Funding Cycle Research Articles

Impact of a national dementia research consortium: The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).

The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) was created by the Canadian federal government through its health research funding agency, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), in 2014, as a response to the G7 initiative to fight dementia. Two five-year funding cycles (2014-2019; 2019-2024) have occurred following peer review, and a third cycle (Phase 3) has just begun. A unique construct was mandated, consisting of 20 national teams in Phase I and 19 teams in Phase II (with research topics spanning from basic to clinical science to health resource systems) along with cross-cutting programs to support them. Responding to the needs of researchers within the CCNA teams, a unique sample of 1173 deeply phenotyped patients with various forms of dementia was accrued and studied over eight years (COMPASS-ND). In the second phase of funding (2019-2024), a national dementia prevention program (CAN-THUMBS UP) was set up. In a short time, this prevention program became a member of the World Wide FINGERS prevention consortium. In this article, the challenges, successes, and impacts of CCNA in Canada and internationally are discussed. Short-term deliverables have occurred, along with considerable promise of impacts in the longer term. The creation of synergy, networking, capacity building, engagement of people with lived experience, and economies of scale have contributed to the considerable success of CCNA by all measures. CCNA is evidence that an organized "centrally-organized" approach to dementia research can catalyze important progress nationally and yield significant and measurable results.

Biomedical research grant resubmission: rates and factors related to success – a scoping review

ObjectivesMost first-time biomedical research grant applications are not funded. In the challenging research funding climate, resubmitting a grant application is a necessary task for scientists. Identifying which factors influence their...

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) Supporting Innovative Nutrition Education for American Indian and Indigenous-Serving Organizations in Colorado

BackgroundSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-Education (Ed) is the nutrition education component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) SNAP. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to elucidate the experiences of 3 CO-based, American Indian, or Indigenous-led organizations who engaged in a SNAP-Ed pilot funding project in fiscal year 2022. MethodsAn instrumental, single case study design was employed to conduct this evaluation. The multiphase method evaluation included listening sessions (n = 8 Indigenous-serving organizations), invited requests for proposals, pilot award funding (n = 3 awarded organizations), and longitudinal, storytelling-based qualitative data collection during the funding cycle. ResultsThere are many ongoing food and nutrition education programs serving Indigenous/American Indian peoples in CO, which largely promote wellness and healing through traditional cultural practices and are not overtly framed as “nutrition education.” Two salient themes emerged: 1) defining and describing indigenized, decolonized nutrition education, and 2) description of experiences working with SNAP-Ed funding during FY2022, including challenges and future opportunities. ConclusionsTo effectively address the priority area for SNAP-Ed funding to reach Tribal communities in each state, understanding the perspectives of Tribal and Indigenous-led communities who are new to SNAP-Ed funding is prudent. Next steps to continued cocreation of SNAP-Ed opportunities in Indigenous spaces include educating funders and policymakers on Indigenous ways of knowing, traditional food and nutrition practices, and importance of relationality, land, healing, and other Indigenous values. Determining the “success” of a program (e.g., program evaluation) needs to be defined by the community itself.

Self-Donations and Charitable Contributions in Online Crowdfunding: An Empirical Analysis

Many charitable projects have started using online crowdfunding platforms to raise donations. The rise of these platforms as fundraising vehicles has been partially driven by easy access to a large pool of potential donors without the significant marketing costs that commonly accompany traditional fundraising. However, such a low cost of entry also results in a significant “crowding” of projects, making it difficult for donors to decide which projects to donate to. Thus, a charitable project encounters a fundamental marketing challenge of standing out from other projects when conventional techniques like advertising and promotion are limited. In this article, the authors posit that a project can credibly signal its quality via a strategy of “self-donation,” whereby the project steward donates to their own project. The empirical setting is an online education crowdfunding platform. By examining millions of donations, the authors find that self-donations improve the donation pace, contributed amount, and funding success. The findings show that the self-donation strategy works only when a self-donation is visible to potential donors and is especially effective at the early stage of the funding cycle or when project stewards are inexperienced, where the projects face significant uncertainty. The authors find evidence for self-donation as a quality signal through various observable proxies like impact letters to donors and corporate matching. Overall, the findings are consistent with a signaling mechanism that allows the separation of high-quality projects from lower-quality ones.

