Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences (GL²) COMPETITION APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS  

FUNDING APPLICATION

Applicants requesting project funding must follow the outline below. For further details, please check the Ontario Research Fund - Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences Competition (GL²) Guidelines.

PROJECT PROPOSAL COPIES

• Submit 12 copies of the completed Application Form (the original plus 11 copies).
• The original copy must be signed by the Vice-President of Research or any other officer of the institution with authority to bind the institution.
• Applications should not be bound or stapled.
• Provide a complete electronic copy on a CD-ROM, in the MS Word format and associated spreadsheet template forms (provided by the Ministry). Please try as much as possible to keep your electronic version in one document or clearly mark in which order the file should be printed in order to maintain the order of your original application. It is possible that the expert reviewers will see the electronic version of your application only.

GENERAL FORMAT

• The application should be printed, single sided, on 8 1/2” x 11” white paper.
• Print must be in black and of letter quality.
• Text must be single-spaced, with no more than six lines per inch.
• Type size must be no smaller than 10 pts.
• Condensed type is not acceptable.
• Please ensure that all pages are numbered.

PREPARING APPLICATIONS

• In preparing the application, where indicated, use the template tables provided as attachments.
• Please adhere to the restrictions on the amount of information provided in the relevant sections of the Application Form.
• Use plain English and avoid technical jargon whenever possible.
• Avoid long descriptive narrative. Use bullet points or summary tables where possible.

All proposals submitted to the GL² competition must adhere to their institution’s research ethics policy.

SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS

• All completed applications must be received by the Ministry and/or postmarked no later than August 31, 2009. Late and incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• Electronic applications will not be accepted as placeholders for late or pending original paper applications.

• Faxes and/or email attachments will not be accepted in place of the originals.
• Applications and supporting documents (including the institutional letters of support for the application) must be addressed and sent to:
  
  Craig Fowler, Director (A) Research Branch
  Ontario Research Fund - Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences Competition
  Ministry of Research and Innovation
  Research Branch
  56 Wellesley Street West, 7th Floor
  Toronto, Ontario M7A 2E7

COMMUNICATIONS

• To ensure continuity, consistency and open communication between the applicant and the ORF, all inquiries/discussions during the application, review and post-award processes are to be coordinated by the lead institution's named contact and the assigned Research Branch staff.
• Applicants needing additional information or clarification regarding the application to the GL² competition may contact:
  
  Stephane Baffier, 416-325-4883, stephane.baffier@ontario.ca
  Miranda Hotrum, 416-212-7060, miranda.hotrum@ontario.ca

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Proposal Title

Enter the name of your proposal. Please be concise.

2a. Amount Requested

Please indicate the dollar value of the requested ORF  grant.

The minimum support provided by the ORF to a project in the Ontario Research Fund - Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences Competition or GL² Competition is $3.5 million.

2b. Project Start Date

Please indicate the date on which you anticipate the project to begin

3. Research Focus of Project

Specify the focus of your research. Please list codes for your research discipline and area of application, as per the list available on the website. Also, please specify your narrow discipline.

Research disciplines

Areas of application

4. Lead Institution

Name the lead institution taking legal responsibility for the project. (Important: if institutions submit a joint application, one institution must be assigned as a Lead Applicant.)

5. Collaborating Institution(s)

If applicable, please name other institution(s) that will be collaborating in the project.

6. Private Sector Partner(s)

• Please name private sector partner(s) involved in the project.
• If applicable, indicate if any researcher involved in the project has any interest in any of the private sector partners named in the proposal.

7. Contact Information

• Lead Institution Contact: Provide the following information for the applicant contact, associated with the lead institution.
  • Name
  • Title
  • Institution
  • Department
  • Mailing Address
  • Telephone
  • Fax
  • E-mail address.
• Principal Investigator: Provide the following information for the principal investigator.
  • Name
  • Title
  • Institution
  • Department
  • Mailing Address
  • Telephone
  • Fax
  • E-mail address
  • Number of co-investigators (not including the Principal Investigator).

QUALITY OF RESEARCH

8. Proposal Descriptions

• Proposal Brief (Maximum length – three lines): Describe in no more than three lines, using non-technical and concise language, the objective and key elements of this proposal, as well as its strategic value to Ontario.
• Proposal Abstract (Maximum length – 500 words): Provide a proposal abstract of no more than 500 words, using non-technical language. Please do not include images and/or charts in this summary.
  
