Senior’s Care-Strategic Innovation Fund (SCSIF)

Call for Innovations

The SCSIF program is intended to accelerate the translation of research to products, services and practices that address the needs of aging adults and the challenges of an aging population. The program will support clinicians and researchers to refine, test, and validate innovative solutions in real-world settings. This program supports projects that can make a system-wide impact in aging and brain health. SCSIF will fund projects up to $200,000 (CAD), for 12 to 18 months to refine and trial innovative solutions in real-world settings.

SCSIF will support innovative solutions that address the following themes:

1. Aging in place: solutions that enable older adults with dementia to maximize their independence and age in the most appropriate setting of choice (eg. by reducing falls, addressing social isolation etc.)
2. Caregiver support: solutions that support caregivers (formal and informal) in their care for older adults with dementia
3. Care coordination and navigation: solutions that assist older adults, caregivers and healthcare providers better coordinate and navigate care for older adults with dementia
4. Cognitive health: solutions that improve brain/cognitive health for aging adults and/or support the identification and assessment of adults at risk for dementia/cognitive impairment

Interested applicants must submit an online application no later than October 10, 2017 (by 5:00 PM EST).

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be employed by or affiliated with a research, academic, or health care institution in New Brunswick. The project host institution must be a research organization (e.g. centre, institute, network or other such institution), university, and / or regional health authority.[1]

Applicants may partner with for-profit organizations involved in the commercialization of the solution.

Proposed projects must focus on solutions that:

1. 1. • Utilize translational research with evidence regarding a solution’s ability to improve clinical outcomes, health and safety, and/or the efficiency and effectiveness of care for older adults or their caregivers
      • Demonstrate their direct impact on at least one of the priority themes cited above
      • Be at a stage of maturity to support a clinical pilot in real-word service environments (including in the community and client homes) for 12 to 18 months[2]
      • Demonstrate potential to be scaled across North America.

Projects must:

• Be between 12 to 18 months, including writing the final project report.
• Commence by December 1, 2017.

This program will not fund initiatives that involve basic fundamental research, academic-oriented activities, pharmaceutical clinical trials or incubators for start-ups.

Selection Criteria

All eligible applications will be evaluated based on the following selection criteria:

1. Solution importance and effectiveness:

• • The innovative solution effectively meets an important need in the realm of aging and brain health
  • The innovative solution meets the needs of end users and provides a clear value proposition to customers
  • The innovative solution is supported by sound clinical and/or scientific evidence

1. Potential impact; likelihood to scale:
   • Proposal demonstrates that the project is clinically, technically, commercially, and operationally feasible to implement, and that it can, next be rolled out on a larger scale across multiple geographic regions to provide system-wide impact
2. Project plan and evaluation approach:
   • Project has high likelihood to be successfully implemented based on resources, activities and timelines
   • Evaluation methodology well matched to intended research question, outputs, outcomes and impacts to be evaluated
   • Research ethics plan in place, ethics board identified if applicable
3. Project team, organizational support:
   • The host institution is committed to supporting the team in testing and evaluating the impact of the solution
   • Host institution is committed to providing leadership, fostering partnerships, and contributing additional resources
   • Does the project team have the required skills, experience, track record and availability to execute the project and sustain the innovation post-trial
   • Includes partnerships between healthcare organizations, research or academic institutions, or private firms that complement SCSIF funds with their own cash and in-kind support
4. Overall impression and clarity:
   • The project is clearly and concisely written, creating a clear and specific picture of the solution and its benefits, project activities, target outputs and outcomes, and plans for future growth and sustainability.

Applications will be reviewed and scored by a project evaluation panel that is comprised of an independent group of external reviewers having expertise in the clinical, applied research, business and technical fields. Recommendations from the project evaluation team will be considered by CABHI and NBHRF leadership to ensure balance and strategic alignment. A recommendation will be tabled, reviewed and approved by the CABHI Board.

CABHI and NBHRF reserve the right to decline any application and to annul this Call for Innovations at any time without incurring any liability. CABHI and NBHRF also reserve the right to modify the scope of this Call for Innovations at any time, if it believes in its sole discretion that doing so will improve the caliber of applications being submitted.

Process and Timeline

Step 1: Review the criteria to ensure your proposal addresses one or more of the identified themes. If you decide to apply, submit an online application form by 5:00 PM EST October 10, 2017. All applications must be in English or French (which will be translated in English to facilitate the independent review process) and contain no material that is confidential or proprietary. All applications must include a letter of support from the Host Institution. You are not granting rights to any intellectual property by submitting an application. A for-profit organization must jointly apply with a healthcare service provider organization that is a Canada Revenue Agency qualified donee or a non-profit organization.

Step 2: CABHI and NBHRF will review the submitted applications, including project scope, timeline, deliverables and expected outcomes, against the selection criteria. Applicants may be contacted for additional information during the review phase, and must be willing to make revisions to the project plan, if requested.

Step 3: The Project Selection Panel will perform an evaluation and the resulting ranking will be reviewed by CABHI and NBHRF Management teams and submitted for approvals.

Step 4:Successful applicants will be notified by October 31, 2017.

Step 5: The agreement will set out the obligations and contributions of successful applicants, as well as rights of CABHI and NBHRF, including the rights to disseminate the findings, with the signing of the agreement to be completed by November 30, 2017.

