The below dates pertain to the Expression of Interest. Following review of the Expressions of Interest, full Research Funding Applications will be solicited by the Centre of Excellence.

• Applications Open: October 4, 2021
• Applications Close: November 17, 2021
• Anticipated Notice of Decision: December 2021
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The 2016 Veterans Affairs Canada ‘Life After Service Studies’ (LASS) program of research, which was designed to enhance understanding of the transition from military to civilian life, found that 40.8% of Veterans suffered from chronic pain and that Veterans in the sample group were twice as likely to have chronic pain compared to the equivalent Canadian population.[1]

Other research suggests that Veterans show greater benefits for measures of catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, sensitivity to pain traumatization, pain acceptance, stages of change, and pain coping after completing interdisciplinary care.[2]  

Given that Veterans experience pain more frequently than the general population and may also respond differently to treatment, it may be that there are specific aspects of pain in Veterans (or of Veterans themselves) that are unique. This research project is aimed at determining what is unique about chronic pain—its antecedents, development, and response to treatment—in Veterans. This will be a one-year research project.

• Conduct a systematic review of the literature addressing the experience of chronic pain in Veterans, including response to treatment.
• Analyze the characteristics of chronic pain in Veterans, including the influences of self-identity, military culture, mental health co-morbidities, presentation of symptoms, clinical programming, and use of medical and complementary interventions.
• Determine the qualities, if any, that make the Veteran experience of chronic pain unique to inform future research and programming.

The total funding available for this one-year research project is $120,000 CAD.

• The proposed research must aim to improve the lives of Canadian Veterans, and their families, suffering from chronic pain.
• The Principal Investigator identified must be an independent researcher affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution with an academic appointment that continues until the conclusion of the funding period.
• The Principal Investigator identified must have successfully completed a course in Sex and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA+) from a recognized Canadian institution and submit a Certificate of Completion for verification.

CPCoE uses an e-mail application process. Please complete the Expression of Interest here and submit it in PDF format, along with all required attachments, via e-mail to
‍research@vcp-vdc.ca.

All Expressions of Interest are adjudicated by the Centre of Excellence. Please review our Research Proposal Rating Scale here. All applicants will be notified of the results of the adjudication. Successful applicants will be asked to submit a Research Funding Application. Applicants who are not successful will be withdrawn from the competition.

Click here to view our Funding Guidelines, which provide further information on application, review, results, funding, integrity, and Sex and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA)+. All applicants are expected to read these guidelines thoroughly before applying. Applications that do not adhere to these guidelines will not be considered. 

[1] https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-vac/research/research-directorate/publications/reports/lass-2016

[2] Jomy, J., & Hapidou, E. G. (2020). Pain management program outcomes in veterans with chronic pain and comparison with nonveterans. Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur, 4(1), 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/24740527.2020.1768836