Overview

Ontario Genomics is pleased to announce Genome Canada’s new Climate Action Genomics Initiative – Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems funding opportunity, launched in May 2022. Interdisciplinary Challenge Teams (ICTs) represent the largest, key component of the initiative. ICTs are integrated teams of researchers from different disciplines and users who work together to address specific questions, achieve relevant deliverables and, ultimately, reduce the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of Canada’s agriculture and food systems. As part of the Initiative portfolio, the teams will work toward broader national impacts that manifest value beyond each individual project. The ICTs will provide genomic solutions to help implement agriculture and food production systems that are climate-resilient, socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sustainable, and that contribute to the mitigation of climate change impacts.

Objectives

The ICT funding opportunity aims to support teams that use genomic approaches to achieve the overall objective of the Initiative, which is to develop and apply genomic tools and technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the carbon footprint of Canada’s food systems to ensure they are resilient, economically viable and environmentally sustainable.

The scope of this funding opportunity will include areas where genomic technologies are used to help achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and reduce the carbon footprint of Canada’s agriculture and food production system. Projects should seek solutions that will increase the value created by production systems without increasing greenhouse gas emissions or amplifying negative impacts on the natural environment. Furthermore, projects should demonstrate how their outputs could be translated into reduced emissions by taking into account the various dimensions of the food system value chain, including production, processing, distribution and consumption.

Applicants must demonstrate how their proposal has significant potential to achieve concrete deliverables by the end of the funding period. Proposals that make a strong case that their deliverables will translate into significant social and/or economic benefits that align with the Initiative’s overall intended impact (i.e., the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to lessen the carbon footprint of Canada’s agriculture and food production systems) within the shortest time frame possible after the end of the project are particularly encouraged. Consideration will be given to what is reasonable for different research areas.

The FY22 LRP funding opportunity announcements for the following award mechanisms will be posted on the Grants.gov website. 

Applications submitted to the FY22 LRP Idea and Impact Awards must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

• Understanding how lupus disease heterogeneity impacts risk of disease, disease presentation, clinical course, and outcomes; using a diverse range of research disciplines including, but not limited to, biopsychosocial studies, personalized medicine, variation in treatment studies, health economics, socioeconomic studies, environmental studies, and epidemiological studies
• Understanding the biological mechanisms of lupus disease including, but not limited to, studies of informative/rare patients
• Determining the pathobiology of end organ injury related to lupus disease in target human tissues
• Improving quality of life for individuals living with lupus including, but not limited to, addressing social determinants of health, access to healthcare resources, outcomes research, patient-reported outcomes, symptom and disease control, comparative effectiveness research, and issues and challenges that, when addressed, make day-to-day living with lupus easier and life more fulfilling
• Understanding the underlying genetic and epigenetic components and gene-environment interactions of lupus and how they may relate to clinical disease characteristics, variations, disparities and differences in response to therapies using functional genomic studies
• Innovative health care delivery models improving outcomes for lupus (Impact Award only)

Applications submitted to the FY22 LRP Transformative Vision Award must address one of the following Focus Areas:

• Innovative health care delivery models improving outcomes for lupus
• Design and implement an intervention either at the individual and/or healthcare system level to improve the quality of life for individuals living with lupus.  Example interventions include, but are not limited to, access to healthcare resources, outcomes research, symptom and disease control, comparative effectiveness research, and issues and challenges that, when addressed, make day-to-day living with lupus easier and life more fulfilling

Funding Opportunities-FY22 LRP, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) (army.mil)

Idea Award – Letter of Intent due August 16, 2022

All investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow (or equivalent)

• ·    Supports innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could ultimately lead to a critical discovery or major advancement relevant to lupus.
• ·    Emphasis on innovation.
• ·    Must address one of the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) LRP IA Focus Areas.
• ·    Clinical trials are not allowed.
• ·    Preliminary data are not required.
• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $300,000 for total costs (direct plus indirect costs).
• ·    The maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Impact Award – Letter of Intent due August 16, 2022

Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

• ·    Supports high-risk/high-reward research which, if successfully addressed, has the potential to make a major impact in lupus research.
• ·    Emphasis on impact.
• ·    Must address one of the FY22 LRP IPA Focus Areas.
• ·    Clinical trials are not allowed.
• ·    Preliminary data are encouraged but not required.
• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $750,000 for total costs (direct plus indirect costs).
• ·    The maximum period of performance is 4 years.

