How to Apply -
Research Project Grants
General advice to applicants
In writing an application the authors should bear the following points in mind:
- The referees - both external referees and members of the Foundation's Committees - are volunteers who give their time to the difficult task of assessing applications. Try to make their task as manageable as possible. A clear, concise and simple exposition is best for both the applicant and the referees. Limit the use of appendices to materials that are essential to evaluate the application. If you have a few recent manuscripts or reprints that will help the referees to evaluate the new work you are proposing, please include up to three of them.
- The referees include both experts in the topic proposed and scientists active in the same general field; it is necessary to show how a proposal fits into the field generally in addition to demonstrating technical proficiency in the area of specialization.
- The grant application should be in a format that allows comfortable reading. Please use a typeface no smaller than the type used in these guidelines (Times New Roman scalable 11pt.), and leave margins of 1" on all sides. Ensure that photocopies are legible, and that you submit text material in original size. The Foundation reserves the right not to review applications which do not respect these requirements.
Components of the application
Use the Foundation's checklist to confirm that the application is complete.
Covering letter
Applicants must submit a covering letter outlining:
- the unique contribution of the principal investigator and each co-investigator to the project (You do not have to submit this if you are the only investigator on your project).
- in the case of a type B application, the applicant's claim for eligibility for this grant
Applicants are welcome to provide any other information that they wish the Foundation to take into account.
Facesheet (Page 2)
Complete page A in full, ensuring that you have obtained all of the required signatures.
Resubmissions (Page 3)
If you are resubmitting a previously unsuccessful grant application, you must complete this section to show how you have addressed the reviewers’ comments (maximum of 2 pages).
Project summary sheet (Page 4)
a) Project Summary
On the top of page 4, please outline your proposal, stating the objective of the project, and the methods you plan to use.
b) Relevance Statement
When adjudicating applications, the Review Committee assigns a separate score for mental health relevance which is part of the overall rating.
The Foundation takes a broad view of mental health relevance, and no thematic issue is favoured over another a priori. However, it looks to applicants to help understand why their particular project warrants support when resources are limited. Mental health relevance is one of the most important criteria in making this decision. Although the relevance may seem obvious to you, the review committee still looks to you to be as explicit as possible on this point.
At the bottom of page 4, please include a statement about the mental health relevance of your proposal. In making your case, you should give consideration to the following:
- How many people are affected by the mental health problem(s) that you propose to study?
- What are its individual, social and health costs?
- If the proposed research works out in the most positive way imaginable, how much closer will we be to some measure that promises to prevent or relieve a mental health problem?
Budget (Page 5)
Please follow the guidelines set out below. Write explanations of budget items on a page headed Budget Justification. Place this page immediately after the budget sheet when assembling the application.
1. Personnel
Salaries: The rates of remuneration requested for professional and nonprofessional staff, should normally be those payable by the sponsoring institution to similar categories of staff, including fringe benefits. The Foundation does not pay the salary of a principal investigator or co-investigators.
2. Equipment
A project grant may include a sum of up to $15,000 for the purchase of research equipment over the life of the grant. The need for equipment should be explained in the "Budget Justification." Where a piece of equipment is approved, title to it will be vested in the sponsoring institution.
3. Supplies
Funds for the purchase of supplies are not intended for the purchase of laboratory furniture, office equipment and supplies, i.e., items normally supplied by the institution. They are not intended to equip new laboratories with general equipment or to provide tools for teaching, diagnosis or care of patients.
4. Costs for publications
Please include requests for publication costs and/or purchase of reprints in the grant application under the heading "Costs of Publications and Reprints". You may not request money for publication costs in the first year of a new project. Funds for publication costs will not be available after the grant has ended.
5. Other expenses
The Foundation will consider requests for computing costs, local travel for data collection, transportation of subjects, etc. but the applicant must explicitly justify the need for these items.
6. Travel to scientific meetings
Applicants must indicate on the budget sheet travel funds requested to attend scientific meetings. The maximum amount which may be granted for travel in any one year will be $1,500. This amount is not transferable between fiscal years of a grant.
External referees (Page 7)
Please include suggestions for three external referees. Please enclose 3 additional copies of this sheet separate from the application. Please ensure that the address and e-mail information is complete, accurate and up to date.
Do not suggest as an external referee:
- anybody with whom you have collaborated, have supervised, or from whom you have received supervision within 3 years of the date of your application
- anyone who has an appointment at your institution or the institution of any of your co-investigators and collaborators
- individuals who are experts in your field but are unlikely to be in a position to provide a thorough review
Administration of funds (page 8)
Contact information for the person who will administer the funds on behalf of the sponsoring institution (e.g., comptroller, accountant, administrator). Please submit this form only with the original copy of your application.
