Q: Do patient partners need to formally apply for core partner membership prior to the application deadline?
A: No. Only Core Academic Members need to be identified in advance of the application deadline. Others will be assigned the appropriate membership category upon funding.
Q: Can you clarify what risk mitigation means?
A: For the exploration projects - that may be high-risk/high reward project. We ask that applicants describe the potential risks to successful project implementation. It could be due to novel scientific methods, brining a new and diverse team together, etc.
Q: Can you please clarify what information needs to be included in the letter of intent and in what format for BHI membership?
A: Please include information on the relevance of your research to integrated brain-heart issues, how you wish to contribute to and benefit from the BHI and a commitment to incorporating/addressing the crosscutters. There is no set format that is required. You can submit it as a standard letter format in PDF, or event in the body of your email to the BHI secretariat.
Q: Is it mandatory to have a Co-Principal Applicant for these programs?
A:It is mandatory to have a patient partner as a Co-Principal Applicant for the Ignition and Exploration Program. For the Ignition program, it is optional to have another academic as a Co-Principal Applicant. For the Exploration program, it is required to have another academic as a Co-Applicant, from another discipline.
Q: As a CV is required for patient partners that are Principal or Co-Applicants, do patient partners need to complete a CV that is in a tri-agency format? This seems like it could be a barrier for some patient partners depending on their level of experience/education/time.
A: While we encourage individuals to use the new tri-agency narrative CV format, it is not mandatory. Patient partners to encouraged to outline their professional and personal experiences that align with their role in research. If patient partners require additional assistance, you can also encourage them to reach out to the BHI leads of the patient engagement crosscutter.
Q: People and patient partners already close to our research group are more likely to take this on, as it can be a lot of work for patient partners. How many degrees of separation are needed?
A: We do not have specific rules for the degrees of separation needed. It is acceptable for patient partners that you’ve worked with in the past, or who are currently advising other projects, are interested and have the capacity to co-lead future projects.
Q: What is the difference between the project budget form and the RE form?
A: The budget form is an excel template that is accessible in the application form. The RE form is a University of Ottawa form and is required for any research that takes place in the University of Ottawa. Please ensure that you followed the requirements of the institution. The link to the RE form is also available on the funding programs webpage, under “How to Apply”.
Q: Some patient partners may prefer to stay anonymous due to their illness. Is that a barrier to applying?
A: We have yet to encounter patients who prefer anonymity, so if this is a situation that you find yourself in, we would encourage you to reach out to the BHI so that we can meet and find a way to resolve this issue.