ResearchNet - RechercheNet

Table of Contents

• Description
• Objectives
• Eligibility
• Guidelines
• Review Process and Evaluation
• How to Apply
• Contact Information
• Sponsor Description
• Additional Information

Description

Background

There are many unknowns about how standards for services (i.e., organizational standards, best practices, or guiding principles) translate into routine practice and influence health outcomes. Research is needed to understand what standards already exist for mental health and substance use health services, how these are interpreted by providers and organizations to improve care, and which methods work best for promoting their uptake across diverse populations and sectors of care. The Government of Canada has recently identified an emphasis on youth and health equity as priority areas for developing pan-Canadian standards for mental health and substance use health.

This funding opportunity supports research to inform standards specific to mental health and/or substance use health services for children, youth, and young adults (ages 0 to 25), including the perinatal period. Children, youth, and young adults, and their caregivers/families, access mental health and/or substance use health services across various sectors in various settings, most commonly in primary care, schools, and community organizations. Unfortunately, many children, youth, young adults, and families also access mental health services for the first time through other sectors, such as child welfare settings, juvenile justice or correctional settings, and hospital emergency departments. Research shows underserved children and youth, such as those who are Black or racialized or Indigenous, face disproportionate challenges to accessing mental health services and are more likely to access care through these other sectors. The sector and setting for the delivery of mental health and/or substance use health services is a key consideration for the eventual implementation of pan-Canadian standards. This funding opportunity therefore supports needed research and knowledge mobilization on existing standards across various settings where children, youth, and/or young adults access services.

Purpose

This funding opportunity forms part of the National Standards for Mental Health Services (NSMHS) initiative, a Government of Canada priority outlined in Budget 2021. The NSMHS initiative — in partnership with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, and in collaboration with provinces and territories, health organizations and key stakeholders — represents a 45-million-dollar federal investment to support the development of pan-Canadian standards for mental health and substance use health services. The goal of setting pan-Canadian standards is to ensure all Canadians have access to equitable, timely, and evidence-based care where and when they need it. To this end, the Government of Canada is partnering with the Standards Council of Canada to coordinate the development of these standards.

This funding opportunity represents the third and final opportunity from the NSMHS initiative. Through the first, research projects are addressing standards for virtual delivery of care in various contexts and across age groups. The second funding opportunity is addressing research on standards specific to Integrated Youth Services among certain networks in Canada.

The overarching objective of this funding opportunity is to address the pressing needs of underserved youth populations, and their caregivers/families, in accessing equitable mental health and substance use services through research on standards in various settings. This funding opportunity will support projects that focus on standards or guiding principles in mental health and/or substance use health services, including in virtual delivery of care, for children, youth, and young adults (ages 0 to 25; including the perinatal period), within or across a variety of settings (see Research Areas, below). Research relevant to the workforce or providers who support children, youth, young adults, and/or their caregivers/families in these sectors is also applicable (e.g., standards relevant to training).

All funding opportunities from this initiative aim to embed evidence into pan-Canadian policy and decision-making regarding standards. Proposed research should therefore be relevant to decision makers who are in positions to make decisions about the delivery of mental health and substance use health services. Projects must engage decision makers in the research process with the goal to produce results that can be applied and adapted to specific settings, and have the potential to improve health outcomes of Canadians. Strengthening Canada's health systems through health equity, and evidence-informed decision making, are key features of CIHR’s strategic plan.

Research Approaches

The process of setting mental health standards can be informed by evidence generated through a Learning Health Systems (LHS) approach. A LHS is a health system in which research, data, and experience generate knowledge and evidence that is embedded in and applied to processes, policies and practices to continuously innovate and improve health equity, service delivery and cost, as well as improve the experience for service providers and people accessing services (e.g., children and youth, families, caregivers, etc.). Effective LHS for mental health and substance use health services require further research.

This funding opportunity will support projects which align with at least one of these LHS processes or research approaches:

• Data science (practice to data)
  • Examples: applying common data approaches to measure adherence to existing standards or best practices; adapting measurement tools through a health equity lens to inform standards; testing interoperable or linked data approaches; identifying core outcome measures and individual–level costing data; matching services to needs based on data.
• Knowledge syntheses and creation (data to knowledge)
  • Examples: knowledge syntheses on existing standards, including what is known about youth and caregiver/family engagement for developing standards; comparative policy analyses on existing standards at a provincial, national, and/or global scale; evaluations of services and programming to inform standards.
• Implementation science and knowledge mobilization (knowledge to practice)
  • Examples: implementation science research (e.g., identifying barriers and/or facilitators to the uptake of existing standards into routine practice, evaluations of implementation strategies); mobilizing knowledge about existing standards among relevant stakeholders (e.g., youth and caregivers/families, clinicians, decision-makers).

