FY17 ERP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on Grants.gov.

The ERP’s mission is to fund research to understand the magnitude, and the underlying mechanisms of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE), especially in Service members and Veterans.

FY17 ERP Focus Areas:

Applications should also address at least one of the following FY17 Focus Areas. An application that proposes research outside of the FY17 Focus Areas is acceptable, as long as the applicant provides a strong rationale. The Focus Areas will be mechanism-specific.

FY17 ERP Focus Areas are as follows:

Epidemiology: Epidemiological characterization of PTE following TBI, which may include:

• Risk factors such as demographics, genetic factors, organic head injury factors, or type of insult
• Differentiation of PTE and Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES)
• Outcomes including latency to epilepsy, morbidities and comorbidities, and mortality
• Pre-existing conditions including psychological and psychiatric risk factors

Markers and Mechanisms: Identifying markers or mechanisms (via clinical prospective or preclinical models) that address PTE:

• Early detection
• Diagnosis
• Prognosis
• Morbidity
• Comorbidity
• Mortality
• Risk stratification

Models of PTE: Development of new models or better characterization of existing etiologically relevant models for PTE, including repetitive TBI.

Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: Exploration of the epidemiology, mechanisms, risk factors, or markers of PNES subsequent to TBI.

The following is a summary of the FY17 ERP Program Announcements. Two award mechanisms will be offered for FY17. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the Government.

http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/erp

Idea Development Award – Letter of Intent due September 6, 2017

Level I: The Principal Investigator must be at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow (or equivalent), but below the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
Level II: The Principal Investigator must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

Intent: To solicit research to understand the magnitude and underlying mechanisms of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Funding Level I is intended to support high-risk or high gain research. Funding Level II is intended to support a more mature, hypothesis-driven research project.
The following Focus areas are open to Level I:

• Epidemiology
• Markers and Mechanisms
• Models of PTE
• Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures

Preliminary data, while not required, are encouraged for both levels.

Research considering  on interventional clinical trials (e.g., pharmacological interventions) is strongly discouraged.

Level I:

• Maximum funding of $300,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 2 years.
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution's rate agreement.

Level II:

• Maximum funding of $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs).
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

·         Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution's rate agreement.

Epilepsy Risk Factors Award – Letter of Intent due September 6, 2017

The Principal Investigator must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

Intent:To conduct preliminary studies to support prospective, longitudinal epidemiological research relevant to the characterization of PTE. Study design should indicate how the research strategy can generate preliminary data capable of supporting larger, more complex studies.  The proposed study design may be either prospective or retrospective.  Applications should describe how the association of TBI and subsequent PTE will be characterized.

Applications should address at least one of the following Focus Areas:

• Epidemiology
• Markers and Mechanisms

Research considering a pharmacologic interventional clinical trials (e.g., pharmacological interventions) is strongly discouraged.

As part of the application process, all applicants are required to provide an Epidemiological Research Statement.

Preliminary data not required.

• Funding limit is $300,000 direct costs.
• Maximum period of performance is 2 years.

·         Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution's rate agreement.

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 Program Announcements and General Application Instructions that will be available for electronic 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 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

Applications must be submitted through the Federal Government’s single-entry portal, Grants.gov. For email notification when Program Announcements are released, go to the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil) and select “Subscribe to Funding Opportunities & Program Communications.” For more information about the ERP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (http://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

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

Insight Grants proposals are expected to respond to the objectives put forward in the call for proposals for the Insight program. Please see the Insight program description for more details.

Insight Grants support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. Funding is available to both emerging and established scholars for research initiatives of two to five years.

Stable support for long-term research initiatives is central to advancing knowledge. It enables scholars to address complex issues pertaining to individuals and societies, and to further our collective understanding.

The Insight Grants funding opportunity supports research proposed by scholars and judged worthy of funding by their peers and/or other experts. Insight Grant research initiatives may be undertaken by an individual researcher or a team of researchers working in collaboration.

Applicants choose from one of two streams, depending on the amount of funding required. Both streams will be adjudicated by the same committees, and will receive the same rigorous level of merit review. The deadlines and application process are identical for both; however, the targeted success rate for Stream A will be higher than that of Stream B.

SSHRC welcomes applications involving Aboriginal research, as well as those involving research-creation.

Please distribute to faculty. Mitacs Elevate is now accepting applications for two-year postdoctoral funding:

• $55,000 annual award (plus $7,500 per year non-cash value in training)
• Exclusive, customized professional development training
• Long-term collaborative research project with a non-academic partner

 
Deadlines:

• Letter of intent and Conflict of Interest declaration: June 7, 2017, at 5 p.m. PDT
  • Letters of intent are not required to submit applications
• Pre-review of draft applications: June 21, 2017, at 5 p.m. PDT
• Application: July 5, 2017, at 1 p.m. PDT
• Results announced: November 2017
• Projects must start by February 6, 2018

A limited number of fully funded fellowships are available. However, Mitacs strongly recommends that applicants confirm the availability of $5,000 per year from the academic supervisor before applying.

