Research Admin Offices:

• HRS

Opportunity Type:

• Grant

Value:

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $15,000,000, enough to fund one grant. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount is $3,000,000 per year for up to 5 years, for a total of $15,000,000.

Disciplines:

• Health Sciences

Sponsors:

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Deadlines:

Additional Dates:

• EOI Deadline - November 8, 2022
• LOI Deadline - January 12, 2023

Description:

Sequenced genomes are increasingly integrated into clinical care and incorporated into medical records. While a few hundred thousand human genomes have been sequenced thus far, it is widely anticipated that by 2025, tens of millions of human genomes will be sequenced worldwide. The use of this technology is rapidly maturing and its near-term impact on human health is widely anticipated to be transformative. Provincial and regional clinical sequencing and health data management are being established independently throughout Canada, fueled in part by the All For One program led by Genome Canada. This highlights a critical information and service gap that can be solved by federating these data sources to maximize their value for research and clinical purposes, and ultimately to improve the health and lives of people who live in Canada.

The development of a federated pan-Canadian Human Genome Library (CHGL) would accelerate the development of critical tools based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches for human genomes that are sequenced as part of federally funded research projects. Each health research project individually funded by these organizations contributes to a collective understanding of human health and disease; however, if all the genomic data could be consensually accessed, connected, and analyzed collectively, the level of understanding would be exponential. Through this funding opportunity, a pan-Canadian federated framework will be established and will follow the highest ethical and good governance standards.

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• Develop a federated pan-Canadian framework that will enable access to and analysis of genomes and associated health/environmental information, governed in a transparent, accountable and consistent way;
• Address equity, diversity and inclusion by capturing the Canadian genomic “variome” to truly represent the richness of the genomic diversity of people living in Canada, and in all its diversity by promoting the inclusion of detailed information on key identity characteristics, such as sex, gender, and other intersecting identity factors, that shape the health of all people living in Canada;
• Position the framework as a key mechanism to improve effectiveness – both from an economic and health perspective – of healthcare delivery in a learning health system context;
• Provide means and opportunities to facilitate clinical trials that are increasingly based on genomic medicine;
• Position Canada as a key player in international genomic research endeavours.

Resources:

Additional Details.

Contact:

If applying from the Faculty of Health Sciences, unless otherwise indicated, you no longer need to send documents to HRS Intake. Your first point of contact is your assigned Senior Grants Advisor.