Overdose prevention activities led by local public health departments, 2019–2023

BackgroundDrug overdose deaths in the United States increased to historic levels in recent years, with provisional estimates indicating more than 111,000 deaths in the 12 months ending July 2023. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Overdose Prevention in collaboration with the National Association of City and County Health Officials, funded local health departments (LHDs) to work on overdose prevention activities. This paper aims to: 1) describe the overdose prevention activities that LHDs implemented during the four eighteen-month funding cycles; 2) identify programmatic successes and areas of opportunity for LHDs to consider when implementing future overdose prevention activities; and to 3) inform policy considerations and future overdose prevention programming at the local level.MethodsWe used programmatic data to identify overdose prevention activities implemented by 45 LHDs. Activities were double-coded according to the social-ecological model and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Overdose Prevention Strategies and Guiding Principles. We analyzed final codes to identify distribution and overlap of the Strategies and Guiding Principles across the social ecological model co-occurrences.ResultsApproximately 55.9% (n=123) of the 220 overdose prevention activities that were coded took place at the community level, 32.3% (n=71) at the individual level, 8.6% (n=19) at the relationship level, and 3.2% (n=7) at the policy level. Most of the activities were coded as coordination, collaboration, and integration (n=52, 23.6%), harm reduction (n=51, 23.1%), data and evidence (n=47, 21.4%) or reducing stigma (n=24, 10.9%). Few activities were related to primary prevention (n=14, 6.4%), equity (n=14, 6.4%), recovery support (n=11, 5.0%), and evidence-based treatment (n=7, 3.2%).ConclusionsLocalities have primarily implemented activities focused on the community and individual levels, with most of these centered around coordination, collaboration, and integration; harm reduction; or data and evidence. This study identified gaps in overdose prevention for LHDs related to treatment and health equity and that more interventions should be implemented at the relationship and policy levels. Continuing these efforts is important as LHDs explore opportunities to enhance and expand their work in various strategy areas across the social ecology. Findings from this study may be used to inform localities as they design and implement future overdose prevention activities.

Forest restoration in practice across Latin America

Forest restoration is a promising solution to counteract climate change, biodiversity loss, and meet a host of socioeconomic objectives. While international initiatives highlight potential contributions of forest restoration as a win-win for people and nature, we lack detailed information on how frontline restoration practitioners are addressing this challenge on the ground. Here, we present a systematic assessment of motivations, scale, and costs of forest restoration implemented by 166 practitioners across 14 countries in Latin America. We found that forest restoration is motivated by interlinked objectives and accordingly, most restoration practitioners concurrently used multiple interventions spanning a range of intensity of inputs matched to the scale of individual projects. Project scale influenced strategy, with low-intensity interventions like natural regeneration implemented when operating at larger scales (≥500 ha). However, active tree planting remains the most frequently used intervention (included in >92 % of programs). Costs of establishing planted areas vary most broadly at the project level ($4445/ha ± 4841 over first 3 years) with little evidence of efficiencies of scale and with additional financial support ($964/ha/yr) required ~10 years past establishment. Moreover, monitoring added substantial additional costs, and we identified widespread misalignment between indicators measured and the most frequently expressed objective of restoring biodiversity. Our results emphasize that, while a promising range of new forest restoration interventions are being implemented across Latin America, lower-cost interventions, accessible and practical monitoring strategies, and better alignment between funding cycles and actual time frames required to achieve restoration objectives are urgently needed to support successful outcomes.