  Please note: The summary descriptions (Brief and/or Abstract) may be used, in whole or in part, in Press Releases or similar material, if the project is approved.
• Proposal Description (Maximum length – 15 pages for projects under $5 million [for the ORF request]; 25 pages for projects exceeding $5 million [for the ORF request) A detailed, but concise description of the proposed research project should be included in the application. (Important:The references and/or charts, which can be added to the Proposal Description, are not included in the maximum length restrictions.)
  
  Describe your research plan and methodology within the context of current advances in your discipline. Explain why you think your research is leading edge, i.e. how your research goals, theory and hypothesis contribute to your field from a national and/or international perspective. If applicable, describe unique features of your scientific environment and how these may contribute to the probability of success (Important: Refer to the GL² Competition Guidelines for assessment criteria.)
• Proposed Innovation:(Maximum length – 1 page for projects under $5 million; 2 pages for projects exceeding $5 million) Describe what is new, what is different, what is better, and what is significant about your proposed research.
  
  Describe what is novel and different about the proposed project compared to the state of the art research in the field. Provide a description of the relevance of the research proposed both within the national/international context and if applicable within the context of previous Ontario government funding or ongoing research initiatives.
• Proposal Integration: (Maximum length – 1 page for projects under $5 million; 2 pages for projects exceeding $5 million) For proposals that include multiple sub-projects and/or multiple research topics, describe how you plan on integrating the projects/topics. Explain how/ why the various parts of the project are relevant and necessary to the project as a whole.

9. Research Collaboration

Describe the nature and level of inter-institutional and/or international research collaboration in your project.

10. Principal Investigator and Co-investigator(s)

Identify the Principal Investigator (PI) and each co-investigator (including their title, department and institution) and briefly describe his/her relevant qualifications as well as his/her individual potential to make significant contributions your research objectives. (A maximum 1/2 page per each investigator). Please make sure that the number of co-investigators in this section corresponds to the number in section 7a.

For each investigator, please attach a CV (maximum 3 pages) to the application, highlighting his/her recent research contribution, including:

• other research support currently held or applied for
• training of highly qualified personnel, i.e., training of undergraduate students and technical/professional assistants
• other achievements (peer-reviewed publications, patents, significant presentations, awards, honours, membership on committees etc.)

The proposal should indicate the percentage of each investigator’s time on a proposed project. This percentage should also be reflected in the budget. Identify whether a co-investigator is also working on another project submitted to the ORF-Rsearch Excellence program (indicate the project’s name and lead institution) and specify the distribution of the investigator’s involvement, should all projects be approved for funding.

11. External Expert Review

Please provide the names and contact information of three experts who could provide scientific review of your application. The suggested experts should not have a conflict of interest (CoI) with the proposal or any of the researchers associated with the proposal. (Please see CoI Policy for Expert Reviewers). In this section, you may also provide up to two names of experts you do NOT want to have provide a scientific review of your application.

Please note: The Ministry reserves the right to choose reviewers and may choose reviewers other than those suggested by the applicant.

If your application, or components of it, have already been peer reviewed (e.g. Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR], Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council [NSERC] or Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [SSHRC] reviews), please provide a copy of the review or the authorization to access it. Similarly, if the principal researcher(s) associated with a proposal have a record of successful applications with other granting agencies, information regarding this record should be provided.

STRATEGIC VALUE FOR ONTARIO

12. Strategic Value

Please demonstrate the strategic value of your research to Ontario (eg. how the research will impact society, health, the environment, quality of life or public policy; how its results will strengthen Ontario's economy and/or enhance the province's profile in the global scientific community; how it provides strategic value in terms of new knowledge, industrial application or potential for economic benefit).

The information provided may be shared with other Ontario ministries, agencies and government-funded not-for-profit corporations for the purpose of strategic value assessment.

DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH TALENT

13. HQP Development Plan

Briefly outline your plan for the training and development of the highly qualified personnel (HQP). Identify the expected impact that this training may have on academe and/or industry. Describe how the meaningful engagement of the HQP is germane to the project. Please ensure that the anticipated number of HQPs is consistent with your proposal budget.

COMMERCIALIZATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF ONTARIO

(Maximum length – 5 to 10 pages for section 14).

14. Commercialization Plan (implementation and management)

Describe the long and/or short-term commercialization potential of your research and when you expect it to be achieved.  In the outline of your commercialization pathway, please address the following areas:

• Please outline your commercialization management plan. Identify who is involved in assessing, planning and guiding the commercial and IP aspects of the project. Provide evidence of relevant commercial experience.
• If applicable, explain the roles of your potential industry partners, industry liaison office or other commercially experienced advisors involved in the commercial or IP tracking and actions and outline accountability and reporting mechanisms.

15. Intellectual Property (IP)

The IP disclosure is a condition of funding. The ORF requires that all applicants adequately address IP issues at the time of application. 

