Invitation to submit a letter of intent: Enhanced Surveillance for Chronic Disease Program 2022

On this page

• Description of funding program
• Objective
• Letter of intent applications
• Eligibility
• Gender-based analysis requirements
• Official language requirements
• Lobbying
• Funding decisions
• Contact us

Description of funding program

The Public Health Agency of Canada has the responsibility to enhance surveillance information and expand the knowledge of disease and injury in Canada, including risk factors.

The Public Health Agency of Canada invites eligible organizations to submit letters of intent (LOI) for the Enhanced Surveillance for Chronic Disease Program (ESCDP).

The ESCDP's objective is to enhance capacity for public health, chronic disease and injury surveillance activities by providing grant and contribution funding to:

• Address persistent public health surveillance evidence gaps
• Support the development of a robust evidence base on chronic diseases and conditions, injury, mental health / illness, problematic substance use, and their risk factors in Canada

For this funding program, surveillance means the tracking of health events and determinants through the:

• Ongoing collection of data
• Integration, analysis and interpretation of data
• Dissemination of information to those who can benefit by using the evidence

Surveillance should provide relevant information for public health action.

Objective

The current solicitation aims is to build surveillance capacity and fill data gaps in three priority areas:

• Substance related harms, including opioids;
• Mental health and mental illness; and,
• Longer term impacts of COVID-19 including post-COVID condition and chronic disease

Evidence has demonstrated that the pandemic is having wider impacts on the health of Canadians, and enhancing the surveillance and evidence base in the above-mentioned areas is important for policy development, decision-making and public health action. In addition, some populations have been disproportionately affected, including Indigenous and racialized populations, Two-spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Plus (2SLGBTQI+), institutionalized persons, and other populations where surveillance data are also lacking (i.e., children and youth); therefore, an additional focus will be on including them in the context of this solicitation.

Potential projects would explore the use of various methods, approaches, and technologies, including (but not limited to):

• macro and micro modeling
• simulations/optimization
• advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
• non-traditional technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and mobile
• leveraging open/big data
• data visualization
• novel data linkages

Innovative approaches are particularly important given the constantly evolving public health context and the accelerating pace of change, which present both new opportunities and new risks to how we collect, analyze, use and share public health data and how Canadians consume their information.

Letter of intent applications

Scope

Funding under the ESCDP is for the development of single proposals submitted by eligible organizations for time-limited projects. Anticipated results from the project must have potential for pan-Canadian applicability. The total budget for each project must not exceed $1,000,000 and the funding duration must be between 12 months (1 year) and 36 months (3 years).

The application process consists of 2 stages.

1. The first stage is the submission of an LOI
   • Ineligible and/or incomplete LOIs will be screened out and applicants will be notified
2. The second stage is the development of a full proposal
   • Organizations with LOIs deemed to best fit the overall objectives of the program will be invited to submit a full proposal
   • The proposals will be reviewed by officials from the Public Health Agency of Canada to determine relevance to program objectives, feasibility and quality of the proposed work
   • The advice of external reviewers may also be sought.
     • External reviewers may be asked to comment on quality, innovation and fit with work in provinces, territories and the community

On the basis of the review, officials may recommend full proposals to the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada for funding approval.

This solicitation is for projects that will start on or after April 1, 2024.

Priorities

The focus would be on one or a combination of the following areas.

Priority Topic 1: Substance related harms, including opioids

Areas of surveillance could include but are not limited to:

• substance related harms, including opioids as a risk factor for chronic diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease), and injuries (e.g., suicide, overdose, violence)
• evidence on substance related harms and their intersection with mental health. For instance, comorbidity between mental illness and substance use disorders; using substances to cope with or manage symptoms of mental illness
• evidence of substance related harms and their intersection with physical health; using substances to cope with physical health problems such as pain

Priority Topic 2: Positive mental health and mental illness

Areas of surveillance could include but are not limited to:

