Innovation Fund for Remote Healthcare in Space and on Earth

2.1 Purpose and Objectives

The G&C Program aims at providing financial support to organizations to conduct space-related research and development in space priority areas. It supports targeted knowledge development and innovation to sustain and enhance the Canadian capacity to use space to address national needs and priorities in the future.

In the context of the G&C Program, the purpose of this AO is to seek applications from eligible recipients, hereinafter referred to as Initial Recipients, to select one recipient who will be responsible to further distribute the CSA contribution to Ultimate Recipients to undertake and complete the development of healthcare technologies purpose-built for the remote and deep space contexts, to support the autonomy of practitioners working in these areas. The projects undertaken by Ultimate Recipients must contribute to the achievement of all objectives and one priority of the G&C Program defined below.

• To support the development of science and technology relevant to the priorities of the CSA.
• To foster the continuing development of a critical mass of researchers and highly qualified people in Canada in areas relevant to the priorities of the CSA.
• To support information gathering, studies and research related to space.
• To support the operations of organizations dedicated to space research.

2.2 Definitions

The following provides definitions for key terms and expressions used throughout this AO.

Further Distribution of a Contribution is a situation where an Initial Recipient further distributes its contribution funding to one or more Ultimate Recipients. The Further Distribution is based on a clear, transparent, and open decision-making process regarding the selection of Ultimate Recipients and approval of projects to be funded by the Initial Recipient.

Initial Recipients are those organizations that will receive a contribution from the CSA to further distribute to Ultimate Recipients. The roles and responsibilities of the Initial Recipient are defined in Section 3.2 – Initial Recipient.

Ultimate Recipients are those organizations that receive funding from the Initial Recipient to undertake projects as described in Section 2.1 -Purpose and Objectives. The Ultimate Recipients will be selected by the Initial Recipient.

3.1 Canadian Space Agency

The contribution for Further Distribution is provided by the CSA to the Initial Recipient(s) through a contribution agreement.

The CSA is also responsible for administering the AO, selecting Initial Recipient(s) in the context of the Further Distribution of Funding, and entering into contribution agreements with Initial Recipient(s). CSA is also responsible for ensuring that the objective(s) of the G&C Program and the conditions of the contribution agreement(s) between the CSA and Initial Recipient(s) are met, respected, and maintained by the Initial Recipient(s) throughout the lifecycle of the contribution agreement(s). This will be done through the monitoring of the activities and outcomes of the Initial Recipient(s) through financial and performance reporting.

3.2 Initial Recipient

The Initial Recipient is responsible to further distribute its contribution to Ultimate Recipients and to meet all obligations arising therefrom. The Initial Recipient has independence in the selection of the Ultimate Recipients, with minimal guidance from the CSA, and will not act as an agent of the government or as an agent of the Crown for the further distribution of contribution.

The Initial Recipient will undertake the following tasks as set out specifically and, in more detail, in the contribution agreement with the CSA.

1. Marketing and Promotion Plan: The Initial Recipient will develop and deliver a Marketing and Promotion Plan to identify interested Ultimate Recipients and encourage them to apply for funding.
2. Selection of Ultimate Recipients: The Initial Recipient will develop and apply fair and transparent evaluation criteria, included in the contribution agreement with the CSA, to select Ultimate Recipients to the development of healthcare technologies purpose-built for the remote and deep space contexts, to support the autonomy of practitioners working in these areas.
3. Execution of Agreements with Ultimate Recipients: The Initial Recipient will develop, and sign agreements with Ultimate Recipients to further distribute the contribution.
4. Project Management: The Initial Recipient will be responsible for ensuring that Ultimate Recipients complete their projects within the prescribed timeline as defined in the agreements between an Initial Recipient and an Ultimate Recipient. The Initial Recipient is responsible for identifying any risks and delays and informing the CSA of corrective measures.
5. Further Distribution of Funding and Reporting: The Initial Recipient will be responsible for the Further Distribution of Funding and all obligations arising therefrom, as well as aggregating information and documentation from Ultimate Recipients to support projects' progress and payments. This includes reporting progress on projects and expenses for payment as per the requirements outlined in the contribution agreement between the CSA and the Initial Recipient. The Initial Recipient is responsible for preparing a final financial report and a performance report that explains how it has contributed to the objective(s) and outcomes of the G&C Program.

