qualified researchers are invited to submit proposals for knowledge synthesis in the following areas:

• quality indicators for the care of seriously ill, frail elderly patients
• strategies for patient/family and caregiver engagement in the health care system
• advance care planning -- methods of implementation, including approaches that consider the diversity of patients such as cultural issues and health literacy
• advance care planning -- impact of acp on patient-centred outcomes, including patient/family satisfaction and consumption of health care resources

the maximum amount for each grant is $50,000 for nine months, and is non-renewable. tvn will fund a minimum of 3 proposals, and potentially more if proposals meet the evaluation criteria and are highly aligned with tvn's research priorities. all forms of knowledge synthesis are eligible.

- see more at: http://www.tvn-nce.ca/funding-opportunities/2014-knowledge-synthesis-gra...

strategic impact grant program

tvn is seeking qualified researchers with potential projects that are also interested in achieving greater impact by collaborating with other like-minded researchers and projects, and partnering with industry partners, knowledge users and trainees on a wider basis. for this new, collaborative program, specific themes have been selected targeting patient-centred outcomes with the potential for significant impact. for full details, click here.

expressions of interest (eoi) are due wednesday, march 5, but to apply you must first register your intent to submit an eoi online by wednesday, february 26 at 12 noon est.

- see more at: http://www.tvn-nce.ca/funding-opportunities/#sthash.shsula6c.dpuf

the environmental studies research fund (esrf) has launched a call for letters of interest to identify research organizations to perform research related to the environmental and socio-economic considerations of hydrocarbon exploration and production in canada’s north and atlantic offshore. letters of interest will be accepted until february 21st, 2014, and must fall under one of the four research priority areas identified for this call for letters of interest and described in details in the loi guide.

feasibility, cost, and environmental impact of a biojet fuel supply chain in canada

1.     background

biofuelnet canada (bfn) is a multi-disciplinary network funded by the federal network of centres of excellence (nce) program, focusing on four biofuel-related themes: feedstock, conversion, utilization and social, economic & environmental sustainability (sees). the present call for proposals falls primarily in the sees area.

bfn will provide this support in the context of a transport canada project, the clean transport initiative (cti). the project was awarded to novo energy group, on behalf of a team comprising of four firms:

• bfn, who will provide technical expertise on regional aviation biofuels capability and potential in canada
• skynrg, a netherlands based biojet firm whose cofounders are klm royal dutch airlines, argos oil and spring associates, will provide expertise on the technical, environmental, and economic understanding gained from numerous other international biojet supply chain projects
• waterfall advisors group (waterfall), a bc-based firm with expertise in the canadian and north american biofuels industry, is the team lead to direct research and analysis and the development of deliverables
• novo energy group, an ottawa based firm with expertise in aviation fuel procurement, logistics, and management, is the project manager

the cti project is a type 1 evidenced based study (trl 3-4) to define the feasibility and characteristics of potential regional biojet supply chains in canada. the study will enable canadian industry to help prioritize investment decisions. specifically, the project will identify assessment criteria for road mapping each element of the supply chain, including feedstocks, production, logistics options, costing, and risks. this project will help canadian industry take concrete steps towards the introduction of a biojet fuel supply chain.

2.     grants available

one grant of $60,000 is available from the period of award to 31 march 2015. it is expected that most deliverables will be provided before 8 october 2014.

3.     goals of the project

the primary objectives of the cti study are to:

• characterize canadian regional capacities for biojet production and supply chain development
• structure a biojet supply chain partnership model
• deploy a pre-commercial supply chain strategy
• determine enabling conditions for biojet supply chain (competitiveness with other jurisdictions and market access)
• relate applicability of this research to other transport canada priority sectors, marine and rail

eligible applicants

this call invites applicants – at least one industrial partner from ontario and at least one industrial partner from israel – to propose shared research projects for the development of innovative products or processes. the maximum duration of a project is 24 months. special consideration will be given to projects in the following four areas:

