Catalyst Grant: Avian Influenza One Health Research

Sponsor

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, in partnership with NSERC, SSHRC (et al)

For More Information

See the Sponsor's Funding Opportunity Notice with Guidelines and Eligibility information.

Description

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies (CRPPHE) is leading this funding opportunity in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III), Michael Smith Health Research BC, and NSERC and collaborating with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

Avian influenza is a viral disease which primarily affects birds, although transmission to mammals including people has been demonstrated to occur sporadically. Avian influenza virus has varying levels of pathogenicity, depending on its subtype. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (hereafter referred to as HPAI) subtypes can rapidly cause high levels of sickness and mortality in domestic and wild birds and can pose a significant health threat to people.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity will support research projects taking One Health* approaches to address the most urgent knowledge gaps informed through the prioritization activities described above. These priority research areas are:

• Research Area 1: Identification and characterization of the biology and behaviour of influenza A (H5Nx) viruses in humans, animals and ecosystems including but not limited to biological, virological, genomic, immunological and environmental factors that affect infectivity and transmission dynamics of the virus and how it is distinct from, and/or cross reacts with previous pandemic strains of virus.
• Research Area 2: Applying and advancing research methods, tools, and approaches (such as infectious disease modeling, economic modeling, genomic epidemiology, wastewater surveillance, and sero-epidemiology) to improve surveillance, early detection, risk assessment in high exposure populations including agriculture sector workers, hunters and trappers, animal and wildlife workers, and characterization of the impacts of H5Nx at the interface of human, animal, and environmental systems;
• Research Area 3: Evidence-based assessment of safety, effectiveness and relative advantage/disadvantage of pharmaceutical (including therapeutics and vaccines) and non-pharmaceutical (including PPE, ventilation, infection prevention and control) approaches for preventing, responding to and treating H5Nx infection and transmission (including through behavioural, social sciences, infodemic and health policy research) to inform the development and implementation of interventions in human and animal populations, particularly to reduce and/or mitigate higher-risk exposure to the virus in rural, occupational, and recreational settings.

*For this Funding Opportunity, research studies must align with the concept of One Health endorsed by the Quadripartite Organizations' One Health Joint Plan of Action.

Eligibility

The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must have their substantive role in Canada, and be one of:

• an independent researcher or a knowledge user, 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 translation).
• an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
• a researcher or scholar working in a municipal, provincial or territorial government in Canada where the activity which forms the subject matter of the funding is not being funded by specific programs of those municipal, provincial and territorial governments.
• a Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organization (including community or charitable organizations) with a research or knowledge translation mandate.
• If you are a Canadian university researcher who is eligible to receive NSERC funds, you can apply on your own or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers

For additional criteria, see the guideline link above.

Maximum Project Value

Maximum grant duration is 1 year. Maximum amount is $150,000.

Indirect Costs

0%