Chair : Applied Public Health Webinar Q&A

• How should applicants select a decision maker? What criteria should they use?

  The applicants should select decision makers within and/or outside of the public health sector, who will be directly engaged in the research program and will support the uptake and impact of their research in an applied setting. The decision maker could be a provincial/territorial/local Medical Officer of Health, or a stakeholder from a non-federal governmental or non-profit agency responsible for evidence-based public health practice or policy making. This decision maker cannot be from PHAC.

  If you want to validate your selected decision maker, please send an email with more details to the CIHR Contact Centre (support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca), we will provide more specific guidance.

• Would precision medicine and/or digital health topics/projects fall under their general pool?

  Yes, Precision medicine and/or digital health topics/projects should be eligible to apply under the general pool. It may also be relevant to specific funding pools, but the details would need to be reviewed. We recommend you to send an email with more details to the CIHR Contact Centre (support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca), we will review and provide more specific guidance.

• Can this applied public health chair be held in an applied setting (e.g., a Health Authority)?

  Yes, an APHC could be held in an applied setting such as a provincial/territorial/local Health Authority (non-federal). We recognize that some mid-career researchers are located in non-academic institutions and are eligible to apply.

• There are 5 evaluation criteria in ResearchNet, but no weight attached to each. What is the weight of each criterion? For the Letter of Intent, must all 5 criteria be met?

  The evaluation criteria will not apply for the LOI stage. At LOI, there is only a relevance review. All 5 criteria will apply for the Full Application stage. There is no weight attached to each criterion. The reviewers will be invited to provide one score considering all 5 criteria.

• Does the research program have to be interventional or can it be based on the analysis of population-based data?

  The APHC program application must focus on population health intervention research to promote health and health equity and align with IPPH’s mandate and PHAC’s mandate – this is an important criterion of the program.

• Could you give more information about the budget especially eligible expenses please? I suppose usual expenses are allowed (human resources, etc.)

  For more detail, please consult the funding opportunity. The following expenses are eligible:

  • salary contribution, including fringe benefits;
  • research, mentorship/capacity-building and knowledge translation activities
  • planning, delivering and hosting an APHC annual meeting at least once during their Chair term
  • KT Allowance

  Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Guide on Financial Administration for requirements regarding allowable costs and activities.

• Would a policy analysis across North America on climate change and health be eligible?

  The APHC program is a program of research, and not a single research study. However, this topic area would be eligible in a proposal, and could align with a number of the Research Areas outlined in the APHC funding opportunity. A relevance will be conducted at the LOI to assess.

• The definition of independent researcher says the candidate must be with the institution as of the start date of the grant, but the mid career reseacher description says they must have been working for 5-15 years. I want to confirm that they can be working elsewhere prior to starting with the institution making the application.

  Yes, you can be be working elsewhere prior to starting with the institution making the application. To determine the mid-career status, we will look at your first independent researcher appointment in your CCV to determine if it falls within 5-15 years from the Full application deadline (September 2, 2021).

• Does the PHAC liaison and NCC KT partner need to be identified as part of the application or only after receipt of the chair?

  No. PHAC will facilitate linkage to the PHAC liaison and NCC KT partner after the Chair is successful in the competition.

• Can you have multiple decision making partners?

  Yes, you can.

• Can the decision maker partner be part of a provincial public health agency (recognising that cannot be part of PHAC)?

  Yes, a provincial health agency can be a decision-maker partner.

• Do applicants need confirmation of the Decision Maker at the LOI stage?

  No, you don’t need to identify Decision Maker at the LOI stage (not required). However you will need to identify decision maker at the Full Application stage. Any letters of support provided at the LOI stage help with the relevancy review.

• Can you apply only to the General Pool? i.e. NOT fit into a priority area?

  Yes, you can apply only to the General Pool. Upon launch of the FO, the selection of a Research Area (Pool) was set to mandatory in error. This has now been fixed, therefore, allowing applicants to not have to select a pool, should they wish to solely be considered in the General Pool. See Notices section of the FO for most current update information.

• So the projects must meet the general pool description PLUS one or more of the five specific areas?

  Not quite. The projects must meet the general pool criteria. They CAN also apply to up to 2 of the five specific research areas if relevant.

• May I ask clarification - does the chair need to align with General Pool PLUS one more specific pool? (i.e., the general pool is not generally open?)

  Yes, you can only apply to the General Pool. You can also apply to the general pool and up to 2 research areas. Upon launch of the FO, the selection of a Research Area (Pool) was set to mandatory in error. This has now been fixed, therefore, allowing applicants to not have to select a pool, should they wish to solely be considered in the General Pool. See Notices section of the FO for most current update information.

• Could you please clarify, do the applicants need to address one of the 5 priority research areas? From my read of the call, I thought there was also the opportunity for general applications that do not align with the priorities?