• bio-economy and clean technologies
• advanced health technologies
• pharmaceutical research and manufacturing
• digital media and information and communication technologies

funding

successful ontario applicants are eligible to receive up to $300,000 cad or up to 50% of the r&d costs of technology-based products and processes (whichever is less) from the ministry of research and innovation (mri) through ciirdf to fund the ontario portion of each project.

successful israeli applicants are eligible to receive funding from the office of the chief scientist (ocs), ministry of industry, trade and labor, israel (moital), to support the israel portion of the project under the oicp. the level of funding will be determined by the r&d review committee of the ocs.   

how to apply

ciirdf and the ocs will conduct parallel application processes. ontario and israel companies are required to submit a joint application directly to ciirdf. israeli applicants are further required to apply directly to the ocs.

under this program, university researchers can participate as collaborators.

ontario industry and academic research partners are invited to participate in research and development (r & d) projects through ontario centres of excellence’s voucher for industry association r&d challenge program. this opportunity is supported by oce, on behalf of the ontario ministry of research and innovation, canadian manufacturers and exporters (cme) and the natural sciences and engineering research council of canada (nserc).

this $2-million “made in ontario” advanced manufacturing r&d challenge is intended to address sector challenges and lead to increased productivity and commercialization with significant economic benefit for ontario (jobs, revenues, etc.) and program partners.

- see more at: http://www.oce-ontario.org/programs/collaboration-voucher-program/via/-m...

the careg program will support short-term exchanges between canadian and african universities and research institutes that address one or more of idrc’s program areas through:

(a) the development of new action-oriented research and training collaborations or the strengthening and broadening of existing ones; and

(b) the improvement of african and canadian researchers’ knowledge and know-how.

canadian water network (cwn) is soliciting proposals to examine the relative merits of methods and research approaches for integrating traditional and western knowledge to inform water management in first nation, inuit, and métis communities.

the goal of this work is to better equip those with an interest in effective design and execution of initiatives to integrate traditional and western knowledge to inform water decisions, increasing the value of results for first nations, inuit and métis communities.

one team will ultimately be selected to conduct this one-year “knowledge integration” project. the objectives of the project will be to: a) capture and document the relative merits of approaches to integrating traditional and western knowledge within research initiatives addressing management of watersheds and related water systems (e.g., drinking water, wastewater, stormwater) in first nation, inuit, and métis communities across canada; and, b) assess the success of the various approaches taken for informing decisions and actions related to water management challenges. specifically, the team will be asked to:

• identify past and ongoing water management-related research across all relevant disciplines that has attempted to include traditional knowledge, using cwn-funded research as a starting point and extending to research outside the cwn network;
• summarize methods and models used within the research reviewed to integrate traditional and western knowledge;
• examine and highlight the divergent perspectives and approaches within and between first nation, inuit, and métis communities that are important considerations for effective integration of traditional and western knowledge;
• present evidence demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of each method and model studied for creating value for first nation, inuit, and métis communities in response to water management challenges; and,
• provide recommendations for future research approaches integrating traditional and western knowledge to achieve maximum benefit for informing decision making within first nation, inuit, and métis communities. 

funding for phd candidate and postdoctoral fellow projects to be carried out in kiel, germany:

the cluster of excellence “the future ocean” is a network of researchers from seven faculties of the kiel university, two research institutes, geomar helmholtz centre for ocean research kiel and leibniz institute for the world economy (ifw), as well as the muthesius academy of fine arts and design (mkhs), all located in kiel, germany.

the cluster’s mission is to use the results of multidisciplinary research to predict the future of the earth’s marine environment. this includes understanding changes to the past and present ocean as well as the interaction between society and the ocean in regard to marine resources, services and risks.

this mission carries with it an obligation to develop and assess scientifically-based global and regional ocean governance options, including their legal, economic and ethical aspects. the cluster uses innovative and suitable means to share its findings with the international scientific community, stakeholders, decision makers, civil society and the public at large.