Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba - Research and Workplace Innovation Program

Section #:

52.10

Section Title:

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Subject:

Research and Workplace Innovation Program

Effective Date:

01/01/2009

Last Update:

10/01/2008

A. POLICY PURPOSE

The Workers Compensation Board (WCB) is dedicated to the promotion of safe and healthy workplaces and the recovery and return-to-work of injured workers. The Workers Compensation Act enables the WCB to undertake research and safety programs on injury prevention, safety in the workplace, treatment of workplace injuries, and scientific, medical, or other issues relating to workers compensation. Accordingly, the WCB has established the Research and Workplace Innovation Program to offer grants to support research and workplace innovation in furtherance of these goals.

The purpose of this policy is to communicate the WCB’s approach to funding the Research and Workplace Innovation Program, describe and clarify the program’s mandate, qualifying criteria, terms and conditions of funding. The policy also outlines the role of the Board of Directors and the Administration with respect to the governance and management of this Program.

B. POLICY

I. PROGRAM MANDATE

The Research and Workplace Innovation Program will support and fund:

High quality scientific research that will lead to a reduction in the incidence, morbidity and mortality from work-related injury and disease.
The development, implementation and evaluation of innovative, practical, shop-floor solutions to improving workplace health and safety and fostering successful rehabilitation and productive return-to-work of injured or ill workers.
The effective translation of research knowledge into practical applications that can be used in the workplace to prevent occupational injury and disease and foster successful rehabilitation and productive return-to-work of injured or ill workers.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

a. Scientific Research Stream

Eligibility for Funding

Qualified researchers, scholars and health professionals will be eligible for funding under this stream. Researchers must be affiliated with:
Canadian post-secondary institutions including hospitals and research institutes,
Canadian non-governmental organizations with an explicit research or knowledge translation mandate, or
Labour unions, industry or employer associations and their affiliates, representing Manitoba workers or employers.

Objectives of Research Funding

The objectives of this funding stream are to support high quality scientific research that:

Develops a stronger understanding and furthers current knowledge of workplace injuries, illness, and disease;
Identifies, prevents, treats or supports recovery from workplace injuries, illness and disease;
Explores risk factors associated with specific industries, occupations, technology, work processes or other factors that may give rise to workplace injuries, illness and disease; or
Expands Manitoba’s research capacity in occupational health and safety and issues related to workers compensation.

Selection Criteria for Research Proposals

Research proposals will be assessed and selected on their merit, relevance to the objectives of the program, and on the qualifications of the research team. Contents of the research proposal must conform to the requirements of the call for proposals.

Research proposals which include provision for knowledge transfer and information exchange may be given preference.

Research proposals must abide by applicable ethical standards and undergo review by an institutional ethics board, if appropriate.

Research being conducted in Manitoba may be given precedence.

Budget will also be a criterion in selection. Applicants must demonstrate that the WCB grant and/or any financing from other sources will provide adequate financial support to achieve the objectives of the proposal. Proposals may include reasonable administrative costs, but should not include blanket surcharges for institutional overhead.

Researchers who have defaulted on a previous WCB grant will not be eligible for funding.

Notice of Intent

Within the timeframe stated in the call for proposals, applicants are required to submit a notice of their intention to apply for funding. The notice of intent must contain a brief description of the research undertaking, information on the principal applicant and the organization with which the principal applicant is affiliated. The notice of intent will be used to identify potential peer reviewers.

Peer Review

All research proposals will undergo a peer review. The peer review will at a minimum include the following dimensions:

Scientific merit and quality of the proposed research;
Originality;
Methodology;
Feasibility;
Qualifications of the principal applicant and his or her team;
Provision for knowledge transfer; and
Likelihood of successful outcomes.

Peer reviewers will be required to sign a pledge of confidentiality and will be expected to disclose any potential conflicts of interest with the research proposal under review. Peer reviewers are required to destroy or return the proposal after the review has been completed.

b. Workplace Innovation Stream

Eligibility for Funding

Manitoba employers, industry associations, safety groups, unions, researchers or consultants working with employers or workers may apply for funding under this stream.