Transformative Vision Award – Letter of Intent due August 16, 2022

Independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

• ·    Supports research that will have an intervention at the individual and/or healthcare system level, which will result in near-term impact on the health-related quality of life of persons living with lupus.
• ·    Emphasis on near-term impact to quality of life.
• ·    Must address the FY22 LRP TVA Focus Areas.
• ·    Human subject research and clinical trials are allowed.
• ·    Preliminary data are required.
• ·    Animal studies are not allowed.
• ·    Partnering Principal Investigator (PI) Option allows one Initiating Investigator and a maximum of two Partnering PIs.
• ·    The research team must include one or more Consumer Advocate(s).
• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $2.5 million for total costs (direct plus indirect).
• ·    The maximum period of performance is 4 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.  All applications must conform to the final funding opportunity announcements available for downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP and other USAMRDC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

For email notification when announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the LRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Help Desk

301-682-5507

help@eBrap.org

For more information, please contact Jill Sherman, International Research Facilitator, at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca .

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding for the Hearing Restoration Research Program (HRRP) to support innovative and impactful research that pursues the treatment of auditory system injuries and the restoration of hearing.  The managing agent for the anticipated funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The FY22 HRRP funding opportunity announcements for the following award mechanisms is posted on the Grants.gov website. 

Applications submitted to the FY22 HRRP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

• ·        Accelerate translation of biological regeneration/repair mechanisms into therapies that treat auditory system injury and restore auditory function.  For example, but not limited to:

○       Hair cell regeneration/repair/recovery

○       Neural regeneration/repair/recovery

○       Treatment for synaptopathy and hidden hearing loss

• ·        Diagnostic tests that help differentiate sensory, neural, synaptic, and central processing disorders, that may inform applicability and outcomes for current or future hearing restoration therapeutics.
• ·        Develop reliable in-vitro human models to facilitate the understanding, derivation and characterization of human auditory cells, and/or to facilitate the evaluation of hearing restoration therapies.
• ·        Develop and/or validate techniques/methods beyond the audiogram to diagnose acute auditory system injury in austere or remote environments.  For example, but not limited to, simple and rapid assessments that are compatible with portable platforms.

Funding Opportunities-FY22 HRRP, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), US DoD (army.mil)

Focused Research Award – Preproposal due July 22, 2022

Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent) are eligible to submit applications.

• ·    Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·    Supports promising research that will accelerate drug discovery and therapeutic development for hearing restoration or accelerate advances in the assessment, diagnostics, and treatment of auditory dysfunction.
• ·    Research must address one or more of the FY22 HRRP Focus Areas.
• ·    Funding Level 1 supports exploratory, high-risk/high-reward research that is in the earliest stages of idea development.
• ·    Funding Level 2 supports the advancement of more mature research toward clinical translation.
• ·    Funding Level 3 supports research with a translational research component and a related pilot clinical trial component.
• ·    It is the responsibility of the applicant to select the funding level that is most appropriate for the research proposed.  The funding level should be selected based on the stage and maturity of the research, rather than the amount of the budget.
• ·    Tinnitus or vestibular-related research is excluded.

Funding Level 1:

• ·    Maximum funding of $250,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• ·    Maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Funding Level 2:

• ·    Maximum funding of $1,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• ·    Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Funding Level 3:

• ·    Maximum funding of $1,250,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• ·    Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.  All applications must conform to the final funding opportunity announcements available for downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP and other USAMRDC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

For email notification when announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the HRRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Help Desk
301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org

For more information, please contact Jill Sherman, International Research Facilitator, at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca .

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• Develop structured, openly accessible, and sustainable training and mentoring platforms that build capacity in the design, delivery, and analysis of clinical trials by:
  • supporting the engagement of trainees, researchers, healthcare professionals and clinical research professionals in collaborative clinical trial training and mentoring opportunities across institutions, disciplines, jurisdictions and sectors;
  • incorporating diverse training approaches, including experiential training opportunities;
  • including diverse and inclusive approaches to training and mentoring (e.g., Indigenous Ways of Knowing) in a meaningful and culturally-safe manner; and
  • implementing recruitment, training, and mentoring strategies to attract high-caliber trainees, researchers, healthcare professionals and clinical research professionals, including embedding and applying Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) best practices.
• Support the development of skills that increase the likelihood of employability and career prospects of trainees, researchers, healthcare professionals and clinical research professionals across sectors, by integrating training on:
  • approaches to advance rigorous and responsible research (e.g., product development from discovery to commercialization; best practices in clinical trial design, recruitment, conduct and reporting; sex- and gender-based analysis plus [SGBA+]; research data management, research involving Indigenous Peoples, ethics, unconscious bias, life cycle/life stage approaches to clinical trials);
  • grant/proposal writing, budgeting, and peer review;
  • Professional development skills (including transferrable skills, such as communication, analytical thinking, problem solving, project management, leadership, etc.);
  • best practices in knowledge translation and implementation science; and
  • diverse career options and opportunities available across the different sectors (private/for profit, public and not-for-profit).
• Support and contribute, where possible and relevant, to research funded through the Projects component (offered through separate funding opportunities) of the CTF and participate in the Pan-Canadian Clinical Trials Consortium once it is established.

