the specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• support policy research on how changes and/or different approaches to the financing, funding, organization, governance and/or delivery of health care systems and/or services and public health systems and/or services can impact the quadruple aim and health equity.
• advance the methods and/or measurement approaches for health policy research.
• mobilize diverse methodologies, multiple disciplines and perspectives, and knowledge mobilization approaches to generate evidence that is relevant and useful for policymakers.
• provide policymakers with evidence-informed, contextualized policy options to support high-performing health systems and/or services (in the health care and/or public health settings) that advance the quadruple aim and health equity.
• foster the creation of new or strengthening of existing partnerships and collaborations between researchers, policymakers and knowledge users with lived experience to align research with policy priorities by working together in pursuit of evidence-informed health systems transformation.

the specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• support the growth of emerging research foci and priorities that have the potential to advance the health and wellness of youth in canada;
• support the development of collaboration, both within the research community as well as with knowledge users, policy makers, youth, and other key partners, that will enhance interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches to research and knowledge mobilization; and
• build capacity, both in terms of the researcher career pathway, and the engagement of youth throughout the research process to enhance youth health research.

the forest sector investment and innovation program (fsiip) provides funding for strategic investments in the forest sector that:

• improve productivity and innovation
• enhance competitiveness
• support new market access
• provide benefits to ontario’s broader forest sector
• strengthen regional economies

the fy22 terp funding opportunity announcements for the following award mechanisms are posted on the grants.gov website. 

applications submitted to the fy22 terp must address one or more of the following program goals:

(not in order of importance)

1.     elucidate mechanisms of how toxic exposures result in adverse effects, including but not limited to toxicities, malignancies, neurologic and respiratory disorders, cardiac complications, sleep disorders, immune system dysfunction, gastrointestinal issues, etc. (list is not all inclusive).

• ·        understand the progression from acute toxicity to long-term illness (including but not limited to gulf war illness (gwi), cancers, respiratory conditions, parkinson’s disease and other neurologic disorders etc.).
• ·        evaluate genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and potential long-term and/or heritable outcomes.
• ·        identify biologic variables that can impact disease outcome including but not limited to sex, age, physical fitness or other modifiers.
• ·        identify risk factors/genetic predictors for various diseases/conditions that may occur as a result of toxic exposure.  
• ·        understand the role of inflammation and autoimmunity following toxic exposure and how it relates to disease/condition outcome and patient prognosis.
• ·        understand complex, multi-exposure combinations and how exposure impacts outcome.
• ·        address the need for pre-clinical models that capture the adverse outcomes of human toxic exposures.

2.     diagnose the effects of toxic exposures, understand the phenotypic/genotypic and clinical outcomes associated with short-term and long-term exposures and predict disease progression.

• ·            understand individual exposures and their links to individual disease outcomes.
• ·            identify behavioral factors (smoking, substance abuse etc.), co-morbidities and pre-existing medical conditions that may impact exposure outcomes.
• ·            develop diagnostic screens/assays for short-term and persistent/chronic toxic exposures (e.g., biomarkers).
• ·            predict long-term effects from single, intermittent or repetitive short-term exposures.

3.     predict and prevent toxic exposures by identifying strategies that can anticipate, identify, monitor and prevent service members and the american public from adverse effects of exposures to toxic substances.

• ·            identify all military service-related exposures across all environments that lead to adverse health effects.
• ·            advance exposure assessment methodologies, including but not limited to direct-reading and integrated measurements. 

4.     develop therapeutics, treatments and strategies to minimize symptoms and disease progression associated with toxic exposures.

• ·        evaluate existing treatments.
• ·        advance new treatments.

applications submitted to the fy22 terp must address one or more of the following topic areas:

(not in order of importance)

topic area: neurotoxin exposure

focus areas (not in order of importance)

1.     understand the relationship between toxic exposures and long-term neurologic disorders, including but not limited to parkinson's disease, alzheimer's disease or other neurologic disease phenotypes.

• ·            evaluation of complex exposures (e.g. multiple exposures over different timelines) is encouraged.

