Operating Grant: Evaluation & Implementation Science: Youth Mental Health

• Data Management Plan and SGBA Certificate – Name
• Participant Table and CVs for all key participants
• Partnership Details form and Partner Letter(s) for each applicant partner
• Applicant Partner COI Document and Indigenous Health Research Cultural Safety Form – Name when required
• Signed signature pages and Routing Slip

Who is eligible?

• Independent researchers affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions, including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge mobilization.
• For the Indigenous-led intervention pool, the Nominated Principal Applicant or a Principal Applicant must self-identify as Indigenous or provide evidence of meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples.
• For applications involving research with Indigenous Peoples, the team must include an NPA, PA, Knowledge User or Co-applicant who self-identifies as Indigenous or provides evidence of meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples.

Who is not eligible

• Interventions that have already been supported, funded or evaluated within the IYS-Net initiative.
• A Nominated Principal Applicant submitting more than one application as the NPA.

Eligible expenses

• Full time or part-time salaries paid to members of the grant team, subject to TAGFA conditions.
• Translation and preparation of information or material intended for public consumption, including website content, information pamphlets, guidelines, promotional and event-related material.
• Community mobilization and engagement costs, including culturally relevant promotional items such as tobacco, cloth, feasting and gift giving for honoring ceremonies, and cash reimbursements.
• Contracts and consultant fees for knowledge mobilization and communication activities for Indigenous Elders, community members and Indigenous knowledge holders.
• Accessibility support(s) considered necessary for the NPA or members of the applicant team to carry out the project and engage with persons with disabilities, and Release Time Allowance for knowledge users up to $25,000 per grant.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs related to the on-going delivery or implementation of existing interventions that are normally the responsibility of the health care system.

• Research approach: rigorous, theory-informed methodology; clear study design, measurement and analysis; meaningful youth and lived-experience engagement; equity considerations; valid core outcome measures; a strong data management plan; and, where applicable, Indigenous cultural safety and data governance principles.
• Applicant(s): relevant expertise, experience and ability to deliver the proposed research, including clear identification and management of conflicts of interest; Indigenous health research expertise where relevant; and experience working with historically excluded or underrepresented groups where applicable.
• Environment for the research: access to the required intervention, populations, data, infrastructure and operational support, with partnerships that are clearly defined and collaborative.
• Impact of the research: potential to generate actionable evidence, improve equitable access and strengthen youth mental health outcomes, capacity and scalability.
• Feasibility: the project timelines, risk management approach and budget appropriateness.

• Submit a Registration first; it must be submitted to be eligible to submit a Full Application.
• During Registration, identify participants, enter proposal information, complete the summary of research proposal, and apply to the Priority Announcement/Funding Pool.
• Submit the Full Application.
• During the Full Application, identify participants, enter proposal information, complete the summary of research proposal, enter budget information, attach other application materials, apply to the Priority Announcement/Funding Pool, and print/upload signature pages.

• Applications receiving a rating below 3.5 will not be funded.
• Funding will be distributed to the top-rated application in each pool, then the remaining applications will be pooled together and funded in rank order.
• Annual manual reports are required during the funding term, including during the Authority to Use Funds period.
• A final manual report is required three months after the grant end date, and an electronic Final Report must also be submitted through ResearchNet.
• Funded teams may be required to collaborate with the National Evidence Platform and to participate in one in-person workshop/event during the grant period and one in-person end-of-grant workshop at the end of year 3.

• The Partner Linkage Tool is optional and does not confer any advantages in evaluation or funding.