Home2023 Award Program Regulations

2023 Award Program Regulations

PFC Research Grant in Pain Science

Donor funds provide for physiotherapy research in Canada to improve the mobility, health and well-being of society. Applicants must hold a degree in physiotherapy and reside in Canada for the duration of the grant. Awards are made for up to $4,000 each. The awards are seed funds for mainly pilot or feasibility projects with a specific focus on pain science.

Regulations

  1. Research grants are awarded by the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada on the advice of its Scientific Awards Committee (SAC). The Board of Directors of the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada reserves the right to approve or decline any application.
  2. Research projects must have a defined objective that is designed to further develop the art and science of physiotherapy. Research grants may be used to employ assistants (technical or professional) or student trainees, to remunerate professional advisors, to purchase materials and supplies, to buy and maintain equipment and supplies, and to support field travel costs related to research.
  3. Research grant funds may not be used for the remuneration of the investigators directing the project, nor to cover any indirect costs of research often known as overhead.
  4. Human and Animal Experimentation Ethical Considerations and Containment. If the application concerns experiments involving human subjects or animals, research on somatic cell gene therapy and/or research involving pathogens and animal cells, then copies of the following certificates must be received no later than May 15, 2023:
    • Ethics certificate for research involving human subjects (include subject consent forms)
    • Certification for animal care
    • Requirement for containment (biohazards).

Investigators who are not associated with a university or hospital, and therefore may not have direct access to an ethics review committee, are advised to either establish a working relationship with an existing ethics review committee or to constitute a committee using the guidelines published by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ottawa. For further information contact the Canadian Council on Animal Care, Ottawa and/or the Office of Biosafety, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control, Health Protection Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa.

Purpose

  1. Please refer to Schedule One, attached to these regulations, for support specifics.
  2. Only projects that are directly relevant to the field of physiotherapy will be considered. Priority will be given to research projects that are perceived to be of maximum benefit to the practice of physiotherapy and society as a whole. Esoteric topics, research in rare diseases or problems, and applications for seed money will be given a lower priority.

Guidelines

  1. Where more than one applicant is involved, a physiotherapist must be shown as principal investigator or co-investigator.
  2. Research grants are ordinarily made for one year, July 1st to June 30th.
  3. Research grants are not intended to cover the total cost of the research for which they are provided. Space and basic facilities at the institution concerned are prerequisite to an application.

Eligibility

  1. Research grants are open to individuals who hold a degree in physiotherapy and who are Canadian citizens, landed immigrants, or people who reside in Canada (for the duration of the grant) with a valid work or student visa. The research grant is open to CPA members only. If you are not a member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association please visit https://physiotherapy.ca/membership/become-a-member/.

Obligations of the Recipients

  1. The investigator must submit a final report on the work accomplished during the period of the research grant no later than 6 months after the end of the grant period (normally August 31). Please note that investigators who do not comply with this requirement will thereafter be ineligible for further funding from the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada and the awards it administers.
  2. It is expected that the research will culminate in peer-reviewed publications or presentations at national or international conferences or an application for further funding to a national or federal agency. A reprint of any such publication should be furnished to the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada. Publications arising from research supported by the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada or a Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada administered award must be acknowledged with the relevant sentence below:

    “This research was supported by the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada Research Grant.”

Application

  1. Applications are accepted only ONLINE via EventsAir and must be received by the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada by March 12th, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET. Applicants are responsible for making certain they are using current version of the application regulations and guidelines. Notification on the outcome of applications will be provided in writing usually by May. Award disbursement will commence in July.

    Applications and attachments should be typed single spaced and minimum font size 11. Illustrations should be drawn with clean black lines.
  2. Applications should be prepared in such a manner that they can be read and understood in a general way without reference to any further material that may be provided in the appendices.
  3. Applicants may not be part of any decision process relating to an application in which they have a vested interest.
  4. Applicants are invited to submit their application for funding in either official language.

Review Process

  1. Each application will be assessed by the Scientific Awards Committee (SAC) in relation to the priorities for research identified by the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada and each particular award. It will be considered from the standpoint of its scientific merit and budget within the framework of the aforementioned regulations. A composite scoring scheme will be applied to each project based on defined criteria and funding will be recommended to projects achieving the highest composite scores while respecting the particular criteria of particular awards.
  2. In the event where there is a tie or two or more highly rated applications, priority will be given to the application that optimizes clinician collaboration.
  3. Written opinions and recommendations of reviewers will be made available to applicants upon request. Reviewers retain the right of anonymity.

Financial Administration

  1. When an application for a research grant is approved, the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada will make payments in trust for the project to the Designated Financial Officer (DFO) at the sponsoring institution. Grants will be paid in full at the beginning of the granting period.
  2. The amount of a grant is based on approval, in whole or in part, of the applicant’s estimate of their research expenditures under various items — personnel, equipment, supplies and other expenses. While it is not necessary for the investigator to adhere strictly to the distribution of funds as proposed in the application, the PFC must be informed of any redistribution of items of expense in excess of 10% of the grant.
  3. The investigator must furnish an itemized account to the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada of receipts and disbursements following the 12-month period to which the grant is applicable. An account provided by the DFO of the sponsoring institution will usually suffice. Such accounts should be itemized under captions relating to personnel, equipment, supplies and other expenses.
  4. Funds unexpended during the period of the grant will be returned to the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada, unless the grantee can demonstrate that the money is essential for the completion of the funded project.
  5. Equipment purchased with project funds will be deemed to belong to the sponsoring institution when the project has been completed, if the sponsoring institution is a university or public hospital. In all other cases, equipment remains the property of the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada. Following consultation with the investigator and the SAC, the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada will determine the disposition of all such equipment on the termination of the grant.

Schedule 1

Areas of Support

Due to small amount of funds, PFC is mainly interested in funding pilot or feasibility projects in any of the following areas, as related to pain science:

Basic Research

Research at the cellular level describing biological mechanisms and their interactions. This type of research may be conducted in laboratories on tissue samples, animals or human subjects. In the course of such research, hypotheses may be raised that may justify further clinical investigation (i.e. clinical research).

Predictive Research

Research conducted to describe aspects of change taking place in populations; to provide profiles of change over time; and to identify pertinent features of prognostic significance.

Clinical Research

Research conducted on human subjects to determine the cause of disorders or to test the efficacy or effectiveness of treatment methods. Hypotheses tested may be generated from basic or predictive research or may relate to present or new methods of treatment.

Health Care Research

Research to investigate the effects of different treatment programs on groups. It may focus on the quality of care, special categories of providers (physiotherapist vs. doctor), special settings (clinical vs. hospital), or efficacious prevention strategies.

Instrument Design and Validation

Research which focuses on the development and evaluation of measurement techniques to be used in clinical treatment, as well as basic, clinical or health care research. Evaluation criteria may relate to any or all of the following: objectivity, sensitivity, reliability, reproductability, adaptability, portability, simplicity or cost.