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Overview

The Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) initiative is a high profile, high priority multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral initiative located at 91社区 made possible with support from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (). The HBHL Strategic Research Plan outlines the vision, deliverables, and overall goals of the initiative, and the research priorities of its four research themes.

Ignite grants represent the first of two phases in the HBHL Neuro-Commercialization Grants program. The objective of the Ignite grant is to support small-scale validation//proof of principle efforts relating to the development of a neuroscience-related technology or a commercially-oriented innovation.

Process

1. Meet with NeuroSphere Staff and obtain an invitation to apply

All applicants must meet first with the NeuroSphere team to discuss their application and evaluate the eligibility of their project based on the following strategic selection criteria established by NeuroSphere and validated by the HBHL Innovation Committee.

Strategic criteria (each scored 1 to 5)

• Capacity of the project to move to a higher TRL (minimum TRL 4 level at project start)
• Market assessment with demonstration of a market gap
• Potential for commercial benefit or for success with clear market need(s)
• Intellectual property strategy
• Industry readiness (traction, alignment with market/partner needs and demands)
• Team expertise and environment
• Budget justification
• PI's investment (participation to NeuroSphere's initiative, etc.)
• Outcomes and avenue(s) post-Ignite funding

2. Eligibility review

The NeuroSphere team will assess the eligibility of applications based on the following criteria:

Applicant eligibility:

• Applicant: The applicant must be a 91社区 researcher who is eligible to hold Tri-Agency research funding (students and postdoctoral researchers are not eligible).
• Co-applicants: Co-applicants must be researchers from 91社区 or from one of our CFREF partner institutions (Western University, Universit茅 de Montr茅al, University of British Columbia or Montr茅al Polytechnique). Grant funding may NOT be transferred to co-applicants from other institutions.

Intellectual Property:

• A report of Invention (ROI) must have been filed with the Innovation and Partnerships Office at 91社区 (I+P). If a 91社区-affiliated researcher decides to manage IP by him/herself, without I+P, he/she will not be eligible. Even if projects adhere to guiding principles of Open Science, a ROI must be filed.
• The technology must also not yet be licensed or optioned.

Application completeness:

For an application to be considered complete, it must include:

• Submitted online application form;
• Completed proposal;
• Completed budget form;
• Biosketches; and
• Attachment of an electronic certificate of completion (incl. name and date) from at least one of CIHR鈥檚

3. Relevance Review

The NeuroSphere team will evaluate the relevance of applications based on the following criteria:

• Alignment with鈥疕BHL鈥檚 vision and strategies within neuroscience fields relevant to one or more HBHL鈥檚 4 themes.
• Allowable Costs: Funding must go towards direct support of technology maturation (i.e., personnel, materials and supplies). Business case and model evaluation and strategic planification could also be considered as allowable costs. Equipment is not an eligible expense. Other non-eligible expenses include market studies, patent searches or filling, maintenance costs, or salaries associated with commercial development. Although these activities are not eligible, I+P and NeuroSphere staff can provide assistance in these areas. Funds cannot be used for compensation/salary for principle investigators, co-investigators or collaborators.

4. Peer Review

Once the eligibility and relevance has been validated, a peer review committee will be formed to review the application based on 1) the review of the science and potential commercialization and 2) a strategic review [New as of 2022]:

Science and potential for commercialization:

• Science
  • The innovation/technology is novel and address a health problem;
  • The innovation/technology is adequately described;
  • The applicant鈥檚 research activity and experience adequately support the innovation/technology;
  • Milestones are feasible within 6 months;
• Potential for commercialization
  • Maturation plan of the technology;
  • Maturation plan is feasible and realistic within proposed budget;

Strategic review

Each Ignite application is evaluated by the NeuroSphere team on the basis of strategic selection criteria validated by the HBHL Innovation Committee (a total average score is calculated)

• Capacity of the project to move to a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) (ideally, minimum TRL 4 level at project start)
• Market assessment with demonstration of a market gap
• Potential for commercial benefit or for success with clear market need(s)
• Intellectual property strategy
• Potential for industry readiness (potential for traction, alignment with market/partner needs and demands)
• Team expertise and environment
• Budget justification
• PI's investment/motivation (participation to NeuroSphere's initiative, etc.)
• Outcomes and avenue(s) post-bridge funding

SGBA+

• Appropriateness of the application鈥檚 integration of sex as a biological variable, gender as a socio-cultural determinant of health, and/or other relevant factors (e.g., race, age, Indigeneity, ability) or an evidence-based justification for not including these or other intersectional factors.
• The historical omission of sex, gender and other identity factors from health research has resulted in a dearth of evidence about the effects of these factors. Therefore, a lack of evidence indicating the importance of these factors in the literature is not a sufficient justification on its own for omitting them in the proposed study.
• SGBA+ will be reviewed separately by designated, knowledgeable reviewers for all applications. Applicants may be asked to revise this section prior to receiving funding if reviewers deem it inadequate.

5. Strategic Selection and Final Approval

Upon completion of the peer review, the NeuroSphere staff will submit the application to the HBHL Innovation Committee for final decision and approval. To reach a funding decision, the HBHL Innovation Committee will consider both the results of the peer review as well as the strategic investment value of the application in contributing to HBHL鈥檚 innovation objectives (e.g., remaining funding, priority areas, continued support to promising existing projects, etc.).

6. Results and Post-Awards

• All applicants will be notified by email of the results of their application.
• Successful applicants will be sent a Notice of Award. It is the applicant鈥檚 responsibility to complete the Acceptance of Award form and other required documents including the 91社区 Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) checklist, by the indicated date.
• Project start date must fall after the award has been approved.

7. Responsibilities of Successful Applicants

Successful Principal Investigators are required to:

• Spend all awarded funds within the granting period鈥攏o extensions will be permitted except in extremely extenuating circumstances;
• Provide a final report to HBHL within 30 days of the end of the granting period to retain access to all other HBHL funding programs; and
• Meet with the NeuroSphere business development team at the end of the granting period to discuss results and potential to apply to the Accelerate grant phase;
• Funded researchers, their collaborators and trainees are encouraged to attend educational, training and entrepreneurship events and or co-investigators and workshops offered by NeuroSphere.
• Funded researchers will be required to provide a deck and a one-page summary of their project upon request for promotional purposes.

Application

All applications must be submitted online through the as a single PDF document. Please use the templates provided below and upload all parts as a single PDF application package named as 鈥淟astname_Firstname_Ignite.pdf鈥�.