The Newfoundland and Labrador Health Research Network

The following is a letter to Dr. Verna Skanes from Dr. Cindy L. Bell, Deputy Director, Programs Branch, MRC - dated February 20, 1997:

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and inform you that I will be responsible for the coordination and management of the Regional Partnerships Program (RPP) at the Medical Research Council.

Following my review of the file and consultations with Mr. Marc LePage and Dr. Henry Friesen, I felt this would be an appropriate time to revisit some of the mechanics of the review process for the Program.

Applications submitted as part of the RPP will be reviewed in the most appropriate MRC program. The deadline dates for submission are as follows:

Operating grants - September 15 and March 1

Equipment and maintenance grants - September 15 and March 1

Multi-user equipment and maintenance - October 1

Salary awards - September 15

Clinician Scientist - September 15

Fellowships - November 1 and April 1

Applications in which the industry contribution is 67% of the requested amount, can be submitted to the University-Industry (UI) Program. Such applications must be preceded by a letter of intent and adhere to the guidelines of the UI Program, with the exception that if the industry partner is a PMAC company it need only commit 67% of the award, and not the usual 80%.

It has been suggested that the RPP applications should not carry any identification as being part of the Program. However, to ensure that the applications are handled by MRC staff, in accordance with the RPP principles, we request a separate letter from you which provides:

• A list of the applications being submitted and confirmation that they have been approved as part of the RPP;
• An outline of the institution's overall regional development strategy and the relevance of the applications to that strategy;
• A description of the specific levels of partner involvement and support for the projects.

The letter should be sent to me prior to the application deadline date. It will be filed separately, and the applications will move through the MRC system with no identification as to their Program inclusion. Once funding decisions are made by Council, those applications rated above the MRC budgetary cut-off will be funded by the Medical Research Council. For those applications which do not receive MRC funding, but which are rated above 3.0, arrangements will be made to provide partial funding to all eligible projects as per the RPP agreement.

During the term of the Program I will provide you with updates on a regular basis and respond to your questions and concerns. As with all new programs, there will be some growing pains, but I hope we can work together to ensure the success of the Program.

Please direct inquiries to:

E-Mail: vskanes@morgan.ucs.mun.ca

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