Archive Request for Applications

Commercialization Programs

Summary

CIHR has recently developed an innovative commercialization strategy consisting of three broad themes: mobilizing research, developing people, and building partnerships. In response to this commercialization strategy, CIHR has developed a suite of programs to address these themes. The purpose of this Request for Applications is to further strengthen Canada's research translation sector by allowing Technology Transfer Offices and University-Industry Liaison Offices of universities and research hospitals across Canada to recruit up to 2 recent MBA graduates to work at the institution as Fellows in Commercialization Management. It is expected that this targeted investment will facilitate the professional development of the fellows and enable universities and their affiliated hospitals to better manage the intellectual property arising from health research.

Timeline

Value and Duration

Table of Contents

Summary
Background
Objectives and Eligible Research Areas
Funding Information
Eligibility
Evaluation Criteria and Process
General CIHR Guidelines and Conditions of Funding
Communications Requirements
Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation
How to Apply
Contact Information

Background

The objective of CIHR is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians; more effective services and products; and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Harnessing our investments in health research is key to improving the health of our citizens, building sustainable, evidence-based, leading-edge health care and public health systems, and developing the transformative new technologies of tomorrow. To facilitate this process, CIHR has developed a dynamic and innovative strategy for the commercialization of health research, based on three thematic drivers: mobilizing research, developing people and building partnerships.

This program has been designed to help fill a growing gap between new discoveries and their conversion into innovations that will lead to new ways of preventing health problems, new diagnostics, devices, and treatments, and improve the overall health and well-being of Canadians. CIHR's considerable investment in research training provides people skilled in research. However, technology transfer and commercialization requires highly skilled and properly trained managers. People with the right blend of science and business skills are in short supply in Canada and the world. This initiative aims at providing the opportunity for recent MBA graduates to gain experience in the field of technology transfer by offering them one-year fellowships in Commercialization Management in Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and University-Industry Liaison Offices (UILOs) in universities and research hospitals in Canada.

The Commercialization Management grants will be issued in the form of a grant to the TTO/UILO to allow them to hire up to two recent MBA graduates to work in their office. This program will meet the goals of the commercialization strategy by:

Mobilizing research - Many TTO and UILO offices are currently struggling to keep up with the high volume of innovations requiring their attention. This program will allow TTOs and UILOs to hire outstanding individuals with strong business education who will contribute to the productivity and expertise of the office. Having additional members of the team with a strong business education background will both allow the office to more effectively process intellectual property and other opportunities thereby increasing the efficiency of research translation in Canada.

Developing people - Opportunities may be limited for MBA graduates who wish to work in the health sector due to the limited funds of universities and research hospitals. This program will allow recent MBA graduates to experience a one-year work term as a Fellow in Commercialization Management where they will be mentored by experts in the field of technology transfer. It is anticipated that many of these individuals will ultimately move into roles in the companies that are the receptors of the intellectual property developed in universities and research hospitals thereby enhancing Canada's capacity for commercialization of research developments.

Building Partnerships - This program will strengthen the relationship between the TTOs/UILOs and Canadian business schools. This partnership will benefit the business students as it will increase the awareness of career opportunities in the biotech/pharma community.

Objectives and Eligible Research Areas

The objectives of this initiative are:

• To allow recent MBA graduates to be mentored in a technology transfer environment;
• To give the opportunity for the fellows to gain management experience with multiple transactions in health innovations;
• To allow fellows to identify innovations and participate in projects from conception to close, assisting both in moving projects along the value development pipeline as well as identifying those which have reached an endpoint;
• To foster an environment where the successful candidate can develop networks with the technology transfer community;
• To allow UILOs access to highly qualified individuals who will contribute to the success of the organization;
• To promote academic health research and technology transfer activities that support the commercialization of IP;
• To accelerate the technology transfer/commercialization of IP residing in academia from CIHR-funded grants.

Eligible Research Areas:

• Fellows are required to focus on health-related projects, or the commercialization of technologies, products and services with potential to improve the health of Canadians.

Funding Information

Funds Available

Please note that the institution paid must be eligible to receive CIHR funds. Please see the guidelines for Eligible Institutions for further information.

Each organization may request funding for up to two candidates.

