Operating Grant : Indigenous COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity

Eligibility: 

This funding opportunity seeks applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or provide evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples in order to:

  1. Prioritize First Nations, Inuit, Métis and/or Urban Indigenous Peoples and communities in leading their research agendas;
  2. Promote cultural safety* of Indigenous Peoples and appropriate engagements by researchers working with Indigenous Peoples in meaningful ways to ensure that respectful relations are established;
  3. Add value to the research through the use of Indigenous culturally relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and Indigenous culturally relevant research protocols, including Indigenous methodologies; and
  4. Promote equity and development of trainees, researchers and knowledge users who identify as Indigenous.     

Eligibility to Apply

For an application to be eligible:

  1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be:
    1. an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.

      OR

    2. an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.

      OR

    3. an individual (an independent researcher or a knowledge user) affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation) at the time of funding.

      OR

    4. an individual (an independent researcher or a knowledge user) working in a municipal, provincial or territorial government in Canada where the activity which forms the subject matter of the funding is not being funded by specific programs of those municipal, provincial and territorial governments.
  2. The team must include at least one (1) team member from each of the following categories:
    1. an Indigenous Elder and/or an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper** identified on the application as a Principal Knowledge User or Knowledge User.
    2. a Sex and Gender Champion with experience in meaningful and culturally safe sex and gender-based analysis or gender diversity in Indigenous communities identified on the application in any role.
  3. The Nominated Principal Applicant and Sex and Gender Champion must have successfully completed one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a Certificate of Completion. Select and complete the training module most applicable to your project. Applicants are encouraged to review "How to integrate sex and gender in research", "Why Sex and Gender Need to be Considered in COVID-19 Research", and "Meet the Methods Series: Quantitative intersectional study design and primary data collection", as well as consult the evaluation criteria. See How to Apply for more details.
  4. An organization or individual can only submit one application as a Nominated Principal Applicant within this competition. If the Nominated Principal Applicant submits more than one application, CIHR will automatically withdraw the last application(s) submitted based on time-stamp of submission.

Note: CIHR will monitor and manage Identical/Essentially Identical Applications submitted to any ongoing funding opportunities. Applications that are currently under review cannot be submitted to additional competitions.

How to Apply: 

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

  • Research, identify, address and/or share best and wise program and policy practices, and/or critical knowledge gaps, including the collection and management and analysis of high-quality and real-time data, related to addressing the immediate impacts and future consequences of COVID-19, among distinct Indigenous populations, communities and individuals;
  • Research and enable a comprehensive and timely understanding of the implications and impact of COVID-19, including emerging variants and the long COVID condition, within distinct Indigenous communities, and their relevance for public health, health systems and policy;
  • Identify, implement, evaluate and/or share culturally safe, distinctions-based and Indigenous-led and/or Indigenous community-led solutions to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, among Indigenous communities;
  • Accelerate distinctions-based and Indigenous-led and/or Indigenous community-led research and knowledge mobilization activities related to COVID-19 within the context of Indigenous health while supporting Indigenous community capacity development in research and knowledge mobilization; and
  • Expand or adapt existing programs and infrastructure, in Indigenous communities to support capacity development of Indigenous communities to design, lead, and meaningfully participate in culturally safe responses to the current COVID-19 pandemic and/or future pandemic preparedness.

To be considered relevant, the application must address at least one of the objectives.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity will support projects relevant to one or more of the following research areas:

  • Indigenous Peoples' Understanding and Experience with Respect to COVID-19, including strengths-based and/or cultural responses grounded in Indigenous Knowledges and self-determination; intersections with, and impact on, on-going health, social, economic and climate crises; and/or perspectives of (or participation in) vaccine research and/or campaigns, and epidemiological investigations and other studies.
  • Delivering COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, Vaccination, Self-Isolation and Other Management Practices and Policies Related to Indigenous Peoples and the COVID-19 Pandemic, including culturally safe approaches and challenges.
  • Culturally Safe COVID-19 Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery for Indigenous Peoples,including design, delivery and/or dissemination of programs and services that are grounded in Indigenous Knowledges, self-determination, and local community context.
  • Emerging Issues Related to COVID-19 in Indigenous Communities, including understanding and responding to variants of interest and variants of concern, the long COVID condition, vaccine confidence, Indigenous data sovereignty, mental health and substance use, food security, housing, and complex trauma. Conducting research or mobilizing knowledge that is meaningful and culturally safe and that strengthens capacity to respond to and recover from COVID-19, and prevent and prepare for subsequent pandemics and other health emergencies is encouraged.
External Deadline: 
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
URL: 

https://www.researchnet-recherchenet.ca/rnr16/vwOpprtntyDtls.do?prog=355...

Agency: 
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Funding Source: 
External
Funding Level: 
Research