2.     elucidate basic mechanisms of neurotoxicity/neurodegeneration resulting from toxic exposures.

• ·            understanding molecular mechanisms of neurotoxin exposures and associated disease progression to identify novel therapeutic targets is encouraged.
• ·            exposures may include but are not limited to neurotoxins and prophylactic medications such as quinoline antimalarial drugs (e.g., mefloquine) and pyridostigmine bromide.

3.     predict, prevent and assess neurotoxin exposures.

• ·            development of approaches to assess historical exposures are encouraged.
• ·            identification of and tracking diverse exposures in military environments are encouraged.
• ·            development of immediate post exposure therapeutics to prevent toxic effects are encouraged.

4.     develop innovative treatments for people outside of the short-term therapeutic window following neurotoxin exposure.

5.     identify clinical signs and symptoms or biomarkers of chronic low-level neurotoxin exposures in order to provide effective therapeutics before permanent damage occurs.

6.     understand the relationship between neurotoxin exposures and concurrent and/or comorbid neurological and psychological disorders.

7.     other applications focused on neurotoxin exposure will also be considered as long as they address a terp program goal.

topic area: gulf war illness (gwi) and its treatment

focus areas (not in order of importance)

1.     rapidly advance effective treatments for ill gulf war (gw) veterans with an emphasis on those treatment regimens that can be repurposed and are readily and clinically available.

• ·            treatment studies proposing clinical and confirmatory studies using objective biomarkers to demonstrate efficacy are encouraged.
• ·            treatments that address symptoms and aim to improve quality of life and/or are individualized for patients are encouraged.
• ·            clinical trials with a clear description of transition plan and path forward with fda compliance to advance treatments are encouraged.

2.     identify and validate objective biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of gwi and its progression and/or for assessing treatment efficacy.

3.     evaluate the pathological and molecular mechanisms associated with gwi.

• ·            mechanistic studies having clear implications for translational studies that are relevant to humans are encouraged.
• ·            translational studies that have near term impacts on the ill gw veteran populations are encouraged.
• ·            mechanistic studies that consider the aging process and associated comorbidities are encouraged.

4.     evaluate non-pharmacologic treatments (e.g. therapies/programs/services) that will significantly benefit the quality of life for the gwi patient community.

5.     other applications focused on gwi and its treatment will also be considered as long as they address a terp program goal.

topic area: airborne hazards and burn pits

focus areas (not in order of importance)

1. develop noninvasive diagnostic screening, tests and assays that can differentiate among respiratory diseases/conditions.
2. improve exposure assessment methodologies to detect and understand respiratory exposures, associated risk of exposures and potential outcomes.
3. identify toxicants associated with airborne hazards and elucidate mechanisms of associated effects on human health. 

• ·        studies that focus on health outcomes of airborne/burn pit exposure on any/all bodily systems, including but not limited to respiratory, gastrointestinal, immune, neurologic and cardiac are encouraged.
• ·        studies that address long-term health outcomes associated with burn pit and airborne hazard exposure including but not limited to cancers (associated mechanisms of carcinogenesis/tumorigenesis), chronic respiratory issues or other diseases/conditions/symptoms that may occur are encouraged.
• ·        the use of big data and/or machine learning, including the linkage of multiple databases is encouraged.

4. determine long-term outcomes of toxic exposures associated with burn pits and other militarily relevant airborne hazards, focusing on longitudinal studies of service members and veterans.

5. understand clinical phenotypes associated with burn pit and airborne hazard exposure and integrate with exposure assessment data.

6. other applications focused on airborne hazards and burn pits will also be considered as long as they address a terp program goal.

topic area: other military service-related toxic exposures in general, including prophylactic medications, pesticides, organophosphates, toxic industrial chemicals, materials, metals, and minerals

focus areas (not in order of importance)

1.     understand the effects, impacts and outcomes of various timescale exposures (short-term, sub-chronic and chronic) and complex exposures (repeated and mixtures) as they pertain to multiple human biologic systems and pathways.

