The goal of this DSEN funding opportunity is to increase the capacity of the Canadian health research community to produce high-quality graduates capable of addressing major issues and/or research challenges in post market drug safety and effectiveness.

The specific objectives are to:

1. Support the development of a training program that improves the mentoring and training environment for health researchers in post market drug safety and effectiveness.

   The training program should be national in scope and address a national curriculum accessible through a Web portal. It should meet or exceed the standards for best practices in the mentoring and training of researchers. It should bring added value compared to what can be achieved by funding trainees from individual operating grants or by individual awards directly to trainees. It should be contemporary in design, effective in bringing trainees of diverse backgrounds to a common understanding, and internationally competitive.

2. Support the development of skills for collaborative team research by bringing researchers together to address major issues and/or research challenges.

   The training programs should provide deep knowledge and technical skills, and develop an ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a breadth of disciplines and professions relevant to the area of post market drug safety and effectiveness.

3. Support the development of well-rounded post-market drug safety and effectiveness researchers by integrating training on:

   1. professional skills such as communication, teamwork, project management, leadership, grant writing and peer review.
   2. knowledge translation; and
   3. the ethical conduct of research and related ethical issues

Objectives

Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by supporting the purchase of research equipment.

Description

RTI Grants are one-year awards of up to $150,000 that assist in the purchase or fabrication of research equipment with a net cost between $7,001 and $250,000 (excluding taxes, shipping and handling). The research community is also encouraged to explore other avenues for funding research tools and instruments, including NSERC's other programs that include the purchase of equipment as eligible expenses, such as Discovery Grants.

NSERC has just announced this year's competition for the RTI Grants Program. The RTI application system will continue to have each institution being assigned a quota of applications that they can submit to NSERC's national competition (October 25 deadline). Under this system, Lakehead University has been assigned a quota of four applications. Therefore, in preparation for the fall RTI competition, Lakehead University faculty members are invited to submit complete RTI grant application packages (main application completed in the NSERC Research Portal, along with CCVs of the applicant and co-applicants) no later than September 14, 2015 to Research Services. Applicants and co-applicants must each currently hold or be applying for an NSERC research grant (Discovery, Strategic Partnerships, Collaborative Research and Development, Canada Research Chairs, Canada Excellence Research Chair) at the time of application.

If more than four applications are received, all of the submissions will be appraised and ranked according to NSERC's RTI evaluation criteria by an equipment and infrastructure sub-committee of the SRC. Subject to final approval by the Vice-President (Research, Economic Development and Innovation), the FOUR applications receiving the highest ranking will be submitted to NSERC by the October 25, 2015 deadline.

Connection Grants support events and outreach activities geared toward short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives. These events and activities represent opportunities to exchange knowledge and to engage on research issues of value to those participating. Events and outreach activities funded by a Connection Grant may often serve as a first step toward more comprehensive and longer-term projects potentially eligible for funding through other SSHRC funding opportunities.

Connection Grants proposals are expected to meet the objectives of the Connection program. The objectives of the Connection program are to:

• facilitate the multidirectional flow of social sciences and humanities knowledge among researchers and between the campus and the larger community, in order to enhance intellectual, cultural, social and economic influence, benefit, and impact;
• increase the accessibility and use of social sciences and humanities research knowledge among academic and non-academic audiences;
• support the building of reciprocal relationships among social sciences and humanities researchers, and between social sciences and humanities researchers and those in a position to either co-create or use research knowledge; 
• support the development of social sciences and humanities research networks and tools designed to facilitate scholarly work; and
• make such networks and tools more accessible to non-academic audiences.

Connection Grants support workshops, colloquiums, conferences, forums, summer institutes or other events or outreach activities that facilitate:

• disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary exchanges in the humanities and social sciences;
• scholarly exchanges between those working in the social sciences and humanities and those working in other research fields; 
• intersectoral exchanges between academic researchers in the humanities and social sciences and researchers and practitioners from the public, private and/or not-for-profit sectors; and/or
• international research collaboration and scholarly exchanges between researchers, students and non-academic partners from other countries.

The Discovery Grants Program supports ongoing programs of research (with long-term goals) rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances. Discovery Grants are considered ‘grants in aid’ of research as they provide long term operating funds to support the costs of a research program. As a grant in aid of research, Discovery Grants are not meant to support the full costs of a research program and they can facilitate access to funding from other programs. NSERC recognizes that, while being of a grant in aid nature, Discovery Grants must be sufficient to support a program of quality research that can have a meaningful impact on the field of study.

Recipients of Discovery Grants are not restricted to the specific activities described in their applications, but may pursue new research interests, provided they are within NSERC’s mandate. This provides researchers with the flexibility to pursue promising research avenues as they emerge and the opportunity to address higher-risk (higher reward) topics. Researchers can use their grants to participate in collaborative efforts. 

Funding Opportunities Available under this Program:

•          Exceptional Responders Award 
•          Idea Development Award
•          Impact Award
•          Dr. Barbara Terry-Koroma Health Disparity Research Award
•          Physician Research Training Award
•          Postdoctoral Training Award

These opportunities have various deadlines. The earliest one is June 25, 2015.

Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD) is launching a call for proposals to support the growth and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine. This call is valued at as much as $30 million over a period of six years (2015–2021) and is open to Canadian organizations or Canadian-led consortia only, which could include partnership with Canadian provinces and/or Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora organizations.

The deadline for proposal submissions is August 4, 2015, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time (UTC-5).

Scope: The aim of the Call is to reduce and prevent malnutrition and food-related chronic illnesses, in ways that are environmentally sustainable. The main objective is to explore and understand public policy interventions and market innovations that improve the quality and diversity of food and enable adoption of healthy and sustainable diets among vulnerable populations.