Objectives of Workplace Innovation Funding

The objectives of this funding stream are to support and fund projects which:

Develop, implement and evaluate innovative, practical, shop-floor solutions to improving workplace health and safety and fostering successful rehabilitation and productive return-to-work of injured or ill workers;
Apply new information and technology to address occupational safety and health issues;
Use existing knowledge in new ways to solve problems in occupational safety and health; or,
Transfer new knowledge to the workplace through the development or provision of education and training materials or programs in workers compensation issues or occupational safety and health.

Selection Criteria for Workplace Innovation Projects

Projects will be assessed on their merit, relevance to the objectives of the program, and the ability of the project team to complete the project. Contents of the proposal must conform to the requirements of the call for proposals.

The applicant must demonstrate that the project is novel and innovative and objectives cannot reasonably be met through existing mechanisms in the workplace or industry.

Projects which include provision for knowledge transfer and information exchange may be given preference.

The support of all workplace parties is critical to a project’s success. Accordingly, projects must have demonstrated support from all relevant workplace parties to be considered.

Projects must be conducted in Manitoba. Projects must be strongly relevant to workers, employers and industry sectors covered by The Workers Compensation Act.

Applicants who have defaulted on a previous WCB grant will not be eligible for funding.

c. Other Program Initiatives

Requests for Proposals

At any time, the WCB may issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) under the mandate and objectives of the Research and Workplace Innovation Program. The WCB will identify a specific initiative or research topic when calling for an RFP. The decision to issue an RFP will be based on needs and budget availability.

Partnerships

In order to pursue shared priorities, issues and goals, the WCB may partner with other workers compensation authorities, research agencies or third parties to undertake research or projects related to workers compensation issues. Partnerships may involve either sharing of costs, in-kind support or both.

Special Funding

The Research and Workplace Innovation Program may support other initiatives that are within the mandate of this Policy. To facilitate the selection and evaluation of these initiatives, and to maintain the integrity of the Program, terms and conditions for such initiatives will be laid out by the Board of Directors.

III. PROGRAM GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

a. Role of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors has oversight of the Research and Workplace Innovation Program and will:

Determine the amount of funding that will be allocated to the Research and Workplace Innovation Program through the WCB’s annual budgetary process;
Review and approve the recommendations submitted by the Administration for awarding grants and make the final granting decisions;
Review and approve recommendations submitted by the Administration for termination of grants;
Authorize any unused funds from the Research and Workplace Innovation Program annual funding amount to be placed in the Grants Reserve Fund. Any funds not required to complete a project will be placed in the Grants Reserve Fund.
Direct the use of any unused funds in the Grants Reserve Fund and ensure that spending is within the mandate of the Research and Workplace Innovation Program; and
Ensure that the appropriate administrative controls are in place to ensure the integrity of the Program.

The Board of Directors may delegate its duties regarding the Research and Workplace Innovation Program to a subcommittee

b. Role of the Administration

The WCB’s Administration will administer and manage the Research and Workplace Innovation Program. Included in this role are the following responsibilities:

Issue the annual call for funding;
Review, evaluate and recommend to the Board of Directors the applications for program funding each year;
Arrange for the peer review of research proposals;
Develop the funding agreement for each grant recipient;
Monitor and report as necessary to the Board of Directors on the progress and termination of grants;
Ensure compliance with the funding agreements and use of funds by grant recipients;
Ensure that these funds are used exclusively for grants approved under the mandate and objectives of the Research and Workplace Innovation Program;
Provide guidance to grant recipients when needed; and
Facilitate the release of WCB data to grant recipients.

c. Program Administration

Call for Applications under the Research and Workplace Innovation Program

The WCB will pursue a competitive, fair and transparent process in the call for and selection of applications for funding and will apply the criteria described in this Policy.

