Deadline: 17-Jan-23

IDRC, the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), the Azrieli Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are pleased to announce the second Research Competition under Phase II of the Joint Canada-Israel Health Research Program.

Phase II of JCIHRP seeks to support fundamental research at the cutting-edge of biomedical science and global health. Six grants worth up to CA$ 1.4 million each will be awarded to research teams based in Canada, Israel and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for a period of up to four years.

Objectives

Phase II of the Joint Canada-Israel Health Research Program is expected to:

• Advance research and discovery in global health and biomedical sciences;
• Encourage scientific collaboration and knowledge mobilization between Canadian, Israeli and LMIC researchers and trainees; and
• Reinforce capacity in global health and biomedical science with researchers and trainees.

Eligible Topics

This second call under Phase II is for proposals in the field of communicable diseases, with a particular focus on investigating underlying biological mechanisms and impacts on global health. Potential topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Discovery research to identify new pathogens and their distribution in human populations
• New therapeutic approaches for communicable diseases
• Drug resistance biology and mechanism in infectious disease
• Host – Parasite interactions
• New directions in vaccine research for infectious diseases
• New biomarkers for infectious disease detection, characterization and monitoring
• Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, including the impact of climate change on zoonotic disease distribution
• New technology platforms for rapid detection of pathogens of pandemic importance

Funding Information

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is CAD 8,764,974, enough to fund 6 grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate.
• The maximum amount per grant is up to CAD 500,000 for the principal investigator from Canada, up to CAD 500,000 for the principal investigator from the LMIC and up to CAD 460,829 (up to NIS 1,300,000) for the principal investigator from Israel over 4 years, for a total up to CAD 1,460,829 per team.
• The following partners will administer the funded grants:
  • ISF will administer 6 funded grants to the institution of the Israeli applicant co-leading the team.
  • IDRC will administer 6 funded grants to the institution of the Canadian applicant co-leading the team.
  • IDRC will administer 6 funded grants to the institution of the LMIC applicant co-leading the team.

Considerations

To support knowledge mobilization efforts, teams are required to establish a knowledge mobilization plan that includes:

• At a minimum, an annual meeting/engagement of team members, partners, and other relevant stakeholders to share and mobilize knowledge in meaningful and culturally safe ways (e.g., virtual or face-to-face scientific workshop);
• Research capacity programs (e.g., student exchange, mentoring programs, joint teaching activities, summer school); and
• Activities promoting the use of research findings by decision makers and professionals in relevant scientific and government circles.
• Teams must include sex and gender considerations in their research design, including where relevant Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis (SGBA). SGBA is an analytical process that systematically examines sex-based (biological) and gender-based (socio-cultural) differences, to assess and understand how women, men, girls, boys and gender-diverse people are impacted by a given issue; ultimately, employing SGBA promotes rigorous science that has the potential to expand their understanding of health determinants for all people. It is strongly encouraged that an intersectional approach is taken; examining not just women, for example, but the diversity within this population group (e.g. racialized women, women with disabilities, Indigenous women, etc.). For guidance on how to integrate sex and gender in research studies, refer to: How to integrate sex and gender into research.
• Teams must consider equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in their proposed research design, consistent with CIHR’s position on EDI, available in the Tri Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and IDRC’s equality statement. An EDI analysis identifies factors that should be included in research design and processes. It identifies areas where proactive consideration of EDI must be implemented to ensure maximum impact. Such impact could include ensuring that the research is reproducible and not based on biased assumptions, and that the research design is reflective of the communities/populations studied.
• The Canadian and LMIC arms of the research teams are expected to collect, standardize, use, share and manage research data aligning with the  Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy and  IDRC’s Open Data Statement of Principles. Applicants are encouraged to include a plan for applying the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) to the data management strategy. To reflect and respect Indigenous data governance and data sovereignty, the CARE principles (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility and Ethics) for Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) Data Governance, the First Nations Principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access and Possession), or other relevant Indigenous data governance principles must be incorporated and are to take precedence over other data management policies or principles.

Exclusions

SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 research, studies, surveys, clinical trials, and work primarily aimed at informing public health policy are NOT eligible for funding through this opportunity. However, the use of randomization in basic biomedical research studies is accepted.

Eligibility Criteria

For an application to be eligible:

• For administrative purposes only, the Nominated Principal Applicant must be the Canadian investigator co-leading the team.
• The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be an independent researcher appointed at an eligible institution.
• A maximum of one Principal Applicant must be the Israeli investigator co-leading the team.
• A maximum of one Principal Applicant must be the LMIC investigator co-leading the team.
• For the Canadian arm of the team, applications involving First Nations, Inuit, Métis and/or Urban Indigenous populations must include at least one participant who self-identifies as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis and/or who can demonstrate their experience of meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples in an Indigenous Health Research environment on the research team. At least one participant meeting this criterion must submit an “Other” attachment describing their experience working in an Indigenous Health Research environment.
• If relevant, the LMIC investigator co-leading the team is invited to reflect on how their research application could involve Indigenous populations related to their specific context.
• In your knowledge mobilization plan, as a minimum eligibility requirement, all proposals must support at least one of the following activities aimed at supporting capacity and scientific relationships:
• Significant training opportunities such as scientific workshops, graduate training in low- and middle-income countries, Canada and Israel or summer schools benefiting researchers/trainees in eligible LMIC; and/or inclusion of trainees from LMIC, Canada and Israel in carrying out the research.

Notes:

• Each Canadian, Israeli, and LMIC investigator co-leading a team can only submit and/or participate in ONE application in the competition.
• Canadian, Israeli, and LMIC investigators co-leading a team are not eligible to hold a grant under this competition if they hold an active grant from Phase I or Phase II of the JCIHRP at the funding start date for this funding opportunity.
• The Canadian, Israeli, and LMIC investigators co-leading a team are strongly encouraged to complete one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a certificate of completion. Applicants should select and complete the training module most applicable to their research project. Applicants are encouraged to review the “How to integrate sex and gender in research” section of the CIHR website.

For more information, visit https://www.idrc.ca/en/news/announcement-call-proposals-joint-canada-israel-health-research-program-phase-ii-2022-2023