This Awards Guide outlines the objectives, policies, and procedures governing the awards programs of the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (NLCAHR). It constitutes official NLCAHR policy and applies to all applicants and award recipients unless specifically amended or declared void by NLCAHR.

This information is revised annually. NLCAHR's eligibility policy for research and development grants is consistent with the policies and definitions set out by CIHR; eligibility criteria are indicated below and should be reviewed prior to submission of applications. A more detailed description can be found on the CIHR Website.

All applicants should carefully read the information in the latest version of this Awards Guide before preparing applications. Because it is not possible to anticipate every contingency, situations may occur from time to time that are not addressed in the Awards Guide. Prospective applicants who desire clarification regarding these programs are urged to contact NLCAHR by telephone (777-6993) or e-mail to tkwhite@mun.ca.

Funding for NLCAHR and its awards programs is provided through an annual grant from the province’s Department of Health and Community Services (DHCS). The amount of awards funding that is offered in a given year is determined by the Board of NLCAHR based on availability of funds. NLCAHR reserves the right to amend or cancel any or all awards competitions in any given year should the amount of funding available be insufficient.

About NLCAHR

The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research was established in September 1999 with core funding from the province’s Department of Health and Community Services, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Eastern Health. Since its inception, the Centre has provided a supportive and facilitating role for applied health research in the province through its grant and awards programs, knowledge transfer and capacity development activities.

NLCAHR's mission is to contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the health and community service system of Newfoundland and Labrador and to the physical, social, and psychological health and wellbeing of the province’s population by supporting the development and the use of applied health research in this province. It works with an inclusive and flexible conception of the term ‘applied health research’ and in a spirit of openness to the widest possible range of disciplinary and methodological approaches as well as of organizational attachments.

The Centre is located administratively within Memorial University and has a mandate that covers all faculties and schools of the university, as well as researchers employed in health and community services institutions in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The research supported by the Centre is broad in scope, spanning health services delivery and evaluation; health economics and policy; healthcare utilization and systems research; community and population health; health-related social science research; and applied clinical research. Applied clinical research is research investigating ways of improving the delivery of healthcare to individuals, groups, and communities. For the purposes of these grants, the emphasis should be on the process of delivering care, not on therapeutics and/or diagnostic procedures by themselves. Randomized control trials and other research designs that test new medications or diagnostic procedures are, in general, not eligible. Basic biomedical research and projects that involve the actual provision of health and community services are also excluded. We recognize that some of these boundaries are fluid and subject to interpretation. We encourage prospective applicants to consult with staff of NLCAHR for clarification.

The Centre's work revolves around three principal goals: to help build human capacity and organizational resources for undertaking and supporting high quality applied health research in the province; to increase the amount and impact of high-quality applied health research undertaken on the priority research themes of Newfoundland and Labrador; and to help increase the effective and efficient use of research evidence in the province’s health and community services system.

Objectives of the NLCAHR Funding Program

The Centre has been mandated by the government to support applied health research and training in the province, both directly through the allocation of grants and fellowships and indirectly by attracting funding from external granting agencies. The Centre’s funding activities are aimed at research activity initiated by investigators resident in Newfoundland and Labrador. Partnership with co-investigators based elsewhere is also encouraged and supported.

The specific objectives of the Centre’s funding programs are:

• To support applied health research that has the potential to improve the health of individuals, families and communities
• To build and sustain a full range of applied health research including the development and utilization of evidence-based decision making in health care, health education, and health policy and administration in Newfoundland and Labrador
• To support the training and development of new health researchers in the province
• To assist researchers in establishing their research programs and applying for external funding
• To encourage partnerships between researchers across faculties, schools and disciplines, and collaboration among academic researchers, community-based researchers, and decision-makers
• To support applied health research programs through fellowships to graduate students

Objectives of the Centre’s funding programs are further reflected in our Priority Research Themes, which may change annually under the direction of the NLCAHR Board of Directors. The Priority Research Themes for the 2015 funding cycle are:

• Population health and health services challenges of Newfoundland and Labrador;
• Health promotion and wellness;
• Efficiency and effectiveness of the provincial health system.

Use and Disclosure of Information Provided to NLCAHR

As part of the peer-review process, applications will be disclosed to review panels composed of experts in applied health issues. Applications may also be transmitted to external referees. All participants in these review activities are informed of their obligations with regard to the confidentiality of information entrusted to them.

The external reviews and review panel comments about a proposal will be provided only to the Principal Applicant. NLCAHR expects the Principal Applicant to share this information with Co-Applicants.

NLCAHR may publish certain details about successful grant applications, including the name of the applicant, amount awarded, title of the project and a summary of the research proposal. For student awards, the recipient's name, faculty or school, field of research and project title will be made public.

All information requested by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research will be used solely for the administration and management of the awards program and is collected under the general authority of the Memorial University Act (RSNL 1990 Chapter 7). Questions about this collection and use of personal information may be directed to NLCAHR at (709) 777-7973.

Contact Information

Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
95 Bonaventure Avenue, Suite 300
St. John's, NL | A1B 2X5
Fax: (709) 777-6734
Email: nlcahr@mun.ca
Website: www.nlcahr.mun.ca

For Policy Decisions and Regulations:
Dr. Stephen Bornstein, Director
Phone: (709) 777-6768
Email: sbornste@mun.ca

For Eligibility Criteria and Guidelines, Application Forms, General Inquiries, and Technical Assistance:
Tyrone White, Awards Coordinator
Phone: (709) 777-7973
Email: tkwhite@mun.ca