The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC) announced today a collaborative funding arrangement with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).The co-funding initiative will “support the research of multi-disciplinary teams of scientists, co-led by Canadian and Californian Principal Investigators that will result in a cancer stem cell based therapy or a therapy derived from cancer stem cell assays with the specific aim of improving cancer treatment”. The CSCC will provide $40-million as the Canadian contribution to up to two projects for a period up to four years, with the CIRM providing matching funds.
The CSCC is an agency funded by CFI, CIHR, Genome Canada, OICR, and the Stem Cell Network. This is the first funding opportunity administered by the CSCC. Applications will be made through the CIRM here. Based on the information on the CIRM website, NOIs are due just eight days after the announcement – Feb 25.
Rob Annan CIHR, Federal Funding News
Proposals are being solicited by CIHR for the research of chronic diseases among aboriginal peoples. The grant is targeted towards the theme, “Reducing the burden of disease and inequalities in health caused by chronic disease in Indigenous people” and is offered through a tripartite funding agreement with agencies in New Zealand and Australia. Funds available are for a maximum of $250K annually for a maximum of five years. The registration deadline is April 10 and the application is due October 14. Details can be found here.
Rob Annan Federal Opportunities
On February 1, the operations of the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) were integrated into the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), resulting in the formation of the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (CCSRI). A statement from the CCS states that the CCSRI will continue to support and fund research previously supported by the NCIC. Michael Wosnick, former executive director of NCIC, has been appointed the V-P Research of the CCS, and will serve as Scientific Director of the CCSRI.
In unrelated news, today (Feb. 4) is World Cancer Day.
Rob Annan Federal Funding News
CIHR announced this week the results of its fall Open Operating Grants competition. Roughly 600 grants were awarded, in excess of the usual 400-450 grants. One point of concern, addressed in the news release, is that 180 of these grants are only one-year grants. Also, while cutbacks on funds have decreased from as high as 22% a few years ago, the cutback rate is still 12%. The average grant size was $130,000. No mention was made of the number of applicants and the success rate, which is usually in the 25% range.
These CIHR grants are funded from resources in the last budget, and it remains to be seen how future competitions will be affected by the recently announced research budget cuts. These cuts will be of special concern to those grantees awarded one-year grants who will need to resubmit proposals in subsequent competitions.
Rob Annan CIHR, Federal Funding News
NSERC announced today a new funding program to increase collaboration between researchers in Canada and France. The agreement between NSERC and France’s Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) will fund 10-15 projects in the first year. Proposals will have to include the participation of an industrial partner, and should focus on four identified priority areas: advanced communication technologies and management of information, biomedical technologies, manufacturing, and healthy environment and ecosystems. Researchers will apply through their respective agencies, and NSERC will administer the funds through its Strategic Project Grants Program. No mention is made of travel allowances for trips to Paris or the Riviera.
Rob Annan Federal Funding News
Genome Canada’s Board of Directors has issued a statement regarding the 2009 federal budget. The board trumpets the federal government’s decision to spend on infrastructure and reassures researchers that currently funded projects will continue to be funded as promised. Parts of the statement read as a defense of the government’s initiatives, such as the statement that the investment from the last two years will be used for “creating and maintaining over 2,350 HQP [ed. highly-qualified personnel, jargon for research jobs] per year” and the reiteration that funding announced in the last two years will result in actual cash disbursement of $106.5-million in 2009-2010.
Genome Canada’s board concludes by stating it is “confident that the Government of Canada and its other financial strategic partners will do everything possible over the coming years to secure additional funding to support new initiatives in genomics research in Canada while increasing Canada’s productivity, wealth and well-being of all Canadians“, though this sounds more like wishful thinking than actual confidence.
Rob Annan Federal Funding News
