ResearchNet - RechercheNet
Funding Opportunity Details
CIHR's Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR), in partnership with CIHR Institute of Aging (IA), Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH), Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH), Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH), Institute of Infection and Immunity (III), Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD), Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH), Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies (CRPPHE), Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (Capacity Building), Healthy Cities Research Initiative (HCRI), Michael Smith Health Research BC (Health Research BC), Fonds de recherche du Québec –Santé (FRQS) and Mitacs.
Important Dates
Competition |
202303HIF
CLOSED |
---|---|
Application Deadline | 2023-03-02 |
Anticipated Notice of Decision | 2023-08-02 |
Funding Start Date | 2023-09-01 |
Notices
The content of this funding opportunity has been updated
Date updated: 2023-02-14
Sections updated: Notices, How to Apply
An edit has been made to the How to Apply section. Please see Task: Apply to Priority Announcements/Funding Pools for details. (Updated: 2023-02-14)
Webinar
CIHR will be hosting webinar(s) to support participants with the requirements of this funding opportunity and to answer questions. To find out more information and to register, visit the Webinars page.
Partner Linkage Tool
CIHR is providing a Partner Linkage Tool that is intended to facilitate connections between applicants and organizations that are interested in embedding a Health System Impact PhD trainee and/or post-doctoral researcher within their team, should there be interest. This is not a mandatory tool. Information is provided on a volunteer basis and does not confer any advantages in the evaluation and funding of applications. The table will be updated weekly, until the application deadline. If you would like to use this tool, please complete a short survey. The information you provide will appear on a public CIHR web page. Please note that potential applicants are not required to use the linkage tool or contact those who have submitted their information.
Note: by way of submitting your application to CIHR, awardees and health system and academic supervisors consent to having their contact information shared with the CIHR partnering Institutes, external funding partners, and the National Cohort Training Program for the purpose of program delivery and administration of professional development training opportunities. For fellows interested in receiving Mitacs co-funding, the fellow’s contact information will be shared with Mitacs at the relevance review stage to receive a “Mitacs Memorandum” for signature. (Updated: 2023-01-06)
Table of Contents
Description
The Health System Impact (HSI) Fellowship provides an embedded research opportunity for highly-qualified PhD trainees and post-doctoral researchers studying health services and policy research (HSPR), or related fields. This is a unique opportunity for awardees to:
- apply their research and analytic talents to critical health system challenges that are being addressed by health system organizations (e.g., public, private for-profit, not-for-profit, and Indigenous health organizations) outside of the traditional university setting, and
- develop and expand professional experience, new skills, and networks.
While embedded in a health partner organization for the duration of their fellowship, awardees are exposed to how a health system organization works, how decisions are made, and how research and analytic skills contribute to an organization's rapid learning and improvement. Accordingly, the program also aims to build embedded research capacity in health system organizations to support the advancement of learning health systems (LHSs) across Canada.
The HSI Fellowship program contains a stream for doctoral trainees and a stream for post-doctoral researchers:
- Doctoral trainees receive a paid one-year experiential learning opportunity where they are embedded in their health system partner organization for at least 60% of their time focused on an impact-oriented project of direct relevance to their partner organization. The remaining time (up to 40%), is protected to continue with their doctoral program commitments*.
- Post-doctoral researchers receive a paid two-year experiential learning opportunity where they are embedded in their health system partner organization for at least 70% of their time focused on their impact-oriented program of work. The remaining time (up to 30%), is protected for academic research*.
- Both doctoral and post-doctoral awardees also receive:
- Co-mentorship from a health system leader within the health system partner organization and an academic supervisor at the awardee's affiliated university.
- Professional development training in a set of enriched core competencies and networking opportunities by way of participation in the HSI National Cohort Training Program and National Cohort Retreat.
*Flexibility in the time commitment will enable awardees to make meaningful contributions to an organization's impact goal, become immersed in the culture and operations of the organization, and benefit from mentorship by executive leaders, while also protecting time to continue with doctoral program commitments or post-doctoral academic research with an academic supervisor. This immersion in both the health system and academic communities, and the co-mentorship by a health system leader and an academic supervisor, are unique elements of the HSI Fellowship program.
