2015 Transformative Grant Program

In June of 2015 CFN invited researchers and their teams to submit proposals for large transformative research projects that have the potential to revolutionize the care of older Canadians living with frailty. Projects chosen for funding undertook pilot studies in 2016, and four of these were approved for CFN’s second term of funding (2017 to 2022).

This program was designed to fund exceptionally innovative research projects that will have a major economic and social impact on the current Canadian health care system. CFN defines transformative research as projects that aim to significantly change current practice as it pertains to the frail elderly through the application of current or new scientific/medical concept(s), methodology(ies) or practice(s). It is expected that if successful the knowledge generated from these large-scale projects would be applied widely across the Canadian health care system.

Transformative Grants

PROSPECT: Probiotics to Prevent Severe Pneumonia and Endotracheal Colonization Trial (TG 2015-20)

Principal Investigator:

Deborah Cook, MD, MSc (Epid), FRCPC, DABIM, CCM, CAHS, FRS  — McMaster University

Improving advance care planning for frail elderly Canadians (TG 2015-03)

Principal Investigators:

John You, MD, MSc, FRCPC — McMaster University

Doris Barwich, MD, CCFP — University of British Columbia

Gloria Gutman, PhD, FCAHS, OBC, LLD(Hon.) — Simon Fraser University

Michelle Howard, PhD, MSc — McMaster University

Dev Jayaraman, PhD, FCAHS, OBC, LLD(Hon.) — The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Sharon Kaasalainen, RN, BScN, MSc, PhD — McMaster University

Daniel Kobewka, MD, MSc — Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Jessica Simon, MBChB, FRCPC — University of Calgary

Tamara Sussman, MSW, PhD — McGill University

Amy Tan, MD, MSc, CCFP(PC), FCFP — University of Calgary

Robin Urquhart, PhD — Dalhousie University

Better tArgetting, Better outcomes for frail ELderly patients (BABEL) (TG 2015-15)

Principal Investigators:

Paul Hébert, MD — Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l’université de Montréal (CHUM)

Allan Garland, MD, MA, BS — University of Manitoba

John Hirdes, PhD — University of Waterloo

Transforming primary health care for frail elderly Canadians (TG 2015-24)

Principal Investigators:

Paul Stolee, PhD — University of Waterloo

Anik Giguère, PhD — Université Laval

Sara Mallinson, PhD — University of Calgary

Kenneth Rockwood, PhD — Nova Scotia Health Authority

Joanie Sims-Gould, PhD, BSc, MSW — University of British Columbia

About the application process

The Program was launched on June 15, 2015.

A Pre-application Indication of Intent was required by October 1, 2015 and those projects that submitted this Intent were eligible to submit full Applications by December 1, 2015.

Before applying to the CFN Transformative Grant Program, researchers and their teams were strongly encouraged to participate in a webinar to provide a briefing on the structure of the competition, provide further background information and respond to questions. The webinar was held Tuesday, June 30, 2015.