Quebec Researcher-Clinician Partnership Program – Call for Innovations

Program Overview
Innovation Themes
Eligibility Requirements
Selection Criteria
Role of the Host Institution
Funding
Process and Timeline
Important Dates
Resources

Program Overview

The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation’s (CABHI) mission is to accelerate the development, validation, commercialization, dissemination and adoption of innovative products, services and best practices to support brain health and aging. Our vision is a world in which people can age in the setting of their choice, maintaining their well-being and independence for as long as possible.

CABHI has formed partnership with the four academic centres in Quebec: i) RUIS McGill Centre of Excellence on Longevity; ii) Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CIUSSS du Centre-Sud de l’Île-de-Montréal); iii) Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement (CIUSSS Estrie-CHUS); and iv) Centre d’Excellence sur le vieillissement (CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale) to announce the Quebec Researcher-Clinician Partnership Program (QRCP2).

The QRCP2 Program will support teams of clinicians and researchers collaborating to refine, test, validate and disseminate innovative solutions in real-world settings. Solutions must be at an advanced stage of development, with promising scalability.

The solution must be “innovative” in that it creates value by displacing standard practice or technologies with an advanced and novel approach. The project must focus on evaluating the application and impact of the solution in real-world seniors’ care settings, going beyond lab tests and other tightly controlled test environments.

Organizations of successful applicants will receive up to $400,000 (CAD) in matching funds to support their projects. A maximum of 4 projects will be awarded under this program. Projects cannot exceed 15 months in duration (including submission of final project report to CABHI) and must begin by September 2018.

Interested applicants must submit an online application no later than 5pm EDT on July 20, 2018.

Eligibility Requirements

Innovation Themes

CABHI supports innovations that address challenges associated with the aging brain, including dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. In 2018, CABHI’s focus will be on testing innovative solutions that are aimed at addressing the specific themes listed below. All project applications must focus on one or more of these themes. You can learn more about CABHI’s priority themes here.

1. Aging in place: solutions that enable older adults with dementia to maximize their choice, independence and quality of life regarding where they live
2. Caregiver support: solutions that support caregivers (formal and informal) in providing care to older adults with dementia
3. Care coordination and navigation: solutions that help older adults, caregivers and healthcare providers coordinate care and transitions for older adults with dementia
4. Cognitive health: solutions focused on health promotion, prevention, early diagnostics, and slowing the progression of cognitive impairment in aging adults
5. Aging Indigenous and Rural population: solutions that address aging and brain health challenges particularly focusing on indigenous population and individuals in rural and remote areas

Applicants

Applicants must apply as a team composed of at least one researcher and one clinician working jointly on study design, trial implementation, data collection, analysis and reporting. Each team of clinicians and researchers must be affiliated with at least two of the following academic centers: i) RUIS McGill Centre of Excellence on Longevity; ii) Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CIUSSS du Centre-Sud de l’Île-de-Montréal); iii) Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement (CIUSSS Estrie-CHUS); and iv) Centre d’Excellence sur le vieillissement (CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale).

In addition, the project could include participants from other organizations. Other team members do not have to be employed by the same organization. Either the lead clinician or lead researcher must be identified as the project’s Principal Investigator (PI). All funding will be made to the institution with which the PI has a professional affiliation. The PI must be employed by one of the four academic centres listed above. This institution will act as the project’s Host Institution (see section 4 – Role of Host Institution, below).

Projects

The project must focus on evaluating the application and impact of the solution in real-world seniors’ care settings, using rigorous scientific methodology but going beyond lab tests and other tightly-controlled test environments.

The initiative cannot involve basic research, primarily academic goals, capital investment in a portfolio of intellectual property, pharmaceutical clinical trials or incubators for startups.

Solutions

The Intellectual Property in the solution being tested must be owned by (i) the Host Institution, (ii) the researcher or clinician who is employed by the Host Institution and identified as the Principal Investigator on the project, or (iii) a combination of the above.  In all cases, the Host Institution must have the right to use the Intellectual Property during the course of the project. (Note: If the Principal Investigator owns all or a portion of the Intellectual Property, he or she may be required by CABHI to match CABHI’s contributions through cash and/or in-kind support.)

Solutions must, at minimum, be advanced ready for demonstration in an appropriate operational environment for the duration of the proposed trial.

The solution must be “innovative” in that it deviates from standard practice or common procedure and demonstrates purposeful differentiation from existing widely adopted solutions.