Overall, the HSI Fellowship program blends research and professional competency development with practical, hands-on experience that is complemented with unique mentorship opportunities, designed to accelerate awardees' professional growth and better prepare them to embark on a wide range of career paths and with greater impact. It welcomes a diversity of types of projects and programs of work – including applied and/or community-based research, policy analysis, quality improvement, implementation science, intervention research, surveillance, and more – as long as the work relates to critical challenges in health care that are being addressed by the organization and that work contributes to achieving the health system organization's impact goal. The program is launched annually and examples of previously funded HSI Fellows, their host partner organizations, and programs of work can be found on CIHR's website.
Research Areas
This funding opportunity will support applications that focus on health services, health policy and/or health system challenges that are of high priority to the health system partner organization and align with IHSPR's mandate. Within this broad focus, the HSI Fellowship funding opportunity will support applications relevant to areas identified by Institute collaborators and competition partners. To be considered relevant for funding from:
- CIHR-IA: applications must focus on strategies in either of the two following areas: improving the Health and Well-being of People with Dementia and Informal and Formal Caregivers* and/or Improving the Care, Programs and Services for People Living with Cognitive impairment or Dementia.
- CIHR-ICR: applications must align with the Institute's mandate and one or more of the following research areas: Cancer Prevention, Targeting High Fatality/Hard to Treat Cancers through Early Detection and Emerging Therapeutics, Health Economics/Health Services Research in Cancer Control, or Addressing Equity in Cancer Control.
- CIHR-ICRH: applications must align with the Institute's mandate and strategic priorities.
- CIHR-IHDCYH: applications must align with the Institute's mandate and the interlinked priorities of Inspiring Healthy Futures – A Vision for Canada's Children, Youth and Families.
- CIHR-IHSPR: applications must align with the Institute's mandate and one or more of its strategic research priorities, and/or innovative community-led health system solutions in Indigenous communities.
- CIHR-IIPH: applications must align with the Institute's mandate and address anti-Indigenous racism and cultural safety.
- CIHR-III: applications must align with the Institute's strategic research priorities.
- CIHR-IMHA: applications must align with the Institute's mandate.
- CIHR-INMD: applications must align with the Institute's mandate.
- CIHR-IPPH Equitable AI: applications must align with the Institute's mandate and IPPH's Equitable AI Initiative. The goal of this stream is to catalyze Provincial, Territorial and Federal public health agencies to work collectively in building capacity to use AI approaches for tackling real-world public health challenges.
- CIHR-IPPH: applications must align with the Institute's mandate and with one of the following priority areas identified in Transforming Public Health: IPPH Strategic Plan 2022-2026: 1) Equity Science and/or 2) Public Health Systems.
- CIHR-CRPPHE: applications must align with the Research Centre's overall goal of protecting the health of all people in Canada by developing and mobilizing health research for pandemic and health emergency preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery that contributes meaningfully to timely, equitable, and effective decision-making.
- CIHR-Drug Safety and Effectiveness (Capacity-Building): applications must increase evidence on drug safety and effectiveness available to regulators, policy-makers, health care providers and patients, and to build capacity within Canada to undertake high-quality post-market research in this area. Examples of areas of focus in drug safety and effectiveness include but are not limited to: integrating health data and Real-World Evidence (RWE) to inform decisions on drug safety and effectiveness and other key regulatory aspects; advancing the application of RWE in drug safety and effectiveness; pharmacoepidemiology, and drug policy and its impact on health and healthcare; health policy and biostatistics relating to drug safety and effectiveness/clinical therapeutics; and advancing approaches to the use of administrative data and drug safety and effectiveness research.
- CIHR-HCRI: applications must align with the Healthy Cities Research Initiative's (HCRI) goal and objectives.
- Health Research BC: applications must involve a BC-based host partner organization and an academic institution located in BC.
- FRQS: applications must involve host partner organizations and academic institutions located in Quebec.
- Mitacs: applications must involve a host partner organization that meets its partner organization eligibility criteria (for-profit, not-for-profit organizations, hospitals and municipalities in Canada). HSI researchers (post-doctoral only) that are co-funded by CIHR and Mitacs will have access to the Mitacs professional development training program in addition to the enriched core competency and national cohort training described below in Conditions of Funding.