Research Areas

In addition to one of the Research Approaches above, applications must also be relevant to at least one of the following research areas:

• Community settings
• Primary care settings
• Education and school settings
• Child welfare settings
• Juvenile justice or correctional settings
• Indigenous-led settings
• Other specialized mental health and/or substance use settings

Projects must focus on services for children, youth, and/or young adults (ages 0 to 25; including the perinatal period), which may include caregivers/families.

Other Considerations

Given the research areas and the diversity of the populations in Canada, applicants must consider biological variables (e.g., sex, age) and social determinants of health (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, and disability) in their research design, as appropriate (see Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) considerations).

Funds Available

CIHR and partner(s) financial contributions for this initiative are subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR or partner(s) funding levels not be available or are decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR and partner(s) reserve the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $4,400,000 enough to fund approximately 22 grants. The maximum amount per grant is $200,000 for one year.
• Of this $4,400,000:
  • $400,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the community settings pool
  • $400,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the primary care settings pool
  • $400,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the education and school settings pool
  • $400,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the child welfare settings pool
  • $400,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the juvenile justice or correctional settings pool
  • $400,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the Indigenous-led settings pool
  • $400,000 is available to fund 2 applications relevant to the other specialized mental health and/or substance use health settings pool
  • $1,600,000 is available to fund remaining applications in the competition relevant to any of the pools above. Two applications from each pool above will be funded first in rank order. If a pool is undersubscribed or lacks fundable applications, funds will be used for remaining applications. All remaining fundable applications will be pooled together and funded in rank order as far as funds will allow.

For more information on the appropriate use of funds, refer to Allowable Costs.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• Contribute to the evidence base on standards or guiding principles for mental health and/or substance use health services across diverse settings;
• Enable a Learning Health Systems approach for the delivery of mental health and substance use health services for youth where standards can be continuously measured and adapted to meet the needs of the populations served;
• Mobilize evidence to inform policy- and decision-making on the development of pan-Canadian standards in mental health and substance use health; and
• Facilitate effective and meaningful engagement of knowledge users in research related to standards to ensure the perspectives of children, youth, young adults, and their caregivers/families, among others (e.g., decision makers), are considered in the development pan-Canadian standards.

Eligibility

Eligibility to Apply

For an application to be eligible, all the requirements stated below must be met :

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be one of the following:
   1.  An independent researcher affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation);
      OR
   2. An individual affiliated with an Indigenous-led non-governmental organization in Canada with a research or knowledge translation mandate;
      OR
   3. An Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
2. The NPA (individual) must have their substantive role in Canada for the duration of the requested grant term.
3. The Institution Paid must be authorized to administer CIHR funds before the funding can be released (for more information see Administration of Funds).
4. The NPA* must have successfully completed one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and have submitted a Certificate of Completion (see How to Apply section for more details). Select and complete the training module most applicable to your research project.
5. The applicant team must include a decision maker, listed as the Principal Knowledge User.
6. In addition to the participants listed above (criteria 1-5), the applicant team must include at least one additional knowledge user (listed as a Knowledge User). Examples include but are not limited to the following:
   1. Youth or caregiver/family representatives.
   2. Health care system decision makers or policy makers.
   3. Health care professionals / service providers with a focus on mental health or substance use health service delivery (e.g., physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, social workers, physiotherapists, psychologists, Indigenous Elders and/or Traditional Counsellors, or other health professionals/providers)
   4. Community organizations and Indigenous health and well-being organizations.
7. For applications involving research with Indigenous Peoples, including the Indigenous-led settings pool, the applicant team must include an NPA, a Principal Applicant or a Knowledge User who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or provides evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples (see How to Apply section for more details).

*Organizations as NPAs: For organizations applying as the NPA, a representative of the organization must complete the training module on the organization’s behalf.

Guidelines

General CIHR Policies

Before submitting an application to this funding opportunity, applicants should review the relevant policies and guidelines on the CIHR Funding Policies page to ensure understanding of their responsibilities and expectations.

Allowable Costs

Applicants are advised to consult the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA) for the general principles and directives (mandatory requirements) governing the appropriate use of grant funds.

