The Anesthesia Research Cluster Grant

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.

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

The department intends to fund up to six research clusters.

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.).

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.