Operating Grant : CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research

Applications must ensure relevance to all objectives:

• To enable a comprehensive and timely understanding of the biological, clinical, social, and population health implications of emerging SARS-CoV-2 VOCs and their relevance for public health, health systems and policy through the establishment of an interdisciplinary CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research;
• To provide an integrated platform within Canada to coordinate across different research areas that focus on emerging VOCs research through coordination across different disciplines and pillars of research and integrating surveillance efforts through a sustained collaboration/partnership with the VOCN and other relevant local, national, and international partners; and
• To swiftly provide high-quality and real-time data on urgent and emerging research priorities in support of Canada rapid response to emerging SARS-COV2 variants, through building and activating as needed, a rapid response capacity in Canada which can coordinate and conduct all aspects of VOC related research.

Key Design Components

The CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research funded through this call must expand existing national networks, infrastructures and relationships with local and international partners in order to leverage efforts and increase timeliness, efficiency, and impact of research on the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. The areas listed below are key design components for the network:

• Governance: A plan for enhancing coordination and engagement among and with the existing networks and organizations to maximize research impact. This should include but not be limited to the VOCN, the emerging and existing variants related research networks, and other relevant local, national, and international partners. The governance plan should ensure a mechanism for establishing an ongoing research priority-setting process, including to timely inform how and when the rapid response capacity will be activated to swiftly respond to emerging research priorities, while engaging key stakeholders across sectors. The governance plan should include concrete strategy for integration of external advice, including from the Leadership Committee that is being formed by CIHR and other federal partners on the overall Canadian Strategy for Variant Response, and to ensure the CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research governance and research upholds principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Interdisciplinary approach: The CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research will build upon interactions with existing national and provincial networks and initiatives, and through the inclusion of the new networks emerging from other arms of CIHR’s SARS-CoV-2 variant research response (CIHR Supplement Stream 2) to address the issue of emerging VOC through an integrated interdisciplinary approach. The individual teams and networks that get integrated into the national network may span a broad range of research areas and pillars and may include, but not limited to, in silico modelling, functional genomics, in vitro and in vivo characterization, immunological and vaccine protection assessment, and health systems, public health and social policy impacts.
• Resource and Data Sharing: A plan for active collaboration and coordination across member networks to ensure resources are in place within member networks to support objectives of the funding. This plan should include strategies to enable and accelerate data and samples sharing, and increase efficiencies in research related processes, including but not limited to ethics review; contracts; sharing agreements; common protocols. This should also include a plan for applying the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) to the data management strategy. The Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA) CARE principles (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility and Ethics) should be integrated to aspects pertaining to Indigenous data governance
• International Linkages: A plan for liaison activities with like-minded international networks (e.g., those supported through GISAID) and consortiums (e.g., COG-UK, SPHERES) focused on SARS-CoV2 variants research and their biological, health system and public health implications to maximize the impact and international visibility of the CIHR Network for Emerging Variants, and reduce duplication of efforts internationally.
• Patient and Citizen Engagement: The CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research must include meaningful mechanisms for patients/citizens/informal care providers' engagement in core activities and governance.
• Indigenous Network: The CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research must show a plan on how it will work collaboratively with the Indigenous Variants Network.
• Capacity Building at a Pan-Canadian Level: The CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research will play a facilitation and coordination role, adding a multidisciplinary, inter-professional, and cross-jurisdictional element to research training and mentorship activities in SARS-CoV2 variants research.
• Knowledge Mobilization: In collaboration with network partners and existing Canadian networks, the CIHR Network for Emerging Variants Research will provide a plan to mobilize knowledge being generated within and across the members to maximize the impacts of research.

Applicants must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by email to EHTRF-FRNMS@cihr-irsc.gc.ca no later than 8:00 p.m. (EST) on February 18, 2021. Note that this task is mandatory to be eligible to submit a full application.