  Correct. The applicant must be relevant to the General pool to be relevant to the competition. They CAN also apply to up to 2 specific research areas.

• Is tenured faculty eligible?

  Yes. In the FO it states: The NPA must also provide a confirmation from their institution that they are in a tenure track position or will be able to apply for a tenure-track position (or equivalent) in their department or faculty during the six-year award period. Note: for researchers based at non-academic institutions or organizations, a letter from their institution confirming that they are in or will be able to apply for a position similar or equivalent to a tenure track is accepted.

• Will the program be repeated next year or two years from now? Compared to the number of chairs in previous competitions (slides presented at the beginning of the webinar), that is rather less.

  The Intention is to launch this program at regular intervals. We cannot commit at this time, but will get back with more information.

• Can you clarify re: LOI, do you mean up to 2 of the 5 research areas to select, OR up to to topics within EACH of the 5 research areas?

  Up to 2 research areas out of 5, and within each research area you can address one or more of the topics within that research area.

• What is the decision made at the LOI stage? Is it just about relevance?

  The LOI eligibility criteria are laid out in the FO for more information but basically yes, the LOI stage determines which applicants are eligible, what letters of intent are relevant to this opportunity and will be invited to submit full applications.

• Is there any evaluation other than verification of eligility at the LOI stage?

  There is no other evaluation at the LOI stage, just the eligibility of the applicants and the relevance of the LOI will be reviewed.

• Can the Chair be a dedicated full-time researcher? Is there a teaching requirement?

  The applicants need to have 75% of their time dedicated to research. There is the salary contribution of up to $100,000 per year for teaching release and fringe benefits. We don’t have any teaching requirements, but there is mentorship/capacity building as part of the Chair objectives. Please revisit the evaluation criteria to gather more information on this.

• Is the LOI a competitive process or an administrative step only?

  The LOI review is for eligibility and relevance only. In this opportunity, it is more an administrative step to ensure that applications meet the objectives of the funding opportunity.

• How many letters of support should ideally be provided?

  There is no limitation on number of support letters (can submit as many as you want) – but need to make sure that they are relevant to your Chair proposal.

• How many LOIs and out of which how many applications you traditionally receive?

  We don’t have a set number of LOIs, and any relevant LOI will be invited to submit a Full Applications. In the past, we have received over 100 applications to the APHC program.

• Will the program be offered again in future years?

  We hope to offer it at regular intervals.

• How many Chairs will be awarded in the general pool?

  We currently have funding for 2 Chairs in the general pool. Please note that, if there are unused funds in Research areas 1 and/or 2, they can be added to the general pool at any time. So I will optimistically say 'a minimum of 2'.

• Can the research proposal have any overlap with a grant submitted to the project scheme competition?

  If you have submitted a grant to the project scheme and the peer review period overlaps with the APHC, then no. If there is an overlap of funding, then you need to submit a declaration of overlap to the Contact Centre and this will be assessed by CIHR.

• What is the e-mail contact to get answers to questions?

  Please send an email to Contact Centre at support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

• Will the LOI stage be reviewed or is it purely for general fit with the research program?

  Yes, the LOI stage in this opportunity is to assess the eligibility of the applicants and the general fit with the program.

• The eligibility criteria state that applicants must be in a tenure track position or will be able to apply for a tenure-track position (or equivalent) in their department or faculty during the six-year award period. However, hospital research institutes do no offer tenure. I have been told through the contact centre that hospital-based researchers are eligible. What would you need the letter from the institution to say to ensure these researchers are seen as 'equivalent to tenure-track scientists'?

  Yes, Hospital based researchers are eligible for this opportunity, as mentioned by the Contact Centre. The FO states that the NPA must also provide a confirmation from their institution that they are in a tenure track position or will be able to apply for a tenure-track position (or equivalent) in their department or faculty during the six-year award period. Note: for researchers based at non-academic institutions or organizations, a letter from their institution confirming that they are in or will be able to apply for a position similar or equivalent to a tenure track is accepted. Intention of this criteria is less about formality of tenure, but more so about the continuity of this position, and confirmation from your institution that you will be supported beyond the 6 years of APHC program within the institution in a similar position to tenure track – or have the opportunity to apply for such a position. “Or equivalent” is up to your institution to justify how they will meet this equivalency in the letter.

• Can a CRC leave their position to apply for the Chair? Or does the Chair need to have ended?

  Current Canada Research Chair (CRC) holders are only eligible to apply for a CIHR salary award if their award (CRC) has concluded by the Full Application Notice of Decision date for this funding opportunity.

• Re: eligibility and tenure-track. How does this criterion apply to people who have already achieved tenure (i.e., they are not in tenure track nor will they plan to apply as they already have attained it)?

  If you already have a tenure position, you are eligible to apply. You are still required to provide a confirmation from your institution that you are in a tenure track position in the department or faculty during the six-year award period.