Role of Host Institution

The organization that employs the applicant, or with which the applicant is affiliated, will be designated as the Host Institution. Host Institutions must:

1. Be responsible for receiving and administering the funding, overseeing activities and ensuring reporting, as set by the project.
2. Enter into a contract with CABHI and a separate contract with NBHRF that will detail the roles, responsibilities, accountabilities and reporting requirements for the project. If applicable, the Host Institution will also be responsible for contracting with other institutions that employ team members on the project. The Host Institution will be responsible for distributing funds received from CABHI and NBHRF to support the activities of project team members at their partner organizations. CABHI and NBHRF reserves the right to require other members of the project team to execute agreements with it in connection with the project.
3. Provide facilities, management and support (direct and indirect) for the project team so that they can effectively and efficiently engage in the proposed project.
4. Ensure compliance (if applicable) with any regulatory requirements as well as any other CABHI and NBHRF requirements including those related to research ethics and research training.
5. Be accountable for the completion of all project milestones and deliverables, as well as performance reporting.
6. Appoint the applicant, or another person from the host institutions, to oversee and coordinate the project

Funding Rules

Funding from CABHI and NBHRF

• CABHI and NBHRF will each support up to $100,000 of project costs directly associated with the refinement or trial of an innovative solution (product, service, or practice), totaling a maximum of CAD $200,000.
• The project will have a 12 to 18 months timeline for completion including writing the final project report.
• Refer to CABHI’s SCSIF Program Eligible Expenses Guidelinefor information on the types of project costs that can be funded for CABHI portion of the funds.

• To facilitate a rapid project ramp-up, CABHI and NBHRF will each release an initial payment of 25% of the approved project budget (totaling to 50% of the project budget), at the start of the project to the Host Institution.
• A subsequent interim payment of 15% each will be released by CABHI and NBHRF (totaling to 30%) when interim project milestones and deliverables have been met and both CABHI and NBHRF receives and approves the interim progress and financial reports (from the Host Institution).
• A holdback of 20% of project budget will be released upon project completion when project milestones and deliverables have been met and when CABHI and NBHRF receives the final progress and financial reports, outcomes and attestation, from the Host Institution, regarding the use of funds.
• All amounts will be released to the Host Institution.

• CABHI and NBHRF both have the right to terminate funding, if at any time during the course of execution of the project any one of the following determinations are made:

1. 1. 1. the Project will likely not be completed on schedule or on budget;
      2. interim results are unsatisfactory and demonstrate low likelihood of achieving anticipated outcomes;
      3. one or more of the milestones cannot be met, or has not been met, within the agreed timeframe as outlined in the Project Charter;
      4. the conclusion reached through CABHI’s project review process is that the overall goals of the Project will likely not be met; or
      5. the signatories have defaulted on one or more of their obligations to CABHI and/or to NBHRF.

Funding from Host Institution

• No specific level of matching funds is necessary to apply for this program. However, preference will be given to proposals that show how NBHRF and CABHI’s funding leverages support from other funding sources. Applicants may also show evidence of government, industry partner or institutional commitment through a blend of cash, or in-kind contributions such as office or lab space, equipment, internet connectivity, staff salaries, etc.
• If applicable, the Host Institution will be required to submit details regarding its contribution to the project and as part of the regular progress reporting, as well as provide evidence of expenditures.
• CABHI and NBHRF’s funding will be provided to the Host Institution representing the applicant. If applicable, the Host Institution must submit a timeline for its part of the investment and as part of the regular project progress reporting, provide evidence of expenditures.

Ownership Rights

Neither CABHI nor NBHRF will retain any ownership rights to the intellectual property associated with the solution (product, service, or practice). CABHI nor NBHRF will respect the necessity of technology transfer and intellectual property applicability process of the applicant and his/her institution. CABHI nor NBHRF retain the right to disseminate findings included in the final report.

After the project is successfully completed, CABHI and NBHRF reserve the right to broadly disseminate the output(s) of the project. This includes learning materials, tools, documents, practices or services. Any such dissemination will be with full attribution and other appropriate recognition. If the successful applicant or Host Institution intends for the outputs of the project to be sold, CABHI and NBHRF reserves the right to negotiate and include a royalty arrangement in the project agreement prior to the start of the project.

[1] Program Host Organizations must be a CRA-qualified donee in order to receive funding. Most institutions mentioned here will have this status. Detailed information can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/charities-giving/charities/policies-guidance/qualified-donees.html. If you are not certain about your institution’s eligibility please contact info@cabhi.com .

[2] Projects based on innovative technical products must score 7,8 or 9 on the Technology Readiness Levels defined by the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP). Projects based on innovative clinical practices must be at stages T2, T3 or T4 as defined by the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Centre.

Resources

Eligible Expenses Guideline

About NBHRF

The New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF) was created in July 2008 with a mandate to co-ordinate, support and promote health research in New Brunswick. Its vision is to ensure a healthy and prosperous New Brunswick through excellence in health research and innovation. Its mission is to provide leadership and support to build health research capacity, improve the health of New Brunswickers and advance the knowledge economy.

The NBHRF is an independent organization governed by a board of directors comprised of key stakeholders from the health research community in New Brunswick. Provincial funding is provided by Business New Brunswick. Learn more at: https://www.nbhrf.com.

About CABHI

The Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), located at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto, Canada, is a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector. Established in 2015, it is the result of the largest investment in brain health and aging in Canadian history.

CABHI is a first-of-its-kind partnership in aging and brain health, bringing together players in healthcare, sciences, industry, and the government. Its mandate is to be a solution-accelerator for the design and development of technology and/or practice-related innovations that will allow older adults to age safely in the setting of their choice while maintaining their cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being.

Innovation in this sector is vital to address the brain health and care needs of an ever-increasing number of older adults. Accordingly, CABHI facilitates collaborations between leading seniors’ care organizations in North America and those innovators from around the globe with promising solutions in the following areas: non-invasive medical devices, emerging technologies, wellness and digital health solutions, healthcare delivery practices, therapeutic approaches, and practitioner/caregiver training and support.