In order to be eligible for an ICI, the following criteria must be met:
- The project must have clear international visibility.
- The project must be led by a Canadian researcher whose major research activities will be in Canada.
- The proposed project must involve an international consortium usually with some form of governance in which the funders will have a proportionate seat on the Board, based on the level of their financial commitment.
- The project should be for a minimum of $50M over three years with other partners committing at least 75% of total costs.
The scale, scope and complexity of ICIs require significant input from Genome Canada, working with the scientists and other key stakeholders, in both the development of the proposal and the on-going governance and oversight.
Projects meeting the above criteria will be accepted at any time and reviewed on a “one off” basis through a joint peer review process developed by the funding partners.
The final decision regarding commitment of Genome Canada funds will be made by the Board of Directors of Genome Canada.
Funding
Funding for ICI proposals can occur in two stages, namely:
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Support for an initial International Workshop to develop the full proposal (to a maximum of $50,000), and
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Funding of the full ICI, where the total funding is a minimum of $50M over three years, with Genome Canada contributing a maximum of 25% of total eligible costs.
At this time Genome Canada does not have funds to support additional ICI proposals. Funds are available, however, for a limited number of workshops. The future ability of Genome Canada to fund ICIs is predicated on the raising of additional funds for genomics and proteomics research. As such, applicants are working “in good faith” in anticipation that Genome Canada will be successful in securing new funding.
Application Process
Applicants who are interested in submitting applications for ICI funding must contact Genome Canada and one of the six Genome Centres to initiate the application process. Genome Canada and the Genome Centre(s), involved with a particular ICI will actively communicate with the applicants concerning the application and will keep each other informed with respect to the progress of the application.
Letter of Intent (LOI)
Following the initial contact and expression of interest the applicant(s) must submit a Letter of Intent to Genome Canada. Genome Canada’s Science and Industry Advisory Committee (SIAC) will assist in the review of the LOIs, providing advice to Genome Canada staff on the:
- strategic importance of the proposed area(s) of research,
- potential for impact in Canada,
- potential for sustained leadership, by Canadian scientists in the field, and
- inclusion of experts and other groups working in the area of proposed research.
Those applications that demonstrate the potential to pursue the development of a full ICI proposal will be offered administrative support and funding (to a maximum of $50,000) to hold an international workshop. The goal of the workshop is to bring together international and Canadian stakeholders (researchers and funders) to:
- validate and confirm the potential and capacity for a Canadian-led ICI,
- identify additional participants and funders, and
- initiate the development of a proposal.
Submission of a Full Proposal
Genome Canada staff will work closely with the applicants, and the Genome Centre(s), as they develop their ICI proposals providing advice on programmatic issues, governance and funding. Genome Canada and Genome Centre staff will simultaneously engage in discussions with other potential funders and assist in determining appropriate governance structures, funding models, and in some cases, collaborate with funders in developing a joint peer review process.
The general review criteria for ICI projects are consistent with those established for other Genome Canada competitions. If appropriate, a joint peer-review process with potential funding partners will be undertaken, with the peer review recommendations submitted to each funding agency for consideration. In some cases each participating agency may undertake an independent review and decision regarding its financial commitment to the particular ICI.