• Will these slides be available after the presentation?

  Yes, please contact the CIHR Contact Centre to receive a copy.

• Do support letters really needed at the LOI stage?

  At LOI stage, support letters are not mandatory.

• How do you apply only to the General Pool? It seems that the system wants you to pick a research area on the application.

  Upon launch of the FO, the selection of a Research Area (Pool) was set to mandatory in error. This has now been fixed, therefore, allowing applicants to not have to select a pool, should they wish to solely be considered in the General Pool. See Notices section of the FO for most current update information.

• Who are the 'participants' that are listed in the full application other than decision-maker? Collaborators? Co-investigators? Could you please clarify?

  For this application, you don’t need co-applicants. The Participant list must include decision makers, but the applicants can identify collaborators as well. Collaborators are not required to submit a CV.

• Why are letters of support suggested at the LOI stage if there's no peer review?

  Although optional, letters of support are encouraged and will enhance the quality of the application during the relevance review.

• Could you please clarify what information is needed from a non-academic institution/organization relative to confirming the NPA will be able to apply for a position similar/equivalent to a tenure track position. Thank you.

  For NPA in non-academic institutions or organizations, the institution needs to provide a letter of support in which they can confirm that you either already have an equivalent of tenure position and that you will maintain it for the duration of the award, or will be able to apply for a position at that institution similar/equivalent to a tenure track. In this letter, the institution must also confirm that a minimum of 75% the NPA's time will be protected for research activities relevant to the objectives and research areas of this funding opportunity.

• For a decision maker partner, is it better to have a public health official (eg regional medical officer of health) or would a professional orgnazations such as a regulatory college for a healthcare profession also meet that criteria as long as it relates to public health?

  The choice of the decision maker is the applicants responsibility. We encourage you to select the best fit for your application, especially since one of the elements under the Evaluation Criterion 2 (proposal and KT plan) is the "Quality of existing partnerships and collaborations (extent and depth) with public health organizations and/or knowledge users from other sectors locally, regionally, provincially/territorially, nationally and/or internationally, and extent to which knowledge users will be involved at the beginning and throughout the research process".

• Can you have more than one decision maker - e.g. someone in health/health policy and a community organization?

  Yes, you can have more than one decision maker on your application.

• What should go into the 2 page proposal (is there headings applicants should use) for the LOI stage

  Please refer to the Relevance Review criteria section of the FO, but the 2 page propososal should describe how the proposal addresses the objectives and research areas of this initiative.

• If people may already have tenure. Can they submit the required letter that they will apply when they already hold tenure.

  If you already have a tenure position, you are eligible to apply. You are still required to provide a confirmation from your institution that you are in a tenure position in the department or faculty during the six-year award period.

• Can the decision maker be from federal depts like Ag Canada, CFIA, etc?

  No the decision maker cannot be from federal departments, including PHAC. The decision maker could be a provincial/territorial/local Medical Officer of Health, or a stakeholder from a non-federal governmental or non-profit agency responsible for evidence-based public health practice or policy making.

• How much teaching is allowed for successful applicants? I see that funds are intended to support teaching release time but what is the maximum teaching load allowed?

  There is the requirement to protect a minimum of 75% of the NPA's time to carry out research activities relevant to the Objectives, and Research Areas of this funding opportunity. The remaining time can be used for teaching.

• The letter would then say that the person already had attained tenure and the tenure-track is not relevant? Is this the language?

  Yes, the institution needs to provide a letter of support in which they can confirm that you already have tenure position and that you will maintain it for the duration of the award. In this letter, the institution must also confirm that a minimum of 75% the NPA's time will be protected for research activities.

• The question about whether someone could be hired for the Chair role wasn't really answered. If they have the 5-15 years experience from somewhere else and have confirmation that there will be the opportunity to apply for a tenure track or equivalent type of role?

  You can have your experience from somewhere else. Your first independent researcher appointment in your CCV must fall within 5-15 years from the full application deadline (September 02, 2021). We will need the confirmation that you will have the opportunity to apply for a tenure track or equivalent if you don't already have a tenure position.

• Can we get a copy of the PPT slides?

  Yes, these slides will be available from CIHR Contact Centre. Please reach out to CIHR Contact Centre to receive a copy.

• I would like some clarification on the scope of interventional research. What if my research *supports* interventional research, i.e. is not so much about developing interventions but about doing the background work?

  The scope of population health intervention research that is covered under the APHC program involves the use of scientific methods to produce knowledge about policy and program interventions that operate within and/or outside of the health sector and have the potential to impact health at the population level, and is not clinical or laboratory-based. This does not require the research program to develop or implement interventions directly. The APHC program application must focus on population health intervention research as it is an important criterion of the program.

Date modified:

2021-03-18