*Caregiver: For this funding opportunity, "caregiver" is defined as any person that provides care for an older adult. This includes caregivers that are paid, unpaid, formal, informal, family, friends, and neighbors. Caregiving in every health sector will be considered (i.e., home and community care, long term care, rehabilitation, primary care, and/or acute care), and is broadly defined and could include those providing personal care, assistance with activities of daily living, transportation assistance, helping with housework, house maintenance, outdoor work, coordinating appointments, managing finances, assisting with medical treatments/care.
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 awards received as a result of this funding opportunity.
- The total amount available for this funding opportunity from CIHR is $4,140,500 enough to fund approximately 49 awards. An additional $287,000 is available from Health Research BC, $137,500 is available from FRQS and $440,000 is available from Mitacs. The combined total amount available is $5,005,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate.
- Funds are allocated across two mutually exclusive streams. Further breakdown of funding by region and organization is detailed below in Distribution of Funding within Streams.
- HSI Award for Doctoral Trainees (Stream A): The maximum amount per award is $50,000 per year for up to 1 year. Of this:
- Stipend: $45,000
- Professional development training and research allowance: $5,000
- HSI Awards for Post-Doctoral Researchers (Stream B): The maximum amount per award is $155,000 total for 2 years. Of this:
- Stipend: $70,000 per year
- Professional development training and research allowance: $7,500 per year
- HSI Award for Doctoral Trainees (Stream A): The maximum amount per award is $50,000 per year for up to 1 year. Of this:
- CIHR, Health Research BC, FRQS and Mitacs will contribute up to a maximum of 70% of the total award value (i.e., $35,000 of the $50,000 doctoral award, and $108,500 of the $155,000 post-doctoral award). See relevant research areas for further information.
- Applicants must secure the remaining 30% of the award value in cash from the host partner organization at the time of application (see Eligibility section). The host partner organization must have the financial resources to support all the applications for which they have committed to providing an experiential learning opportunity. The host partner is permitted to secure alternative sources of funding (e.g., contributions from other organization(s) interested in supporting the fellowship)* so long as the 30% contribution is confirmed at time of application. Contributions from existing CIHR or Tri-Council grant funds are ineligible.
Distribution of Funding within Streams:
Note: The location of the host employer partner organization defines the applicant's regional funding pool. Applicants must select a maximum of one funding pool to which to apply.
- HSI Award for Doctoral Trainees (Stream A):
- Of the combined total amount available, $175,000 is available to fund 5 doctoral awards relevant to CIHR-IHSPR and is allocated among 4 regional funding pools as follows:
- Doctoral Western 1-year: $35,000 is available to fund 1 award in Western Canada (including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia)
- Doctoral Central 1-year: $35,000 is available to fund 1 award in Central Canada (including Quebec and Ontario)
- Doctoral Eastern 1-year: $70,000 is available to fund 2 awards in Eastern Canada (including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick)
- Doctoral Northern 1-year: $35,000 is available to fund 1 award in Northern Canada (including Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut)
- Additionally:
- $70,000 is available from CIHR-ICR to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $35,000 is available from CIHR-IIPH to fund 1 award in any region that aligns with its relevant research areas
- $35,000 is available from CIHR-III to fund 1 award in any region that aligns with its relevant research areas
- $70,000 is available from CIHR-IPPH to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its Equitable AI relevant research area and where the trainee will be hosted at a provincial or Federal public health agency
- $35,000 is available from CIHR-IPPH to fund 1 award in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $70,000 is available from CIHR-CRPPHE to fund 2 awards in any region that aligns with the mandate and objectives of the Research Centre
- $70,000 is available from CIHR- Drug Safety and Effectiveness (Capacity-Building) to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $70,000 is available from Health Research BC to co-fund awards in British Columbia (Doctoral Western 1-year) that meet its relevance requirements, as outlined in relevant research areas
- $17,500 is available from FRQS to co-fund an award in Quebec (Doctoral Central 1-year) that meets its relevance requirements, as outlined in its relevant research areas
- $90,000 is available from Mitacs through its Accelerate training program to co-fund awards in any region that meet its relevance requirements, as outlined in relevant research areas. The maximum amount per award is $15,000 (with the balance co-funded by CIHR and the host partner organization). See Additional Information for further details of Mitacs funding.
