Alberta Innovates- Health Solutions - Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research

1. Description
   • health services
   • population health
   • health technology assessment
2. Eligibility
3. Amount of Award
4. Term of Award
5. Applications
6. Renewals

Please note that for the 2005/06 competition there are two important changes to the Health Research Fund (HRF) program guidelines with respect to potential level of funding.

1. Health Research Priority Themes - Potential Additional Funding

The HRF currently provides funding of up to $50,000 per year for up to two years for grants that fall within the broad areas of health services research, population health research, or health technology assessment research. An additional $25,000 per year may be requested for those grants which fall within one or more of the following Health Research Priority Themes:

• Continuum of care and delivery models.
• Information management and information technology for health improvement.
• Financing and public expectations.
• Governance and accountability.
For additional information on these themes please consult the Health Research Agenda and Implementation Strategy 2002-2005 and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation document "Listening for Directions".

2. Salary for Investigators on HRF Grants

The maximum funding currently permitted for HRF grants is $50,000 per year for up to two years, with an additional $25,000 potentially available as described above for those applications falling within the Health Research Priority Themes. This year applications that are sponsored and administered by a regional health authority (RHA) can also include a request for up to an additional $25,000 total request as a contribution to the salary support for the principal investigator and/or for one or more of the co-investigators. Support may be sought to protect a portion of the time for an investigator based in the RHA or to contract to buy out the time for a university-based researcher to contribute to the project. Therefore, such grant applications will be permitted a maximum funding request of $75,000 per year for up to two years or $100,000 per year for up to two years if the project also falls within one of the four Health Research Priority Themes.
AHFMR reserves the right to make the final decision as to whether a specific HRF letter of intent and/or application is eligible to include investigator salary as part of the funding request. If invited to submit a full application, candidates will be asked to provide details justifying this request and to append a letter of support from their sponsoring organization outlining plans for the use of such funds.

2. Description

The Health Research Fund (HRF) is administered by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) on behalf of Alberta Health and Wellness.

The Fund supports relevant, high quality health research studies in the areas of:

• health services
• population health
• health technology assessment

Improving the community's health and socioeconomic development by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of its health system.

Population Health Research:
Studying the interrelated conditions and factors that have an impact on the health of human populations (and sub-populations) across the life stages.

The research encompasses:

• the social, economic, and physical environments
• personal and community health practices
• individual capacity and coping skills
• health services
• early childhood development

Health Technology Assessment Research:
Systematically evaluates the properties, effects, and/or other impacts of healthcare technology.

Provides objective information to support healthcare decisions and policy-making at the local, regional, national and international levels.

3. Eligibility

The HRF competition is aimed at investigative teams which include both researchers and decision-makers or users of health research information working together on issues relating to the appropriate research areas. Proposals that do not include a relevant decision-maker and /or user of health research information as part of the investigative team are not eligible for funding.

Applications may be sponsored by either non-profit decision-making organizations (health agencies, associations, service provider organizations, regional or provincial health authorities, Ministry of Health and Wellness) or non-profit research organizations (universities, hospitals, research institutions or centers). The sponsoring organization must be Alberta-based and have been in existence for at least one year.

Please note that funding will not be provided for the following activities/items:

• Projects consisting strictly of basic biomedical or clinical research (such as clinical trials).
• Projects that are limited to program development or evaluation.
• Projects that involve issues not related to human health.
• Projects that duplicate services already provided.
• Staff training, unless such training is required for the proposed project.
• Purchase of furniture, or renting/leasing space and office equipment, (unless such items are not provided for by existing organizations).

4. Amount of Award

There are four levels of funding potentially available from the HRF:

i) Up to $50,000 per year for up to two years - general limit for all grants.

ii) Up to $75,000 per year for up to two years - limited to those applications that fall within one or more of the four Health Research Priority Themes:

• Continuum of care and delivery models.
• Information management and information technology for health improvement.
• Financing and public expectations.
• Governance and accountability.
iii) Up to $75,000 per year for up to two years - limited to those applications that are sponsored and administered by a regional health authority but do not fall within one of the four Health Research Priority Themes. The additional support from the general limit of $50,000 can only be requested to provide salary support for the principal investigator or co-investigator or to contract to buy out the time for a university-based researcher to contribute to the project.

iv) Up to $100,000 per year for up to two years - limited to those applications that are sponsored and administered by a regional health authority and that fall within one or more of the Health Research Priority Themes. Up to $25,000 may be requested for salary support for the principal investigator or a co-investigator and up to $25,000 may be requested for research activities within the proposal as a result of linking to one of the Health Research Priority Themes.

Two years maximum.

6. Applications

• Submit the original Letter of Intent and cover pages.
• NO faxed or e-mailed submissions will be accepted.
• Letters of Intent MUST be received at the AHFMR office no later that 4:00 p.m. on the announced deadline.

7. Renewals

Renewals will only be considered if the project involves a significant funding partner (covering more than 20% of total costs).