To further clarify, the following expenses are examples of appropriate uses of grant funds, provided they satisfy the principles and pertinent directives of the TAGFA:

• Expenditures that respect the culture and traditions of Indigenous peoples, where needed for the meaningful conduct of research. See TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada and TAGFA Directive on Gifts, Honoraria and Incentives. These include:
  • Costs related to community mobilization and engagement, including culturally relevant promotional items such as, tobacco, cloth, feasting and gift giving for honoring ceremonies, and cash reimbursements (in a method acceptable to the individual or community being reimbursed) to compensate community participation.
  • Contracts and/or consultant fees for knowledge translation and communication activities for Indigenous Elders, community members, and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers involved in activities related to Indigenous communities.

For this funding opportunity only, the following statement(s) apply:

• Release Time Allowance: Up to $25,000 per knowledge user, per grant.

Conditions of Funding

• The NPA must consent to the use and disclosure of full application and nominative information at the time of application, for purposes of relevance review and/or funding decisions by the relevant sponsors.
• The NPA will be required to submit an electronic Final Report to CIHR. This online report will be made available to the Nominated Principal Applicant on ResearchNet at the beginning of the grant funding period and can be filled in as the research progresses.
• In addition to the electronic Final Report, the NPA will be required to submit a mid-term progress report (at approximately 6 months) and an additional final report at the end of one year. These reports will include a plain-language summary of findings and study implications and will include a knowledge mobilization plan. Templates for these reports will be provided by CIHR. These reports may be made publicly available to facilitate knowledge sharing and may be shared with relevant knowledge users.
• Data related to research by and with First Nations, Inuit, Métis and/or Urban Indigenous communities whose traditional and ancestral territories are in Canada must be managed in accordance with data management principles developed and/or approved by those communities, and based on free, prior and informed consent. This includes, but is not limited to, considerations of Indigenous data sovereignty, as well as data collection, ownership, protection, use, and sharing.
• Funded teams are required to participate in an end-of-grant knowledge exchange workshop with CIHR and relevant knowledge users to discuss and provide context to the findings. Teams must budget for travel to Ottawa and two nights’ accommodation for two team members (subject to public health guidelines).
• Funded teams will be required to participate in a pilot exercise on common mental health measures in research. This exercise is designed to facilitate the standardization of mental health data collection in research, in alignment with the International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders. More information is available on the CIHR-INMHA website. This exercise will be completed through the progress reports and end-of grant workshop.
• Funded teams may be invited to share knowledge and evidence directly with policy makers and/or other stakeholders to inform the development of pan-Canadian standards for mental health. It is expected that applicants share this information on a timely basis when requested, including attending virtual meetings where appropriate.
• The Principal Applicants who are successful in this competition are strongly encouraged to actively participate in peer review, and as members of the CIHR College of Reviewers, when invited.

Review Process and Evaluation

Relevance Review Process

CIHR and partners (if applicable) will perform a relevance review on the summary of the application to identify applications that are in alignment with the research approaches and research areas of this funding opportunity. 

Applications that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition.

Review Process

Peer review will be conducted in accordance with the Review guidelines – Priority-driven initiatives.

For information on CIHR’s peer review principles, see the Peer Review: Overview section of CIHR’s website.

Evaluation Criteria

To support the strategic objectives of this funding opportunity, the following evaluation criteria will be used:

1. Research Approach

   Explanation of the research project and justification for the need to conduct the research and detailed description of the research approach and justification for the proposed methods/strategies.

   1. To what extent do the research question(s) respond to the objectives of the funding opportunity?
   2. How clear and appropriate are the research question(s), proposed design and methods including:
      • Consideration of standards within at least one of the settings where mental health and/or substance use services are delivered for children, youth, or young adults, or their caregivers/families;
      • Methods of engagement with knowledge users (e.g., youth or caregivers/families, decision-makers)
   3. To what extent is it likely that the proposed research approaches align with a Learning Health System and address the research question(s)?
   4. Extent of the role(s) and contribution(s) of all applicant partner(s) in advancing research objectives (if applicable).
   5. Proactive and meaningful consideration of partnership risks, including the extent of real and/or perceived conflict of interest and appropriateness of its management and mitigation (if applicable).
   6. For research applications involving First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis Peoples, the following criteria will also be considered:
      • The extent to which research is conducted by, grounded in, or engaged with First Nations, Inuit or Métis communities, societies or individuals and their wisdom, cultures, experiences or knowledge systems, as expressed in their dynamic forms, past and present.
      • The extent to which appropriate consideration of TCPS 2: Chapter 9 – Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada, including meaningful and culturally safe practices, plans and activities throughout the research project.
      • The extent to which the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the self-determination and self-governance of Indigenous Peoples such as following the First Nations Principles of OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access and Possession) or other distinctions-based principles of Indigenous self-governance as appropriate, are respected and integrated.
      • The extent to which the application aligns with CIHR’s definition of Indigenous Health Research and Meaningful and Culturally Safe Health Research.
2. Applicant(s)

