2022 Inlight knowledge synthesis Grant Program
Notice: Applications for this opportunity are now closed. We look forward to announcing grant recipients in the near future.
Program Statement: Inlight Knowledge Synthesis (IKS) grants are designed to provide funding to support rapid knowledge mobilization of evidence related to postsecondary student mental health and wellness at the University of Toronto.
- Potential knowledge synthesis topics in postsecondary student mental health include population health, mental health and wellness interventions, health promotion, and other factors impacting mental health and wellness.
- IKS applications are expected to engage and partner with knowledge users at the University of Toronto who can include postsecondary students, individuals with mental health and wellness needs, individuals in healthcare delivery and service staff, researchers, racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous /Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of knowledge and knowledge translation avenues.
- IKS applicants are expected to use a knowledge synthesis research approach (i.e. scoping review, systematic review, rapid review, realist review, umbrella review, etc) to assess current knowledge on a postsecondary student mental health topic, identify knowledge strengths and gaps, and describe an end-of-grant knowledge translation strategy that includes sharing findings with knowledge users (i.e. students, staff, faculty, etc).
- Student mental health is inclusive of mental wellness, mental illness and substance misuse. It encompasses the full length of a student’s journey — from transitions into postsecondary education to graduation to transitions out of postsecondary education — and the full range of student mental health experience— from community and individual well-being to clinical intervention, inside the classroom and out.
- Grant applications are expected to integrate Inlight’s guiding principles into the project planning, engagement, design and research implementation.
2022 Inlight Knowledge Synthesis Grant Program
Full Knowledge Synthesis Grant Applications are due Friday November 4 2022 at 11:59 pm EST.
Overview
| Open call for applications | Monday, September 26 |
| Grant application and student engagement workshop (recorded) | Wednesday, October 19 |
| Deadline for grant application |
Friday, November 4 |
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Anticipated Notice of Decision |
Friday, December 9 |
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Funding Start Date |
Thursday, December 1 |
To request the Grant Application Workshop recording, contact studentmh.research@utoronto.ca.
Eligibility
Leadership
The nominated principal applicant must be faculty (tenure stream) eligible to hold research funding at the University of Toronto (U of T).
All grant applications must have a co-principal applicant who is an identified knowledge user. Inlight knowledge users can include but are not limited to University of Toronto students, administrators, staff, and clinicians.
Team
Team composition should include co-applicants and collaborators from diverse partner communities and preference for cross division and tri-campus (Scarborough, Mississauga and St. George) representation.
Submission Process
Knowledge Synthesis Grant Application Deadline: Friday November 4 at 11:59 EST
Applications can be submitted via online form, where applicants can upload their grant application template and CV for the nominated principal applicant.
Applicants will need to provide the following information in the grant application template (maximum word count ~3180, maximum 7 pages):
- Project title
- Project rationale, goals and objectives (max 350 words or 2/3 page)
- Project impact and alignment with Inlight strategic priorities and guiding principles (max 350 words)
- Knowledge Synthesis research design, methods and knowledge mobilization (max 1000 words)
- Team; including names, project role and project activities (max 350 words)
- Student engagement considerations and activities (max 250 words)
- Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility consideration and activities (max 250 words)
- Project milestones and timeline (max 250 words)
- Project budget (350 words)
Only the nominated principal applicant will need to provide a recent CV, applicants are welcome to include multiple figures in appendix (optional, maximum 2 pages); please note that adjudicators are not required to review the appendix.
All applicants will be automatically enrolled into the Inlight Network and will receive communication on future Inlight opportunities and knowledge events.
Budget and Eligible Expenses:
- Salary for postdoctoral scholars, graduate student researchers, undergraduate project student assistant(s) or research staff
- Student engagement stipends or honorariums for time spent support research project activities
- Reimbursement for purchasing of data, software, travel related to the execution of this research, or other research expenses explained clearly in the application
- Light refreshments for meetings, speaker honoraria, etc. for working groups or research convenings
- Funds cannot be used for equipment or administrative salaries
- Eligible expenses must align with U of T’s Guide to Financial Management and guidelines on reimbursable expenses.
Self Identification Survey
After teams submit their full grant application a self identification online survey will be sent for the principal applicant and co-applicants to complete. The survey data will only be used internally to ensure we are proactively seeking to increase diversity and representation from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2Si+ persons, and others who may contribute to the diversification of ideas.
Adjudication
An Inlight knowledge synthesis grant selection committee has been formed to review, evaluate and select grant applications for funding. The selection committee represents the diversity of the University of Toronto community with faculty, staff and student representation as well as cross division and tri-campus involvement.