2.     elucidate mechanisms associated with direct (irritant) and systemic effects of exposure to chemicals, metals, materials and minerals.

3.     investigate mechanisms associated with neurotoxicity or other adverse outcomes associated with exposure to prophylactic medications including but not limited to, quinoline antimalarial drugs (e.g., mefloquine), pyridostigmine bromide, and novel compounds.

4.     evaluate long-term effects of military toxicant exposures in exposed human populations, including veterans.

5.     other applications focused on other military service-related toxic exposures will also be considered as long as they address a terp program goal.

the list below includes areas of encouragement that are recommended but not required and may apply to all of the above “other military service related toxic exposures” focus areas:

• ·       studies that address toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics are encouraged.
• ·       approaches to differentiate occupational vs. non-occupational exposures are encouraged.
• ·       development of treatment and therapeutic strategies for constellations of acute and chronic effects of toxic exposures that will have a near term impact on service members, veterans and the american public are encouraged.
• ·       applications to this topic area are encouraged (but not required) to address one or more of the exposures listed below. any proposed exposure must be relevant to military service members, veterans and/or the american public.

§  radiation and electromagnetic field (emf) exposures in combination with other exposures

§  toxic/rare earth metals

§  other metals

§  plastics, plasticizers, microplastics, di(2- ethylhexyl) phthalate (dehp) in plastics

§  toxic minerals, including asbestos

§  lipophilic toxicants, including legacy persistent organic pollutants

§  polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs)

§  perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (pfas) including new generation pfas (e.g., gen x), legacy pfas, or a combination of new and legacy pfas together

§  particulate matter (pm)

§  prophylactic medications

§  pesticides, nerve agents, herbicides and insect repellants, including but not limited to organophosphates and carbamates

§  endocrine disrupting chemicals

§  fuels and other petroleum products

funding opportunities - fy22 toxic exposures research program, congressionally directed medical research programs (cdmrp) (health.mil)

investigator-initiated research award (iira) – letter of intent due november 3, 2022

independent intramural (dod) and extramural investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).

• ·       letter of intent is required. an invitation to submit a full application is not required.
• ·       supports studies that will make an important contribution toward research and/or patient care for a disease or condition related to toxic exposures.
• ·       research projects may focus on any phase of research from basic laboratory research through translational research, including preclinical studies in animal models and human subjects, as well as correlative studies associated with an existing clinical trial.
• ·       impact is an important aspect of the iira.
• ·       must address at least one of the fy22 terp program goals.
• ·       must address at least one of the fy22 terp topic areas.
• ·       collaboration with military or va researchers and clinicians is encouraged.
• ·       preliminary data are required.
• ·       clinical trials are not allowed.
• ·       the maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $500,000 for direct costs.
• ·       indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.
• ·       the maximum period of performance is 3 years.

translational research award (tra) – letter of intent due november 3, 2022

extramural and intramural (dod) investigators at or above the level of assistant professor (or equivalent). partnering pi option: partnering extramural and/or intramural (dod) investigators at or above level of assistant professor (or equivalent).

• supports translational research that will accelerate the movement of promising ideas in toxic exposure research into clinical applications including health care products, interventions, technologies, and/or clinical practice guidelines.

• must address at least one of the fy22 terp program goals.

• must address at least one of the fy22 terp topic areas.

• participation of at least one military or veteran consumer as a member of the research team is strongly encouraged.

• collaboration with military or va researchers and clinicians is encouraged.

• preliminary data are required.

• clinical trials are not allowed.

• letter of intent is required; an invitation to submit full application is not required.

• partnering pi option: up to three principal investigators(pis) partner in one overarching study.

the maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $800,000 for direct costs.

• indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.

• the maximum period of performance is 3 years. partnering pi option:

• the maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1,600,000 for direct costs.

• indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.

