2018 Understanding the Health Impact of Inactivity

Canadian Frailty Network, in partnerships with the CIHR Institutes of Aging (IA), Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH), Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), and the Canadian Space Agency is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new funding opportunity.

This funding opportunity is the first component to be launched under the much larger CIHR Transitions in Care initiative. This Funding Opportunity will support ambitious, innovative, multi-disciplinary collaborative research projects to help understand the health impacts of inactivity. The ultimate goal is to eventually develop solutions for improving the quality of life of older adults, inform transitions in care, and mitigate health risks associated with life in space.

While on space missions, astronauts experience a reduced amount of activity.  Combined with the weightless environment, these conditions can impact their health and wellbeing in a similar way to people who are inactive on Earth. Inactivity studies induced by a bed rest paradigm are a common model used in space research in order to reproduce, on earth, the inactivity and fluid shifts experienced by astronauts in space. Inactivity studies are also useful to identify biological variables to inform care transitions of patients who experience varying time frames of inactivity (e.g., in-patient or critical care) or a decline in daily living activities (e.g., acute injury, rehabilitation, home care or long-term care).

The present funding opportunity is to support inactivity studies involving older adults which will include an exercise countermeasure intervention.  The research will seek to determine the effectiveness of the countermeasure to mitigate the health impacts associated with inactivity and weightlessness.

How to Apply:

The 2018 Understanding the Health Impact of Inactivity Funding Opportunity is now live on ResearchNet.

Interested applicants are invited to participate in a webinar on May 24, from 2-3 p.m. EDT. To register, click here. Only registered participants will be sent a WebEx invite prior to the webinar. The webinar will be delivered in English; however slides will be available in English and French, and participants will be able to ask questions in both official languages. After the webinar, slides and an updated questions and answers document will be made available. For copies, please send an email to support@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Important Dates

Register for the competition: July 24, 2018

Application deadline: August 21, 2018

Anticipated Notice of Decision & Funding Start: Mid-December 2018