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Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Posted by Michelle Wood on September 8, 2014 in Announcements

On behalf of Mark Filiaggi, CIHR University Delegate, Associate Vice-President Research
 

Hi everyone,

Following is a brief update from the September teleconference for CIHR University Delegates:

Institutes Model Review

Jane Aubin, VP Research and Knowledge Translation, provided a brief account of the Institutes Model review and the Governing Council’s (GC) directional decisions in this regard moving forward. Please visit the CIHR website (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/47656.html) for a more comprehensive description of the review process and GC’s decisions. The current slate of Institutes (there are 13 in total) will not change at this time, though there are plans to put in place a “rolling review”, based on relevance, to effect changes to the slate over time. The Institute Support Grants that fund core Institute operations (local staffing, workshops, etc) will be maintained, as will the overall research budget envelope of the Institutes. Importantly, however, 50% of the research budget will be a “common fund” for collaborative, multi-sectoral initiatives with the other 50% remaining for Institute specific initiatives. [The University Delegates were assured that this was not about moving money from one pillar to another, but rather an effort to continue to leverage dollars and expertise.] Further, the Institute Advisory Boards will be restructured, with clustering of 3 to 4 Institutes, to better promote Institute collaboration. GC will continue to recruit and appoint Scientific Directors who report to the President, but will also look to put in place more substantial and transparent annual performance reviews. Finally, the Ottawa-based Institute staff will be integrated into the three CIHR VP portfolios (Research and Knowledge Translation; Resource Planning and Management; External Affairs and Business Development) to enhance efficiencies.

Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)

Dr. Parminder Raina, Principal Investigator, provided an overview of the CLSA, a strategic initiative of CIHR that looks “to study aging as a dynamic process and the inter-relationship among intrinsic and extrinsic factors from mid-life to older age.” (Please see attached CLSA Presentation 1.22MB PDF.)  At the core of this study is baseline data collection from over 50,000 participants across the country (20,000+ telephone interviews and 30,000+ home interviews / data collection site visits where physical and biological data / samples are acquired). The first release of data from the telephone interviews took place in June 2014, and all researchers are eligible to apply for access to individual level or aggregate data through the CLSA website (https://www.clsa-elcv.ca). A second release is expected late 2014 / early 2015 to include cognitive scores and occupational classes. Data from the Collection Site visits are expected to be made available in Spring 2016.

Institution Engagement

CIHR is planning a series of visits to universities Fall 2014 through Spring 2014 to discuss in particular results from the Foundation Pilot, further development of the Project scheme (to come into effect after the next transitional Open Operating Grant competition this Spring), and recruitment to – and organization of – the College of Reviewers. As in previous visits, the plan will be for both an open Town Hall meeting as well as targeted meetings with senior administration. I should know within the next few days the expected dates for a Halifax visit.

Foundation Pilot Update

In total, 1580 applications were validated for this competition (54 were deemed ineligible): 569 current OOG holders; 698 new / early career researchers; 313 applicants who had never held Open funding. Peer review recruitment for Stage 1 is almost complete (note that some Foundation applicants are also acting as reviewers, with appropriate conflict of interest monitoring in place). Recruitment for Stage 2 and 3 is ongoing. Webinars for Stage 1 applicants will be ending this week, and webinars for reviewers in Stage 1 will be offered in the coming weeks. The intent remains to control the flow of applications from Stage 1 to Stage 2 so that success rates at Stage 2 are “reasonable”, keeping in mind that CIHR expects to award 120-250 Foundation grants in the first competition depending on total award amounts and length. You can anticipate a significant culling of applications at Stage 1, more so perhaps than the ~50% that was initially suggested. Stage 2 application requirements are available on the CIHR website (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/47624.html).

As part of this Foundation Pilot, CIHR will be conducting a study to assess the efficiency and reliability of the Stage 1 review as a predictor of success in the Foundation competition. Essentially a small cohort of randomly selected applications that did not meet the threshold to move forward to Stage 2 will be included along with those that were rated more highly. (Applicants selected in this way will be notified by CIHR, and will be allowed to apply to the transitional OOG competition in March 2015 while their Foundation application remains under review.) Stage 2 and 3 reviewers will not be privy to the Stage 1 reviews. Some University delegates questioned the logic of conducting this study during a Pilot competition when there is already sufficient confusion around this new program, but acknowledged the desire to validate the review process sooner rather than later. While in theory it is possible that an especially well written Stage 2 application from this random cohort could result in a Foundation grant, CIHR did not feel this would likely happen if “everything works as it should”.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Regards,

Mark Filiaggi
CIHR University Delegate

Associate Vice-President Research
Filiaggi@dal.ca
(902) 494-7102