Solution Criteria

All applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Applicant information (20% of total score)

• Team has a demonstrated track record of relevant successes and appropriate qualifications to undertake the trial
• Host Institution has a track record of implementing and mobilizing innovations, capacity and expertise to undertake research, provides evidence of strong local support

2. Innovative product, service or practice (“Solution”) (20% of total score)

• Clear description of the solution’s key features, qualities and how it is used
• Clear and convincing description of the benefits of the solution and how it improves the current status quo (such as outcomes, efficiencies and cost savings); presents compelling and clear evidence (in the form of scientific evidence and/or user testing) to support claims
• Solution is at a current state of development (including licensing and certifications) to be used in an operational setting

3. Dissemination, adoption and future financial sustainability (20% of total score)

• Clear plan to disseminate and adopt solution by clinicians and/or other end users, including an analysis of target audiences, anticipated barriers, and how to address them
• Solution can be scaled to impact a large number of users regionally, nationally or globally; Have the applicants adequately identified and addressed requirements to scale?
• Where applicable: clear strategy for financial sustainability, including target market segments and competitive landscape analysis; plan includes financial assumptions and supporting data

4. Strategic Alignment (20% of total score)

• Convincing description of how the solution specifically addresses an important, and concrete problem faced by the health system and/or older adults, and how it aligns with at least one of CABHI’s priority themes; supported by data from previous research completed in simulated environment. Learn more about CABHI’s priority themes here.

5. Project Overview & Research Approach (20% of total score)

• Clear and concise overview of the project provided, including the main goals and activities to be funded as part of this project and the key questions the research will answer
• Approach to data collection and analysis is well designed given the research questions being addressed and project metrics being captured; reasonable outcome targets are identified
• Project is well planned and sufficiently resourced
• Project budget leverages contributions from other sources through cash or in-kind contributions

Online applications will be reviewed and scored by a project evaluation panel that is comprised of group of reviewers with expertise in discovery, clinical and/or applied research, business and technical fields.

Recommendations from the project evaluation panel will be considered by CABHI leadership for project selection to ensure balance and strategic alignment.

CABHI reserves the right to select proposals that represent a distribution of projects across the 2018 innovation themes.

CABHI reserves the right to decline any application and to modify or annul this Call for Innovations at any time, without incurring any liability.

Role of the Host Institution

The Host Institution has a number of key responsibilities:

• It will be responsible for receiving, and administering the funding.
• It will be accountable for the completion of project milestones and reporting deliverables.
• It will enter into a contract with CABHI detailing the roles, responsibilities, accountabilities and reporting requirements for the project. If applicable, the Host Institution will also be responsible for contracting with other institutions employing team members on the project. 
• It will be responsible for distributing funds received from CABHI to support the activities of project team members at their partner organizations. CABHI reserves the right to require other members of the project team to execute agreements in connection with the project.
• It will provide facilities, management and support (direct and indirect) for the project team so that they can effectively and efficiently engage in the proposed project.
• It will ensure compliance with, and oversight of, applicable regulatory and licensing requirements, and best practices in research related to recruitment, consenting, privacy, data security, ethics and training.
• Where applicable, it will support and share project costs related specifically to the trial.
• It will provide the project team with access to a population of test subjects by either drawing on its own client base or drawing on the client base(s) of the organization(s) collaborating on the project.

Funding

Funding from CABHI

CABHI will provide 1:1 matching funds to support project costs that are directly associated with the trial of an innovative solution (product, service, or practice), to a maximum of CAD $400,000 with a 15-month timeline for completion (including submission of final project report). Refer to the QRCP² Program Eligible Expense Guideline for information on eligible project costs and the Matching Funds Guidelines.

CABHI funding will be provided to the Host Institution employing the PI. The Host Institution is responsible for distributing funds to other project participants.

Funding from the Host Institution

The two academic centres representing the researcher(s) and clinician(s) in the application must jointly match 1:1 contribution made by CABHI in cash or in-kind.  Preference will be given to applications that demonstrate how CABHI’s funding will leverage support from other funding sources.

For example, applicants might show evidence of government, collaborator or institutional commitment through a blend of cash and/or in-kind contributions such as office or lab space, equipment, connectivity, staff salaries, etc.

Flow of Funds from CABHI

CABHI will release to the Host Institution an initial payment of 30% of the approved project budget at the start of the project.

Two subsequent interim payments of 30% of the approved project budget will be released to the Host Institution when project milestones and deliverables have been met and progress and financial reports have been received from the Host Institution.

A holdback of 10% of the project budget will be released to the Host Institution upon project completion when project milestones and deliverables have been met and upon receipt of the final progress report, financial report, and attestation regarding the use of funds from the Host Institution.

The Host Institution must provide interim and final financial reports on use of project funds.

Ownership Rights

CABHI will not retain any ownership rights to the intellectual property associated with the solution (product, service, or practice) but will retain the right to disseminate the findings of the testing completed.

If and when the Innovation is commercialized (whether through the licensing, sale or other exploitation of the innovation), and if and when the Host Institution receives a royalty or any other form of payment in connection with such commercialization, then CABHI shall have the right to receive a reasonable royalty or payment from the Host Institution, in an amount to be negotiated by the Parties.

Important Dates

Process and Timeline

Resources

Eligible Expenses Guideline

In-Kind Contributions & Matching Funds Guideline

View the 2018 Researcher-Clinician Partnership Program – Round 3 Call for Innovations in French.

Funding for this program is provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Science, as well as the Government of Canada through the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Baycrest Foundation.