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are, in the context of the Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, to:

• Support research teams across the country in conducting clinical trials that apply intersectional study design, primary data collection, and analyses so that the outcomes and health benefits of these trials can be applied to Canada's diverse population;
• Support the participation of Canadian sites in international clinical trials;
• Promote relevant collaborations across disciplines, professions, and sectors; and
• Contribute to the creation and use of health-related knowledge.

The nominee’s work/research must have been performed in Canada by a Canadian Resident and have achieved international recognition for its contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the health sciences, health policy and/or the improvement of therapeutics and healthcare.

If you are interested in being nominated for this award, please contact Dr. Batia Stolar, Associate Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies, at  bstolar@lakeheadu.ca

The FY22 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding for the Vision Research Program (VRP) to support impactful military-relevant vision research.  The managing agent for the anticipated funding opportunities is the CDMRP at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

The FY22 VRP program announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.    

Applications submitted to the FY22 VRP must address one or more of the following Focus Areas:

• Eye injury or visual dysfunction as related to military exposure. Examples of military exposure may include, but are not limited to:

o   Blast, penetrating, blunt, thermal, or chemical trauma

o   Directed energy weapons such as laser, high-power microwaves, particle beams and ionizing radiation

• Diagnosis, stabilization, and treatment of eye injuries in austere environments and prolonged field care settings
• Restoration of visual function after military exposure-related vision loss or severe visual impairment

Funding Opportunities-FY22 VRP, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) (army.mil)

Clinical Trial Award (CTA) – Preproposal due July 15, 2022

• ·     The overall lead Principal Investigator (PI) must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent) with demonstrated success in leading large collaborative research project(s).
• ·     The overall lead PI must devote a minimum of 20% effort.
• ·     Leaders of individual projects may be independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).

Each project leader, including the overall lead PI, may lead no more than one project.

• ·       Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·       Supports studies that will yield highly impactful discoveries or major advancements in research and/or patient care.
• ·       Research must address one or more of the FY22 VRP Focus Areas.
• ·       Funding Level 1 supports exploratory, high-risk/
  high-reward research in the earliest stages of development.

o   Research must have the potential to yield new avenues of investigation, such as new approaches, new research tools, or new paradigms.

o   While preliminary data are not required, applicants must provide solid rationale of the research idea.

o   The investigating team must have sufficient expertise to test the idea.

• ·       Funding Level 2 supports the advancement of more mature research that has the potential to make significant advancements toward clinical translation.

o   Preliminary data supporting the readiness and feasibility of the proposed research are required. 

• ·       PI is responsible for selecting the funding level that is most appropriate for the research proposed. The funding level should be selected based on the stage of the research project, rather than the amount of the budget.

Clinical trials are not allowed.

Funding Level 1:

• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $260,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• ·    The maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Funding Level 2:

• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $750,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) – Preproposal due July 15, 2022

Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).

• ·       Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·       Supports studies that will yield highly impactful discoveries or major advancements in research and/or patient care.
• ·       Research must address one or more of the FY22 VRP Focus Areas.
• ·       Funding Level 1 supports exploratory, high-risk/
  high-reward research in the earliest stages of development.

o   Research must have the potential to yield new avenues of investigation, such as new approaches, new research tools, or new paradigms.

o   While preliminary data are not required, applicants must provide solid rationale of the research idea.

o   The investigating team must have sufficient expertise to test the idea.

• ·       Funding Level 2 supports the advancement of more mature research that has the potential to make significant advancements toward clinical translation.

o   Preliminary data supporting the readiness and feasibility of the proposed research are required. 

• ·       PI is responsible for selecting the funding level that is most appropriate for the research proposed. The funding level should be selected based on the stage of the research project, rather than the amount of the budget.
• ·       Clinical trials are not allowed.

Funding Level 1:

• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $260,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• ·    The maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Funding Level 2:

• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $750,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• ·    The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Translational Research Award (TRA) – Preproposal due July 15, 2022

Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).

• ·       Preproposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.
• ·       Supports translational research that moves promising laboratory research into clinical applications.
• ·       Research must address one or more of the FY22 VRP Focus Areas.
• ·       It is expected that an IND or IDE application will be submitted during or by the end of the period of performance.
• ·       Preliminary data are required.
• ·       May include, as a portion of the proposed research, a pilot clinical trial component that collects preliminary data to inform the feasibility, rationale, and design of subsequent clinical trials.
• ·    The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1,000,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• ·    The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.  All applications must conform to the final funding opportunity announcements available for downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP and other USAMRDC extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

For email notification when announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the VRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Help Desk
301-682-5507
help@eBrap.org

For more information, please contact Jill Sherman, International Research Facilitator, at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.

The Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (PATH) award provides $500,000 over five years to support accomplished investigators at the assistant professor level to study pathogenesis, with a focus on the interplay between human and microbial biology, shedding light on how human and microbial systems are affected by their encounters.

For more information, please contact Jill Sherman, International Research Facilitator, at  intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.