CIHR launches funding opportunity to catalyze CLSA data analysis

    Thursday, August 22, 2024

    The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has announced the return of a funding opportunity intended to support Canadian researchers in using the available data within the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) research platform.  

    The funding opportunity is intended to catalyze research efforts of Canadian researchers to use data from the CLSA to better understand how biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and/or economic aspects of people's lives have an impact on both maintaining health and the development of disease and disability as people age. 

    Support for the 2024 Catalyst Grant: Analysis of CLSA Data is provided by the CIHR Institute of Aging (IA), Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH), Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), in partnership with Canada's Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR), the Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Initiative (BHCIA), and the Quebec Network for Research on Aging (RQRV). 

    The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $1,345,000, enough to fund approximately 19 grants. The maximum amount per grant is $70,000 for up to one year. 

    This funding opportunity will support projects relevant to the following research areas:  

    1. General Pool ($70,000 available to fund one grant) – Funding provided by the IA for projects on any research topic. 

    1. Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Initiative ($280,000 available to fund four grants) – Funding provided by the IA for projects relevant to the overarching goals of the BHCIA Research Initiative.  

    1. IA Early Career Researcher ($140,000 available to fund two grants) – Funding provided by IA for projects on any research topic led by an Early Career Researcher. 

    1. IPPH Mandate ($140,000 available to fund two grants) – Funding provided by IPPH for projects related to its mandate. 

    1. IPPH Mandate Early Career Researcher ($210,000available to fund three grants) – Funding provided by IPPH for projects related to its mandate led by an Early Career Researcher. 

    1. SPOR Pool ($280,000 available to fund four grants) – Funding provided by SPOR for projects that use a patient-oriented research approach. 

    1. IMHA Mandate ($70,000 available for one grant) – Funding provided by IMHA for projects related to its mandate. 

    1. IMHA Mandate Early Career Research ($140,000 available for two grants) – Funding provided by IMHA for projects related to their mandate led by an Early Career Researcher. 

    1. RQRV Top up – $15,000 is available as a top-up funding from the RQRV to the highest ranked and fundable application from an active RQRV member based in the Province of Quebec and is relevant with the theme of cell to societal aspects of aging. 

    Researchers interested in applying should visit ResearchNet for more information on eligibility, how to apply and the relevant research areas and data resources available. If needed, researchers can download the CLSA Data Access Support Letter to include with their application. 

     The CLSA will have newly available data for this competition including: 

    • Follow-up 2 (FUP2) proxy data 

    • Follow-up 2 (FUP2) body composition 

    • Follow-up 2 (FUP2) DEXAalphanumeric data and FRAX 

    • Follow-up 2 (FUP2) image/ raw data will be available for retinal scans, spirometry and ECG 

    Please refer to the CLSA Data Availability Table for a full summary of available CLSA data. 

    Building upon a consultation process with Indigenous researchers that began in 2019, the CLSA has revised its data access process for the use of Indigenous-identified data and has made changes to how these projects are assessed. Prospective applicants should review the webinar and resources on considerations for access/use of Indigenous-identified data to learn more about the CLSA's expectations and guidelines for requests to access and use this data. 

    The registration deadline for the Catalyst Grant: Analysis of CLSA Data is October 1, 2024. The full application deadline is October 30, 2024. Funding is expected to begin March 2025. 

    For more information on how to access CLSA Data, please review the CLSA Data Access Application Process.