We are very excited to announce the launch of our 26^th annual Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) competition!

The program, established in 1989, has contributed over $40 million to support hundreds of researchers from across Canada, including some of today’s superstar Alzheimer’s researchers (not that we’re bragging).

Here’s how it works:

The Competition

The competition is launched once a year, usually in September, and remains open for two months. A “launch” means that the online application system becomes available to applicants so that they can submit their research proposals (a description of what they hope to accomplish and how they plan to do it) to be considered for funding. Funding allows investigators to support themselves while they carry out their work and to cover the expenses of doing research.

Once the competition is closed, submissions are reviewed to ensure they fit the eligibility criteria and all applicants are notified regarding the status of their application (whether it has been accepted or not). Then they wait…

The Review Panels

Meanwhile, two panels of experts are recruited to review the applications: the Biomedical panel and the Quality of Life panel. These panels reflect the two research streams that applicants submit proposals to.

The Biomedical stream focuses on research into basic biological mechanisms related to brain changes associated with the disease and into the identification of therapeutic agents to combat the disease.

The Quality of Life stream focuses on research into aspects of dementia care, support and means to improve the way care is experienced by people with dementia living in long term care homes, and their families.

The Peer Review Process

Reviewers are matched to applications according to their expertise. The responsibility of the reviewer is to evaluate the proposal based on its scientific merit, novelty, relevance to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and to provide a score from 0-4.9. Each application is assigned two reviewers and both scores are shared with the rest of the panel for further discussion during a roundtable, face-to-face meeting organized by the Alzheimer Society. Each member of the panel scores the application, unless they are in conflict of interest with the investigator or institution.

Immediately following the panel meetings, scores are calculated by ASC and a rank order of applications is presented along with the budget, to the Research Policy Committee and then to the Board of Directors for approval.

The Results

Once the recipients are approved, they are notified of the results in Spring of the year following the competition deadline.

With the generous support of our donors and our provincial partners, we were able to award $4.5 million dollars of funding to 38 investigators in last year’s competition. This is a record number for the Alzheimer Society and we are hopeful that this year’s results will be even better.

Learn more about the Alzheimer Society Research Program.
Learn more about how to apply for the competition.

If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact our Research team: research@alzheimer.ca.

Kaya Borowska
Coordinator, Alzheimer Society Research Program