State health departments leverage pharmacy partnerships across the nation to advance diabetes care initiatives

BackgroundIn 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) initiated a 5-year cooperative agreement funding opportunity with departments of health in every state and the District of Columbia. The funded recipients pursued activities that strengthened diabetes management and type 2 diabetes prevention interventions within their jurisdictions. An option to involve the pharmacy sector in their diabetes-related interventions was available. ObjectivesThis research aims to understand who public health departments partnered with in the pharmacy sector and identify the types of activities pursued together to expand access to diabetes-related interventions. MethodsA review of annual work plans and progress reports submitted to CDC by recipients during the first 4 years of the funding cycle was conducted. Descriptions of work conducted in partnership with pharmacies, pharmacists, or pharmacy organizations were flagged for review, coding, and analysis. ResultsOf the 51 public health department recipients, 48 collaborated with pharmacy partners within their jurisdictions. Activities were developed and carried out in ways that utilized the pharmacy workforce to support public health diabetes initiatives, such as the development and delivery of diabetes self-management education and support and type 2 diabetes prevention programs in pharmacies (68.8%), delivery of diabetes-related training for the pharmacy workforce (91.7%), and support of billing and sustainability efforts for pharmacy-based diabetes services (52.1%). ConclusionState public health department diabetes program personnel cultivated productive relationships with a variety of members of the pharmacy workforce. Through these partnerships, they leveraged one another's resources, expertise, and mutual determination to prepare and carry out diabetes-related interventions within their states. This document provides pharmacists and pharmacy decision-makers with foundational knowledge that can lead to increased engagement with public health partners to expand diabetes management and prevention services in pharmacy settings.

How can we improve mental health crisis services for young people? A survey of mental health crisis professionals across Greater Manchester

BackgroundHealthcare providers have been under pressure to improve the provision of crisis mental health services in England. Through the process of devolution, Greater Manchester has created the Crisis Care Pathway to meet the growing demands on mental health crisis service provision for young people in the city region. At the end of the first funding cycle, this research evaluated the pathway with a focus on potential future improvements.MethodsAn online survey, including a mixture of quantitative, Likert scale items and qualitative, open-ended questions, was completed by 60 professionals working within crisis mental health services for young people in Greater Manchester.ResultsAnalysis of the quantitative data identified 6 clear areas for improvement from the evaluative indicators: delivering support at a time that works for young people; delivering the right amount of help for the right length of time; providing services which are quickly available; services and agencies working together effectively; movement between services; fully integrated services. A further 3 super-ordinate themes were developed through thematic analysis of the qualitative data that indicate areas in need of improvement: The challenge of navigation, issues of accessibility into and between services, and how to improve integration.ConclusionsThis research found 7 clear actions to enhance the provision of crisis mental health services for young people in Greater Manchester, which may be transferable to other mental health crisis service contexts.

Recovery management in sport: Overview and outcomes of a nine-year multicenter research program

The nine-year multicenter research project, titled REGman—Optimization of Training and Competition: Management of Regeneration in Elite Sports—aimed to advance the understanding of recovery management in sports and generate practical recommendations. In this article, we outline the overarching research program that links the specific research strands and outputs during the two federal funding cycles (2012–2021) and summarize the main project findings. The two-stage conceptual framework involved investigating monitoring measures for short-term fatigue and recovery, as well as assessing the efficacy of various recovery interventions. These interventions encompassed psychological relaxation and recovery strategies, sleep, cooling techniques like precooling, percooling, cold water immersion, or whole-body cryotherapy, compression garments, active recovery, stretching, heating interventions such as sauna or contrast water therapy, massage, and foam rolling. The findings revealed inconclusive or marginal effects of recovery interventions at the group level, while indicating possible interindividual differences in responses. Additionally, the findings highlighted the effectiveness of diverse monitoring measures, showing satisfactory sensitivity in tracking performance changes related to fatigue and recovery. The use of individualized reference ranges significantly improved classification accuracy compared to group-based reference ranges. Athletes and coaches are encouraged to prioritize fundamental aspects of training and recovery: meticulous training planning and execution, effective sleep management, and proper nutrition. Furthermore, monitoring and analyzing individual responses, even though it demands suitable methodologies and presents challenges in high-performance sports environments, can yield valuable insights for personalized recovery management. If these aspects are comprehensively addressed, and resources allow, additional recovery strategies might be explored.

