$234,000 joint grant to Algonquin College and CHEO Research Institute supports post-pandemic research
Posted on Monday, April 4th, 2022
OTTAWA (APRIL 4, 2022) – As announced today by the Canada Research Coordinating Committee, Algonquin College and the CHEO Research Institute have received a $234,492 grant from the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) to further collaborative research.
Delivered through the Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), funding is provided through the 2021 NFRF Innovative Approaches to Research in the Pandemic Context competition, which supports Canadian-led research in a post-pandemic context.
The joint application, titled Transforming Health Information, Research, and Scholarship through Technology and Teamwork (NFRFR-2021-00176), explores the novel systematic review (SR) methodology developed by the research team. Specifically, the funding will support integration of a hybrid machine learning human screening approach and real-world validation of the online software platform.
“Through this online software platform entitled insightScope, we open the possibility to change the way scientific communities work together,” said Dr. Dayre McNally, Scientist and Pediatric Intensivist at CHEO, a pediatric health-care and research centre in Ottawa. “By collaborating in this digital space, researchers can both dramatically accelerate the pace of knowledge synthesis and translation and reconcile the networking, education, and career advancement opportunities lost due to the pandemic.”
The platform accelerates the SR process by providing an environment where members of the academic and health communities can meet, create teams, and work together to complete the thousands of tasks required to answer a question. Initial pilot testing saw completion of multiple large SRs though recruitment teams of 10 to 30 researchers, completing the SR process in days to weeks instead of months to years. This means that governments, hospitals, clinicians and the patients they serve are provided timely early access to comprehensive medical evidence on priority topics.
The online platform meets NFRF focus for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) by bringing in teams from multiple locations and diverse backgrounds. Alongside with the research partners, Algonquin College has strategic priorities and policies in place to meet EDI objectives.
“Early indications suggest that this platform can provide greater equity, diversity and inclusion in the research endeavor for teams from across Canada and beyond, bringing enhanced educational, networking, scholarship, and career advancement opportunities,” said Kevin Holmes, the Co-Principal Investigator for the grant and Managing Director at Algonquin College’s Social Innovation Lab, part of the Office of Applied Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship. “This project is a wonderful collaborative effort between Algonquin College and the CHEO Research Institute and showcases the power of partnerships in post-pandemic research efforts.”
Funding is expected to support the research platform through early 2023.
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For more information:
Bruce Hickey
Communications Manager
Algonquin College
613-513-9935
hickeyb@algonquincollege.com
Kim Blackburn
Communications Officer
Algonquin College
613-291-6581
blackbk@algonquincollege.com
Jennifer Ruff
Manager of Communications
CHEO Research Institute
613-261-3979
jruff@cheo.on.ca
About Algonquin College
The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario.
About the CHEO Research Institute
The CHEO Research Institute coordinates the research activities of CHEO and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa. The seven programs of research at CHEO RI focus on a full spectrum of pediatric topics. Key themes include cancer, diabetes, obesity, mental health, emergency medicine, musculoskeletal health, electronic health information and privacy, and genetics of rare disease. At the CHEO Research Institute, discoveries inspire the best life for every child and youth. For more information, visit cheoresearch.ca.