CIHR – Catalyst Grant : Crisis Line and App-based Support for Public Safety

Funder’s Website

The funder’s website can be found HERE.

Funding Value and Duration

The maximum amount per grant is $100,000 per year for up to one (1) year, for a total of $100,000 per grant.

Overview

CIHR has previously completed two successful funding programs in this initiative; Catalyst Grants in Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries (PTSI) among Public Safety Personnel (2019), and Mental Wellness in Public Safety Team Grants (2020).

This third funding program includes three funding opportunities following a hub-and-spoke model; beginning with the Research and Coordination Hubs for Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries in PTSI in PSP (2021) and the first open ‘spokes’ funding opportunity Crisis Line and App-based Support for Public Safety (2022). The overarching design of this program is to build the evidence base around proper support models for PSP suffering from PTSI, using an implementation science lens.

This final funding opportunity is a re-launch of the Crisis Line and App-based Support for Public Safety from 2022 and is open to the broader research community. This funding will directly build on the work of the research and coordination hubs and will broaden the pool of potential research questions – and research groups – that can be addressed/funded. This funding opportunity is the final ‘spoke’ funding opportunity for this program.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity will support projects addressing research questions relevant to at least one of the two research streams supported through the Research and Coordination Hubs:

• RESPond Hub for Research in Suicide Prevention for Public Safety Personnel (CAMH), previously referred to as the CSPS Crisis/Suicide Prevention Line
• PeerOnCall Hub for App-based Peer-to-Peer Support (McMaster University), previously referred to as the “OnCall” app

Proposed research questions are expected to be developed and applied independently by applicants and may address any of the specific objectives of this funding opportunity. Funded research projects are to be undertaken in close collaboration with the Research and Coordination Hubs, using the core methodologies/technologies in place at the hubs as much as possible. Funded research projects are expected to refine their research questions in a collaborative fashion with the Research and Coordination Hubs. Examples of relevant research questions are provided below for each hub.