Exploration, exploitation and funding success: Evidence from junior scientists supported by the Chinese Young Scientists Fund

Scientists’ choice of research questions is often shaped by an “essential tension” between exploring new or risky ideas and exploiting conventional wisdoms. However, we still lack understanding regarding the association between exploration, exploitation, and funding success, which is a crucial aspect of career development for junior scientists in today’s highly competitive environment. In this study, we adopt a systematic approach to analyze the career histories of over 20,000 junior scientists supported by the Chinese Young Scientists Fund. We quantitatively assess the level of exploration during the Young Scientists Fund cycle using two approaches, and focus on the association of exploration on securing subsequent funding. Despite the positive relationship between exploring new topics and novelty, our findings reveal that junior scientists who choose to explore new research topics in the first funding cycle face significantly lower chances of obtaining subsequent funding. Additionally, among those who do secure subsequent funding, individuals who engage in exploratory research in the first funding cycle tend to wait longer. Furthermore, our study examines the predictive power of various observed variables at the individual level in predicting funding success, finding modest predictive power. Overall, this work sheds light on the underlying patterns of individual careers and has policy implications in supporting junior scientists engaged in exploratory research. By unraveling the dynamics between exploration, exploitation, and funding success, our study offers valuable insights to nurture early career researchers.

Ambitions and realities: Are Global Fund investments designed to achieve resilient and sustainable systems for health? Findings from the Global Fund Prospective Country Evaluation.

Strengthening resilient and sustainable systems for health (RSSH) is central to the Global Fund's strategy, however questions persist about the Global Fund's role in the health systems strengthening space, and the extent to which investments are designed to achieve strengthening objectives, or just fill in gaps in the system. This paper reports on findings from the Prospective Country Evaluations (PCE), a multi-country multi-year evaluation of Global Fund support. We adapted a framework from Chee et al. (2013) to assess whether Global Fund investments were designed to strengthen or support the health system. Per this framework, 'systems support' refers to improvements in health systems functioning primarily driven by increases in inputs, whereas 'systems strengthening' refers to activities that drive changes in how the health system operates (often related to policies, regulations, governance structures, behavior change, and resource optimization). In the 2017 and 2019 funding cycles, we found that despite calls from the Global Fund to invest more strategically to strengthen health systems, a high proportion of RSSH funding was directed toward activities that support the health system. Factors underlying this pattern include limitations imposed by the three-year grant cycle, a lack of clear guidance on how to design strengthening investments, a persistent need for funding to address input gaps, and minimal feedback during the funding request process related to RSSH design. For the Global Fund, and indeed other global health initiatives, to contribute to sustained strengthening of health systems, is likely to require enhanced guidance and technical assistance, as well as improved measurement of outputs and outcomes.

Evaluating site selection at design in food systems interventions: A formative geospatial approach

Within international development, formative evaluation is becoming increasingly important to make rapid assessments of project design and support adaptive learning in early implementation of ongoing interventions. Such evaluation is critical for institutions with short funding cycles, which need early evidence to assess the utility of new initiatives to inform donors’ decision-making for upcoming funding cycles. However, obtaining quantitative evidence is difficult in formative evaluation as results are not yet available or visible early in the project cycle. Geospatial multi-criteria suitability analysis provides one method for evaluating the relevance of program and project design through creating a quantitative spatial index, combining data on several spatial indicators to evaluate project site selection and help inform future priority geographies. This study demonstrates the use of such a geospatial analysis in the formative evaluation of the Global Environment Facility’s food systems integrated programs.

Analisis Manajemen Keuangan di UPT Sekolah Dasar Negeri 234 Gresik

This research discusses financial management at UPT SDN 234 Gresik, to extract funds, manage School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds, make reports and financial accountability, and conduct supervision. This study used a qualitative descriptive method. Primary data was obtained through interviews with school treasurers, and additional data from literature studies. Thus, the focus of this research is on the financial management aspect of the school. The research results show that this educational institution implements financial principles involving fairness, efficiency, transparency, and public accountability in managing its financial resources. The school's funding cycle includes steps such as sourcing funds, planning, supervision, and financial reporting. The use of the ARKAS application helps improve transparency and efficiency, although there are still challenges related to reliance on a stable internet connection. This research provides valuable insights for stakeholders in the world of education, efforts to improve the quality of education in the school environment are important.