Selection Criteria for grant applications:
- Strategic alignment and knowledge mobilization impact
- Partnership and engagement
- Knowledge synthesis design and feasibility (scope, timeline activities and budget)
The full adjudication rubric is available and we strongly recommend all applicants review before submitting their application.
All members of the knowledge synthesis grant advisory and selection committee will declare any conflict of interest and remove themselves from grant application review if a conflict exists. Inlight follows the CIHR guidelines of conflict of interest: “a conflict of interest means a conflict between a participant’s (e.g., reviewers and observers) duties and responsibilities with regard to the review process, and a participant’s private, professional, business or public interests.”
Decision of fellowships will be shared with all applicants in December 2022.
Reporting
All teams receiving Inlight grants are required to fulfill the following obligations:
- The knowledge synthesis project must be presented at the annual Inlight symposium (oral presentation, table top or poster).
- A final summary and impact report must be submitted two months after the end of the funding period (March 1), this should include a report on completed goals objectives, activities, impact of work, testimonials from team members and knowledge users, and final knowledge mobilization products.
- Responding within four weeks to requests for updates on project progress (no more than a quarterly basis) during the year of funding.
- Principal applicants may be asked to be grant and fellowship reviewers for Inlight in subsequent years.
Application & Adjudication Documents
Application
Adjudication
Important Dates
| Open call for applications | Monday, September 26 |
| Grant application and student engagement workshop (recorded) | Wednesday, October 19 |
| Deadline for grant application | Friday, November 4 |
To request the Grant Application Workshop recording, contact studentmh.research@utoronto.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
| May I submit multiple proposals? Individuals can only submit one application where they are identified as the principal applicant; Individuals are welcome to be co-applicants or collaborators on multiple applications. |
| May I be an applicant on a research grant application as an outside (non-UofT) researcher, so long as a U of T faculty member is the principal applicant? Yes, we welcome inclusion, partnerships and collaboration with partner institutions. However, we are not able to award funds directly to partner institutions. |
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Can the project have more than one principal applicant? Yes, we encourage teams to form diverse and collaborative teams including in project leadership roles, and we require that one principal applicants has to be a University of Toronto faculty (tenure stream) eligible to hold research funding and one co-principal applicant is knowledge user. |
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Are students eligible to apply for Inlight knowledge synthesis grants? Students and post-doctoral scholars are not eligible to apply for Inlight Research grants as principal applicants. However, students and post-doctoral fellows, where permitted by their division/program, are permitted to be co-applicants and knowledge users. We also encourage doctoral candidates leading existing student mental health research to investigate Inlight Fellowship opportunities. |
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How many members are expected to form a research team? There is no number that is set but representation is expected to reflect the needed expertise and partners the research study is investigating. |
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Do principal applicants and co-applicants need to have training and experience in student mental health research? It is not a requirement to have experience and training in student mental health research, we do encourage teams to highlight their experience and expertise in mental health and related fields. We do strongly encourage teams have co-applicants/knowledge users with student mental health expertise and/or experience. |
| Will it be more competitive to submit one research application with multiple projects, or just one project? You should write the proposal that best aligns with Inlight research priorities, meets selection criteria and can be completed with $10,000 in funding. |
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Can I have existing funding related to the project application? Yes other funding can be held, but the applicants must describe how the existing funding is not duplicative funding for the same activity being included in the Inlight application. |
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Are there eligible and ineligible expenses? Yes, please refer to the list of eligible expenses to support project and budget planning in your application as well as guidelines on reimbursable expenses described in the UofT Guide to Financial Management. |
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What does it mean to be part of the Inlight network? Joining the Inlight network provides the opportunity to connect with researchers, students, providers and others involved in student mental health research as well as be invited to future Inlight research funding opportunities and knowledge events. |
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Should applications incorporate equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) practices and approaches in their applications? Yes, we encourage applications to include EDIA in team composition and require teams to outline considerations and activities in the grant application template. |
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Is there an age range that Inlight supports in their research teams and participants? We will consider any age ranges that connect with post secondary student mental health. |
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How is Inlight supporting Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility? Inlight strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity and representation among its members and we encourage applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous /Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. |
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How does Inlight approach sex and gender differences in mental health research? Sex and gender differences exist in the research areas above, making sex and/or gender issues an important component of this research initiative. Applicants should consider sex as a biological variable and gender as a socio-cultural factor in their research. |
Inclusion of EDIA Statement
Inlight strives to be an equitable and inclusive community. We proactively seek to increase diversity and representation among its members and strongly encourage applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2Si+ persons, and others who may contribute to the diversification of ideas.
To learn more about research at the University of Toronto, including policies related to Principal Investigator eligibility and holding research funds, please visit the Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI) website.