FAQ: Global Call for Research Proposals: Innovative Veterinary Solutions for Antimicrobial Resistance (InnoVet-AMR) 2 in Food-Producing animals: Ruminants and Aquaculture

Eligibility 

1. Which country or countries are considered eligible low- and middle-income Countries (LMICs)?  

Please refer to the DAC List of ODA Recipients for the list of eligible countries. These are subject to change. 

2. What is a lead applicant organization? 

The lead applicant organization is the institution where the principal investigator is based. Lead applicants, along with co-applicant organizations, will assume responsibility for the administration of grant funds (see question 6 for more information).  

Eligible lead applicant organizations will:  

• have a key institutional objective to carry out independent research 
• not be a United Nations organization or a CGIAR centre 
• have a legal status

3. What is a co-applicant organization(s)?  

Co-applicant organizations propose research to IDRC jointly with the lead applicant organization. These organizations are direct partners in the research and jointly share the intellectual responsibility and ownership for the knowledge and outputs produced with the lead applicant organization. Up to two co-applicants can enter into grant agreements directly with IDRC (i.e., three grant agreements total), although there can be more than two co-applicants.  

Eligible co-Applicant organizations will: 

• have a key institutional objective to carry out independent research 
• not be a United Nations organization  
• have a legal status 

4. What is a principal investigator? 

A principal investigator is responsible for the intellectual conception and implementation of the idea, and the direction of the proposed activities. The principal investigator should be based at the lead applicant organization and should submit the application to IDRC on behalf of the partnership (if applicable). 

5. What is the support package? 

IDRC will offer throughout the program a support package as trainings or consultations with experts on themes such as regulatory assessment, quality assurance, market assessment, gender and inclusion, environmental assessment, etc. These will be designed to improve project performance and support program and project objectives. Successful project teams will be expected to participate in these opportunities. 

6. If I am not affiliated with an institution, can I apply alone? 

Applications from individual persons will not be accepted. 

7. What is the maximum number of co-applicants for an application? 

The principal investigator may add as many investigators as are needed for the project, but IDRC will only have a grant agreement with a maximum of two co-applicant organizations in addition to the lead applicant organization (i.e., three grant agreements in total). However, lead and co-applicants may subcontract to third parties. See question 9. 

8. What is an administering institution?  

An administering institution is the organization with which IDRC will sign a grant agreement, and must be legally incorporated. Regardless of the number of co-applicants, IDRC will sign a grant agreement with a maximum of three administering institutions.  

9. What is a third-party organization?  

A third-party organization is an institution that will participate directly in the conduct of the research and other functions of the research project but will not receive funds directly from IDRC. The lead applicant and/or co-applicants are responsible for the disbursement of funds to third-party organizations and ensuring the research is conducted according to the agreement. Third-party organizations could be contracted to carry out a task that may not be available in-house for the lead and co-applicants (e.g., gene sequencing).  

In addition, the lead applicant and co-applicants must first ensure that the third-party organizations have adequate financial management capacity. Third-party organization budgets shall make up part of the total of the maximum budget amount per project for this call. Budgets shall be included under the relative lead or co-applicant’s budget and entered as a single budget line under the “Research Expenses” category of the template. The description of the budget line shall include “Third Party Recipient: Name and Location”, and a description of the activities being carried out. Indirect costs shall not be included in this total but reflected as part of the total maximum 13% indirect costs category of the budget. More than one third-party organization receiving funds under the budget shall be entered under a separate line. 

10. Why can’t United Nations organizations and CGIAR centres apply as lead applicants? 

United Nations organizations and CGIAR centres receive significant Canadian funds through other funding windows. However, CGIAR centres are eligible co-applicants.  

11. Are proposals from private sector companies to conduct research eligible? Or must the lead applicant in a proposal be a research entity?  

Private sector organisations and civil society institutions are encouraged to apply provided they can demonstrate that they have the capacity to conduct high-quality applied research. 