• the maximum period of performance is 3 years.

clinical trial award (cta) – letter of intent due november 3, 2022

extramural and intramural (dod) investigators at or above the level of assistant professor (or equivalent). partnering pi option: partnering extramural and/or intramural (dod) investigator at or above level of assistant professor (or equivalent)

supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on the prevention, treatment or management of symptoms, diseases, or conditions associated with or resulting from toxic exposures.

• proposed projects may range from small proof-of-concept clinical trials (e.g., pilot, first-in-human, phase 0) to demonstrate feasibility or inform the design of more advance trials, through large-scale trials to determine efficacy in relevant patient populations.

• clinical trials may be designed to evaluate promising new products, pharmacologic agents(drugs or biologics), devices, clinical guidance, and/or emerging approaches and technologies.

• must address at least one of the fy22 terp program goals.

• must address at least one of the fy22 terp topic areas.

• participation of at least one military or veteran consumer as a member of the research team is strongly encouraged.

• collaboration with military or va researchers and clinicians is encouraged.’

• preliminary data are required. • preclinical research is not allowed.

• letter of intent is required; an invitation to submit full application is not required.

• partnering pi option: up to three principal investigators(pis) partner in one overarching study.

the maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1,500,000 for direct costs. • indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.

• the maximum period of performance is 4 years. partnering pi option:

• the maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $2,500,000 for direct costs.

• indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution’s negotiated rate agreement.

• the maximum period of performance is 4 years

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 funding opportunity announcements available for 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 cdmrp and other usamrdc extramural funding opportunities can be obtained on the grants.gov website by performing a basic search using cfda number 12.420. 

for email notification when announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “email subscriptions” on the ebrap homepage at https://ebrap.org.  for more information about the terp or other cdmrp-administered programs, please visit the cdmrp website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

point of contact:

cdmrp help desk

301-682-5507

help@ebrap.org

please contact jill sherman at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca for more information.

ohtn has launched a new call for the hiv endgame program.

the ohtn will offer five types of grants:

1. policy & practice leader grant: salary support for service providers and health care professionals with relevant and impactful plans to translate data and evidence into improved programs and care.
2. breaking new ground grant: project funding for innovative, high-reward projects that will break new ground and build evidence and programs to dramatically improve the prevention, treatment, and care cascade in ontario. this funding stream supports the piloting, evaluation, or scale up of hiv interventions
3. implementation science grant: project funding for the development of sustainable, effective hiv programs and services. this funding stream will support implementation science initiatives that will contribute to a rapid learning system for hiv.
4. community based project and participatory evaluation grant: support for community-based agencies, their staff, and people living with hiv to undertake projects, needs assessments, quality improvements, and evaluation activities that help develop and modify effective programs, services, and policies or generate data to make the case for additional hiv inquiry relevant to ontario’s needs.
5. incubator grant: project funding to establish high-risk, high-reward initiatives that will test, evaluate, and scale up innovative interventions and effective programs and services. the intervention should be solution-focused, ready for implementation, disruptive to the system, or act as accelerator to close gaps in hiv prevention, treatment, and care, and provide timely and early access to data. monthly uptake of proposals.

priorities

through a strategic planning process and stakeholder consultations, ohtn has identified seven priorities or key learning areas:

1. effective prep scale-up in ontario
2. population-focused prevention and health promotion
3. hiv testing
4. linkage, adherence, and retention in care
5. clinical care standards and capacity
6. integration of services
7. mental health and well-being of people living with and at risk of hiv (including stigma reduction)

please see grant application guidelines for additional priority areas.

review process

a diverse ohtn review committee will review and appraise every proposal submitted to the hiv endgame program. review criteria are included in the application guidelines.

important deadlines

loi application deadline: october 18, 2022 at 12pm est

results of loi: november 2022

full application deadline: january 16, 2023 at 12pm est

please review the application guidelines, as deadlines differ for each grant.

policy & practice leader

portugal – inesc tec international visiting researcher program (for researchers, including master’s and phd 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 )

applications are accepted on a rolling basis until filled, or no later than 30 november 2022. 

