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  5. General provisions

General provisions

  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. For researchers
  4. Managing your grant
  5. General provisions

The following conditions and regulations apply to all individuals receiving research funds or training assistance administrated by the CCS.

1. Terms of grants and awards and “condition of approval”

Grants and Awards are made only upon the approval of the Canadian Cancer Society. All grantees and the Host Institution must formally accept a grant and all grants are at all times conditional upon and subject to availability of funds to the Canadian Cancer Society. In addition, the Canadian Cancer Society reserves the right to terminate or change, at any time, any grant or award.

2. Award maximum

In accepting an award, whether for research or training, the recipient acknowledges and agrees that the award constitutes the maximum payable.

3. Commitments on Canadian Cancer Society’s behalf

Grantees and named investigators funded by the Canadian Cancer Society are not eligible to sign contracts or undertake commitments on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society.

4. Title of equipment

Title to all equipment purchased is vested in the Host Institution and it is the responsibility of that institution and the applicant to ensure there is adequate and appropriate insurance coverage. However, while ownership is vested in the Host Institution, the Canadian Cancer Society reserves the right to enter into discussions concerning the ultimate disposition of such equipment in the event of programmatic changes.

5. Change of Host Institution

Grants and Awards are made for research or training at the universities or institutions specified in an application. If a grantee/awardee leaves this institution, the grant or award normally terminates. The transfer of the full responsibility of the grant to another eligible Principal Investigator may be considered. However, if the grantee/awardee is transferring to another eligible Host Institution, application may be made to have the unspent portion allocated for use at that institution. In the case of a grant, such application requires that a new signed Host Institution/Canadian Cancer Society Agreement form must be obtained. If approval is given, it will be necessary to provide new certificates from the Animal Care Committee, the Ethics Review Committee and/or the Biohazards Committee of the new institution, if applicable. In the case of an award, please contact the Canadian Cancer Society for instructions.

6. Change in status of Grantees/Awardees

Should a grantee/awardee be unable to continue the research program or course of study for which he/she has received support, the grantee or awardee and/or the Host Institution shall immediately notify the Canadian Cancer Society so that appropriate action can be taken. In the case of research grants, all grants are conditional upon the continual involvement of named Co-Principal Investigators and/or Co-applicants. The grantee is required to notify the Canadian Cancer Society if any role changes significantly.

7. Funding outside of Canada

Canadian Cancer Society funds may only be used to support research conducted in Canada. In unique circumstances and only where scientific methodologies demand, funds may be considered for use outside of Canada when it is necessary to complete the proposed work (e.g. limited/rare populations where sufficient accrual is not possible in Canada). All such requests will be reviewed on an individual basis.

8. Special competitions

In the future, it is expected that the Canadian Cancer Society may from time to time make special awards, issue Requests for Applications (RFAs) or offer contracts in order to implement priorities and the achievement of its published objectives. In such cases, the decisions will be announced to as wide a community as possible and opportunities provided for competition within the approved terms of reference.

9. Non-employee status

Individuals who derive income for training or for research support from the resources of the Canadian Cancer Society, whether grantee, research personnel, trainee, or assistant in any unit, are not considered as employees of the Canadian Cancer Society.

10. Sabbatical leave

Prior permission is required if a grantee/awardee wishes to retain a grant during a period of sabbatical leave. The grantee must make a written request specifying the dates and location of the leave, a short summary of the research to be conducted and the arrangements made for maintaining and supervising the research operation overall and the project specifically. Written verification must also be provided that approval has been given from his/her Host Institution and from the venue where the sabbatical study will be carried out. Permission must be requested prior to the beginning of the fiscal year during which the sabbatical leave will commence or for which it has been requested.

11. Maternity/parental Leave

Funding is not provided to extend a grant due to maternity/parental leave, however extension of the date for renewal submission of a grant may be offered to a Principal Investigator on a grant if approved in advance.

12. Acknowledgement of funding

All recipients of support should understand that they can play an integral role in the efforts to provide more funds for research in the future. Recipients of funding are expected to acknowledge the support of the funder in all scientific communications and media releases related to the award.

To acknowledge funding, researchers should state “This research is funded by the (funder) (grant #XXXXXX)”. Please consult the grant Notification of Award for additional information.

13. Open Access Policy

Effective July 2013, any researcher supported in whole or in part through the Canadian Cancer Society is required to make their published results of supported work publicly available as soon as possible, but must do so within twelve months of the final publication date.

Archives such as PubMed Central, researcher's Host Institution websites and/or open access journals are all acceptable ways to make research findings publicly available. The Canadian Cancer Society’s Open Access Policy will operate in a manner that does not violate copyright law.

Unrestricted public access to research findings is a crucial part of upholding the values and responsibilities of the Canadian Cancer Society. Open access allows for broader dissemination of knowledge and ultimately promotes research advancement, of crucial to the Canadian Cancer Society’s mission of the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer.

14. Financial audit

The Canadian Cancer Society reserves the right to audit the Grants/Awards statement of account.