3.3 Ultimate Recipients

In the context of the Further Distribution of Funding, the Ultimate Recipients apply for funding through an Initial Recipient. The accountability, roles, and responsibilities of an Ultimate Recipient will be established through a funding agreement between the Initial Recipient and the Ultimate Recipient.

The CSA will not intervene in business decisions between Initial Recipients and Ultimate Recipients but must ensure that all G&C Program objectives and requirements are always met. To ensure all parties are conducting their projects in accordance with the G&C Program objectives and requirements, CSA will provide minimum guidance in the contribution agreement with the Initial Recipient to help define the list of eligible Ultimate Recipients, projects, expenditures, and the maximum amount per fiscal year payable to Ultimate Recipients.

4.1 Initial Recipients

This AO is open to applicants who meet the eligibility criteria for Initial Recipients, as follows:

• Are Not-for-profit organizations established and operating in Canada.
• Have knowledge of the healthcare technology sector.
• Demonstrate that your organization has a minimum of two years of experience in managing and executing any type of initiatives/activities (funding, research and development, etc.) that requires identifying a target audience, promoting initiatives/activities, selecting participants, carrying out activities and measuring results.

4.2 Ultimate Recipients

5.1 Required Documentation

To be complete, the application must include all of the following documents:

• A completed original application form signed by the duly authorized representative, with all documentation and information mentioned therein;
• Financial Statements for the last two fiscal years;
• Proof of incorporation or registration (i.e. Corporation Registry);
• Letters from other funding organizations confirming their contribution, if applicable.

Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application complies with all relevant federal, provincial and territorial legislation and municipal laws.

5.2 Submission of Applications

Process for electronic submission

• The complete application (the required documentation, including a completed original application form signed by the duly authorized representative) must be submitted (successfully uploaded) by applicants no later than 12:00pm EST February 20th, 2023.
• The applicant is encouraged to submit their application electronically following the instructions provided below. However, if the applicant is unable to submit their application electronically, please communicate with charlotte.pearce@asc-csa.gc.ca no later than 12:00pm EST February 9th, 2023, to obtain instructions on how to submit a paper application by mail.
• Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. A late application has an electronic timestamp on the CSA system later than the deadline above.
• The applicant must complete an account creation request on the Electronic Application Portal. Upon receipt, the CSA will send an email with instructions on how to connect to the CSA secure filer system to allow the applicant to upload documents securely. Please note that Chrome is the browser of choice for submissions. Supported browsers are Google Chrome and, Internet Explorer with some restrictions.
• Allow up to seventy-two hours (72) for the CSA to send an email confirming the account creation as well as instructions (user guide) on how to access the platform. It is strongly recommended that the account creation request be submitted no later than February 13th, 2023. If technical issues arise and cannot be resolved February 9th, 2023, applicants must submit their application by mail at the following address:

  Charlotte Pearce / Space Exploration
  Canadian Space Agency
  6767 Route de l'Aéroport
  Borough of Saint-Hubert
  Longueuil, Quebec
  J3Y 8Y9

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their complete application well before the submission deadline.
• Using the temporary password assigned by the CSA, login to the secured portal to upload protected documents.
• Please refer to the user guide for instructions on how to securely upload documents.
• The application, uploaded electronically, must be submitted as a single PDF-formatted file containing all the above-requested documents and information with all security features disabled (including but not limited to password, encrypted items, etc). Please upload the documents with the application form and application first. The application and supporting documents must be included in the file as searchable PDF-formatted documents (PDA/A-1a or PDF/A-2a formats preferred). If the CSA encounters any accessibility issues with the submitted PDF files, the applicant will be solely responsible, and the application might not be considered.
• The applicant must keep one hard copy of all the original documents above. The CSA may require applicants who successfully passed the evaluation stage described in Section 6 to send a hard copy of their complete application with the original documents.
• Questions and answers related to this AO will be posted on the CSA website in the Frequently Asked Questions (Section 9).