   Demonstration that the team has the requisite skills, experience and resources to complete the project in the proposed time frame:

   1. To what extent does the team have the necessary expertise to deliver on the project's objective(s)?
   2. How appropriate are the methods and project governance for ensuring meaningful engagement of knowledge users?
   3. How clear and appropriate are the roles and contributions of all team members to carry out the proposed activities?
   4. For research applications involving First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis Peoples, the following criteria will also be considered:
      • The extent to which the overall research team has the necessary knowledge, expertise and experience in Indigenous health research, and complementarity of expertise and synergistic potential to conduct Indigenous health research.
3. Impact of the Research

   Results expected from the successful uptake of project findings:

   1. What is the potential for the planned research to provide useful information for informing the development of pan-Canadian standards for mental health and substance use health services, specifically for children, youth, and young adults?
   2. How appropriate are the proposed strategies for knowledge mobilization, including to stakeholders, policy makers, and knowledge users?
4. Feasibility

   Demonstration that the team has resources required to conduct the research:

   1. To what extent is the requested budget (inclusive of funds allocated for knowledge mobilization and dissemination activities) justified?
   2. To what extent is the project accomplishable in the given timeframe with the resources available/described?

Funding Decision

Applications that receive a rating below 3.5 will not be funded.

The names of successfully funded applicants will be published on the CIHR website.

Partner and Internal Collaborator Participation

The opportunity to add new partners and internal collaborators to this funding opportunity may arise after publication. These partners and internal collaborators may not be listed; however, the principles that govern relevance review, including consent to share information and funding decisions, will still apply.

How to Apply

• The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of two steps: Registration and Full Application
• To complete your Registration, follow the instructions in the Grants – Registration Guidelines, along with any additional instructions found below under “Specific Instructions”.
• To complete your Full Application, follow the instructions in the Grant: Application Guidelines, along with any additional instructions found below under “Specific Instructions”.
• All participants listed, with the exception of Collaborators, are required to:
  • Have/obtain a CIHR PIN
  • Complete the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Self-identification Questionnaire.
• Organizations applying as Nominated Principal Applicants(NPA) for the first time must contact CIHR's Contact Centre for guidance in creating a ResearchNet account, registering for a CIHR PIN and creating their Canadian Common CV (CCV). Organizations in roles other than the NPA must contact CIHR's Contact Centre for guidance in registering for a CIHR PIN if they do not already have one.
• When completing the application, applicants must protect the privacy and confidentiality of all team members. How an individual self-identifies is personal and confidential information, which should not be disclosed without consent.

Specific instructions to complete your ResearchNet application

Step 1 – Registration

Task: Identify Participants

• The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must submit a CIHR Registration CV. The NPA must remain unchanged between the registration and full application phases of the competition.
• No other participants should be identified in this task.

Task: Complete Summary of Research Proposal

• Summarize your research proposal (cannot exceed one page).

Task: Apply to Priority Announcement/Funding Pools (mandatory)

• Select the funding opportunity title under the “Priority Announcement/Funding Pool Title” drop-down list, then select the research area under the “List of Relevant Research Areas” drop-down list.
• You must select only one funding pool for your registration. If you select more than one, your registration will only be considered for the first one identified.
  • Note: You may change your selection at the application stage if needed.

Task: Complete Peer Review Administration Information (optional)

• Suggest reviewers that you feel have the expertise to review your application. The Agencies reserve the right to make the final selection of external reviewers. You should not suggest reviewers in conflict of interest.

