Massage Therapy Research Fund (MTRF) Guidelines Partnership of The Massage Therapy Research Fund (MTRF) is funded by the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) and administered by the Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Services (ARIES) of Centennial College to support high quality research in the field of massage therapy. ARIES and CMTO are inviting researchers to submit their research proposals for this annual funding competition. The eligibility of research studies for the fund will be identified through a 2-phase peer review process administered by ARIES. PURPOSE AND RESEARCH PRIORITIES: The primary purpose of the MTRF is to fund high quality and rigorous research in massage therapy in order to generate knowledge in the following research priority areas: Massage Therapy efficacy, effectiveness and safety Access to and delivery of massage therapy services Professionalization of massage therapy Massage therapy competencies and competency assessment Evaluation of massage therapy practices 2017 MTRF RESEARCH FUNDING COMPETITION GUIDELINES 1
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Who can apply: 1) Established researchers Individuals with research credentials (Master or PhD), who hold faculty positions at a recognized research institution in Canada. 2) Research trainees in Master, PhD or post-doctoral program in Canada who are collaborating with established researcher(s) as research supervisor at a recognized Canadian research institution. The supervisor(s) must be indicated on the application. 3) Undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in a Canadian academic institution or in a massage therapy-training program who are collaborating with established researcher(s) as research supervisor at a recognized Canadian research institution. The supervisor(s) must be indicated on the application. 4) Massage therapists who are collaborating with established researcher(s) as research supervisor at a recognized Canadian research institution for the purposes of conducting research. The supervisor(s) must be indicated on the application. Recognized research institution is defined as an institution which is eligible to receive Tri-Council funding (NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR) and has a Research Ethics Board. This Canada-wide funding competition is open to anyone meeting the above eligibility criteria and is not limited to Ontarian institutes. Grants cannot be held by an individual. They must be held at a research institution in Canada that administers research grants. At least one of the researchers on the application must be based at the research institution. Individuals not based in Canada may be part of the research team. However, the principal applicant who will hold the grant if awarded must be based at a Canadian research institution. Who cannot apply: Individuals holding a MTRF grant are not eligible to apply for a subsequent grant until the first has been finalized and closed. This is confirmed by receipt of the MTRF Completion Report and a Final Financial Report from the institution where the grant is held. REQUIREMENTS: Submission Requirements: 1. The entire application must be completed in English. 2. The text is to be typed in a 12 font, Calibri. It can be one and half or double-spaced. 2017 MTRF RESEARCH FUNDING COMPETITION GUIDELINES 2
3. Word limits indicated in the application form must be adhered to. 4. The project must be in line with at least one of the MTRF research priorities (see page 1). 5. The project proposal must be presented as a structured description. Submit the project proposal in two formats, 1. PDF file and 2. Word document. The following sections are required: Background Rationale Objectives/Research Questions/Hypotheses Research Design and Methodology including a description of the massage therapy intervention, project plan and timeline Significance of the study Reference list General Competition - Maximum word count for the project proposal: 2,000 words excluding Reference list. Special Call - Maximum word count for the project proposal: 3,000 words excluding Reference list. 6. Massage therapy must be defined based on the Interjurisdictional Practice Competencies (http://www.cmtbc.ca/sites/default/files/inter-jurisdictional-practice-competencies-and- Performance-Indicators-for-Massage-Therapists-at-Entry-to-Practice.pdf), as they are amended from time to time by the Federation of Health Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FOMTRAC). 7. A description of the massage therapy intervention must be provided within the project proposal and in Section 2.5 of the MTRF Application Form. 8. A proposed budget that includes a detailed breakdown of specific expense items and estimated costs (Section 2.7 of the MTRF Application Form). If the project is funded by multiple sources, indicate the sources. Indirect or overhead costs of the institution to conduct research are NOT an eligible expense. Salary of principal applicant, if not involved in the proposed research project, is NOT an eligible expense. Salary of technical/professional research staff is an eligible expense. Stipends for students who co-investigators on the project are eligible. Faculty release cost at colleges is an eligible expense. 2017 MTRF RESEARCH FUNDING COMPETITION GUIDELINES 3
Costs related to information dissemination (travel to conferences; publication, etc.) cannot exceed 10% of the requested fund. A maximum of 20% of the requested fund can be used for the purchase or rental of equipment, materials, supplies and/or for consulting fees paid for additional expertise or completion of specific project tasks (approved only with strong demonstration of need). Up to 20% of the requested fund can be used for project management costs. 9. Short curriculum vitae for all applicants. Submit all curriculum vitae in one PDF file. 10. To support the application, the following documents may be submitted but are optional. Submit these items in one PDF file: Tables/Figures Questionnaires or surveys; outcome measures; interview guide. Letters of Support Ethics approval letter is not required at application. However, following research proposal approval, applicants must submit ethics approval letter prior to any disbursement of funds. Funding Requirements: Grant funds will be released upon receipt of the ethics approval letter for the proposed study, any other documentation requested from applicants, and operational and financial progress reports. Follow-up Requirements: The approved fund will be divided into four equal disbursements and each disbursement will be released after submission of satisfactory operational and financial reports (report templates will be provided to principal applicant). Each operational and financial reports must be submitted by the end of each quarter of the project. Please note that submission of copies or links to publications, and PDF of presentations will be required in the reports. Funding from the MTRF must be acknowledged within all publications, reports and presentations. Research Project Duration : Research project must not take longer than 2 years from the date grant is released. 2017 MTRF RESEARCH FUNDING COMPETITION GUIDELINES 4
APPLICATION PROCESS: Submission of Application: After carefully reading the MTRF Guidelines, complete the MTRF Application Form and compile all required documents. Create an account on www.mtrf.ca website and submit your complete application including MTRF Application Form, Proposal and all supporting documents electronically via your account on the website by December 18, 2017 (11:59 p.m. ET). Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The MTRF Application Form (http://www.mtrf.ca/assets/mtrf-application-form-2017.docx) consists of: 1. General information (Section 1) 2. Project information (Section 2) 2.1 Lay summary 2.2 Ethics approval 2.3 Alignment with Research Priorities 2.4 Project proposal 2.5 Description of the massage therapy intervention 2.6 Dissemination plan 2.7 Estimated budget 2.8 Practice implications 2.9 Additional information (required) 2.10 Appendices (optional) 3. Signature sheet (Section 3) Grant recipients to be announced in: February, 2018. CONTACT INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding the MTRF funding competition or the application process, please contact: Dr. Pouria Tavakkoli Avval Program Manager of MTRF, Centennial College Email: ptavakkoliavval@centennialcollege.ca Tel: 416-289-5000 ext. 8593 2017 MTRF RESEARCH FUNDING COMPETITION GUIDELINES 5