Navigator Grant Guidelines

Applications to the NAVIGATOR Research Program for 2007 must be received no later than 5:00 PM on June 1, 2007.  Late and/or incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant. Funding may commence as early as July 1, 2007. This is the one and only competition scheduled for the NAVIGATOR Research Program for the upcoming year.

A. TERMS OF REFERENCE

1) Goal

The goal of the NAVIGATOR Research Program is to provide funding for scientific research of direct and immediate relevance to Huntington Disease in Canada; to provide a platform for the future recruitment of outstanding investigators to HD research; to facilitate research collaboration nationally and internationally, and research which is relevant to other neurodegenerative disorders.

2) Eligibility

Individuals holding a full-time faculty appointment in an appropriate discipline at a Canadian university, research institute, or hospital are eligible to apply for funding through the NAVIGATOR Research Program.

3) Criteria

All applications for funding through the NAVIGATOR Research Program are subject to review by the Society’s Research Council, which may elect to enlist external reviewers with particular expertise in the appropriate area.

The criteria for evaluating applications are:

• the direct and immediate relevance of the work proposed to Huntington Disease (i.e., improved understanding of pathogenic mechanisms; significance with respect to the development of new treatments);
• the scientific excellence of the research proposal; the potential relevance of the work to other neurodegenerative disorders;
• the specific rationale and budget rationale for support (i.e. how will support enable the laboratory to pursue research not funded from other sources, and contribute to the emergence of special areas of expertise).

4) Term and Amount

Funding recommendations for yearly awards through the NAVIGATOR Research Program will be made by the Research Council, subject to the availability of funds.

It is expected that two awards will be funded through this competition. Each NAVIGATOR award will provide seed funding of up to $50,000 per year for up to two years.

Funding for specific laboratories will be incremental to, but will take into account current funding provided by HSC and/or joint HSC/CIHR programs, and may fluctuate on the basis of emerging program priorities, progress of specific projects, and other factors.

All awards are made for a period of one or two years. It is the Huntington Society’s intention to provide modest seed funds and ongoing support to projects prioritized by the Research Council, and to laboratories which are actively engaged in Huntington Disease research.

5) Terms and Conditions

i) Institutional Approvals:  Institutional approvals for research involving humans, animals, and/or biohazardous materials must be submitted to the Huntington Society prior to the release of funding.

ii) Expenditure of Funds:  Funds awarded through a NAVIGATOR grant must be expended in accordance with the approved budget, within the following categories:

• personnel (i.e., technicians);
• supplies (i.e., expendables, services, animals);
• equipment (not to exceed $5,000);
• travel (i.e., to present research findings or to attend a major conference or symposium; not to exceed $1,500).

Funds may not be allocated to salary support for graduate or post-graduate students, institutional overheads, or construction.

Up to 25% of funds awarded to a laboratory through the NAVIGATOR Research Program may be remitted by the receiving institution to other laboratories outside of Canada, where this will help to promote collaborative research.

iii)  Payment of Grants:  The payment schedule will be confirmed along with notification of the award, to the financial officer of the principal investigator’s institution.

iv) Deficits: The Huntington Society of Canada is not responsible for any expenditure incurred by a grantee over the approved budget.

v) Unexpended Funds:  Any unexpended funds must be returned to the Huntington Society of Canada on completion of the period of the grant, unless the Society approves, in advance, an extension to the term of the grant.

vi) Financial Reporting:  All grantees must provide a financial statement within three months of the completion of the period of the grant.

vii) Research Reporting: All grantees must provide copies of publications reporting on research supported in whole or in part by the Huntington Society. In addition, all grantees must provide a brief summary, in lay language, of the results of their work upon completion of the grant.

 viii) Patents and Intellectual Property: The Huntington Society of Canada reserves the right to participate in any royalty stream from patentable discoveries arising from research funded in whole or in part by the Society.

ix) Acknowledgement of Support: The Huntington Society of Canada should be acknowledged in all publications, presentations, and other public information relating to research supported in whole or in part by the Society.
 
B. APPLICATION FORM

All applicants must use the form available (click here) through the Huntington Society of Canada to apply to the NAVIGATOR Research Program. Please return one completed application form, with necessary signatures, in hard copy to Shirley Barnes at the Huntington Society of Canada no later than 5:00 PM on June 1, 2007 at the address shown below - and one electronic copy to [email protected]

HUNTINGTON SOCIETY OF CANADA
151 Frederick Street, Suite 400, Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 2M2
519 749 7063 (phone) / 519 749 8965 (fax) / [email protected]

Click Here For General Guidelines