report is to be forwarded at research@kidney.ca.
- Please note that the report on recent research “Summary of Progress” is required for all applications, i.e. new and renewal applications.
- Extenuating circumstances (e.g. pregnancy, parental leave, sabbatical) should be discussed in relation to the progress of the project.The research proposal should stand alone (i.e., it should contain all the information required to support your research plan and should contain a complete description of your project). For the purpose of peer review, the research proposal should not depend on information such as appendices that are not included in the page limit of the research proposal.
- The protocol for clinical trials should be included in the research proposal application. Details of case report forms, trial governance can be submitted as appendices.
- Legends should be succinct and should not contain detailed information pertaining to methods.
- Appendices may include references, tables, charts, figures, photographs, questionnaires and consent forms.
- Grant applications must include letters of intent to participate from collaborators who have a role in the research project. Additional documentation may be requested from the applicant when deemed necessary.
- Up to five (5) papers, relevant to the application, may be included as appendices. For articles submitted but not yet printed, letters of acknowledgment of receipt or acceptance from the publishers must be attached.
For more information on how to write a research plan, please consult Appendix 1.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the printed document to ensure proper formatting.
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4.1 CD Submission of Application
The applicant must submit 1 PDF copy of the full application on a CD. The PDF file name should be in the following format: Last name First name KFOC-AHRG2011 (e.g. Smith John KFOC-AHRG2011). The label on the CD should contain the following information.
Name:
Program Type: AHRG 2011
Short title:
Date:
The PDF should be organized in the same order as the paper application. Attachments should be inserted within the application where appropriate.
In addition, the applicant is required to place bookmarks in the PDF for the following sections:
Lay Summary
Summary of Research Proposal
Response to Previous Reviews
Research Proposal
Budget
CV Principal Applicant Last name (e.g. CV Smith)
CV Co-Applicant Last name (e.g. CV Jones)
Articles
Please refer to the sample PDF for your reference on the KFOC website (http://www.kidney.ca/Document.Doc?id=446).
5. CONTACT INFORMATION
For information regarding research programs, please contact:
Wim Wolfs M.Sc., MBA
Director, National Research Program
Telephone: (514) 369–4806, ext. 225
Fax: (514) 369–2472
E-mail: wim.wolfs@kidney.ca
For further information on application submissions, please contact:
Christine Marquis
Coordinator, Research Grants and Awards
Telephone: (514) 369–4806, ext. 232
Fax: (514) 369–2472
E-mail: chris.marquis@kidney.ca
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APPENDIX 1
RESEARCH PLAN
Detailed and complete information should be included to permit review of each application without reference to previous applications. The complete proposal should not exceed 12 pages (single-spaced) in length. Font sizes must not be smaller than 12 point. 'Times New Roman' or 'Times' 12 point must be used. No other font will be permitted. The use of condensed font and/or condensed character spacing is prohibited and will be returned to the applicant. Single-spaced with no condensed spacing. A minimum margin of 2 cm (3/4 inch) around the page is mandatory. Use only letter size (21.25 X 27.5 cm / 8.5” X 11”) white paper for all attachments. Presentation in columns is acceptable. An abstract summarizing the proposal of no more than one page in length is to be included. The proposal should be arranged according to the headings suggested below, in the order provided.
Investigators are encouraged to have their applications reviewed prior to submission to the Foundation by a member of their faculty/department who has received funding from a granting agency such as the Foundation.
Objective(s)
Clearly state the overall objective(s) of the proposed research, and any specific and testable hypotheses/ research questions which are relevant to the goals of The Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Background Information and Literature Review
Review the most significant previous work and describe the current status of research in this field. Ensure that the information is relevant, current (including references), complete, well organized and presented clearly. Describe any preliminary work completed to date, which led to this proposal.
Method
- The proposal should describe how the selected method (qualitative or quantitative) would ensure that the research question(s) could be answered.
- A description of the sample should be included.
- Design and rationale used for this project should be explained.
- Data collection procedures (including instruments, guiding questions, and questionnaires, as appendices if used).
- Ethical consideration of subjects and issues, including risks and benefits must be evident.
- A discussion of the limitations of the study should also be included.
Analysis
Details of appropriate statistical methods for analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data must be provided.
Description of Roles & Duties
A description of roles and duties and professional qualifications of all applicants and any additional research personnel to be hired must also be included. If the principal applicant does not have a demonstrated research background, it must be shown how this individual will be mentored in the research process. Principal investigators and all co-applicants must complete a CV Module.
Budget
Funds are awarded to assist in defraying the operating cost of research. This includes a line by line description of:
- purchase of necessary materials, supplies and equipment (grant applications for equipment only will not be considered);
- payment of research and support staff. Salaries should conform to those of the institution in which the investigator is carrying out the research and may include the employer's share of staff benefits for which such personnel may be eligible (please supply a standard rate of pay). Personnel employed under grants are employees of the institution, not The Kidney Foundation;
- the maximum request for travel funds within an operating research grant application is $1,500 CAN per year.
These grants do not provide for 1) salary support of any applicant or co-applicant, and 2) are not intended to cover the entire cost of the research project since space; certain basic facilities and equipment (i.e. computers) are prerequisites to an application for a grant.
The Kidney Foundation of Canada supports only the direct costs of research. No funding is to be used for indirect costs of research (e.g. library, heat and light, office furniture, overhead, administrative charges and fees).
Grant applications for equipment only will not be considered. Equipment requested, as part of the grant application will be considered provided the total amount for equipment does not exceed $10,000 CAN. In such cases, a full and adequate justification for required equipment must be provided. All apparatus, materials or supplies purchased by the grantee for use with any research funded by The Kidney Foundation of Canada becomes the property of the institution concerned.
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