Research Funding Opportunities

“The focus for the Alzheimer Society Research Funded Applications for 2010 will be on psychosocial dimensions related to dementia care such as quality of life, caregiving roles, appraisal and synthesis of relevant research, technological support for persons with dementia, helping care providers. Small pilot studies are encouraged that might lead researchers to pursue larger grants from other sources."

ALZHEIMER SOCIETIES OF HAMILTON  HALTON, BRANT, HALDIMAND NORFOLK & NIAGARA REGION  (the “Alzheimer Society”)

Terms of Reference
RESEARCH COMMITTEE

PREAMBLE:
The Alzheimer Society mission is to alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. We believe that one of the ways our mission can be achieved is by supporting both psychosocial and bio-medical research. It is understood that we have a commitment to financially support the research activities of the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Alzheimer Society of Ontario through the ASiO Federation Agreement 2009.

The Alzheimer Society is also committed to supporting research at the local level that will be broadly representative of the needs of all four communities. In order to fulfill this commitment to research, we will effectively and reasonably draw on our strengths, local resources, and the organization’s financial and human resources.  The Society will embrace research that is ethically sound and has the potential to yield results that are scholarly and valuable to people affected by dementia.

The Alzheimer Society’s position on research is fully grounded in the Tri-Council Policy on Research Ethics as developed by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) 1998, amended in 2005. 

All communities served by the four Societies will be represented on the Research Committee with the ideal being two representatives from each. Length of term will be two years renewable.  In addition a researcher from the broader community will be invited to become a member on an annual basis.

The Research Committee members will provide reports and updates on non monetary decisions with the Alzheimer Societies at their respective Board of Director meetings. Applications for financial research support will be reviewed and recommendations for funding will be made to the Hamilton and Halton Alzheimer Foundation.

PRINCIPLES:

The following principles will be used to guide the organization’s decision making with respect to involvement in or development of research initiatives.

• Research that has value and relevance at the local level that represent the needs of all communities served by the four Societies will be supported
• In order to make the most informed decisions, the Alzheimer Society Research Review Committee (ASRRC) will conduct an Annual Forum of interprofessionals, persons with dementia and care partners to identify the most current research questions that need to be addressed.
• All research activities must have an ethics review with documented approval (e.g. letter or ethics certificate) for procedures, methodology and recruitment materials by credible experts prior to approval by our organization. In addition to ethics certificates, and especially where these are not yet available, consent forms, information letters and recruitment posters are to be submitted. This is particularly important where the Alzheimer Society will be asked to participate in recruitment.
• The ASRRC will maintain a high level of sensitivity as to the potential impacts to the clients/subjects involved
• The ASRRC will ensure that clients have real and perceived choice/freedom to participate in any research activities and are not unduly burdened with such requests
• Confidentiality will be maintained of all participants in written reports and publications
• The ASRRC believe that knowledge gained from research should be shared within our organization and the broader community and therefore will expect that all research projects have an explicit plan for dissemination  of the findings
• Any research request received will be cognizant of the current research environment as well as relevance to the mission of the Alzheimer Society
• Recognition will be given to the human and financial implications of the research initiative on the organization’s current situation. Acceptance decisions will be made on the basis of reasonableness and feasibility

APPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH SUPPORT 
The Alzheimer Society will consider applications for both financial and non-monetary research support.

Applications for financial support could include requests for funds to offset graduate student research or budgetary support for small applied clinical research or pilot projects. The amount that the Alzheimer Society will fund is up to $15,000.

Non-monetary support could include assistance in accessing study subjects for external researchers engaging in clinical research or program evaluation.

The Alzheimer Society will consider applications for student research projects. A full proposal must be appended with particular attention to literature review, methodology including procedures, feasibility as it relates to stipulated time frames. We request that student applicants contact the Chair of the Research Committee prior to submission of their application to discuss recruitment strategies, and other supports that  might be requested from the Alzheimer Society.

The Alzheimer Society will also consider applications from recognized health care organizations. A full proposal must be appended with particular reference to literature review, methodology including procedures and feasibility as it relates to stipulated time frames. We request that applicants contact the Chair of the Research Committee prior to submission of the application to discuss methodology and the supports that might be required from the Alzheimer Society. Should a stipend be requested, these need to be earmarked for educational budgets or staff development.

PROCEDURE:
Persons requesting support will be asked to provide:

·        The name of the principal investigator, co-investigators and sponsoring organization

·        A brief description of the purpose, research questions, and methodology of the research project or program evaluation.

·        A lay description of the purpose of the proposed research study

·        Confirmation that the proposal has had an ethics review by credible experts (arms-length relationship with the  applicant)

·        A statement of the specific nature of the support being requested from the Alzheimer Society

·        A description of the measures that will be used to protect confidentiality of participants during research protocols and anonymity of participants when disseminating results.

·        A statement of how the research supports the mission, research principles and priorities of the Alzheimer Society and how the research project’s significance/relevance for persons with dementia and/or their families

·         If financial support is requested, a budget must be included

·         An assessment of the estimated burden on Alzheimer Society staff

·         A plan for how the research findings will be shared with  the Alzheimer Society as to the benefits to clients and staff

·         A curriculum vitae

REVIEW PROCESS:
Applications will be received twice a year for consideration by the Alzheimer Society Research Committee. Please submit electronic application by 16:00 hours on the last Thursday of April and October to:

Alzheimer Society of Hamilton Halton
1685 Main Street West
Suite 206
Hamilton, ON  L8S 1G5
Phone 905-529-7030
Fax 905 529 3787
Attention:  Chair, ASRCC

The Alzheimer Society Research Committee will bring recommended proposals forward to the Alzheimer Foundation Board for approval for release of funding at meetings during the months of May and November.