Champions for School Health-An NASN Initiative to Increase Vaccine Confidence, Equity, and Uptake in COVID-19 and School-Required Vaccinations: Part 2.

NASN, with generous funding from Kaiser Permanente (KP) and partnered with the Institute for Educational Leadership, developed and implemented the Champions for School Health (CSH) grant initiative. The CSH initiative awarded 54 Implementation Grants in two funding cycles in 2022, funding school districts and community-based organizations (CBOs) to increase access to the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine as well as school-required immunizations and to increase vaccine confidence among underserved populations in KP's footprint: California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia. These grantees administered a total of 17,630 COVID-19 vaccines to individuals ages 5 or older and 34,025 routine immunizations, of which 8,233 school-required vaccinations went to children of ages 5-11 years. Over 851,000 people were reached by vaccine education events in all nine KP markets. A notable takeaway from the project's results was the new partnerships created and the continuation of existing partnerships by the grantees. NASN's implementation of the CSH initiative and results provides a model and a source of critical data on how school health services and community-based organizations can partner to provide hyper-local responses to community/public health crises. This Part 2 article provides an overview of the key results of the project.

Governing European educational research through ideas? Incremental ideational change in the European Union's Framework Programme (1994–2020)

AbstractThe European Union Framework Programme (EUFP) is the most institutionalised form of supranational thematic programming in the world and the centrepiece of European Union research policy. Since 1994, the EUFP has also funded collaborative research projects in the social sciences. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to its genesis, development, and effects in shaping the development of European science, especially examined by discipline or multidisciplinary fields. The EUFP is thus analysed here through an instruments‐as‐institutions approach that conceptualises the EUFP as an institution. Content analysis of the official documents of each funding cycle (n = 5) and a sample of European‐funded educational research projects (n = 122) was analysed in conducting this research. The results show incremental ideational change of the EUFP's guiding ideas: from knowledge as an instrument to knowledge as a resource; within‐the‐EU to outside‐the‐EU internationalisation; and cooperation to an integration rationale of Europeanisation from the EUFP4 and EUFP5 (1994–2002) to the EUFP6 onwards (2002–2020). European‐funded educational research contents are shaped by such representations of what is expected of European research. If the policy instrument steers European‐funded educational research, ideas more than regulatory features significantly—though incrementally—change the direction of European social science.

Past and future roles of paired watersheds: a North American inventory and anecdotes from the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds

Given the high costs of constructing, maintaining, monitoring, and sampling paired watersheds, it is prudent to ask “Are paired watershed studies still worth the effort?” We present a compilation of 90 North American paired watershed studies and use examples from the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds to contend that paired watershed studies are still worth the effort and will continue to remain relevant in an era of big data and short funding cycles. We offer three reasons to justify this assertion. First, paired watersheds allow for watershed-scale experiments that have produced insights into hydrologic processes, water quality, and nutrient cycling for over 100 years. Paired watersheds remain an important guide to inform best management practices for timber harvesting and other land-management concerns. Second, paired watersheds can produce long climate, streamflow, and water quality records because sites are frequently maintained over the course of multiple experiments or long post-treatment periods. Long-term datasets can reveal ecological surprises, such as changes in climate-streamflow relationships driven by slow successional processes. Having multiple watershed records helps identify the cause of these changes. Third, paired watersheds produce data that are ideal for developing and testing hydrologic models. Ultimately, the fate of paired watersheds is up to the scientific community and funding agencies. We hope that their importance continues to be recognized.

