The Anesthesia Research Cluster Grant

Background

The Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine is pleased to announce the launch of the Anesthesia Research Cluster Grant, an initiative designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among clinicians, scientists, and trainees across the University of Toronto and its affiliated hospital sites.

It will provide departmental infrastructural support for research clusters, supporting researchers affiliated with the department as they develop key relationships and further collaborations to achieve their research interests and goals.

The grant is valued at $2500, to be distributed over three years. Please note that this grant cannot be used to cover personnel (including salaries), equipment or operational costs associated with research projects.

Anesthesia Research Cluster Grant. Applications due by November 11, 2024.

Key Dates

Call for applications: September 11, 2024

Deadline to apply: November 11, 2024

Successful applicants informed by: December 13, 2024

Additional Information and FAQs

What are the grant's aims?

The grant aims to:

  • Advance both the clinical and academic missions of the University of Toronto and its affiliated hospitals.
  • Promote research activity.
  • Stimulate and support multi-site collaboration.

What can the funds be used for?

The grant will provide financial support for the development and management of research clusters. Funds can be used for:

  • Meeting rooms
  • Catering
  • Other activities related to cluster meetings

How many research clusters will benefit?

The department intends to fund up to six research clusters.

Which areas of interest are supported?

These funds are intended to support the forming of research groups among the following:

  1. Laboratory groups (lab clusters) that represent a collaboration between more than one lab undertaking basic science or translational research or between the laboratory and the clinical grouping or cluster.
  2. Clinical research clusters (clinical clusters) in clinical epidemiology, trials, or other areas focused around either a clinical or methodological theme.
  3. Other academic groupings with an interest in subject areas broadly related to anesthesiology and pain medicine (physiology, translation, medical educational research, etc.).

Who is eligible?

This grouping should contain at least one scientist/investigator whose primary university affiliation is as a faculty member of the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine. This person should play a central/leading role in this grouping.

To be considered, clusters should:

  1. Include scientists, clinicians, and other researchers from multiple sites/departments around the University of Toronto.
  2. Meet in person on a quarterly basis (at minimum).
  3. Allow established researchers and researchers-in-training to present research in progress to the cluster with constructive peer review.
  4. Identify a supervision and mentorship structure for postgraduate trainees.
  5. Produce an annual report for the department's newsletter/internal reports.
  6. Be willing to present the cluster's work at the department's research events or related rounds.

Optionally, the department encourages (but does not mandate) that members of a cluster should be able to peer review other member's work at the grant development and the write-up stages.