The maximum amount awarded from CIHR for a single grant is $50,000 per candidate:

• Salary contribution (including fringe benefits): Up to $ 40,000 matched at least 1:1 by institution
  And
• Operating allowance: $ 5,500 to be used by the fellow
  And
• Recruitment allowance: $ 4,500 to be used by the institution for costs related to the recruiting of suitable candidates.

If the fellow leaves the position before the anticipated end date of the grant, the institution will be required to reimburse any unused salary and research allowance to CIHR.

Based on the total funds available for the initiative, applications will be funded from the top-ranked down as far as budgets will allow. Applications receiving a score of less than 3.5 will not be considered for funding.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review Use of Grant Funds and Eligibility of Expenses, Employment under Grants within the General Guidelines for All Research Grants for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.

Salary contribution:

CIHR will contribute up to $40,000 to be used towards the salary and fringe benefits for each potential candidate. This contribution must be matched at least 1:1 by the institution for a total salary of $80,000 including benefits. Salaries given must be fully justified and in accordance with institutional policy and current rates of pay. The institution may contribute more than 50% of the salary.

Operating Allowance:

CIHR will provide $5,500 as an operating allowance to the fellow. The use of the operating allowance must be in accordance with the CIHR General Guidelines for All Research Grants.

Examples of eligible expenses include:

• Participating in training courses and workshops;
• Costs of training to use specialized equipment and/or programs;
• Travel to conferences or collaborative meetings;
• The purchase of specialized office supplies, computing equipment and information services not formally provided by the institution to its staff;

An annual function (at a location to be determined) will be held in order to facilitate networking with other fellows. A portion of the allowance may be used to cover the cost of travel to this function.

Recruitment Allowance:

CIHR will provide up to $4,500 per candidate to be used by the institution for activities associated with the recruitment of the appropriate candidate(s). The amount requested for these activities must be fully justified. Examples of eligible expenses include:

• Travel to business schools to advertise or interview potential candidates;
• Creation of web pages and/or posters to advertise the position;
• Costs of bringing the candidate to the institution for interviews.

Eligibility

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility criteria for all CIHR research funding programs apply. The financial office of an eligible institution generally administers CIHR funds. Please refer to the Eligibility Requirements for CIHR Grants and Awards regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) of institutions eligible to receive CIHR funds can submit an application to obtain funding for the hiring of up to two fellows. To determine if your institution is eligible, please refer to CIHR guidelines on eligible institutions.

When choosing the fellow, the TTO/UILO must adhere to the following guidelines:

• The candidate must have graduated with an MBA (or equivalent) within the last 3 years (preference will be given to candidates who have graduated in Canada);
• The candidate must focus on projects in a health-related area;
• The candidate must begin his/her position prior to March 31, 2006 and be employed for 12 months;
• The TTO/UILO must provide CIHR with the CV of the chosen candidate.

Evaluation Criteria and Process

Evaluation Criteria

All applications must address the items outlined in the research proposal below. Applications will be evaluated on two criteria - primarily the development of the fellow and secondarily the impact on the office - in order to assure that institutions of all sizes will have an equal opportunity of obtaining these grants. Applications must be rated in the fundable range on both criteria in order to be considered for funding.

Evaluation Process

All personal information collected by CIHR about applicants is used to review applications, to administer and monitor grants and awards, to compile statistics, and to promote and support health research in Canada. Consistent with these purposes, applicants should also expect that information collected by CIHR may be shared as described in Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to CIHR for Peer Review.

A CIHR peer review committee will evaluate the full applications. The committee may be drawn from one of CIHR's pre-existing committees or may be created specifically for this Request for Applications. Committee members are selected based on suggestions from many sources including the institute(s) / portfolio(s) and partner(s), following CIHR's policy on Conflict of Interest, Confidentiality and Privacy Issues in Peer Review. For information on CIHR's peer review process, see Peer Review.

Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

CIHR has a federal entity is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, therefore the requirements of these two statutes will apply to all information located in CIHR's premises including, without limitation, cost-sharing agreements related to this Request for Applications and all matters pertaining thereto.

The Parties, while respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, will also be bound by the PIPEDA. All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under cost-sharing agreements related to the Request for Applications will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.

General CIHR Guidelines and Conditions of Funding

All conditions specified in CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies shall apply to applications funded through this Request for Applications. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official language policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of CIHR Support. Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial conditions prior to the release of funds or when they receive CIHR's Authorization for Funding (AFF) document.

