Spring (Volume 28, Number 1)

Everything You Wanted to Know About CIORA Grants (but Were Afraid to Ask)

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At the most recent CRA Annual Scientific Meeting in February, Drs. Michelle Teo and Elizabeth Stringer presented a workshop entitled, “Everything You Wanted to Know About CIORA Grants (but Were Afraid to Ask). In this quarter’s CIORA column, we’d like to share this information with you to help you with your CIORA applications.

CIORA, which stands for the Canadian Initiative for Outcomes in Rheumatology Care, focuses on three main pillars: (1) Awareness/Advocacy/Education, which includes sub-pillars on Health Economics, Sustainability of Healthcare, and Quality Improvement; (2) Early Access for All Rheumatic Disease Patients, and (3) Multi-disciplinary Teams. The CIORA Grant Terms of Reference (ToR) has examples of research questions and measurable outcomes for each pillar.

There are two types of grants available:

• (1) One-year funding to a maximum of $75,000
• (2) Two-year funding to a maximum of $120,000

All grants are peer reviewed and awarded based on the recommendations of the CRA Research Committee. The principal applicant or co-applicant must be a rheumatologist practicing in Canada and a member of the CRA. As well, all proposed funding must be for Canadian research and funds must be spent in Canada. The grant application must be no more than 10 pages.

Practical tips for the application:

• Read the ToR very carefully–deliver everything that is required and be explicit about it.
• Tell a very clear, logical, and convincing story in every section of the proposal, particularly the background.
• Provide opportunity for feedback and revisions from co-investigators or external peer review (establish this as an expectation from your co-investigators at the beginning and include a timeline).
• Consider a flow-chart and/or diagram to supplement your proposal (a picture is worth a thousand words but could take up only a page).
• Review fundable items for your budget–be detailed in your justification of costs.
• The grant is uploaded electronically by section–don’t leave it until the last minute to upload.

For more information, on grant submission applications and deadlines and to view the full CRA presentation, please visit rheum.ca/en/research.