Application Questions

Who can apply to use CLSA data?

The CLSA data are currently available to approved public sector researchers, with no preferential or exclusive access for any individual. The CLSA welcomes applications from graduate students and postdoctoral or clinical fellows who wish to use the CLSA data for their thesis or fellowship research, respectively. For trainee applications (Masters, PhD, postdoctoral or clinical fellows), the primary applicant must be the supervisor and hold an eligible appointment (continuing or term appointment) at an eligible institution that is able to uphold the conditions of the data access agreement, administer grant funds and provide Research Ethics Board approval.

 

As an international researcher, can I apply to access CLSA data?

Yes, investigators affiliated with public research organizations outside Canada can apply to access alphanumeric data collected as part of the CLSA.

How can I determine if my research project is feasible?

The CLSA DataPreview Portal has been designed to help researchers browse available variables in the CLSA dataset and find basic frequencies. Should you need additional information not available through the Portal to determine the feasibility of your proposal, please contact us on access@clsa-elcv.ca. We can provide simple cross-tabulations (of two or three variables) from cross-sectional data.  While we do our utmost to respond to data queries to help potential users ensure that their proposal is feasible, please note that we are not resourced to provide statistics on change across time-points or more in-depth statistical support.

Will my proposal undergo a scientific review?

Evidence of peer-reviewed funding will be considered evidence of scientific review for data access applications. You must provide proof of the peer-reviewed funding for the specific project in your application. If there are no plans to submit an application for financial support for your project, or if it is a trainee project, please provide evidence of peer review (e.g., internal Departmental review; thesis protocol defense, etc.) if available. Awards of funding not specific to the proposed project (i.e., student fellowships) are not considered proof of peer review. If no evidence of scientific peer review is provided with the application, the project will undergo scientific review by the Data and Sample Access Committee.

Does my project need to have secured funding before I apply?

No, you do not need to secure funding before applying to request CLSA data. If funding has been requested, but not yet approved, please provide the name of the funding agency in the appropriate section of the application. If your project is approved, and once the CLSA Access Agreement has been signed, the CLSA Financial Administrator will contact the Primary Applicant with the invoice for payment of the fees.

Do I have to obtain ethics approval for my project?

Yes. Please note that ethics approval is not required at the time of the application to use CLSA data, but no data or biospecimens will be released until proof of ethics approval has been received by the CLSA. Should your institution not require a full ethical review for the use of de-identified data, please provide a letter from your Institutional Review Board to this effect. Ethics approval must be obtained only from the Primary Applicant’s institution, not from all of the institutions of the members of the Project Team.

What are the fees for access to CLSA data?

Currently the charge for partial cost recovery per application is $3,000 CAD for applications within Canada and $5,000 USD for international applications. This includes access to the Baseline, Follow-up 1 or both datasets. Due to the additional work required to make some data research ready, additional fees apply for access to image files, raw data and datasets that require more complex customization. Please see the table of additional fees on the Fees page of our website. The fees are payable for the retrieval and preparation of the dataset per approved project, not for each Project Team member.

 

Do trainees have to pay for access to CLSA data?

Graduate students (Masters or PhD) who wish to obtain the CLSA data for the sole purpose of their thesis, and postdoctoral or clinical fellows (limit 1 waiver per fellowship) who wish to obtain the CLSA data for the sole purpose of their postdoctoral or clinical fellowship project, who are enrolled at Canadian institutions for their graduate degree, postdoc, or clinical fellowship, can apply for a fee waiver. Canadian trainees working outside Canada but funded through a Canadian source are also eligible for a fee waiver. The request for a fee waiver must be checked in Part 1 of the CLSA Data and Biospecimen Access Request Application. Applications made through the CIHR Catalyst Grant for the Analysis of CLSA Data are not eligible for trainee fee waivers. Fee waivers do not include images and raw data.

If I have a student or trainee as part of my project team, am I eligible to get a fee waiver for data access?

No, simply having trainees as part of the Project Team does not satisfy criteria for eligibility for a fee waiver.

When will data from Follow-up 2 be available?

We anticipate the first release of Follow-up 2 (FUP2) alphanumeric data in 2022. Applications to access data from FUP2 are not accepted until those data are research ready. Please check the CLSA Data Availability Table for current data availability that may be requested as part of a data access application.

How long will it take to receive my dataset?

Once you submit your CLSA Data and Biospecimen Request Application, you can track the progress of your application through the online application system. (Once you have begun the application process, it is your responsibility to check your email (including your folders for junk, spam, etc.) for notifications from Magnolia. You may be contacted by the Data Access Team, if additional information is required. You will be notified about the approval status of your application approximately three months after the submission deadline. If your application is approved, a CLSA Access Agreement must be negotiated and signed between McMaster University and your institution. This part of the process can take a variable length of time (up to an additional three (3) months) and is not under the control of the CLSA. You will also need to provide evidence of ethics approval for your project, if you had not done so within your initial application. Please be aware that these steps may affect the length of time that it takes for the data to be released to you. Once all parties have signed the CLSA Access Agreement and proof of ethics approval has been received by the CLSA, your data will be released within 10 working days. Please note that the release of additional data (images and raw data) will require more time (one to three months, depending on the request). When planning for your project, you must include in your timeframe at least six (6) months from the application submission deadline to the time you receive your dataset, if your application is approved.

Can my application be rejected?

The goal of the CLSA is to enable data access as far as possible, however, an application for data access can be rejected. There may be some instances when an applicant is asked to revise and resubmit an application at the recommendation of the Data and Sample Access Committee (DSAC). To avoid applications being sent to the DSAC that are not appropriate, we try to work with interested researchers before the application is submitted, to provide them with information about the available data and feasibility of a project. During the application process itself, we ask applicants to correct errors and omissions and provide feedback from the DSAC review, so that applicants can clarify or revise and resubmit a proposal. Failure to provide the level of detail sufficient to assess the study feasibility could lead to the application being not approved.

What do I do if I have problems completing the online application?

Should you encounter any issues completing the online application, please contact us via access@clsa-elcv.ca.