In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements the following shall apply:

• Grantees will be required to provide the CV of the candidate(s) hired through these grants.

Communications Requirements

Grant recipients are required to acknowledge CIHR, its institutes and partners in any communication or publication related to the project. See CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies, Acknowledgement of CIHR's Support for details on CIHR's communication requirements. The contributing institutes / partners will be identified on the Authorization for Funding and decision letter.

Monitoring, Performance Measurement and Evaluation

CIHR is committed to demonstrating results to Canadians for the money invested in health research. Therefore, processes for monitoring progress and appropriate use of funds, as well as for performance measurement and program evaluation are in place. As a result, funding recipients must:

• adhere to CIHR's reporting requirements and provide required information in a timely fashion.
• contribute to the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes by participating in evaluation studies, surveys, workshops, audits and providing data or reports as required for the purpose of collecting information to assess progress and results;
• encourage their associates, trainees and administration to participate in the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes as required.

In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements the following shall apply:

• The fellow must complete a one-page follow-up report on their career path as well as on the personal impact of the training provided by this grant annually for five years after the completion of the fellowship.
• The TTO/UILO must complete a follow-up report on the impact of the grant on the commercialization of health research by the office within six months of the completion of the Fellow's term. This report must include how the TTO/UILO benchmarks and monitors the commercialization of health research carried out at the Institution and an evaluation of the impact of the CIHR-funded Fellow(s) on this commercialization.

How to Apply

Full applications must be made in the name of the director of the TTO/UILO affiliated with an institution eligible to administer CIHR funds.
Four copies of the application (1 original and 3 copies) must be submitted.
There is no registration step required.

The following CIHR application forms (modules) are required:

1. CIHR Research Module, including research proposal (p12)
2. CIHR Operating Budget Module, which fully justifies each item of funding requested.

In completing CIHR forms/modules, be sure to refer to both the Grants and Awards Guides and the guidelines for completion specific to each module.

1) Research Module:

Specific Guidelines for completion:

• To ensure that application is forwarded to the appropriate CIHR staff, indicate "Commercialization Management Grant" under the heading "Strategic Initiative/RFA" on the Routing Slip and in the Research Funding Programs section of the Research Module webform (page 7 of the printed form).
• Pages 5, 9, 10, 11 and Appendices 1and 2 are not required or accepted.
• Page 12 must be completed according to the criteria specified below.

Research Proposal (p12)

Applicants are encouraged to adhere to the following presentation layout. Please note that a maximum of 5 pages may be submitted (numbered 12a-e). Figures and references are not included in page limitations.

Development of Candidate -

• Describe why the environment of the TTO/UILO will be optimal for the training of a recent MBA graduate in the commercialization of CIHR-funded research.
• Provide a brief history of the TTO/UILO in which the fellow would be working.
• Describe of the types of health-related IP that comes through the office.
• Explain how the TTO/UILO will recruit high-quality MBA graduates as Fellows
• Give a timeline for the training of the applicant over the one year period, specifically the type and frequency of mentoring that the applicant will receive.
• Describe the scope of the areas/projects with which the potential candidate would be working (must be health-related).
• List the resources available to the candidate (including people they will interact with, mentors etc).
• Outline any past training successes.

Impact on Office -

• Describe the size of the institution and its TTO/UILO.
• Describe the history of health-related funding to the institution.
• Outline the impact the fellow would have on the efficiency and productivity of the office. Specifically, describe the current level of activity of the office relative to the size of current staff, and discuss how the addition of the fellow(s) will affect the output of the office.
• Explain how will this funding strengthen the relationship of the office with Canadian business schools.

2) Operating Budget Module:

Page 4 - Be sure to provide complete justification of all funds by demonstrating that the level of salary to be offered is appropriate and explaining in detail how the research allowance and recruitment allowance will be used. Salaries given must be fully justified and in accordance with institutional policy and current rates of pay.

Send Application by Courier to:

RE: CIHR Commercialization Management Grants
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Address locator: 4809A
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0W9

Contact for Further Information

Kristina Coderre
Program Delivery Officer
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: (613) 952-4256
Fax: (613) 954-1800
E-mail: kcoderre@irsc-cihr.gc.ca