Step 2 – Full Application

Task: Identify Participants

• Participant information:
  • List all participants in the “Identify Participants” task in ResearchNet. Consult the Eligibility section and ensure that all requirements are met. All participants should also be listed in the “Participant Table” under the “Attach Other Application Materials” task (see below).
  • Provide a CV for up to 5 key participants. Key participants must include all participants required per Eligibility. Collaborators are not included as key participants.
    • Canadian academic applicants (including trainees) are required to submit a CIHR Biosketch CV using the Canadian Common CV (CCV) interface.
    • Knowledge users, non-academics organizations, and international applicants have the option to submit either a CIHR Biosketch CV or Applicant Profile CV (maximum three pages per applicant). Each Applicant Profile CV must include 5-10 expertise keywords; and any other information pertinent to the participant's role(s) on the application. See "Attachments" below for how to upload Applicant Profile CVs.
    • NPA categories with an Indigenous-led non-governmental organization as an eligibility requirement must include in their Applicant Profile CV, a description of the organization and how it meets the eligibility requirement of being an Indigenous non-governmental organization with a research or knowledge translation mandate. This document must include: The organization’s mandate; 5-10 expertise keywords; current or past engagement in research with effective dates; and any other information pertinent to the organization.

• Attachments:
  • Applicant Profile CVs
    • All Applicant Profile CVs must be uploaded as PDFs and must be labelled as “Applicant Profile CV – Name (organization or individual, as applicable)”.
  • Most Significant Contributions – Optional (maximum one [1] page)
    • All applicants (excluding Collaborators) have the option of providing additional information/context regarding their most significant contributions relating to the application. The contributions that are described should be directly relevant to the grant application, and should demonstrate how the applicant will contribute to the application at hand.

Task: Enter Proposal Information

• The Research Proposal must outline each of the elements presented in the evaluation criteria.
  • Research proposals written in French will be allowed to submit an additional page, in support of evidence demonstrating that French documents require approximately 20% more space than similar English documents. Therefore, to ensure equivalent space is given to Research proposals submitted in either official language, the following page limits will apply (not including references, charts, tables, figures and photographs):
    • 5 pages when the Research proposal is written in English
    • 6 pages when the Research proposal is written in French

    Note: For research proposals submitted in English, any pages over the 5-page limit will be removed with no further notification to the Nominated Principal Applicant.

• References, charts, tables, figures and photographs can be uploaded under "Attachments – Research Proposal Appendix".

Task: Complete Summary of Research Proposal

• Summarize your research proposal (cannot exceed one page).  Please note that this document, along with your relevancy form (within task “Apply to Priority Announcement/Funding Pools” below), will be used for relevance review.

Task: Enter Budget Information

• Provide a detailed budget justification in relation to planned activities and clearly justify all budget items (including cash and cash equivalent contributions, if relevant).
• For release time allowance requests, you must include a letter (upload as "Other Supporting Documents") from the recipient's organization certifying that the individual for whom the release time allowance is requested:
  • Is a knowledge user on the grant whose primary responsibilities do not include an expectation to engage in research (i.e., as part of their regular employment);
  • Has their organization's approval for the research time on the project that would justify the allowance; and
  • Is engaged in the activities for which funds are being disbursed.

Task: Attach Other Application Materials

• Attach the following under “Other”:
  • Certificate of Completion for the Sex- and gender-based analysis training module for NPA – submit a one (1) page attachment named “SGBA Certificate” (mandatory):
    • After completing the appropriate training module that applies to your research project, you will receive a certificate of completion that you will save and upload here. The training module should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.
  • For applications involving research with Indigenous Peoples, including the Indigenous-led settings pool:
    • This funding opportunity seeks applicants who self-identifies as Indigenous and/or can provide evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples. Applicants fulfilling this role must submit a one (1) page attachment named “Indigenous   Experience – Name” describing how they meet this requirement (mandatory).
  • Applicant Partner COI Document (required if applicable): Describe the contribution/role of all applicant partners, how/if they will contribute to research and research related activities, and any consideration of risk, including conflict of interest, as appropriate (maximum one [1] page).
• Participant Table (mandatory):
  • In table format, list all participants (including collaborators) with their affiliations, roles, expertise and discipline. You must clearly indicate alignment with criteria outlined in the Eligibility section for all key participants.
• Publication (optional):
  • List a maximum of ten (10) publications from the last five years relevant to the proposal (one [1] page maximum).

Task: Identify Application Partners (optional) – Upload Partner Information

• A “Partnership Details” form must be submitted for each partner providing cash and/or cash equivalent contributions.
• For each partner, upload a signed “Partner Letter” describing their role, activities, authorities, accountabilities and contributions (including intellectual, financial [cash or cash equivalent] and other resources).

Task: Peer Review Administration Information (optional)

• Suggest reviewers you feel have the expertise to review your application. CIHR reserves the right to make the final selection of external reviewers. You should not suggest reviewers in conflict of interest.