• gathering evidence on mental health (including positive mental health, self-harm, suicide and family violence), and mental illness (including depressive, anxiety, bipolar, personality, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, eating related disorders)
• health-related factors that are not routinely monitored but are established determinants of mental and physical health and their connections to outcomes, such as:
  • social relationships
  • social support
  • social isolation
  • loneliness
• gathering evidence on the prevalence of mental health concerns of caregivers to people with mental illnesses and/ or higher risk substance use. Including gathering evidence on mental health care needs and mitigation strategies for caregivers
• leverage evidence from upstream and more timely data sources (e.g. emergency medical services, mental health services, psychologists, etc.) that are outside the health care system (and our traditional data sources for reporting)
• the impact of increased access to virtual care for Canadians with mental health and/or substance use concerns

Priority Topic 3: Longer term impacts of COVID-19 including post-COVID condition and chronic disease

Areas of surveillance could include but are not limited to:

• estimating the prevalence of Post-Covid-19 Condition among specific populations in Canada where evidence is lacking and/or where small sample sizes are to be expected. Populations could include racialized populations, those in occupations such as health care or front line workers, those with pre-existing chronic diseases and conditions, those with disabilities, seniors, etc. Data points of interest could include vaccination status, level of education, geographic location and behavioural factors (e.g. smoking status, alcohol use, level of physical activity, etc.)
• leveraging existing surveillance systems or longitudinal research platforms that target specific populations (e.g. seniors, children, racialized populations, people with disabilities etc.) to gain a better understanding of the risk factors and impacts of post COVID-19 condition in different populations in Canada
• gathering evidence related to the economic impacts of post COVID-19 condition in the general population and on specific populations where evidence is lacking (e.g. direct costs to the health care system, inability to work or loss of employment, days of school missed, etc.)
• gathering evidence related to the impact of vaccinations on the risk of developing post COVID-19 condition.
• gathering evidence on the impact of post COVID-19 condition on new or fluctuating disability, reliance on caregivers, impact on income, etc.
• gathering longitudinal evidence on the impact of: 1) delayed /lack of screening and/or treatment for chronic diseases, and 2) mental illness due to or exacerbated by the pandemic, and potential mitigation strategies

Specific populations where evidence is lacking

The three priority topic areas have limited surveillance information available on specific populations. For this reason, projects must include at least one or more of the specific populations listed below.

• Indigenous populations
• Institutionalized populations
• 2SLGBTQI+ communities
• Rural and remote populations
• Racialized groups and/or recent immigrants/new Canadians
• Other populations where evidence is lacking for specific topics (e.g. children, youth, seniors, etc.)

Proposed projects will need to address all 3 of the following:

• one or more of the priority topics
• one or more populations where evidence is lacking
• use innovative methods / technologies

Submission instructions

To obtain a copy of the letter of intent template, please contact us at phac.cgc.solicitations2-csc-aspc@phac-aspc.gc.ca.

This solicitation will be open for a 7-week period, closing on December 8, 2022, 4:00 p.m. EST.

Applicants are asked to complete the letter of intent (LOI) template that will include the following information

Organizational information (550 word count maximum):

• Mandate of the organization
• Incorporation/registration information, and complete contact information for the project lead within the organization (can be included as an attachment)
• A description of its capacity to deliver the project on time and within the specified budget
  • Include the required infrastructure, organizational and financial capacity credibility, relevant skills, experience working with the target populations, and ability to achieve and demonstrate project results

A project summary (2,500 word count maximum) which includes the:

• Title of the proposed project
• Project focus
• Target population
• Project duration
• Amount of funding requested from the Public Health Agency of Canada to a maximum of $1,000,000
• Overall objective of the project and how it relates to the priorities and essential criteria of the solicitation
• Activities that the applicant will undertake to meet the objectives
• Partners with whom the applicant will work on the project
• Expected results of the project

Where to submit your letter of intent

LOIs must be submitted via email to phac.cgc.solicitations2-csc-aspc@phac-aspc.gc.ca. Applications will be acknowledged by email. Please ensure your email address is included in the LOI application form.

Assessment

The essential criteria for the solicitation are outlined below. The LOI must provide sufficient information regarding each essential criterion so that a clear overview of all aspects of the proposed project is provided.

Eligible applicant

LOI Template that includes required organization tombstone information as described in the eligible applicants section.

