Grant-in-Aid Program 2011

The Danone Institute provides grants-in-aid for research leading to improved nutrition during pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence, particularly in ways that promote behaviour change. Projects involving evaluation of nutrition education strategies and communication practices and of innovative models will be considered for support. The Institute is also interested in funding studies which investigate the effectiveness of new developments leading to behavioural change, including health claims and the increasing use of functional foods. Criteria for funding include originality, scientific merit, feasibility, and relevance to mission and mandate of the Institute. Submission of applications for projects of a multi-disciplinary and networking nature are encouraged. Human projects only will be considered.

Awards will be made for a period of 1 to 3 years for a maximum value of $50,000 CDN per year. Grants-in-aid are given on the provision that recipients will provide interim and final reports describing progress and that their registration will completed on the web site, www.danoneinstitute.org. Award recipients may also be invited to present the results of their research at special functions supported by the Institute or to collaborate to nutrition related community projects.

To be eligible, research must be conducted within Canadian post-secondary educational institutions, including universities, colleges, hospitals, and other affiliated research institutes, and hospital-based research centres. Individuals interested in applying for support but not directly associated with these institutions are encouraged to seek partnerships with them. For projects receiving support, proof of institutional ethical approval must be obtained before funds are released.

Individuals or groups interested in applying for funding should submit a letter of intent by October 1^st 2011. Letters of intent will be responded in December. For projects obtaining approval at the letter of intent stage, the Institute will request that a full application be submitted in the following weeks. Results of the competition will be announced in May, for funding beginning June.

Application procedures

A) Letter of intent

The following materials must be submitted to the Danone Institute office by October 1^st 2011
(materials will not be added to your file after this date)

1. A letter of no more than 3 pages in length describing the title, overall goal, specific objectives, methods, potential outcome and impact of the proposed research.
2. Description of the duration of funding and proposed budget.
3. Shorten current curriculum vitae of the principal investigator.
4. Two to four suggested names as potential external reviewers and their coordinates : address, telephone and email.

Stapled documents should be written on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, with a font 12 and 2 1/2 cm margins. They should not exceed a maximum of 30 pages.

Institut Danone

100 de Lauzon Boucherville,
Québec, Canada
J4B 1E6

An electronic copy of the application should also be sent to the following email address: danone.institute@danone.com

B) Detailed funding application

If your letter of intent is accepted, the following materials must be submitted to the Danone Institute office by a date that will be indicated to you
(materials will not be added to your file after this date, with the exception of the an ethical acceptance form)

1. A one-page abstract including title and authors.
2. A half a page description of the project in lay terms.
3. A maximum of 10-page full description of the project, including: background, rationale, hypothesis and objectives, experimental design and methodology, statistical analysis, expected findings and anticipated relevance to the Danone Institute's mandate.
4. An ethical acceptance form (or its date of obtention).
5. A timetable.
6. A list of other sources of support : current funding, application pending review and application in preparation.
7. A detailed budget for each year of the project, including: personnel (please describe functions and provide short biographical information), equipment and supplies, travel, publication costs, other expenses.
8. A shorten, current CV of principal investigator.

Stapled documents should be written on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, with a font 12 and 2 1/2 cm margins. They should not exceed a maximum of 50 pages overall.

An electronic copy of the application should also be sent to the following email address: danone.institute@danone.com