For questions or more information, please contact us at elevate@mitacs.ca.

Occupational Health, Safety and Prevention Innovation Program: Call for Proposals

The Ministry of Labour is pleased to announce the 2017-18 call for proposals for its Occupational Health, Safety and Prevention Innovation Program (OHSPIP).

OHSPIP’s objective is to support workplace-focused innovation projects and collaborative partnerships that lead to improvements in occupational health and safety in Ontario.

Program overview

Please note that this information is provided as an overview only; interested applicants should review the OHSPIP Guidelines for more information.

Project duration: up to 24 months
Funding available: maximum $100,000 annually, up to $200,000 per proposal (non-renewable). OHSPIP awards are one-time, non-renewable grants.

Program documents

• OHSPIP Guidelines
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Application Form

Program priorities

The 2017-18 OHSPIP will support initiatives that align with the following priorities:

Priority 1: Supporting workplace mental health

Promoting good psychological health and safety in the workplace – increasing employers’ capacity to promote workers’ psychological well-being and prevent harm to their psychological health.

Focus Areas:

• Training and education for occupations (e.g. first responders) where on-the-job traumatic mental stress/post-traumatic stress disorder can be prevalent.
• Development of programs or services to support workers dealing with mental health issues.

Priority 2: Mobile equipment hazards

Creating solutions that address the risks of working around vehicles and large pieces of mobile equipment, with a particular focus on reducing incidences of workers struck by tools, vehicles, equipment, falling/flying debris, or by any other object that could cause workplace injuries or fatalities.

Focus Areas:

• Training, raising awareness, and promoting best practices as they relate to:
  • Driver fitness (e.g. drug impairment, driver fatigue, driver stress)
  • Safety-related attitudes and behaviour (e.g. complacency, failure to properly signal)
  • Driver competency (e.g. road safety training, driving experience)
  • Vehicle factors (e.g. poor vehicle maintenance, automated vehicles)

Priority 3: Occupational disease

Addressing hazardous workplace exposures that result in occupational illnesses and fatalities.

Focus Areas:

• Training and education, raising awareness, and promoting best practices as they relate to hazardous workplace exposures, specifically focusing on:
  • Diesel engine exhaust
  • Emerging exposures (e.g. nanotechnology)
  • Lung and skin allergens or irritants
  • Noise
• The surveillance of occupational disease and hazardous exposures in Ontario workplaces.
• The measurement and collection of hazardous exposure data from workplaces.

Priority 4: Secondary injury prevention

Reducing the impact of a workplace injury after it has occurred, preventing recurrences, and protecting workers from longer-term work-related disabilities.

Focus Areas:

• Development of tools and strategies to help injured workers avoid re-injury.
• Development of programs and supports to assist injured workers in returning to full health

Post-Ph.D. Research Grants

Post-Ph.D. Research Grants are awarded to individuals holding a Ph.D. or equivalent degree to support individual research projects. The program contributes to the Foundation's overall mission to support basic research in anthropology and to ensure that the discipline continues to be a source of vibrant and significant work that furthers our understanding of humanity's cultural and biological origins, development, and variation. The Foundation supports research that demonstrates a clear link to anthropological theory and debates, and promises to make a solid contribution to advancing these ideas. There is no preference for any methodology, research location, or subfield. The Foundation particularly welcomes proposals that employ a comparative perspective, can generate innovative approaches or ideas, and/or integrate two or more subfields.

Fejos Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ethnographic Film

Fejos Postdoctoral Fellowships in Ethnographic Film support the completion of ethnographic film/s based on anthropological research already accomplished by the applicant. Fellowships are awarded to scholars in the earlier stages of their careers, when they frequently lack the time and resources to develop their research in the form of ethnographic film. Scholars who have received a Ph.D. or equivalent within ten years of the application deadline are eligible to apply. A maximum of four full Fejos Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded annually.

Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowships

Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowships support the writing-up of already completed research. The fellowship is awarded to scholars in the earlier stages of their careers, when they frequently lack the time and resources to develop their research for publication.  Scholars with a Ph.D. in hand for no more than ten years (from the application deadline) are eligible to apply. A maximum of eight Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded annually.

A limited number of Travel Awards to PhD or MD/PhD students, and post-doctoral/medical/clinical fellows are available. The purpose of this program is to defray the travel costs associated with making a scientific presentation as a first author or presenter at a conference, symposium or other appropriate professional meeting.

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.

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 with researchers, students and non-academic partners from other countries.

Canadian Blood Services is pleased to announce its 2017 Transfusion Medicine Research Program Support Award competition. The objective of the Transfusion Medicine Research Program Support Award is to promote national excellence in transfusion science and medicine in service of Canadian patients.

For detailed information about the competition, please refer to www.blood.ca. The deadline is March 5 2017 to submit a registration form as an indication of your intent to submit an application. Applications will be due April 15 2017.