inesc tec is a private non-profit research association dedicated to achieving advancement in science and technology and to enable science-based innovation in the domains of computer science, industrial and systems engineering, networked intelligent systems, and power and energy.  inesc tec is holding its first call for international visiting researchers.  research stays can be for 1-3 months and must be completed by july 31, 2023.  a monthly allowance of 1450 euros will be provided. for call information, available research topics, and application information, click here: https://www.inesctec.pt/uploads/inline/20220809_call_inesctecvisitingresearcherprogramme.pdf

for more information, contact jill sherman, international research facilitator, at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.

the ontario institute for cancer research (oicr) window-of-opportunity (woo) network is inviting concept submissions for woo trials, which target the ‘window’ of time after cancer diagnosis, typically prior to initiation of cancer therapy (usually surgery with curative intent). in presurgical woo trials, patients with treatment naïve or early-stage disease are treated for a brief ‘window’ period with a novel therapy followed by surgical resection.
 
funding support is provided to prioritized trial concepts that meet funding criteria. investigators will present their concepts during the woo network meeting on thursday, february 9, 2023. once prioritized, further trial development is engaged, facilitated and iterative.
 
woo trial criteria

• design: multi-centre, presurgical randomized window trial with less than 100 patients
• disease: early-stage disease (newly diagnosed treatment naive or early recurrent cancer)
• drug: if drug intervention is considered, demonstrated drug safety profile is available, along with evidence of strong support of the trial concept and timely drug availability by industry partners
• feasibility: patient accrual completion within two years, with ethics approval and study start-up within six months after funding approval
• focus: immunomodulation with identification of novel biomarkers of immune response

eligibility

the woo network invites trial concepts from investigators at ontario academic centres and hospital research institutes. funding is only tenable in ontario. for profit entities are not eligible to receive oicr funding.  

the network is focused on building woo study capacity in ontario, and strongly encourages including early career investigators/clinicians as part of the study team.

funding available

successful woo trials will be funded to a maximum of $400,000. note that oicr does not provide overhead for clinical trials. funding is contingent upon available funding from the government of ontario via the ministry of colleges and universities.

ontario is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 species at risk stewardship program, part of the province’s continued action helping protect and recover species at risk and their habitats.

the species at risk stewardship program (sarsp) supports strong environmental stewardship by funding a diversity of projects that help protect and recover ontario’s species at risk. these projects are led by individuals, communities and groups across the province.

applications must be received electronically through transfer payment ontario (tpon) by 3:00 p.m. (et) on october 20, 2022.

all applicants are required to create a one-key account and to register for tpon. please follow the steps outlined online to access, register and submit for funding from the ontario government. we recommend completing these registration steps as soon as possible, as it may take up to five business days to be granted access.

once logged on to tpon, you can access the 2023-24 sarsp application form and supporting materials to complete and submit your project application. 

the 2023-2024 species at risk stewardship program guidelines can be accessed online through the listing of available funding opportunities webpage and are also attached here. the guidelines outline program requirements and other important details, including the annual funding priorities. applicants are asked to carefully read the guidelines before completing and submitting an application. 

for more information about the sarsp, please contact the species at risk stewardship program team at sar.stewardship@ontario.ca or call 705-313-2585.

building upon the original goals of the bwf preterm birth initiative, a recently convened pregnancy think tank has helped shape the next generation of bwf preterm birth awards. growing evidence suggests the interrelatedness of the duration of pregnancy, fetal growth, and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and maternal medical complications including maternal mortality.

other areas of interest are climate change and environmental impact on pregnancy, complications associated with art, and epigenome-wide association studies.

we seek to expand the scope of this award mechanism to capture these and other pregnancy outcomes as we believe they will be mutually informative and accelerate discovery. each award will continue to provide up to $500,000 over a four-year period ($125,000 per year).

the initiative is designed to stimulate both creative individual scientists and multi-investigator teams to approach healthy and adverse pregnancy outcomes using creative basic and translation science methods. the formation of new connections between reproductive scientists and investigators who are involved in other areas is particularly encouraged.

for more information, please contact jill sherman, international research facilitator, at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.