The WCB will announce its call for funding requests under the Research and Workplace Innovation Program each calendar year

General Funding Criteria

In order to be considered for funding under this program, all projects should:

Be highly relevant to Manitoba workers and employers covered under The Workers Compensation Act;
Not significantly duplicate or overlap with other projects, programs or studies; and
Be time limited, generally up to a maximum of two years in duration. Projects should not exceed $100,000 for each year of the project. The Board of Directors may, at its discretion, based on the merits and requirements of the project, choose to fund projects which are for longer duration, or higher requested funding.

Funding Agreement

Successful applicants will be required to enter into a formal funding agreement with the WCB. The funding agreement will set out the terms and conditions of funding including the maximum amount of the grant, duration, expenditure controls, reporting requirements and deliverables. The funding agreement will be jointly signed by the principal applicant and the Director, Program Development and Review.

Extending the Period of the Funding Agreement

The WCB may consider extending the period of the funding agreement when there are extenuating circumstances and no added costs to the maximum amount of the grant.

Budget Reallocations and Carry-over of Grant Funds

The funds awarded to each grant recipient are for use exclusively against expenditure items specified in the funding agreement. Some flexibility may be permitted for reallocation from one budget category to another within the approved budget. The movement of expenditure items within an approved budget will require prior authorization by the WCB.

Acknowledgement of WCB

Grant recipients are required to acknowledge the financial support provided by the WCB under the Research and Workplace Innovation Program in any publication, presentation, press release or any other public mention. Grant recipients should provide the WCB prior notice of any such public mention of the project.

Intellectual Property

Though the grant recipient retains intellectual property rights to the outcome of the projects, the WCB retains the right to use all material gathered or produced as a consequence of grant support in any manner it considers useful without further payment beyond the grant support.

Information Disclosure and Confidentiality

Any disclosure of information by the WCB to support a project is subject to WCB policies on the disclosure of WCB data, file information, and the applicable confidentiality and disclosure provisions under The Workers Compensation Act, The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).

Termination of Grant

The WCB may terminate a grant, in its discretion, where:
The grant recipient fails to meet the obligations set out in the funding agreement;
There is evidence of misuse of grant monies; or
The grant recipient is no longer able to complete the research proposal or project, to the WCB’s satisfaction.

In cases where the termination results in the need for recovery of funds from the grant recipient, the WCB will use available collection procedures to recoup outstanding monies and pursue legal proceedings against the recipient if warranted.

Program Review

The Administration will review all aspects of this program in 2012.

C. REFERENCES

The Workers Compensation Act , Sections 97.1(1), 97.1(2), and 101(1).

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act , Sections 42, 43, 44(1), 46, 47.

The Personal Health Information Act , Sections 3, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 59.

WCB Policy 21.50.10 , Disclosure of File Information

WCB Policy 21.50.50, Release of Statistical Data

HISTORY:

Policy on Research and Development originated by Board Order No. 164/89 effective January 1, 1990.
Policy 52.10 replaced by Board Order No. 14/97 on September 30, 1997, effective for all proposal requests on or after October 1, 1997. Former policy amended to reflect that it ceases effect on September 30, 1997 and re-numbered 52.10.01.
Policy amended on February 20, 1998 by Board Order 1/98 to reflect that the annual process and requests for funding will be approved by the Board of Directors.
Policy amended on April 29, 1999 by Board Order 16/99 to reflect a change in the name of the committee responsible for approving grants funding requests .
Amendments made to the Administrative Guidelines effective May 31, 2001.
Policy amended on October 30, 2001 by Board Order 26/01 to allow, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, for the funding of projects for terms exceeding 5 years.
An amendment to Section A, Item 10 "Exit Clause" was approved by the Board of Directors on February 28, 2002 by Board Order 08/02.
Policy amended on January 31, 2006 by Board Order 02/06 to include changes in the administration of the Community Initiatives and Research Program.
New Policy 52.10, Research and Workplace Innovation Program was approved by Board Order 32/08 on September 25, 2008 effective January 1, 2009. This policy will replace existing Policy 52.10, Community Initiatives and Research Program, which ceases effect on December 31, 2008 and be reissued as Policy 52.10.01. Policy 52.10.01 will apply to all projects approved before December 31, 2008.