15. Scientific audit

It is a condition of all grants and awards that the work of the grantee or awardee may be reviewed at any time. Such review may be carried out by means of visits by one or more members of a review team to the research site at appropriate times and intervals.

16. Integrity in Research and Scholarship

The Canadian Cancer Society has a formal policy on Integrity in Research and Scholarship for the guidance and information of both applicants and Host Institutions. It is a requirement that the appropriate senior representatives of the Host Institution and all investigators understand and adhere to the statements in this policy.

17. Inventions and patents

It is a condition of payment of any award for research that the University or Institution in which the research will be conducted maintains a policy on inventions and patents to which the recipient is subject. As well, such policy must not require the Canadian Cancer Society to assume any responsibility for any costs, expenses or liabilities relating to inventions or patents. It is intended that provisions be made for proper recognition of the individual’s genius and industry which have contributed to the research effort, as well as to add to the funds available to the University or Institution to foster further research, particularly in support of research on cancer.

18. Industry-Related Research

The Canadian Cancer Society has a formal policy on Industry-Related Research for the guidance and information of both applicants and Host Institutions. It is a requirement that the appropriate senior representatives of the Host Institutions and all investigators understand and adhere to the statements in this policy.

19. Disclosure of commercial interests

It is a condition of application that Principal Investigators, Co-Principal Investigators and Co-applicants disclose fully any financial interest they have in any Company, Corporation or other commercial venture whose business activities are related to the subject matter of a Canadian Cancer Society grant application.
Such financial interests include, but are not limited to: owning a substantial number of shares of the Company (e.g., 5% or greater), sitting on the Board or other Committees of the Company, having an appointment (full- or part-time) as an Officer or Staff member of the Company, acting as a Consultant or Advisor for the Company, having any contract for services with the Company, receiving remuneration of any kind from the Company, etc.

20. Restrictions regarding tobacco industry funding

The Canadian Cancer Society has a strict policy that it will not accept financial or other assistance from a manufacturer or wholesale distributor of tobacco products, nor will it knowingly accept financial or other assistance from any business if a substantial portion of the revenue of that business is derived from the promotion, distribution or sale of tobacco products.

Note that:
The Canadian Cancer Society will not provide funds to any party which receives concurrent support from the tobacco industry (e.g. manufacturers, the Council for Tobacco Research or the Smokeless Tobacco Council or any other organization that acts on behalf of or is sponsored directly or indirectly by the tobacco industry) for the duration of Canadian Cancer Society funding. For the purposes of this policy, “support” includes, but is not limited to, receipt of a research grant or award, a contract for personal or professional services, a consulting agreement (paid or unpaid) or any other direct or indirect benefit, from the tobacco industry.

Host Institution and investigators are required to ensure that any individual actively engaged in CCS funded research does not receive “support” from the tobacco industry, as listed above, for the duration of the funding.

21. Human embryonic stem cell research

Any investigator proposing human embryonic stem cell research must contact the Canadian Cancer Society prior to submitting an application. The Government of Canada has passed Bill C-6, An Act respecting assisted human reproduction and related research that regulates, among other things, the use and creation of human embryonic stem cells. The Act may be found on Justice Canada’s website. Its provisions dictate the regulations incumbent on applicants, Host Institutions and the funder in the contemplation of carrying out of research covered by the legislation. This will often involve special ethics and other approval mechanisms (beyond approval via the usual local Ethics Review Board).

The Canadian Cancer Society has endorsed and adopted the Guidelines set forward by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, entitled Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research: Guidelines for CIHR-Funded Research. In addition, based on the recommendation of the CIHR-led Ad hoc Working Group on Stem Cell Research, a Stem Cell Oversight Committee (SCOC) has been struck. The SCOC will review applications dealing with human embryonic stem cells and other ethnically sensitive human stem cell research to ensure that they are in accordance with CIHR's stem cell guidelines. As with all ethical approvals, for any research grant involving human embryonic stem cells, it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the work proposed has been approved by the SCOC.

Any applicant who proposes the creation or use of human embryonic stem cells, or proposes any research that would fall under the Federal Legislation or the CIHR Guidelines, must clearly indicate this fact and disclose all relevant details in the proposal. Furthermore, it is the applicants’ and Host Institutions’ joint responsibility to ensure that all local ethics approvals have been obtained.

The Canadian Cancer Society will decide what additional special certificates and approvals may be necessary according to the status of the prevailing legislation or applicable guidelines at the time of consideration. Some of these may result in a delay in the funding start date beyond that normally encountered. Regardless of the disposition of the application on scientific grounds, no payments will be authorized until all of the required ethical and legal certifications are obtained.

In order to meet our commitment to funding only research that meets the highest possible ethical standards, all ongoing and future research involving human embryonic stem cells will be tracked and evaluated:

  • New applications have a mandatory section for applicants to indicate whether any aspect of the proposed research involves the use or creation of human embryonic stem cells.
  • All current grantees who wish to undertake human embryonic stem cell research in the future, but under the auspices of an existing grant, must notify the Canadian Cancer Society immediately and submit their new protocols before proceeding with that aspect of the research.