Application forms may be obtained by contacting one of the Alzheimer Societies at:
Alzheimer Society of Hamilton and Halton: Ph #: 905-529-7030; www.alzhh.ca
Alzheimer Society of Brant: Ph #: 519-759-7692; website: www.alzbrant.ca
Alzheimer Society of Haldimand Norfolk: Ph #: 519-428-7771; website: www.alzhn.ca
Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region: Ph #: 905-687-3914; website: www.alzheimerniagara.ca

The ASRCC will communicate final decisions to applicants in writing within a reasonable space of time.   

The Alzheimer Society recognizes that ownership of data and research products resides with the investigators unless otherwise specified in a written agreement between the Alzheimer Society and the investigators. In reports and publications related to research in which the Alzheimer Society has participated, researchers are expected to acknowledge Alzheimer Society support, share the results of their research in a short verbal presentation at an appropriate Alzheimer Society annual meeting, and provide the Alzheimer Society and the Alzheimer Knowledge Exchange (AKE) with a copy of any reports or publications arising from the research

The ASRCC will prepare and submit an annual report of its activities for distribution to each of the four Societies’ Boards of Directors in June of each year. 

March 2000;  July 2009, revised Aug 2009, revised June 2010

Research Support Application Form
Applications will be received on a quarterly basis for consideration by the Alzheimer Society Research Committee. Please submit application for review by 1600 hours on the last Thursday of April, September and December.   Please consult the Alzheimer Society Research Policy on this website before completing this application.

Principal Investigator's Information

Name
Work Phone
Home Phone
E-mail

Have you previously applied for Alzheimer Society Research Support?

Yes No

If yes, when?

Were you successful in obtaining Alzheimer Society approval?

 

If you successfully applied, did you disseminate the results?

Yes No

If yes, please describe dissemination activities in the space below
(e.g., presentations, publications):

Enter the name of each Co-investigator:

Title of Research Support Request:

Type of Research Support Request
(you may check more than one box):

Non-monetary Support
Monetary Support
Student Research Project
Health Care

Please check boxes that apply:

Conduct a research study
Team development, Community Partnerships
Proposal development
Recruitment of subjects (attach consent form for participants)
Letter of support
Advertising of project/study
Program evaluation
Other

If checked "Other" above, please describe:

Do you intend for this proposal project to lead to a larger proposal for funding from another source?

Yes No

Does this proposed subject involve human or animal subject? (including interviews, questionnaires, observations of behaviour, use of non-public records that contain indentifying information, administration of drugs, blood samples, tissue samples, tests or other procedures)

Yes No

Has the application received the approval by credible experts?

Yes No

If yes, please attach any ethics certificates received by an external Research Ethics Board (REB) or a letter providing names and the organizational affiliation of the credible ethics experts.  If this Research Funding Request is for a small, applied clinical research project, attach a letter of support/review by your internal Professional Advisory Committee.

#1.  Purpose of Research Support Request
Please provide a lay description of the propsed project/study:

Please describe the purpose and background rationale for the project, as well as the hypothesis or research question for the project/study:

Please provide a statement of the relevance/significance of the proposed project/study:

#2.  Methodology of Research Support Request
Please describe all procedures in which research participants will be involved
(e.g., paper and pencil tasks, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, time requirements, etc.)
Please attach (in an email to krawczuk@alzheimerniagara.ca) a copy of all questionnaires,
interview guides and test instruments.

#3.  Protection of the anonymity of participants
Please outline measures that will be used to protect anonymity of participants both during the
conduct of the research and the dissemination of results:

#4.  How does this research project support the mission, research principles and
priorities of the Alzheimer Society?

#5.  How does this research project fit into the current broader research environment?

#6.  What will be the estimated burden on Alzheimer Society staff?
Please be specific in terms of your expectations for involvement of Alzheimer Society staff:

#7.  Budget and Budget Justification (If you are requesting non-monetary support,
please skip section #7, and move directly to section #8.

Personnel: State the roles of research personnel and explain why you require the level
(in terms of qualifications and salary) you are requesting:

Personnel cost:

$

Travel and Subsistence
Please indicate the purpose of the trip(s), the people who will be
travelling, and their destination:

Travel and Subsistence cost:

$

Professional Services:

Professional Services cost:

$

Supplies and Other Expenses
Itemize the expendables (e.g., quanitity, description and per unit cost):

Supplies and Other Expenses:

$

Other: Please itemize and explain each item

 

Other costs:

$

Are you seeking funding for this project from other sources?

Yes No

If yes, please elaborate:

#8.  Timeline
Date when the proposed project can be started if it is funded:

mm/dd/yy

Duration of the proposed project:

Please elaborate on major tasks and completion dates:

#9.  Research products and plans for dissemination
Provide a clear indication of the expected outcome of the proposed research
(e.g., publication in a journal, preliminary stage of a large project, how the project will lead to
future funded research applications, etc.). Outline plans for the dissemination of results
(approx. 250 words):

Is this part of a larger study?

Yes No

If yes, please elaborate (250 words):

Please attach (in an email to krawczuk@alzheimerniagara.ca) the CV(s) of
Principal Investigator and Co-investigators (if any).
       

                        

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All attachments to:  krawczuk@alzheimerniagara.ca
Copyright © 2009 [Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 01/20/11

Should this project be funded, the source of the award, Alzheimer Societies of Hamilton and Halton, Brant, Haldimand Norfolk & Niagara Region  must be acknowledged in any presentations, publications, or reference materials.