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Do you have a health-oriented systems or service research project that is or will be completed by December 31, 2024? Are you looking to engage patient partners to better mobilize the results of your research findings to real world application? If yes, apply for the eighth EMPOWER Projects opportunity; an opportunity to enhance the application and dissemination of a completed research project with an infusion of funding to create post-project outputs and include patient partners so that the created products hold meaning and value for those they serve.

The EMPOWER Projects opportunity (Engaging Multi-stakeholders for Patient Oriented research Wider Effects & Reach) provides a structure (integrating the Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit and its Research Centres and Initiatives) and funding (up to $25,000) to allow existing patient-oriented research projects that require additional support to have impacts for a maximum duration of one-year. Applications are invited from research teams that have completed or are completing patient-oriented research studies that have include patient partnership and a commitment to enhancing patient, caregiver, and/or community outcomes.  The purpose of the EMPOWER Projects funding is to complement and complete a project where:

• Additional funding is needed to bring in patient/caregiver partners for the co-creation and co-development of activities and outputs for more streamlined dissemination and implementation of the project’s findings or recommendations and;
• This investment may have beneficial impacts for the health of Ontarians and the Ontario health system.

OSSU welcomes co-designed, with patient and caregiver partnership, submissions that relate to one or more of the following 3 priorities that advance the objectives of OSSU for the development of capacity and sustainability of POR in Ontario:

1. Equity with a focus on: Improving health equity through using data OR equitable access to and use of health data.
2. Mobilizing knowledge with diverse populations and minorities including/not exclusive to rural and remote communities, linguistic groups including/not exclusive to Francophone community partners, Indigenous community partners for health decision and policy-making purposes.
3.  A project that demonstrates the advancement of the quintuple aim (improved patient experience, improved population health outcomes, advances in health equity, lower costs, and improved provider experience) in situating the mobilization of knowledge within a learning health system.

The application and impact of the work should be relevant and tailored to the needs of stakeholders in the province (from patients to healthcare practitioners, to health policy and the health system). The RFP and related documents are available below. Please submit following the guidelines and using the linked document templates.

Proposals are to be submitted electronically to OSSU via email to ossu@ossu.ca by 5:00 pm Eastern on Wednesday November 6^th, 2024. For any questions and for submitting the proposal, please include RFP – EMPOWER Projects VIII – attn Hilary Edelstein in the subject line.