Sponsor
Canadian Cancer Society (CCS)
Program
Accelerator Grants
For More Information
For additional information, please visit the Canadian Cancer Society site for
- Program guidelines
- Application forms
- Evaluation criteria
Description
This program aims to support 1-2 year research grants that will accelerate the application of high-quality evidence that addresses an unmet need and is meaningful to people affected by cancer. The overarching goal of this funding program is to accelerate the application of high-quality evidence that is meaningful to people affected by cancer in the near term (i.e. 2-5 years). In other words, this funding opportunity is intended to stimulate the implementation of evidence-based programs, practices, and policies (i.e. interventions), within 2-5 years, that will improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
The ultimate objective of an application to this funding opportunity should be to fill a critical gap and demonstrate relevance to a cancer-affected population (people at risk of cancer, patients, caregivers, survivors, etc.). This program requires teams to be inclusive of relevant stakeholders and adopt a co-creation/co-production approach to the research. The application must clearly address the relevant population’s needs and take into consideration specific intersections (e.g. geographic, economic, racial) as appropriate.
Applications must be relevant to at least one of the following goals:
- Preventing cancer in Canada
- Detecting and diagnosing cancer earlier in Canada
- Enhancing the duration and quality of life for people diagnosed with cancer in Canada
- Increasing the number of people in Canada who have equitable access to timely, affordable, and high-quality cancer prevention and/or care
Through CCS Accelerator Grants, we will support research that addresses one of the following:
- Synthesis Grants: Applications that aim to synthesize existing evidence (both qualitative and quantitative) to conclusively identify unmet cancer-related needs, identify research gaps, or to pool existing evidence to determine implementation strategy effectiveness. The expectation is that funded syntheses would contribute to informing decisions about programs, procedures, practices, or policies that will be meaningful to people affected by cancer.
- Implementation Science Grants: Applications that aim to identify, assess, develop and evaluate strategies that can influence the adoption, implementation and sustainment of validated, efficacious, reproducible, and needed evidence-based interventions - including programs, practice guidelines and policies (or conversely, de-implementation of ineffective, contradicted, mixed, and untested (i.e. potentially harmful) health interventions)
Note that any syntheses or implementation strategies (including tools, tactics, or frameworks) developed through this program must be made freely available for use by others.
Research teams must include relevant stakeholders as integral members of the team:
- A Principal Investigator who meets the eligibility criteria, and a research team with the appropriate expertise and experience, including with the proposed methodology, the evidence-based intervention (where relevant), and with the community being engaged
- Patients/Survivors/Caregivers – that is, representatives of affected populations (e.g. people at risk of cancer, patients, caregivers, survivors, etc.) must be integrally involved (i.e. through integrated knowledge translation, participatory, and co-creation methodologies) from the outset and should be reflective of the intended recipients of the (eventual – for synthesis grants) evidence-based practice or intervention. Characteristics and intersections of sub-populations should be carefully considered to ensure fair representation. Teams may consult the CIHR Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research – Patient Engagement Framework for guidance on meaningful engagement.
- Implementers and decision-makers – the individuals who will (ultimately) be implementing the evidence-based practice (e.g. healthcare, community-based or other practitioners, policy makers) – must be integrally involved from the outset of the project and must demonstrate their interest in, and commitment to, implementation (through cash or in-kind contributions, letters of support detailing value and use of research findings). Where relevant, implementers and decision-makers may hold the role of Co-PI.
- For applications involving First Nations, Inuit, Métis and/or Urban Indigenous communities, the Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator must self-identify as Indigenous or provide evidence of meaningful and culturally safe engagement with Indigenous communities. The involvement of Indigenous Elders and/or Knowledge Keepers is encouraged.
- Involvement of CCS Mission staff (see below for details). Researchers interested in connecting with CCS mission leaders can email CCS to begin a dialogue. Note that engagement of CCS staff in grant applications will not influence the peer review process.
- A detailed Terms of Reference for all members of the team will be required as part of the application process and regular check-ins by CCS staff throughout the duration of funding will confirm appropriate engagement of stakeholders.
Examples of eligible projects include (but are not limited to):
- A synthesis of models of post-treatment cancer survivorship care in low-income communities in Canada
- Development, implementation, and evaluation of a community engagement strategy to enhance uptake of colorectal cancer screening in a rural population
- Development, implementation, and evaluation of a training program for clinicians to adopt a clinical practice guideline for lung cancer patients
- Development, implementation, and evaluation of a tool to de-implement routine (primary) Pap testing in favour of HPV testing for cervical cancer screening in women 30-65 (US example)
Implementation science grants may not be used to develop, adapt, or test the effectiveness of clinical or other interventions themselves. Synthesis grants can be used to determine the effectiveness of existing clinical or other interventions.
Eligibility
An applicant must hold a firm academic position (as a primary appointment) which allows the individual to engage in independent research activities for the duration of the project and includes the ability to supervise trainees and publish research results.
A researcher designated as the Principal Investigator must be based in, or formally affiliated with, an eligible Canadian Host Institution such as a university, research institute or health care agency. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, Adjunct Professors or Status only appointments (except where they hold a firm academic position at another Canadian institution), technical support staff, or investigators based outside of Canada are not eligible to be a Principal Investigator. Both the Principal Investigator and executive authorities of the Host Institution are required to agree to the terms of the Host Institution/Canadian Cancer Society Agreement included as part of the application, thereby acknowledging and agreeing to all the responsibilities and obligations outlined in that Agreement.
The person named as the PI remains the PI on a grant for the duration of the grant unless given express permission by the Canadian Cancer Society.
Funding Availability
- Funding will be available for:
- Up to $100k per synthesis grant over 1-2 yrs (max $50k/yr)
- Up to $200k per implementation science grant over 1-2 yrs (max $100k/yr) - Up to $1.6M may be awarded in this funding envelope.
Indirect Costs
0%
Project Duration
1-2 Years
Special Notes
Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page.
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
External Deadline | Registration is mandatory: Applicant to create and submit Registration through the online portal EGrAMS See the abstract registration guide for more details. | |
Internal Deadline | Application: Applicant to submit a copy of application along with a complete OR5 form to: research.services@uoguelph.ca | |
External Deadline | Application: Applicant to complete and submit application via EGrAMS |
Information For Co-applicants
If you need to meet a deadline set by the lead institution for this opportunity, please ensure that you provide the Office of Research with at least five days in advance of the lead institution’s deadline to review the application, or your proposed component of the project. Please be in touch with the Office of Research (contact information below) ahead of the deadline if it looks like it will be difficult for you to submit all the required documentation on time (i.e. budget, proposal, OR-5 Form).