Request for Proposals: Frailty and COVID-19
This competition is now CLOSED
*This is the official launch of CFN’s Frailty and COVID-19 RFP. Please note there have been material changes to this competition so please read carefully.
**Please note that CFN is in discussions with partner organizations which may result in additional funding opportunities. Visit this site regularly for updated information.
***Please note that an institutional signature is not required for proposal submission. Institutional signatures and additional documentation will be required if your proposal is selected for funding.
****New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF; www.nbhrf.com/en): NBHRF has partnered with CFN to co-fund meritorious New Brunswick proposals that are selected for funding as part of the overall competition. NBHRF funding maximum is subject to change based on available NBHRF funds.
Purpose
The Canadian Frailty Network (CFN) is looking to fund proposals aimed at investigating the interaction between frailty and COVID-19. Older adults living with frailty are the most vulnerable to COVID-19. As a result, CFN is looking for health, social or policy research studies that investigate determinants of increased susceptibility, and solutions to mitigate or prevent the differential risk to COVID-19. See below for specific proposal details.
Background
The mission of the CFN is to improve care for older adults living with frailty and to support their family and friend caregivers. We do this by increasing recognition, understanding and assessment of frailty, increasing evidence for improved decision making, advocating for improvements to health and social care, educating the next generation of care providers and by engaging with older adults and their caregivers.
The World Health Organization has officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Most people will not become seriously ill when exposed to the virus. However, 15 to 20 per cent may require hospitalization. However, older people with co-morbidities and likely frailty are those at highest risk of mortality and adverse outcomes.
Proposal Details
Two Streams of Funding: CFN is looking for health, social or policy studies that fall under one of the two following streams of research:
- Proposals that study the differential impact of frailty on the response or outcomes of a therapy or add a frailty cohort/subgroup to an existing ongoing COVID-19 investigation.
Example: People living with frailty are added as a sub-group an ongoing clinical study evaluating a COVID-19 therapeutic or diagnostic test.
- Original research proposals that investigate the outcomes and underlying mechanisms for the observed outcomes, the utility of frailty as a prognostic factor, complexities of care, unique challenges for adults living with frailty and COVID-19 infection.
Timelines
- Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF document by 8 pm EST Friday April 17, 2020.
- Proposals must be submitted via email to research@cfn-nce.ca. Emails date stamped after the deadline will not be eligible.
- All work arising from funded proposals will need to be completed by March 31, 2022.
Budget
- Total maximum CFN funding of up to $500,000 is available for this entire competition.
- Note: CFN may add partners to this competition and hence overall funding may increase.
- Single proposal budget maximum is $250,000. Note that increasing budgetary requests will be expected to produce a proportionally greater impact and will undergo commensurate scrutiny as to the potential to achieve these impacts.
- For this RFP CFN no longer requires 1:1 matching funds.
Terms and Conditions
By submitting a proposal, the applicant/organization acknowledges and agrees that CFN has no liability or obligation to any applicant/organization, except to the party (or parties) that is awarded the contract by CFN in its sole discretion. CFN shall be fully and forever released and discharged of all liability and obligations in connection with this RFP. CFN reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time without any obligation or reimbursement to organizations.
Contact for Further Information
Perry Kim, PhD, Assistant Scientific Director
Email: perry@CFN-nce.ca