The Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy Grants Competition

The Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute invites applications for a new funding opportunity, offered by the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy. We are seeking innovative research proposals across the spectrum of health research that align with the Centre’s mission and priority research areas. Funding is available to support the launch of new ideas or enhance existing projects.

About the Centre

The Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy is dedicated to developing and testing all forms of immunotherapies, including oncolytic viruses, cancer vaccines, immune modulators, targeted antibodies, and cell therapies, for cancer patients with high unmet needs. This will be achieved within a fully integrated bench-to-bedside research ecosystem that combines cutting-edge discovery and innovation science with rapid translation into early-phase clinical trials.

Funding Streams

  1. General Funding Stream: one award for a research project aligned to any of the Riddell Centre’s three key priority areas, as described above.
  2. Non-Cell Therapy Funding Stream: one award reserved specifically for a research project focused on non-cell therapy approaches to cancer immunotherapy– such as oncolytic viruses, cancer vaccines, immune modulators, or targeted antibodies.

Application Guidelines

Eligibility

The Principal Applicant must hold an academic appointment (including adjunct) at the University of Calgary or at Alberta Health Services.

Membership

Members of the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute are eligible to apply. If you are not yet a member of the Riddell Centre or the Charbonneau, you may apply for membership at the same time you submit this application.

Collaboration

Research funded by this opportunity should demonstrate collaboration with other Riddell Centre members. Additionally, joint applications from two or more investigators / research groups to foster collaborations are encouraged.

Health Research

Researchers across the four pillars of health research are encouraged to apply, including those conducting biomedical, clinical, health services, and social, cultural, environmental and population health research.

Use of Funds

Funds can be used for:

  • Salary support for research staff, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, trainees, patient partners
  • Research support for consumables, equipment, services, software, clinical/administrative data access, data storage, and other relevant research costs
  • Conference registration of travel, costs to bring visiting scientists and other researchers to Calgary
  • Capital equipment, administrative costs, including faculty or staff professional development expenses related directly to the project.

Funds cannot be used for:

  • Overhead costs
  • Faculty salary
  • Capital expenditures, including facility renovations or structural alterations;
  • Legal costs associated with generating/reviewing agreements, intellectual property applications, patents, or commercial product development; and/or
  • Travel, registration fees, accommodation or other costs related to present research not directly related to work described in the application.

Funds must not overlap with other funding sources.

If you have any questions about the eligibility of a proposed expense, please contact charbonneau@ucalgary.ca. 

To be considered for the award, submit the following:

  1. Cover sheet (used attached form)
  2. Lay Summary (500 words or less): Provide a lay summary of the research proposal
  3. Proposal (4 pages maximum): Sections to be invluded in the proposal are provided in the attached
  4. Tables and Figures (1 page maximum) may be attached if desired.
  5. References (no page limit)
  6. Itemized budget with justification (no page limit)
  7. Abridged CV(s) (5 page maximum per applicant): CVs must be provided for principal applicant and co-applications, highlighting publications, current and pending (applied for) funding, and any accomplishments relevant to the application.

Submit applications to: charbonneau@ucalgary.ca

Evaluation

  • Applications will be evaluated by a panel of experts with relevant expertise.
  • Awards will be evaluated based on the project’s innovation, scientific merit, feasibility (timeline, research environment, expertise of the applicant/team), potential impact, and relevance to the Riddell Centre’s mission.
  • One award will be reserved for a non-cell therapy research project that advances the Riddell Centre’s mission.
  • Applications for new projects that have the potential to grow to larger projects are encouraged.

Responsibilities of Recipients

The recipient(s) of funding from the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy will be responsible for providing a report on the use of funds provided by the award and acknowledging the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy as appropriate in publications and presentations. Recipients may be asked to present at the Riddell Centre’s annual retreat.

The Project Lead will be responsible for managing expenditures in accordance with the approved budget and reporting on an annual basis project expenditures and outcomes.

Application

Please submit your completed application to charbonneau@ucalgary.ca

Download Application