How do health system factors (funding and performance) impact on access to healthcare for populations experiencing homelessness: a realist evaluation

BackgroundPeople experiencing long-term homelessness face significant difficulties accessing appropriate healthcare at the right time and place. This study explores how and why healthcare performance management and funding arrangements contribute to healthcare accessibility or the lack thereof using long-term homeless adults as an example of a population experiencing social exclusion.MethodsA realist evaluation was undertaken. Thirteen realist interviews were conducted after which data were transcribed, coded, and analysed.ResultsFourteen CMOCs were created based on analysis of the data collected. These were then consolidated into four higher-level CMOCs. They show that health systems characterised by fragmentation are designed to meet their own needs above the needs of patients, and they rely on practitioners with a special interest and specialised services to fill the gaps in the system. Key contexts identified in the study include: health system fragmentation; health service fragmentation; bio-medical, one problem at a time model; responsive specialised services; unresponsive mainstream services; national strategy; short health system funding cycles; and short-term goals.ConclusionWhen health services are fragmented and complex, the needs of socially excluded populations such as those experiencing homelessness are not met. Health systems focus on their own metrics and rely on separate actors such as independent NGOs to fill gaps when certain people are not accommodated in the mainstream health system. As a result, health systems lack a comprehensive understanding of the needs of all population groups and fail to plan adequately, which maintains fragmentation. Policy makers must set policy and plan health services based on a full understanding of needs of all population groups.

Sustainability in NGO Programming: A Case Study of Working Equid Welfare Organizations

The sustainability of NGO initiatives has become a criterion by which to judge the success of programming. This study explores the conditions needed in order to achieve sustainable change by focusing on a sector that has recently experienced this shift towards more sustainable, interdisciplinary programming: that of working equid (animal welfare) NGOs. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 32 NGO staff working for 8 different animal welfare NGOs across 13 countries were conducted. These interviews covered potential barriers and avenues to success in producing sustainable working animal welfare improvements. Thematic analysis revealed consistent themes across contexts and NGOs. Approaches perceived as creating sustainable outcomes were ones that tailored initiatives to local contexts, focused on changing human behaviour, worked with key community contacts, built capacity in local infrastructure, combined approaches, and had comprehensive exit strategies. Barriers to sustainability included lack of continuity, short funding cycles and unpredictable external factors. Consideration of these conditions for designing effective future initiatives is recommended across the wider not-for-profit sector.

Artificial intelligence research strategy of the United States: critical assessment and policy recommendations.

The foundations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a field whose applications are of great use and concern for society, can be traced back to the early years of the second half of the 20th century. Since then, the field has seen increased research output and funding cycles followed by setbacks. The new millennium has seen unprecedented interest in AI progress and expectations with significant financial investments from the public and private sectors. However, the continual acceleration of AI capabilities and real-world applications is not guaranteed. Mainly, accountability of AI systems in the context of the interplay between AI and the broader society is essential for adopting AI systems via the trust placed in them. Continual progress in AI research and development (R&D) can help tackle humanity's most significant challenges to improve social good. The authors of this paper suggest that the careful design of forward-looking research policies serves a crucial function in avoiding potential future setbacks in AI research, development, and use. The United States (US) has kept its leading role in R&D, mainly shaping the global trends in the field. Accordingly, this paper presents a critical assessment of the US National AI R&D Strategic Plan and prescribes six recommendations to improve future research strategies in the US and around the globe.

Champions for School Health-An NASN Initiative to Increase Vaccine Confidence, Equity, and Uptake in COVID-19 and School-Required Vaccinations: Part 1.

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) received a U.S.$2 million grant from Kaiser Permanente in January 2022 to increase confidence, equity, and uptake in the COVID-19 vaccine and other school required vaccinations in children ages 5 to 11 in Kaiser's nine markets (eight states and the District of Columbia). NASN was partnered with the Institute of Educational Leadership (IEL) in this initiative to examine ways both organizations could learn how school nurses (SNs) and community schools (CSs) could collaborate to address the goals of this project. NASN gave 54 Implementation Grants in two funding cycles in 2022 and is co-funding two SN-CS collaboration projects with IEL. The Part 1 article provides an overview of the project's goals, grant strategy and processes, grantee information, NASN created tools that resulted from this funding, and successful implementation of the project, which demonstrates NASN's capacity for future similar projects.