$9.3 million in funding awarded to support innovative microbiome research in Canada

The Weston Family Foundation, through its Weston Family Microbiome Initiative, is pleased to award $9.3 million in funding to Canadian researchers through the Proof-of-Principle, Catalyst, and Transformational Research programs.

This funding will support innovative research in the microbiome field, with a focus on improving human health. Awarded researchers are pursuing advanced research initiatives in diverse areas including prebiotics, live biotherapeutics, lifestyle approaches, and medical technologies. Funded projects are examining the role of the microbiome in various areas of disease, including immunity and infection, cancer, brain health, and metabolic diseases.

Created in 2016, the Weston Family Microbiome Initiative seeks to accelerate the understanding and application of the human microbiome in healthy aging. Including this new round of awards, more than $18 million has been committed for microbiome research through this initiative.  

The microbiome is believed to greatly influence human health and physiology throughout life. For this reason, the research supported by these targeted funds could play a key role in efforts to support healthy aging and advance the Foundation’s objective of improving the well-being of Canadians.

About the Grants

The Proof-of-Principle Program (up to $300,000 over up to 24 months) supports high-impact projects that pursue translational or interventional research.

The Catalyst Program (up to $450,000 over up to 36 months) supports early-career researchers undertaking highly innovative projects in the microbiome sciences.

The Transformational Research Program (up to $1 million over up to 36 months) supports transformative, novel, high-risk, high-reward translational research projects.

Through these programs, these new grants are supporting 34 Canadian research teams.

New Funding Available

The 2021 Proof-of-Principle Program is accepting letters of intent until August 31, 2021. This funding opportunity will provide research grants to support high-impact projects that pursue translational or interventional research regarding the microbiome’s influence on brain health, or via the interactions between diet, nutrition, and the microbiome. More details can be found here.

Proof-of-Principle 2021

This funding opportunity will provide research grants of up to $300,000 over a maximum of 24 months to support high-impact projects that pursue translational or interventional research regarding the microbiome’s influence on brain health, or via the interactions between diet, nutrition, and the microbiome.


Please refer to the Program Details and Request for Applications (RFA) for more information and details on how to apply.

Program Overview

Goal: To provide funding to innovative projects that seek to leverage the microbiome to deliver new translational interventions or preventative strategies for improving health. This includes modifying, manipulating, or exploiting the microbiome to confer immune benefits or treat diseases, with a focus on brain health and diet & nutrition.

Funding: Up to $300,000 per project over up to 24 months. The Foundation will commit up to ~ $3,000,000 to projects selected through this program (approximately 10 projects).

Project Eligibility:

  • Develop a new microbiome intervention or preventative strategy for improving brain health; OR
  • Leverage the microbiome to maximize the benefits of diet and nutrition.
  • Full definitions can be found in the Program Details document.

Application Process

  1. Confirm intent to apply by emailing microbiome@westonfoundation.ca
  2. Submit a completed Letter of Intent (see template below) via westonfdn.smartsimple.ca

Important dates

Information Webinar: August 3, 2021 (register here) & August 5, 2021 (register here) @ 3:00pm ET
LOI deadline: August 31, 2021 @ 2:00pm ET
Proposal deadline: October 22, 2021 @ 2:00 pm ET
Anticipated award announcement: December 2021

Brain Health

In November 2020 the Foundation launched Brain Health 2021: Lifestyle Approaches and Microbiome Contributions, seeking to increase the number of Canadians maintaining better brain health throughout their lives.

In this $7M pilot round, funding of up to $1.5M over three years will be available to Canadian researchers who propose projects that look for new ways to maintain or improve the brain health of Canadians. Projects should aim to evaluate the link between brain health and lifestyle approaches, the contributions of the microbiome to brain health, or both.

To read more about Brain Health 2021 program, go to our Grant Calls page.

