CONTRATULATIONS TO THE CAN-SIM RESEARCH AND INNOVATION GRANT RECIPIENTS

The Canadian Alliance of Nurse Educators using Simulation (CAN-Sim) Board of Directors and Research Grants Committee are pleased to fund impactful research projects. The CAN-Sim Research Grants were established for nurse educators and graduate nursing students to help build capacity for nursing simulation research across Canada and internationally.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2023:

The next call for proposals for the CAN-Sim Research and Innovation Grants is now open.

Due July 15, 2023.

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  1. Research grants will support simulation-based nurse-led research or innovation projects
  2. Projects may involve any type of clinical simulation, including high-fidelity patient simulation, standardized patient simulation, virtual simulation, virtual reality, and escape rooms.
  3. Projects should address a clinical or educational research gap (consider the INACSL Research Priorities at https://inacsl.memberclicks.net/about-inacsl)
  4. The lead applicant must be a current and ongoing full member (paid or contributing member) of CAN-Sim and must have held membership for at least one year prior to the submission date.
  5. CAN-Sim Board of Directors members are not eligible to apply as principal investigators (PI) for grants but may be involved as a collaborator. Research Grants Committee members are eligible to apply but may not review applications within their own submission category.

GRANT CATEGORIES

Category Amount Specific Criteria
Masters Student $1000 RN in a Master’s or NP Program
PhD Student  $2000 RN in a PhD Program
New Investigator $2500 University or College faculty within first five years of first appointment (Masters or PhD prepared)
Clinical Nurse Educator $2500 Nurse Educator in a hospital/clinic setting (Masters or PhD prepared)
Multi-Site  $10,000 Led by PhD prepared RN or NP with academic appointment 
Ontario Simulation Alliance (OSA) $500 Nurse Educator from Ontario, Canada

FUNDING PERIOD AND GRANTING OF FUNDS

Successful grant recipients will be notified in September. The funding period ends 18 months after the receipt of the grant. If necessary, recipients may request a one-year extension to spend the funds and complete the proposed research or innovation project.

Arrangements will be made to transfer funds to the grant recipient or the organization or university where the applicant is studying or working (i.e., funds deposited into a research account). Grant recipients will advise CAN-Sim on the details for processing the funds.

Funds will be transferred within six (6) weeks of CAN-Sim receiving a copy of the certificate of approval from an established Research Ethics Board. If research ethics approval is not required, the funds will be transferred within six (6) weeks of the funding announcement.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE GRANT APPLICATION

1. Cover Letter:

a. Confirm understanding of the conditions of the submission

b. Indicate which grant competition/s are being applied for

c. Signed by the applicant.

2. Abstract: up to 250 words

3. Proposal Formatting:

a. Up to 8 pages, single-spaced (not including references)

b. 12-point Times New Roman font

c. Margins minimum of 2cm

d. Pages should be numbered

e. In-text citations and references formatted in a consistent manner

4. Proposal Components:

a. Title

b. Background

c. Literature Review

d. Purpose/Objectives/Research Questions

e. Methods

i. Research design

ii. Setting and sample

iii. Description of the simulation intervention

iv. Data collection and procedures

v. Data analysis plan

vi. Ethical considerations

vii. Project Timeline

f. Significance/Implications for Nursing Education, Research and/or Practice

g. Knowledge Translation/Dissemination Plan

5. Budget Formatting: Up to 2 pages, including figures and justification

6. Budget Components:

a. Personnel: research assistants, student/trainees, clinical support; provide estimated total hours and salary rate (including benefits); applicant’s salary reimbursement is not an eligible expense

b. Supplies: printing, postage, paper, envelopes, clinical supplies etc.

c. Equipment: video and audio recording equipment and accessories, simulation task trainers, moulage etc. (computers are excluded from funding)

d. Software: data analysis, video editing etc.

e. Services: transcription, translation, consultations, AV support

f. Other: honoraria/reimbursement for study participants, fees for study instrument use/standardized testing, lab space rental etc.

g. Knowledge Translation/Dissemination: conference registration/travel, open-access publication fees

7. Required Appendices:

a. Applicant’s CV: up to 5 pages, including educational background, institutional affiliation and position, previous research funding, publications, presentations

b. Graduate students: letter of support from thesis supervisor

8. Optional Appendices

a. Letters of support: organizational support or collaboration

b. Instruments: questionnaires, interview guides

c. Figures: diagrams, conceptual models

d. Research Ethics Board Approval letter: if available

9. Submission Process

a. Compile all components of the proposal into a single pdf file (by scanning or conversion of text documents to pdf)

b. Label your pdf file as follows: LAST NAME_First Name_CAN-Sim Grants_YEAR

c. Review your complete application carefully prior to submission to ensure that all elements are included and correctly formatted.

d. Submit the completed application package electronically by email to cansimnursing@gmail.com

e. Receipt of the application will be confirmed by email to the PI. If no response has been received from CAN-Sim within two weeks after the application deadline, contact us at cansimnursing@gmail.com

10. Review Process

a. Applications that are incomplete or not prepared according to detailed instructions will not be reviewed

b. The grant application consists of an abstract, proposal, budget with justification and appendices (CV, letter of support etc.)

c. Proposals will be evaluated by two independent reviewers on a scale from 0 to 5 for:

(1) scientific merit, (2) feasibility, (3) innovation, and (4) impact.

Score Range Descriptor

4.5-5 Outstanding

4.0-4.4 Excellent

3.5-3.9 Very good

3.0-3.4 Good

2.0-2.9 Average

1.0-1.9 Below average

0.0-0.9 Not acceptable or irrelevant

d. The budget is reviewed to ensure expenses are justified.

e. Funding is awarded to the proposals ranked the highest based on the number of grants being offered.

f. Up to two grants per category will be issued per year at the recommendation of the Research Grant Committee and the discretion of the Board of Directors

11. Notification Process

a. Applicants will be notified in September about the success of their application.

b. A list of all grant recipients and their topics will be posted on the CAN-Sim website.

12. Progress and Final Reports

a. A progress report is due 12 months into the funding period

b. A final report of expenditures and a final scientific report must be submitted to CAN-Sim within 60 days following the end of the project funding period at 18 months

c. Recipients may request a one-year extension to the project funding period

d. If an extension is requested, a progress report with justification for the extension must be submitted at the time of the request for extension

13. Dissemination of Findings

a. CAN-Sim is committed to the wide dissemination of research findings to support nursing education and practice changes.

b. Grant recipients will share a brief summary/abstract of their final results that will be shared on the CAN-Sim website

c. Grant recipients are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract to a nursing education or simulation conference:

i. Regional: WCCHSE

ii. National: CASN, SIM-EXPO

iii. International: INACSL, NERC, IMSH, SIGMA

d. Grant recipients are strongly encouraged to publish their final results in a peer-reviewed nursing education or simulation journal.

14. Acknowledgement of CAN-Sim Funding

a. Grant recipients are required to acknowledge CAN-Sim funding in all presentations and publications of research findings.

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Join CAN-Sim today!

Join CAN-Sim today!

Becoming a member provides a great opportunity to network and share resources with other nurse educators and allied health professionals using simulation across Canada and internationally.