Task: Apply to Priority Announcement/Funding Pools

• Select the funding opportunity title under the “Priority Announcement/Funding Pool Title” drop-down list, then select the research area under the “List of Relevant Research Areas” drop-down list.
• You must select only one funding pool for your application. If you select more than one, your application will only be considered for the first one identified.
• Describe (in a half-page) how the research proposed will address the relevant research area. Please note that this will be used for relevance review along with your Research Proposal Summary.

Task: Print/Upload Signature Pages

• Required signatures:
  • Signatures must be included for all applicants (except collaborators), and individual(s) with signing authority from the Institution Paid.
  • Original signatures are not required. The scanned signed signature pages and the Routing Slip must be uploaded in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task in ResearchNet prior to submitting your application.  

Contact Information

For all inquiries, please contact:  

CIHR Contact Centre
Telephone: 613-954-1968 
Toll Free: 1-888-603-4178
Email: support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For service hours, please consult our Contact us page.

Sponsor Description

Partners

Health Canada
Health Canada is the federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances. It ensures that high-quality health services are accessible and works to reduce health risks.

By working with others, Health Canada strives to:

• Prevent and reduce risks to individual health and the overall environment;
• Promote healthier lifestyles;
• Ensure high quality health services that are efficient and accessible;
• Integrate renewal of the healthcare system with longer term plans in the areas of prevention, health promotion and protection;
• Reduce health inequalities in Canadian society; and
• Provide health information to help Canadians make informed decisions.

Internal Collaborators

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada’s health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.

CIHR – Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction
The Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA) supports research to enhance mental health, neurological health, vision, hearing, and cognitive functioning and to reduce the burden of related disorders through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.

Additional Information

Underserved children and youth populations:

Underserved children and youth populations may include, but are not limited to, those who: are Black or racialized, immigrant or refugee, identify as LGBTQ2S+, are gender diverse, have disabilities, live in remote and rural areas, are First Nations, Inuit, or Metis youth, are Urban Indigenous, use substances, have low socio-economic status, are homeless, etc.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and Indigenous Research considerations:

It is strongly encouraged that people with lived and/or living expertise are included in the research team to participate in study design, implementation, knowledge mobilization and/or other aspects of the research process, where appropriate. CIHR is committed to promoting the inclusion and advancement of groups historically excluded from science as one of the means to enhance excellence in research, training and knowledge translation. This means recognizing and reducing systemic barriers, mitigating biases, as well as including and benefiting from the full pool of talented researchers and trainees in the system. CIHR’s position on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is available in the Tri-Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Beyond efforts to bolster the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), CIHR recognizes that First Nations, Inuit and Métis are rights-holding as First Peoples of Canada, and initiatives should be developed through distinctions-based approaches, as found in the strategic plan Setting new directions to support Indigenous research and research training. 

See CIHR’s position on:

• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Research System
• Indigenous Rights as recognized by the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan, the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, and the Strengthening Indigenous Research Capacity Strategic Plan.
• Sex and Gender based analysis (SGBA+) available on the Sex and Gender in Health Research webpage.
  

For Applications that Involve Indigenous Peoples

This funding opportunity seeks applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or provide evidence of having meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples in order to:

• prioritize First Nations, Inuit, and Métis and/or Urban Indigenous Peoples and communities in leading their research agendas;
• promote cultural safety of and appropriate engagements by researchers working with Indigenous Peoples in meaningful ways to ensure that respectful relations are established;
• add value to the research using Indigenous culturally relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and Indigenous culturally appropriate research protocols, including Indigenous methodologies; and
• promote equity and development of trainees, researchers and knowledge users who are Indigenous.

OCAP®¹ and Distinctions-Based Approaches

The First Nations Principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP®) serve as an example of First Nations self-governance, but is distinct to First Nations and not distinct to Inuit, Métis, or Urban Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations. CIHR recognizes that a distinctions-based approach is needed to ensure that the unique rights, interests and circumstances of the First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Urban Indigenous communities are acknowledged, affirmed, and implemented.

Administration of Funds

Funds will only be released to the institution or organization identified as the Institution Paid.

If the Institution Paid is not already eligible to administer CIHR funds, it may be required to undergo a financial and eligibility review and sign a funding agreement, or the successful applicant may choose to have their funds administered by a CIHR eligible institution.

If your Institution Paid is not currently eligible to administer CIHR funding, please contact the Contact Centre to enquire about the process.

References

1. OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC).