1. Our Purpose
The purpose of the Canadian IBD Research Consortium (CIRC) is to promote clinical research in inflammatory bowel diseases through collaboration of multiple Canadian centres; the result of this work will be materialized through scientific publications and widespread knowledge dissemination through CIRC’s platforms.
2. General Information
CIRC is committed to supporting a range of research on inflammatory bowel diseases. Funds are dedicated for operating support of research conducted at not-for-profit research or academic facilities by qualified investigators with academic appointments at Canadian universities.
These guidelines are designed to help applicants apply for a CIRC grant. Please review these guidelines carefully. Proposals that do not conform to these guidelines will not be reviewed.
3. Grants
CIRC grants support research projects directly related to IBD or IBD-associated conditions that are aligned with CIRC’s purpose and strategic directions. Applicants submitting a proposal focused on IBD-associated conditions must provide a strong rationale for how their project aligns with CIRC’s mission. Proposals for new projects and proposals to extend funding for existing CIRC-endorsed projects will be considered.
Funding amounts offered for grant competitions will vary with each competition based on fundraising success. Allocated funds may be used to support:
- Research staff salaries and benefits specific to the proposed work
- Graduate and post-doctoral student salaries and benefits specific to the proposed work
- Research equipment and materials required for the proposed project
- Reasonable travel costs to present research findings (maximum $2,500 annually).
- Open access publication fees (maximum $3,000)
- Reasonable patient related cost
Funding may not be used for:
a. Investigator compensation
b. REB related costs
c. Institutional overhead costs
4. Grant & Study Eligibility
a. The primary grant recipient (nominated principal applicant/investigator) must be a CIRC member
b. The proposed research must have a clear connection to CIRC’s mission.
c. In any given competition, a researcher can be awarded a maximum of one grant as the nominated PI of a study. Investigators may be co-PIs or co-investigators for an unlimited number of CIRC grants.
Type of Research Study
Consideration will be given to pilot and translational research studies. Exclusive basic science research will not be considered.
Co-Principal Investigators and Collaborators
A Co-Principal Investigator is expected to help direct the research aims and methods and actively participate in the proposed activities.
A Co-investigator or Collaborator is expected to participate in one or more aspects of the research project but is not expected to direct the research aims or methods. Examples of eligible activities include (but are not limited to) patient recruitment, statistical analysis, manuscript review, access to equipment, provision of specific reagents and training in a specialized technique, etc.
Co-Principal Investigators and co-investigators/collaborators may be based outside of Canada.
5. Grant Submissions
All grants submitted to CIRC competitions must adhere to a structured format and criteria specified in the Call for Proposals, which will be circulated to the CIRC membership a minimum of 3 months prior to the grant deadline. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure their proposals are complete. Incomplete proposals will be disqualified from the competition.
6. Language
All applications must be submitted in English. This is due to the significant costs incurred by CIRC to translate proposals from other languages to English and our inability to guarantee the fidelity of translations, as well as our inability to guarantee adequately experienced non-English speaking reviewers.
7. Period of Support
Full funding will be made in the third quarter following grant approval by the SC and will extend for up to 5 years. If an extension beyond this period is necessary, a written request must be made by the PI.
8. Payment and Administration of Grant Funds
The Institution where the applicant conducts the project and/or holds an academic appointment may be designated to receive and administer the grant funds at the discretion of the Principal Investigator. If the Institution designated is not the one in which the applicant conducts the project, please explain in a cover letter.
Funds must be used during the period of the grant unless a request for a no-cost extension is received by the Director of Research of CIRC at least one month prior to the end of the funding period. A no-cost extension may be granted a maximum of two (2) times or cumulatively no more than two years. Exceptions to this rule may be considered for exceptional circumstances such as parental leave or health-related leaves of absences.
9. Grant Reporting
Annual progress and financial reports must be submitted via email at the end of each funding year by July 30th. In the final year of the grant the financial report is due by December 31st to allow transactions to clear. Both the research and financial reports must use the forms provided by CIRC. The report must be certified by the grantee and a finance officer designated by the receiving institution.
Any funds remaining at the end of the grant period must be returned to CIRC within 90 days of the grant end date.
Study updates will be provided by the Principal Investigator or Delegate at the Annual CIRC Members Meeting and the CIRC Annual General Meeting.
10. Publication
Publication authorship must conform to CIRC’s requirements, as specified on the website. The PI must submit a final report detailing the study progress and findings at the end of the study, with confirmation of publication intent.
11. For Assistance with your Application
For grant information or proposal content questions, contact CIRC at circ.ccrm@gmail.ca