Project description

• Overview aligns with the solicitation priorities
• Goal/objectives are clear, realistic and achievable
• Activities are well described and align with project objectives
• Target populations are clearly identified
• Geographic locations where activities will take place are identified

Impact/effectiveness

• Objectives are relevant and can potentially contribute to national-level surveillance data (national applicability)

Partnerships

• Includes outreach to relevant partners and networks and explains how they will be engaged
• Evidence of strong collaboration(s)

Knowledge transfer activities

• Knowledge products and/or activities are clearly described in terms of type and intended audience(s)

Performance measurement and evaluation

• Description of intended results is clearly outlined

Sustainability

• Approach for sustainability post-Public Health Agency of Canada funding is clearly described

Asset criteria

Open data (where appropriate)

• Applicants are encouraged to develop projects where results are freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control where appropriate
• This is considered an asset criteria recognizing that there are legitimate reasons for which an open data approach may not be appropriate in certain contexts
  • A justification would need to be provided in instances where open data is not being used

Applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal will have to expand upon each of the essential criteria.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants include:

• For profit organizations
• Unincorporated groups, societies and coalitions
• Canadian not-for-profit voluntary organizations and corporations
• Individuals deemed capable of conducting population health activities
• Provincial, territorial, regional, and municipal governments and agencies
• Organizations and institutions supported by provincial and territorial governments (regional health authorities, schools, post-secondary institutions, etc.)

Eligible expenditures

Expenses directly related to approved projects are defined in the contribution agreement. Eligible costs include such expenses as:

• Rent
• Personnel
• Materials and supplies
• Travel and accommodation
• Costs of services and equipment
• Evaluation and dissemination costs related to the approved project

No project expenses may be incurred prior to signing of the Contribution Agreement by all parties.

Ineligible activities and expenses

The following activities and expenses are ineligible:

• Profit-making activities
• Pure research in any discipline
• Membership in professional associations
• Direct delivery of care and treatment services
• Contingency allowances or other miscellaneous fees
• Equipment (other than incidental as described above)
• Creation and/or maintenance of websites as a sole activity
• Direct services which are part of other governments' jurisdiction
• Capital costs, such as the purchase of land, buildings, renovation of space or purchase of vehicles
• Conferences, symposia, and workshops as stand-alone projects (this does not exclude training workshops)
• Costs related to ongoing (core) activities of your organization or a percentage of the overhead or administrative fee of the organization

Gender-based analysis requirements

The Government of Canada is committed to Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+). GBA+ incorporates in the development of policies and programs the consideration of gender as well as other identity factors, such as:

• Age
• Culture
• Income
• Language
• Education
• Geography

Applicants are expected to incorporate these considerations into their application.

Official language requirements

The funding recipient must clearly identify the target population of the project and, if applicable, take the necessary measures to respect the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act to communicate with the public in the official language (i.e., English or French) of their choice, as well as supporting the vitality and development of official language minority communities.

The Government of Canada is committed to:

• Enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development
• Fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society

As such, all project materials (e.g., resources, reports, announcements, etc.) for public distribution must be produced in both official languages, and project activities must be carried out in the target population's official language of choice.

Official language minority communities include Francophones living outside the Province of Quebec and Anglophones within the Province of Quebec.

For additional information, visit the Official Languages Act website.

Lobbying

Recent amendments to the Lobbying Act and its regulations have broadened the definition of lobbying. We encourage applicants to review the revised act and regulations to ensure compliance. For more information, refer to the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada website or contact the office directly.

Funding decisions

The Public Health Agency of Canada is under no obligation to enter into a funding agreement as a result of this invitation to submit an LOI. A successful LOI is not a commitment on the part of the Public Health Agency of Canada to fund a subsequent full proposal.

All applicants will be notified by email of the results following the end of the review process. Only organizations with recommended letters of intent will be invited to submit a full proposal.

Please note that decisions related to funding for applicants made by the Public Health Agency of Canada are final. Unsuccessful applicants are invited to reapply through future solicitations.

Contact us

To obtain additional information about this invitation to submit an LOI, please contact phac.cgc.solicitations2-csc-aspc@phac-aspc.gc.ca.