12. Are recipients from past or current IDRC/UK DHSC-supported research projects eligible for funding? 

Recipients from past or current IDRC/UK DHSC-supported research projects may apply to this call provided that the proposed research is deemed by IDRC/UK DHSC to be distinctly different and/or complements past or current research carried out by that recipient. 

13. Can the proposed research be connected to existing research agendas funded from other sources? 

Yes, provided the proposal clearly shows the added value of the work funded by InnoVet-AMR, and it is possible to clearly separate and attribute costs. It will also be important to be able to demonstrate that the proposed InnoVet-AMR work is largely self-standing – i.e., there are no critical dependencies on the work being funded from other sources that could result in the InnoVet-AMR work failing if there were problems with the other work. 

14. Will I be notified if my application is deemed ineligible? 

Eligibility will be assessed at two stages:   

1. Starting with the online application system, applicants will need to first complete an eligibility form. Should they be deemed ineligible at this stage, they will be notified through the application system. 
2. As a second step, all applications subsequently submitted will undergo a screening to ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria for this call. Incomplete applications will be considered ineligible, in which case the applicants will be notified thereof at the email address provided. We encourage applicants to check their spam folder during this time.  

15. Can the research be based on a species other than ruminants and aquaculture animals (fish and shellfish)?  

No, the proposal must focus on one or more of the InnoVet-AMR target species.  

16. Why is the call focused on ruminants or aquaculture animals (fish and shellfish)? 

While understanding that antimicrobial resistance presents a serious issue in various animal species, InnoVet-AMR has chosen to focus on ruminants (cattle [Bos taurus and B. indicus], sheep and goats) and aquaculture (finfish and shellfish [e.g., shrimp]) in view of the current scale, the high antibiotic use, and the projected growth in production for these species.    

17. Does one of the applicant organizations need to be based in an LMIC?  

One of the applicant organizations that will be entering into a grant agreement with IDRC (i.e., one of the administering institutions) must be registered as a legal entity in an eligible LMIC. (See question 1). 

18. Are proposals on diagnostics, surveillance and husbandry eligible?  

Only projects focused on new or improved veterinary products that would significantly reduce the therapeutic and non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in ruminants and/or aquaculture production are eligible.  

Preparing an application 

19. How do I submit an application? 

All applications must be submitted through the online application platform.   

20. Is it possible to get an extension for my application? 

We are currently unable to provide extensions for our call for proposals. Please aim to submit ahead of the deadline in case of technical difficulties. Please email innovetamr@idrc.ca with any technical difficulties encountered when submitting your application. 

21. Can the same individual be included in more than one application? 

Individuals may submit only one application as a principal investigator. The same individual may be a co-applicant on one other proposal. However, the role played by the individual under each proposed research project must be deemed by IDRC to be significantly different. 

22. Do I need to include any supporting documents with the application? 

Yes, applicants will need to upload and submit the following supporting documents with their application:  

• Research proposal  
• Institutional Profile Questionnaire 
• Legal documents or corporate registration of administering institutions 
• Audited financial statements of administering institutions 
• Letters of request from administering institutions 
• Signatures of proposed team members 
• An attestation of your organization's capacity to manage a grant of this size and complexity (largest grants managed to date, compliance with other donor reporting and legal requirements, ability to manage third parties, foreign funds and disbursements).  
• List of proposed team members 
• CVs of proposed team members 

For more information on requirements and formats, please log in to the online application platform.  

23. What are the requirements for research ethics?  

It is the policy of IDRC that research work involving human participants or animals must be carried out in accordance with high ethical standards (please consult here). Prior to commencing research, applicants will need to obtain approval from an official institutional or national research ethics body and will need to comply with the terms and conditions of the grant agreement. Any research involving animals will need to obtain explicit approval from an appropriate body for oversight of the use of animals in research.  

24. Will I receive confirmation that my application was received? 

Completed applications containing all supporting documentation and submitted through the online application system will receive an email notification to confirm that they have been received. If you did not receive an email notification, check your spam folder. 