Read the press release here: New $7M Brain Health Program Now Accepting Letters of Intent from Researchers

Proof-of-Principle Program

The Proof of Principle program supports Canadian research efforts on the human microbiome. The objective of this program is to fund Canadian scientists performing high-risk, high-reward translational research that leverages the microbiome towards improving human health.

The program is split into two funding approaches: Microbiome Mechanisms and Lifestyle Approaches, as outlined below:

Microbiome Mechanisms

This funding opportunity will provide research grants to support high-impact projects that seek to improve our understanding of the relationship between the microbiome and health towards future applications.

Eligible projects include the following:

  • Significantly expand mechanistic understanding of the microbiome in influencing physiology, health and disease.
  • Provide new insights that lead toward novel or improved applications of the microbiome to improving health.

Lifestyle Approaches

This funding opportunity will provide research grants to support high-impact projects that seek to leverage the microbiome to improve health.

Eligible projects include the following:

  • Establish an innovative line of translational or implementation research and provide proof-of-principle evidence in support of new health applications.
  • Work towards a recommendation, intervention or preventative strategy that improves health by leveraging the microbiome.
  • Focus on eligible research surrounding the application of lifestyle approaches in microbiome health.

For information about the Proof-of-Principle program, see our Grant Calls.

 

 

 

Catalyst 2020

This funding opportunity will provide research grants of up to $450,000 over a maximum of 36 months to support early-career researchers in undertaking highly innovative projects in the microbiome sciences.

Please refer to the Program Details and Request for Applications (RFA) for more information and details on how to apply.

Program Overview

Goal: To accelerate the development and application of new technologies and approaches that leverage the microbiome to improve health.

Funding: Up to $450,000 per project over up to 36 months. $1.8 million (approx. 4 projects) total.

Applicant Eligibility: Lead by an early career researcher (<5 years active) at the level of assistant professor or higher) for the tenure of the award.

Project Eligibility:

  • Conduct translational research and development focused on delivering new microbiome-based health strategies or implementation studies focused on the application and adoption of microbiome-based health strategies.
  • Strive to develop a new recommendation, intervention, technology, system or preventative strategy that improves health by leveraging the microbiome.
  • Be in any relevant discipline including biomedical, dietary, engineering, information technology, social science, etc.
  • Full definitions can be found in the Program Details document.

Application Process

  1. Confirm intent to apply by emailing microbiome@westonfoundation.ca
  2. Submit a completed Letter of Intent (see template below)

Important dates

Information Webinar: October 2nd, 13th, 2020 @ 1:00pm EST (register here)
LOI deadline: Rolling, final submission Nov 30th, 2020 @ 2:00pm EST
Proposal deadline: Rolling (5 week period for submission)
Anticipated award notification: Rolling

POP 2020

This funding opportunity will provide research grants of up to $200,000 over a maximum of 24 months to support high-impact projects that seek to leverage the microbiome to improve health.

Please refer to the Program Details and Request for Applications (RFA) for more information and details on how to apply.

Program Overview

Goal: To provide funding to Canadian scientists performing high-risk, high-reward translational research that leverages the microbiome towards improving human health.

Funding: Up to $200,000 per project over up to 24 months. $2 million (approx. 10 projects) total.

Project Eligibility:

  • Establish an innovative line of translational or implementation research and provide proof-of-principle evidence in support of new health applications.
  • Work towards a recommendation, intervention or preventative strategy that improves health by leveraging the microbiome.
  • Focus on eligible research surrounding the application of lifestyle approaches in microbiome health.
  • Full definitions can be found in the Program Details document.

Application Process

  1. Confirm intent to apply by emailing geordie.stewart@westonfoundation.ca
  2. Submit a completed Letter of Intent (see template below)

Important dates

Information Webinar: January 7th, 9th, 2020 @ 1:00pm EST (register here)
LOI deadline: January 21st, 2020 @ 2:00pm EST
Proposal deadline: May 14th, 2020 @ 4:00 pm EDT
Anticipated award notification: June, 2020