The Translating Research into Care (TRIC) Healthcare Improvement Research Program was established in 2013 at the IWK Health Centre and the QEII Health Sciences Centre to support research, at the point of care, that will yield strong evidence and facilitate the translation of clinical science into improved delivery of service and patient care.
PLEASE NOTE that the TRIC 2023 competition has been CANCELLED. We will provide updated information as soon as possible.
The competition deadline is November 1 (note: cancelled for 2023). Please contact Research & Innovation Advancement (RIA) at research@iwk.nshealth.ca if you have any questions.
Applicants are asked to pre-register their TRIC project idea by completing a registration form (currently under review) and submitting it at least four weeks before the TRIC application deadline (November 1st).
TRIC Grants Must:
- Lead to improved health care at the IWK
- Be co-led by a researcher and an administrator
- Include the patient voice
- Be able to be implemented and sustained at the health centre(s) where the research takes place
Priority will be given to TRIC grant applications that do one or more of the following:
- Improve patient reported outcomes
- Improve the safety of healthcare
- Improve wait times for healthcare
- Reduce the need for healthcare
- Improve access for underserved populations
- Identify and reduce unnecessary healthcare costs
- Reduce unnecessary interventions, de-adopt unnecessary tests, interventions or clinical practices that are of low value
Funding from the TRIC program will cover research costs; however, all operational costs must be absorbed by the department/unit involved and signed off by the Administrative Co-PI.
TRIC Grant Levels:
- Level 1: up to $ 3,000
- Level 2: up to $ 30,000
- Level 3: up to $ 60,000
Eligibility
- The Scientific Co-Principal Investigator must be an employee, medical staff member, or have an affiliate scientist or medical appointment at the institution where the research will take place and for the duration of the proposed project, if the application is successful (IWK).
- It is recommended that at least one team member attend at least one TRIC workshop and/or review the TRIC Presentations on the website prior to submitting their application.
- Administrative Co-Principal Investigators must possess signing authority for the relevant departmental/unit budget; authority to approve and support the implementation of a healthcare improvement plan; and authority to sustain a successfully implemented plan.
- All healthcare improvements that require changes to be made to the Health Centre's IT system must be approved prior to submission.
Before considering an application to the TRIC Program, applicants for Level Two and Level Three funding should be able to answer 'yes' to all of the following questions about implementation and sustainability:
- Will this research change practice?
- Will this practice change have an impact on the health system and/or patient care?
- Is there solid evidence for this practice change in the literature?
- Is this practice change supported by the Administrative Co-PI?
- Is the impact of this project likely to be sustainable over the long term?
Level 2 and 3 applications that do not meet the criteria above will not be considered for funding.
*Implementation science is the study of methods to promote the integration of research findings and evidence into healthcare policy and practice. For more information, visit the National Institutes of Health website.
Preparing Your TRIC Grant
- Information about the TRIC program is found in the TRIC Application Guidelines document (currently under review). Additional resources and documents are available below.
- To ensure that you are using the most recent TRIC guidelines and application forms, please check this website prior to preparing your grant application. Updates are made to improve these documents after each funding competition.
- When the deadline date falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the following business day at 4:00 PM.
- Research Design: Any study design is acceptable as long as it is robust and appropriate for the purposes of the research. The evidence from the research needs to be convincing and inform a feasible plan for healthcare improvement that can be successfully implemented and supported by the healthcare system. Research designs may include, but are not limited to, RCTs, systematic reviews, surveys and observational studies.
- TRIC grants focused on de-adoption should demonstrate: how the low-value clinical practices were identified; a plan for the de-adoption process; the evaluation of the de-adoption; and how the de-adoption will be sustained.
- If you require consultation or assistance with research design, methodology, data analysis and/or research ethics, please contact Dr. Jill Hatchette, RIA at jill.hatchette@iwk.nshealth.ca or 902-471-3972.
Submitting Your TRIC Grant
- Please submit one electronic PDF file to Research &Innovation Advancement.
- Large files over 5 MB should use the MOVEit secure file transfer system.
- Please do not submit applications from a gmail or hotmail account as firewalls may prevent them from being delivered.
- Do not submit a paper copy.
- Incomplete or ineligible applications will not be considered.
Post-Deadline
- Funding Notifications: will be sent within approximately three months of the application deadline.
- TRIC awards MUST be held in an IWK Health research account.
- Reports: Recipients of Level 1 grants are required to submit a final report. Recipients of Level 2 and 3 grants are required to submit an interim report and a final report. A reminder will be sent to the Scientific and Administrative Co-PI’s in advance of the report deadline.
- Funding Acknowledgement: All publications arising from your TRIC grant should be acknowledged appropriately in the funding disclosure section of the manuscript and should state the following: This work was supported by the IWK Foundation’s Translating Research into Care Healthcare Improvement Research Funding Program [followed by the grant number and year of funding award in square brackets].
Additional Resources
- TRIC Implementation Research Presentation
- Health Economics: An Introductory Video
- Maritime SPOR Support Unit
- TRIC QEII Foundation Video
- creo TM (Comprehensive Research Education Online)
Media