Sponsor

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

For More Information

Please see CIHR's Team Grant: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention [1] website for additional information. 

Webinar: CIHR will be hosting a webinar to support interested applicants with the requirements of the funding opportunity "Team Grant: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention" and to answer questions related to the application process.

When: January 29, 2025 at 12:30 PM ET | Register [2]
When: February 5, 2025 at 12:30 PM ET | Register [3]
Duration: 90 minutes
Language: English presentation followed by a period of questions and answers in both official languages, English and French

Description

The Team Grants: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention [1] aims to unite interdisciplinary research teams to advance the biological and mechanistic understanding of cancer etiology, genesis and risk, linked with host, lifestyle, environmental, social and other factors, to identify new targets and approaches for cancer prevention, risk reduction and early detection. Collaborations between traditional cancer prevention researchers (e.g., population and public health researchers, epidemiologists, social scientists) and those from other disciplines (e.g., biologists, immunologists, geneticists, drug developers) or who are new to the field are strongly encouraged. Collectively, these research teams will develop and disseminate evidence-based solutions to enable improvements in cancer prevention, risk reduction, and early detection at the individual and/or population-level.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity will support projects relevant to the following research areas and the overall objectives [4]:

• General Pool
  This funding pool will support research that advances the biological and/or mechanistic understanding of cancer etiology, genesis, and/or risk to identify new targets and approaches for cancer prevention, risk reduction, and/or early detection.
• Breast Cancer Pool
  This funding pool will support research that aims to harness biological and mechanistic insights to advance prevention, risk reduction, and/or early detection of breast cancer.
• Cancer in Women Pool
  This funding pool will support research on cancers among women and gender-diverse individuals^‡ [5] which examines how sex-related biological mechanisms (e.g., microbiome, hormones, immune responses, genetics), and interactions with gender-related and other intersectional factors where appropriate, can affect cancer etiology, genesis, and/or risk to identify new targets and approaches for cancer prevention, risk reduction, and/or early detection. Projects focused on breast cancer in women are encouraged to submit to the Breast Cancer Pool.
• General External Exposome Pool
  This funding pool will support research that examines broader environmental and social influences and the biological mechanisms by which they can impact cancer risk and development at a population level. Research areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
  • Climate change
  • Nature/green spaces
  • Occupational exposures
  • Social inequities in health
  • Environmental inequity
• Germline Mutations Pool
  This funding pool will support research that advances the understanding of germline mutations in cancer risk and susceptibility to identify new targets and approaches for cancer prevention, risk reduction, and/or early detection of hereditary cancers. Research areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
  • Common cancer-predisposing germline mutations (e.g., BRCA, Lynch Syndrome genes, APC, p53)
  • Biomarkers for early cancer detection
  • Novel intervention strategies for cancer prevention
• Technology, Tools, and Methods Pool
  This funding pool will support research to develop and establish novel concepts and approaches that leverage technologies and tools towards advancing cancer prevention, risk reduction, and/or early detection. Funding can be applied to developing a new technology/tool/methodology and/or novel applications of an existing technology/tool/methodology. Research areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
  • Nanotechnologies (e.g., nanoimaging, theranostics)
  • Liquid biopsies
  • Novel biomarkers associated with cancer development
  • Cancer preventive agents
• Ultra-Processed Foods Pool
  This funding pool will support research that examines the biological mechanisms by which exposure to ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can influence cancer risk and development. Research areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
  • UPF properties (e.g., food additives, industrial ingredients, contaminants from processing) and impact on cancer risk
  • UPF links to metabolism, obesity, inflammation, and cancer risk
  • Role of the gut microbiome
• Vaccines Pool
  This funding pool will support research projects that identify and validate novel vaccine targets for cancer prevention. Projects must incorporate early-stage/proof-of-concept validation studies that will advance vaccine development, assessment, and/or clinical translation.
• International Japan–Canada Geroscience Pool
  This funding pool will support an International Japan–Canada research team co-funded by CIHR and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) - Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE) Program to advance the biological and mechanistic understanding of how aging impacts cancer etiology, genesis, and/or risk to identify new targets and approaches for cancer prevention, risk reduction, and/or early detection. The International Geroscience Team will additionally develop an International Scientific Mobility Plan (available on the AMED website [6]) to build and strengthen networks between Japan and Canada, and promote international knowledge exchange. Research areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
  • Accelerated aging and risk of early-onset cancers

Please note that the focus of this funding opportunity is primary and secondary cancer prevention. The following areas will not be supported:

• Research related to tertiary cancer prevention or minimal residual disease.
• Research on preventing cancer progression or preventing/mitigating treatment side effects.
• Basic discovery research without applicability to cancer prevention, risk reduction, and/or early detection.
• Studies focused on epidemiological or behavioural approaches without incorporating a biological and/or mechanistic component.
• Late-stage intervention trials.

