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NAVIGATOR Research Program
NAVIGATOR RESEARCH PROGRAM
TERMS OF REFERENCE
2013 COMPETITION
The Huntington Society of Canada (HSC) is interested in fostering innovative lines of enquiry that will eventually lead to the next generation of targets for the treatment of Huntington disease (HD). The Society is now calling for applications which specifically address any of the objectives listed below:
Note: A "Letter of Intent" has been added to the process.
Timeline
- February 22, 2013 – Letter of Intent due by 3pm (ET)
- March 15, 2013 – Request for full proposal communicated to successful applicants
- May 17, 2013 – Full proposal due by 3pm (ET)
- June 28, 2013 – Announcement of decisions
- July 1, 2013 – Funding may commence
Background
Each NAVIGATOR award will provide funding up to $75,000 per year for one or two years.
1) Goal
The goal of the NAVIGATOR Research Program is to provide funding for Canadian scientific research of direct and immediate relevance to Huntington Disease; to provide a platform for the future recruitment of outstanding investigators to HD research; to facilitate research collaboration nationally and internationally, and research which is relevant to other neurodegenerative disorders as well as HD.
2) Eligibility
Individuals holding a full-time faculty appointment in an appropriate discipline at a Canadian university, research institute, or hospital are eligible to apply for funding through the NAVIGATOR Research Program.
3) Criteria
All applications for funding through the NAVIGATOR Research Program are subject to review by the Society’s Research Council, which may elect to enlist external reviewers with particular expertise in the appropriate area.
The criteria for evaluating applications are:
The direct and immediate relevance of the work proposed to Huntington Disease (i.e., improved understanding of pathogenic mechanisms; significance with respect to the development of new treatments); the scientific excellence of the research proposal; the potential relevance of the work to other neurodegenerative disorders; the specific rationale and budget rationale for support (i.e. how will support enable the laboratory to pursue research not funded from other sources, and contribute to the emergence of special areas of expertise).
4) Term and Amount
Funding recommendations for awards through the NAVIGATOR Research Program will be made by the Research Council, subject to the availability of funds.
Each NAVIGATOR award will provide funding of up to $75,000 per year for one or two years.
Funding for specific laboratories will be incremental to, but will take into account current funding provided by HSC and/or joint HSC/CIHR programs, and may fluctuate on the basis of emerging program priorities, progress of specific projects, and other factors.
All awards are made for a period of one or two years. It is the Huntington Society’s intention to provide seed funds and ongoing support to projects prioritized by the Research Council, and to laboratories which are actively engaged in Huntington Disease research.
5) Terms and Conditions
i) Institutional Approvals: Institutional approvals for research involving humans, animals, and/or biohazardous materials must be submitted to the Huntington Society prior to the release of funding.
ii) Expenditure of Funds: Funds awarded through a NAVIGATOR grant must be expended in accordance with the approved budget, within the following categories:
Personnel (i.e., technicians);
Supplies (i.e., expendables, services, animals);
Equipment (not to exceed $5,000);
Travel (i.e. to present research findings or to attend a major conference or symposium; not to exceed $3,000).
Funds may not be allocated to salary support for graduate or post-graduate students, institutional overheads, or construction. The Huntington Society of Canada does not fund indirect costs, overhead or institutional support costs.
Up to 25% of funds awarded to a laboratory through the NAVIGATOR Research Program may be remitted by the receiving institution to other laboratories outside of Canada, where this will help to promote collaborative research.
iii) Payment of Grants: The payment schedule will be confirmed along with notification of the award, to the financial officer of the principal investigator’s institution.
iv) Deficits: The Huntington Society of Canada is not responsible for any expenditure incurred by a grantee over the approved budget.
v) Unexpended Funds: Any unexpended funds must be returned to the Huntington Society of Canada on completion of the period of the grant, unless the Society approves, in advance, an extension to the term of the grant.
vi) Financial Reporting: All grantees must provide a financial statement within three months of the completion of the period of the grant.
vii) Research Reporting: As a general principle, grantees must openly share their findings with the scientific community on a timely basis for the purpose of accelerating the process to find treatments for Huntington disease. In other words, all grantees must ensure that the findings of their research are available to the widest possible audience at the earliest possible opportunity. Grant recipients will facilitate access to their research by presenting their results to peer-reviewed journals, whose articles are also accessible through the publisher’s website or an online repository, and to public databases appropriate to the nature of the data.
All grantees must provide copies of publications reporting on research supported in whole or in part by the Huntington Society. In addition, all grantees must provide a brief summary, in lay language, of the results of their work, within 3 months of the mid-point of their work and again within 3 months upon completion of the grant.
viii) Patents and Intellectual Property: The Huntington Society of Canada reserves the right to participate in any royalty stream from patentable discoveries arising from research funded in whole or in part by the Society.
ix) Acknowledgement of Support: The Huntington Society of Canada should be acknowledged in all publications, presentations, and other public information relating to research supported in whole or in part by the Society.
How to Apply
There are two stages to the application process.
1. Letter of Intent
a. The applicant must submit one original and six copies of a Letter of Intent, which will be reviewed by a peer review panel. Letters of Intent must be received no later than 3pm (ET) on February 22, 2013.
b. The Letter of Intent is comprised of:
i. Parts A and B of the Navigator Application for 2013
ii. Maximum 2 page letter describing the proposed project and how it relates to the objectives of the Navigator Research initiative.
iii. Attachments: an abbreviated CV (max 2 pages) for the applicant and any co-applicants which includes information on grants held, relevant publications from the last five years and a brief biography of any references cited in the Letter of Intent.
2. Full Application
a. Full applications (original hard copy plus electronic version) due no later than 3pm (ET) on May 17, 2013.
b. The application form is available at (click here) and must comply with the requirement to include an appropriate structured lay summary of the proposed work.
c. Personal information should be completed using the Canadian Common CV, details of which can be found at: http://www.comoncv.net/index
Questions may be directed to Bev Heim-Myers, CEO & Executive Director bheimmyers@huntingtonsociety.ca.
Letters of Intent and applications should be sent to:
HUNTINGTON SOCIETY OF CANADA
ATT: Shirley Barnes
151 Frederick Street, Suite 400,
Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 2M2
Tel: 519 749 7063
Fax: 519 749 8965