Other funding (Page 9)
The Foundation intends to avoid duplicate funding of research. Consequently, the Research Committee needs to know what other funds the principal investigator and co-investigators have available. List in this section any grants which you or your co-investigators are applying for, or currently hold. Include a budget and abstract, and a statement about the degree of overlap of any of these awards with the work described in your application.
Plain Language statement (Page 10)
On one side of a single sheet of plain letter paper (8½" x 11") provide:
- The principal investigator's name followed by the title of the project.
- A description of the project in language which will be intelligible to a lay reader; if technical terms and names are unavoidable define them when they first appear. Summarize the questions posed in the research project and how the project is organized to answer them.
The statement should not exceed one page.
Reports on prior work supported by the Foundation (Page 11)
1. Progress Report
If an application is a continuation of a line of work supported by the Foundation in the previous year a progress report, not exceeding two pages, must be added (previous applications are not available to the reviewers). Entitle these two pages Progress Report and place them before the project description. Progress reports on related OMHF fellowships must also be included.
2. Final Report
Applicants who have been funded by the Foundation (either as a principal investigator or a co-investigator) within the previous 2 years must include the final report of that project (not exceeding 2 pages) with the new application. Entitle these two pages Final Report of Previous Funding by the Foundation and place them before the project description. These reports will be available for review by the Research Grants Committee. Final reports on related OMHF fellowships must also be included.
Project description (Page 12)
Follow the advice about format given above and use the headings listed below. The page limit for Type A and B grants is ten single-spaced (single-sided) sheets (8½" x 11") excluding references. You may use appendices to supply background information helpful to the referees - e.g., recent publications (not more than 3); nonstandard rating scales or tests - but please keep these to a minimum. Figures and tables embedded in text will be counted as part of the 10-page limit.
Note: a penalty in the form of a reduction in rating points will be applied to applications exceeding the 10-page limit.
Avoid putting material in the appendix that is critical to a fundamental understanding of the project; such material should go in the body of the proposal. Where the critical material is a chart or graph which cannot fit into the body of the proposal, you may put it into the appendix, as long as you make clear reference to it in the proposal text. Original charts, graphs and figures should be included in the two copies to assure legibility.
Describe the proposed research using the following headings:
- Background - summarize the state of knowledge relevant to the proposal.
- Hypotheses/research questions ‑ state these clearly and concisely
- Methods - give essential details of methods; describe the data to be collected and the method of data analysis proposed.
- Originality - state how the project will advance knowledge if it is completed as planned.
- Time portion - show in a table on the last page of the description the proportion of time each investigator plans to give to the project.
- References (page 13) - compile these separately; they are not included in the ten-page limit. Please follow the publication manual of the American Psychological Association or the Nature Journal for references and citations.
Consent forms, CV's, and other supporting documents
The following items must reach the Foundation with this application by the deadline. If they are not, the application will be considered incomplete.
- Copies of any consent forms to be signed by prospective subjects or other explanatory material to be given out.
- A curriculum vitae of the principal investigator and of each co-investigator; an investigator with a very extensive curriculum vitae may submit an abbreviated form (e.g., last five years' publications). This year, OMHF will be using the Common CV. Please register or log in at https://www.ccv-cvc.ca/pls/c3/c3.startup?pLANGUAGE=1 in order to create your CV. Once it is completed, please save it and upload the pdf version onto the OMHF application website. Please note that you will have to upload your Contribution details separately (see guidelines on the Common CV website)
- Letters from essential consultants and collaborators confirming their availability and agreement to participate on the project. This does not apply to co-investigators who have signed the facesheet and are accounted for in a covering letter.
Submitting the application
The Foundation is implementing a new online submission this year. Applicants are asked to submit their applications both online AND in a paper format. Please visit our web site at www.omhf.on.ca to create an account, access the application forms and submit your application online.
We require three paper copies (original and two copies) of the application. The original copy must show original signatures. The only items that should not be copied are the checklist and Page F; submit these with the original only.
Please make twenty-five double-sided copies consisting of the facesheet and project summary sheet (pages 2 and 4); include these in a separate pile with your application. However, please make only single-sided copies of the facesheet and project summary sheet when you prepare the three copies of the application.
In addition, please make 3 additional copies of page 7 and submit these separately with the twenty-five facesheet copies.
Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the two copies are identical to the original. You must submit your application using the forms included with these guidelines. You may use staples throughout the two copies, but please do not staple any part of the original.
Documents received after the deadline will not be considered.
The Foundation must receive Type A and B applications by the deadline:
Friday, September 17, 2010 at 4:00 pm (Eastern Time)
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