Notice – Potential announcements of opportunity for science investigations relating to human health risks in space

1. Purpose

To achieve the goal of enabling future human long space missions on the International Space Station (ISS) and beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), research initiatives are needed to better understand the health risks associated with spaceflight and to develop countermeasures that mitigate these risks. The purpose of this Advanced Notice (AN) is to inform the Canadian academic community that the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) intends to proceed with the posting of three Announcements of Opportunity (AOs) as part of its Grants and Contributions (G&C) Program.

2. Objectives

In line with the vision and priorities stated in the new Space Strategy for Canada - to realize the full potential of the Canadian space sector to be a leader in exploration, science excellence and innovation and deliver socio-economic benefits to improve life for all Canadians, to enable scientific opportunities and global partnerships, and to harness space to solve everyday challenges for Canadians - the intent of these AOs will be to provide financial support to researchers in Canadian Universities and post-secondary institutions to conduct science investigations that will lead to a better understanding of human spaceflight risks while contributing to improve remote medicine and health care benefits here on Earth.

More specifically, the CSA seeks to:

• Create an opportunity for new space life science experiments to generate new knowledge and insight into the risks of human space flight to keep astronauts healthy in space;
• Expand the range of research expertise that is applied to research on human spaceflight health risks;
• Advance understanding of similar health issues or applications on Earth, that could contribute to improving health care for Canadians;
• Foster training of highly qualified personnel in space HLS.

The following three AOs are considered:

• Health and Life Sciences (HLS) Data and Sample Mining: Scientific analysis using existing data sets or biological samples generated from previous studies
  • Maximum amount per project: up to $70,000
  • Maximum duration of the project: up to one (1) year
• HLS Research Models: Non-human research models (examples: organoids, organ-on-a-chip, model organisms) for investigations of space-related health risks (e.g. radiation, medical countermeasures) to expand research approaches.
  • Maximum amount per project: up to $150,000
  • Maximum duration of the project: up to two (2) years
• Human Analog Studies: Human-subject space analog studies that reproduce one or more aspects of the space environment, such as variable gravity, inactivity, physiological fluid shifts, isolation, or confinement.
  • Maximum amount per project: up to $200,000
  • Maximum duration of the project: up to two (2) years