5.3 Service Standards

Applicants will be notified in writing of decisions regarding their application. Selected applications will be announced on the CSA website. The CSA has set the following service standards for processing times, acknowledgment of receipt, funding decisions, and payment procedures.

Acknowledgment: The CSA's goal is to acknowledge receipt of the application within 2 weeks of receiving the completed application.

Decision: The CSA's goal is to respond to the application within 8 weeks of the AO's closing date and to send a contribution agreement for signature within 6 weeks after approval of the application.

Payment: The CSA's goal is to issue payment within 6 weeks of the successful fulfillment of the requirements outlined in the contribution agreement, but CSA has no obligation to issue payment within this time frame.

6.1 Evaluation Criteria

Only applications that meet the Eligibility Criteria defined in Section 4.1 will be evaluated against the Evaluation Criteria described below. Applicants are encouraged to provide a detailed and clear description of how they meet each criterion.

To be considered, an application must receive a score of 60/100 or higher.

6.2 Supplementary Criteria

Priority may be given based on the following criteria:

• Experience and ability to provide business incubation and/or acceleration support.

7.1 Available Funding

7.2 Eligible Costs

8.1 Agreement

Upon favorable review of the applications, CSA will send a contribution agreement to the successful applicant. The contribution agreement will outline the rights, roles, and obligations of each respective party. In the event of any discrepancies between this AO and a contribution agreement between CSA and the Initial Recipient, the latter document will take precedence.

For greater clarity, no liability and no commitment or obligation exist on the part of the CSA to issue a contribution to the applicant until a contribution agreement is signed by both parties. Furthermore, any costs or expenses incurred or paid by the applicant prior to the execution of a written contribution agreement by both parties are the sole responsibility of the applicant, and no liability exists on the part of the CSA.

8.2 Organizations in Quebec

An organization in Quebec whose operations are partially or fully funded by the province of Quebec may be subject to the Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif (L.R.Q., c. M-30).

Under Sections 3.11 and 3.12 of this Act, certain entities/organizations, as defined in the meaning of the Act, such as municipal bodies, school bodies, or public agencies, must obtain authorization from the Government or Department, depending on the scenario, before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada, its departments or agencies, or a federal public agency.

Consequently, any entity that is subject to the Act is responsible for obtaining such authorization before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada.

Quebec applicants must complete Section 8-A of the application form.

8.3 Open Access Publications

In the event that publications result from the approved projects of the Ultimate Recipients, the CSA wishes to promote the dissemination of findings that results from the projects it funds, through the Further Distribution Funding Model, as quickly and to the greatest number of people as possible. Improved access to scientific results not only allows scientists to use a broader range of resources and knowledge, but also improves research collaboration and coordination, strengthens citizen engagement, and supports the economy.

Thus, the CSA promotes the use of open access publication and archiving by recipients in order to facilitate the widest dissemination of findings that results from its funded projects. The CSA encourages the Initial Recipient(s) to invite their Ultimate Recipients to publish, in a timely matter, their articles by using one of the following methods:

1. Accessible online repository (institutional or disciplinary) so that the publication is freely accessible.
2. Journal offering open access to articles.

It should be noted that these two methods are not mutually exclusive and that Ultimate Recipients are encouraged to use both.

Finally, the CSA wishes to receive, as a courtesy from the Initial Recipient, a copy of the publications of the Ultimate Recipients (if not freely accessible) or the hyperlink (if freely accessible) and their digital object identifier (DOI). These will be used to improve accessibility by including them in the CSA publications directory.