Applicants are expected to make mutually agreeable commercialization arrangements with their private sector partners, and to demonstrate how the economic benefit of the proposal extends beyond the private sector partners. If an applicant does not have the right of “freedom to operate” with regards to IP developed, the ORF will consider their submission as contract research and, as such, ineligible under the GL² program criteria. 

The ORF does not claim any ownership or rights to any intellectual property (IP) resulting from ORF funded projects. Such rights are to be determined by the lead institution in accordance with its current IP policy.  In cases where a consortium of applicants exists, the policy, as dictated in the Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) between the consortium members, will dictate the IP policy.

The ORF may request a copy of the institutional and/or relevant IP policy. (Refer to the GL² Guidelines on IP).

Important: If applicable, please state who assisted you in completing the Commercialization section of the GL² Competition Application Form (e.g. your institutions’ industry liaison/tech transfer office, private sector partner(s), or mentor, etc.)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

16. Project Management

Applications must clearly outline how the project will be managed.

• Identify the project manager and other key project management staff.
• Provide a resume of the project manager (if known at the time of application).
• Describe the proposed governance structure to manage the project (e.g. Academic Committee, Board of Directors, with a Manager or Executive Director). The governance structure should not include Ontario government participation.

Proposals must also outline how research capacity built will be sustained after completion of the project.

Important: Ensure the proposed governance structure is commensurate with the size, scope and complexity of the proposed project.

MILESTONES AND DELIVERABLES

17. Milestones and Deliverables:

Please list major milestones, measurable deliverables and the expected project year of completion related to outlined aspects of your project (e.g. project management; capacity building, research, etc). These will be used to monitor and determine the project’s progress against a specific project work plan from the date of ORF funding to the point at which the project is fully implemented. (If necessary, please insert additional rows).

In the Commercialization Milestones and Deliverables subsection, please list major milestones and deliverables related to the execution of the Commercialization Plan during the term of the project. State the frequency of project reviews and who will be responsible for assessing IP and technology outputs and actions required. Briefly identify general follow-on steps by the researcher and/or institution after the funding period.

Please note: For research projects with a long-term commercialization potential only, pre-commercialization activities are sufficient (e.g. regular reporting of your progress to your commercialization mentor).

FUNDING SOURCES

18. Funding Sources

In the table provided (Application Workbook, outline funding sources for your project. Please note that all contributions are to be further detailed in the Budget Breakdown Form and partners’ in-kind contributions are to be further detailed in the Project Partners Contributions Form. Please note that the Application Workbook consists of three separate Excel forms.

Detailed Budget Form:

A budget for the proposed project must be prepared using the Excel spreadsheets provided on the website. Please provide a detailed explanation and justification for each budget item. Provide sufficient information to allow reviewers to assess whether the resources requested are appropriate for the execution of your project.
For Salaries and Benefits section, please provide the following detail:

• names of individuals involved in your project (if known)
• the portion of their time (%) expected to be spent on the project
• their function or activities in the project and explain the need for that function in the project.

For training of HQP (highly qualified personnel), provide details of program or training activities.

Administrative salaries should be included in the "Management Administration” category of the budget form.

Important: Refer to the GL² Competition Guidelines for further information of Budget requirements.

Partners Contributions Form:

A Project Partners Contributions Form spreadsheet is provided on the GL² Competition website. Please use the spreadsheet to list your project partners as well as their cash and in-kind contributions.

CONDITIONS OF FUNDING

19. Youth Outreach Plan

A defined Youth Science and Technology Outreach Plan is a condition for the GL² funding. All applications must include a plan for annual youth outreach activities primarily targeted at high-school students. The applicants may use up to 1% of the ORF portion of funding for related activities.

Important: Refer to the GL² Competition Guidelines on Youth Science and Technology Outreach.

Letters of Support

Institutional Letter of Support: Each application must be accompanied by a Letter of Support from the lead institution, indicating whether the goals of the proposed research are consistent with the institution’s overarching research strategy. The letter must be signed by the Vice-President of Research or any other officer of the institution with authority to bind the institution. In case of applications involving more than one institution, the letter should also contain the appropriate co-applicants’ signature(s).

Project Partners’ Letters of Support: Each project partner must provide a signed letter on appropriate letterhead stating their vested interest in the project and the dollar amount of their cash and in-kind contributions. The letters must confirm the direct support as well as the date of contribution.

Important: Refer to the GL² Competition Guidelines for the dates of eligibility of contributions and expenses).

If applicable, private sector partners should also indicate the level of their assistance to the applicant’s Commercialization segment of the application form.

Issued:  May 4, 2009