25. How will applications be reviewed? 

All complete applications received through the online application system that meet the eligibility criteria will be subject to a formal review process. Applications will be evaluated by external and internal reviewers in accordance with the review criteria outlined in the call document, assigned a score and ranked. The selection committee will use the scores provided by the reviewers to select the applications. Final selection of projects will take into consideration regional and topical balance of projects. Only successful applicants will be notified of the status of their applications. Please do not contact IDRC before end of January 2024 to inquire about the status of your application.  

Budgets and funding arrangements 

26. What is the budget for this call?  

The total budget for this global call is expected to be $12 million Canadian dollars and we expect to fund up to six or seven research projects.  

27. What is the maximum duration for the research project? 

Projects should plan for one-month start-up, 30 months to conduct research, and one month to close. The total duration of the project should not exceed 32 months. Projects are expected to begin in either March or April of 2024 and must end by December 31, 2026. 

28. Is there a maximum budget amount per project for this call? 

We expect budgets to be in the range of CA$ 1.6 million. 

29. What is the limit of indirect costs or overhead costs allowable? 

Indirect costs are allowable up to a maximum of 13% of the overall budget for each member. This includes indirect cost for any third-party recipients who might be part of the budget. Please refer to Guidelines for acceptable project expenditures for more information on indirect costs. 

30. Must indirect costs/overheads of third-party organizations respect the limit rule? 

The maximum allowable percentage of the indirect costs is 13% of the overall budget for each member, including parts allocated for subcontracting. This means that if a member decides to pay a third party a higher overhead, the member can only do so provided that indirect costs calculated on the basis of the rest of the budget are lowered in order for the total to not exceed the 13% figure. 

31. Must the budget be broken down equally between all members of the partnership? 

No. However, proposal budgets should ensure that all partners are adequately resourced to perform their expected roles and participate in the overall coordination of partnership activities (including monitoring, reporting, communication, etc.).  

32. Is the organization housing the lead applicant permitted to include a management fee for the partnership? If so, what are the rules in setting this up? 

The lead organization cannot include a fee for the management of the partnership. However, the lead applicant organization can include a coordinator position in the Personnel line item of the budget to cover fees related to management and coordination of the research and related activities. 

33. Are the lead and co-applicant institutions expected to make financial/in-kind contributions to the project?  

Yes, these are contributory grants. The lead and co-applicant organizations are required to make either a financial or in-kind contribution (or both) to be considered for funding under this call. These contributions shall be recorded under a specific tab of the budget template required to be submitted with the application. Any other cash amounts from private grants, or from grants received from local, provincial or national authorities in their country of origin for the purpose of the project, must also be recorded here. 

34. Do I have to give permission for use and disclosure of information? 

By submitting an application under this call, the applicant consents to the disclosure of all information and documents submitted by the applicant to the reviewers involved in the selection process, both within IDRC and externally. The applicant further consents to the disclosure of the name of the lead applicant and co-applicant(s), and the name of the proposed research project in any announcements made by IDRC under this call. Personal information collected by IDRC under this call is used to administer and monitor grants for research projects, and to promote and support international development research in Canada and in the regions where IDRC operates. Consistent with these purposes, applicants should expect that information collected by IDRC may be used and disclosed in IDRC-supported activities. 

35. If my proposal is accepted, who will own the intellectual property rights to my research? 

Prior to submitting their application, applicants should review the InnoVet-AMR Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (IPR). The IPR must be signed by the successful applicants in the first six months of the project to continue project funding. 

36. One of the partners (or third parties) in our project is based in India and does not yet have FCRA clearance. Can we still apply? 

Yes, but only if the process of obtaining FCRA clearance is already underway and a statement of this fact (or other proof that the application is underway) is submitted with the proposal. All organizations from India need FCRA clearance in order to receive funds from IDRC.  

Technical difficulties and/or additional information 

37. Will I receive feedback on my submission? 

Given the volume of applications, IDRC will not provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.  

38. Whom should I contact for further information? 

Any inquiries related to this call and the application process not answered in this list of FAQ must be sent by email to the InnoVet-AMR team at innovetamr@idrc.ca.