New Health Investigator Grant

To apply for a New Health Investigator Grant, the applicant must meet one of the following criteria:

• Early Career Health Researcher within the first five years of first-time academic/research appointment at a Nova Scotia university/college, or an appointment with research responsibilities at an affiliated hospital; or
• Health Researcher who has recently moved to Nova Scotia after an absence of at least five years who holds an academic/research appointment at a Nova Scotia university/college, or an appointment with research responsibilities at an affiliated hospital; or
• Researcher who is new to the field of health research and has undergone a career transition within the past five years. Must hold an academic/research appointment at a Nova Scotia university/college, or an appointment with research responsibilities at an affiliated hospital

Eligibility will take into account any approved leaves of absence for the principal investigator. During the full tenure of the grant, all grant holders must reside in Nova Scotia, work at a Nova Scotia institution, and maintain an academic appointment. For any questions regarding eligibility please contact the Program Officer.

Please note: Current Establishment Grant holders are eligible to apply, provided their grant end date is prior to December 31, 2020.

Academic/Research Appointments 

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Research Nova Scotia determines the following to be academic appointments:

• Tenured appointments
• Tenure-track appointments
• Probationary tenure-track appointment
• Research Scientist (NSCC)
• Limited-term appointments*
• Affiliated scientists, medical staff or other appointments/affiliations approved by a senior official (i.e., CEO or VP Research) 

Please note: Adjunct and instructor positions are not considered academic appointments.

*Applicants with limited term appointments are eligible to apply, however, if funded, applicants will be asked to provide institutional confirmation that term end date is post grant completion date.

Health Research Funding Priority Areas

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Research Nova Scotia is mandated to support research that reflects provincial health research priorities. New Health Investigator Grant submissions must address one or more of these priorities. A full description of the provincial priorities can be reviewed in the following document:

Provincial Health Research Priorities (PDF)

Applicants can submit one application for consideration. Requests can be to a maximum of $50,000 per year for a period of up to two years ($100,000 total). 

To apply for a New Health Investigator Grant, applicants must first submit a Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI). This is a mandatory step and allows RNS to start the review process. A review committee will verify subject matter alignment with provincial health research priorities. Scientific review does not occur at this stage. Those that are deemed eligible will be invited to submit a full application for consideration by a peer review committee.

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Step 1: Confirm Eligibility

Consider whether you meet the eligibility criteria.

If applicants have any questions about their eligibility, they are encouraged to contact the Program Officer. before submitting an application.

Step 2: Sign up for a GMS account 

Notice of intent submissions will be accepted via an online Grants Management System (GMS). To sign up for a GMS account or to view the form, click here.

Step 3: Requirements for NOI 

Please review carefully the requirements for the NOI, outlined in the document below. 

2020-21 New Health Investigator Grant – NOI Requirements (PDF)

Step 4: Submit NOI 

To complete submission of the NOI, login to the GMS to access application. When complete select ‘submit”. Confirmation of successful submission will be available in your applicant portfolio.

Step 5: Obtain Institutional Approval Before Deadline

All submissions must receive institutional approval before NOI deadline. This process is completed via an institutional representative in the GMS. Please connect with your research office well in advance of the deadline to note any internal deadlines and processes.

Applicants who are successful in this process will be invited to submit a full application. 

Full Application Process

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Only applicants who have been invited to submit a full application may complete this process. 

Step 1: Review Application Requirements

When invitation to complete full application is received from RNS be sure to carefully review all application requirements, as outlined in the document below:

2020-21 New Health Investigator Grant – Full Application (PDF)

Step 2: Complete Application

To apply, login to Grants Management System (GMS) to access the application, where information will be either entered directly or uploaded as PDF documents. Be sure to refer to the Application Requirements for detailed instructions.

Step 3: Submit Application

To complete application submission, login to the GMS to access application. When complete select ‘submit”. Confirmation of successful submission will be available in your applicant portfolio.

Step 4: Obtain Institutional Approval

All submissions must receive institutional approval before deadline. This process is completed via an institutional representative in the GMS. Please connect with your research office well in advance of the deadline to note any internal deadlines and processes.

Notice of Intent (NOI)

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1. Notice of Intent submission will be reviewed by Research Nova Scotia staff to confirm applicant meets eligibility criteria.
2. NOI will then be reviewed by a committee comprised of representatives of the Department of Health and Wellness who will confirm whether proposed project topic aligns with provincial health research priorities.
3. Applicants who are eligible for funding and have topics deemed a priority by this committee will be invited to submit a full application for consideration.

Full Application

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1. Full applications will be reviewed by Research Nova Scotia staff to confirm application meets all guidelines for application.
2. Full application will be reviewed by a peer review committee in keeping with RNS peer review guidelines.

Equity, diversity and inclusion strengthen the scientific and health communities, as well as the quality, social relevance and impact of research. Increasing diversity and gender equity in the research enterprise are key priorities for RNS. Resources for application development and research management are available on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) website. RNS strongly suggests that all applicants review this information and incorporate into applications submitted for consideration.

CIHR EDI Resources: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/51709.html

GMS Technical Support
For technical support applying using the GMS please contact the help desk:
helpdesk@researchns.ca
902.424.3054

Canadian Common CV
For technical questions regarding the CCV (including password and account resets, PINs, CCV submission, etc.), contact the CCV Centralized Helpdesk.

CCV Centralized Helpdesk
support@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
1.888.603.4178

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Require assistance?
If you require any application support or have questions about this funding opportunity, please contact:

Megan Bellefontaine
Program Officer
Megan.Bellefontaine@researchns.ca

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