This funding opportunity is led by the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (CIHR-ICR) in collaboration with the CIHR Institutes of: Aging (CIHR-IA), Gender and Health (CIHR-IGH), Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (CIHR-INMD), Population and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH), and in partnership with the BioCanRx, Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), Cancer Research Society (CRS), Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) - Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE), and the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI).

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible, all the requirements stated below must be met:

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be an independent researcher [7] affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge mobilization).
2. The NPA must have their substantive role in Canada [8] for the duration of the requested grant term.
3. The Institution Paid must be authorized to administer CIHR funds [9] by the funding start date.
4. The research team must be interdisciplinary [10], and at a minimum, must include each of four (4) participant types listed below. Note that an individual can fulfill multiple participant types.
   • A NPA or Principal Applicant (PA) from CIHR Pillar 1 [11].
   • A NPA or PA from CIHR Pillar 2 [12], Pillar 3 [13] or Pillar 4 [14].
   • An Early Career Researcher (ECR) [15] as NPA, PA, or Co-Applicant. ECR eligibility status must be met by the full application deadline date.
   • A knowledge user [16] (including but not limited to PWLLE, practitioners, decision makers, policy makers, community leaders).
5. For any research applications involving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis populations, research teams must include at least one applicant who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis) or provides evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe [17] involvement with Indigenous Peoples (see How to Apply [18] for more details).
6. The NPA and all PAs must have successfully completed one of the Sex and Gender Training Modules [19] available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a Certificate of Completion by the full application deadline (see How to Apply [18] for more details).
7. An individual cannot submit more than one (1) application to this funding opportunity as an NPA. If the NPA submits more than one application, CIHR will automatically withdraw the subsequent application(s) submitted based on timestamp of submission.
8. For the International Japan–Canada Geroscience Pool only:
   • In addition to the requirements above, collaborative projects must include a co-lead from Japan. The Japan-based Principal Investigator (PI) must be listed as a Principal Applicant in ResearchNet.

AMED Eligibility (International Japan–Canada Geroscience Pool only)

9. For additional eligibility requirements for the Japanese component of the application, refer to the AMED Call Supplemental Guidance for Japan-based applicants on the AMED website [6].

Funding Availability

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is up to CA$32,000,000 and up to ¥380,000,000, enough to fund up to approximately sixteen (16) grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. 

Of this CA$32,000,000 and ¥380,000,000:

• CA$14,000,000 is available to fund up to seven (7) grants relevant to the General Pool
• CA$4,000,000 is available to fund up to two (2) grants relevant to the Breast Cancer Pool
• CA$2,000,000 is available to fund up to one (1) grant relevant to the Cancer in Women Pool
• CA$2,000,000 is available to fund up to one (1) grant relevant to the General External Exposome Pool
• CA$2,000,000 is available to fund up to one (1) grant relevant to the Germline Mutations Pool
• CA$2,000,000 is available to fund up to one (1) grant relevant to the Technology, Tools, and Methods Pool
• CA$2,000,000 is available to fund up to one (1) grant relevant to the Ultra-Processed Foods Pool
• CA$2,000,000 is available to fund up to one (1) grant relevant to the Vaccines Pool
• CA$2,000,000 and up to ¥380,000,000 is available to fund up to one (1) grant relevant to the International Japan–Canada Geroscience Pool
  • CA$2,000,000 is available to fund the Canadian component of the binational team.
  • Up to ¥380,000,000 is available to fund the Japanese component of the binational team. Of this ¥380,000,000, more than 50% of the Japanese budget must be allocated to the international scientific mobility aspect of the project. Refer to the AMED Call Supplemental Guidance for Japan-based applicants on the AMED website [6] for eligible mobility expenses.

Maximum Project Value

The maximum amount per grant for Canadian Teams is CA$400,000 per year for up to five (5) years, for a total of CA$2,000,000 per grant.

Indirect Costs

0%

Special Notes

Partner Linkage Tool
CIHR is providing a Partner Linkage Tool [20] that is intended to facilitate connections between researchers, knowledge users [21], and applicant partners to inform and strengthen the application development and planning of knowledge mobilization and dissemination strategies/activities, should there be interest. This is not a mandatory tool. Information is provided on a voluntary basis and does not confer any advantages in the evaluation and funding of applications. The table will be updated weekly, until the application deadline. If you would like to use this tool, please complete a short survey [22]. The information you provide will appear on a public CIHR web page. Please note that potential applicants are not required to use the linkage tool or contact those who have submitted their information.

Data Management
This funding opportunity is part of a pilot project where applicants will be asked to provide a Data Management Plan (DMP) when submitting their application. The objective of this pilot is to inform CIHR's implementation of the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy [23]. Reviewers will be asked to comment on the appropriateness of the DMP to help inform the implementation of DMPs beyond the current pilot. CIHR might also reach out to applicants to understand their experience on developing DMPs.