- Of the combined total amount available, $175,000 is available to fund 5 doctoral awards relevant to CIHR-IHSPR and is allocated among 4 regional funding pools as follows:
- HSI Awards for Post-Doctoral Fellows (Stream B):
- Of the combined total amount available, $1,085,000 is available to fund 10 post-doctoral awards relevant to CIHR-IHSPR allocated among 5 regional funding pools as follows:
- Post-Doctoral Western 2-year: $217,000 is available to fund 2 awards in Western Canada (including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia)
- Post-Doctoral Central 2-year: $217,000 is available to fund 2 awards in Central Canada (including Ontario and Quebec)
- Post-Doctoral Eastern 2-year: $325,500 is available to fund 3 awards in Eastern Canada (including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick)
- Post-Doctoral Northern 2-year: $217,000 is available to fund 2 awards in Northern Canada (including Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut)
- Post-Doctoral International 2-year: $108,500 is available to fund 1 award at pre-approved international host organizations. Refer to the Partner Linkage Tool to find eligible international host partners.
- Additionally:
- $217,000 is available from CIHR-IA to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $217,000 is available from CIHR-ICR to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $217,000 is available from CIHR-ICRH to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $217,000 is available from CIHR-IHDCYH to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $108,500 is available from CIHR-IIPH to fund 1 award in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $108,500 is available from CIHR-III to fund 1 award in any region that aligns with its relevant research areas
- $325,500 is available from CIHR-IMHA to fund 3 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $108,500 is available from CIHR-INMD to fund 1 award in any region that align with its relevant research areas
- $217,000 is available from CIHR-IPPH to fund 2 awards in any region that align with its Equitable AI relevant research area and where the trainee will be hosted at a provincial or Federal public health agency
- $108,500 is available from CIHR-IPPH to fund 1 award in any region that align with its Priority Areas relevant research areas
- $217,000 is available from CIHR-CRPPHE to fund 2 awards in any region that aligns with the mandate and objectives of the Research Centre
- $434,000 is available from CIHR-HCRI to fund 4 awards in any region that align with its relevant research areas.
- $217,000 is available from Health Research BC to co-fund awards in British Columbia (Post-Doctoral Western 2-year) that meet its relevance requirements as outlined in its relevant research areas
- $120,000 is available from FRQS to co-fund awards in Quebec (Post-Doctoral Central 2-year) that meet its relevance requirements, as outlined in its relevant research areas
- $350,000 is available from Mitacs through its Elevate training programs to co-fund awards in any region that meet its relevance requirements, as outlined in relevant research areas. The maximum amount per award is $25,000 per annum (with the balance co-funded by CIHR and the host partner organization). See Additional Information for further details of Mitacs funding.
- Of the combined total amount available, $1,085,000 is available to fund 10 post-doctoral awards relevant to CIHR-IHSPR allocated among 5 regional funding pools as follows:
*The New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF) and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) have expressed interest in supporting all or a portion of the 30% host partner organization funding contribution for applicants working with host partner organizations in their respective provinces as follows:
- The NBHRF will support awards (as long as funds permit) for successful applicants working with host partner organizations in New Brunswick and that have an academic supervisor at a New Brunswick academic institution. The NBHRF will commit the full 30% partner contribution for up to 1 doctoral trainee (Doctoral Eastern 1-year) and up to 1 post-doctoral researcher (Post-Doctoral Eastern 2-year).
- The SHRF will support awards (as long as funds permit) for successful applicants working with host partner organizations in Saskatchewan and that have an academic supervisor at a Saskatchewan academic institution. The SHRF will commit the full 30% partner contribution for doctoral trainees (Doctoral Western 1-year) or post-doctoral researchers (Post-Doctoral Western 2-years) working with public or not-for-profit organizations.
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Objectives
The Health System Impact Fellowship objectives are to:
- Support impact-oriented career paths and elevate the career readiness of doctoral trainees and post-doctoral researchers studying Health Services and Policy Research (HSPR) or related fields by supporting embedded research opportunities within health system organizations (e.g., public, private for-profit, not-for-profit, and Indigenous health organizations) outside of the traditional university environment, enriched competency development (e.g., leadership, project management) and opportunities for mentorship and networking.
- Expand and enrich the traditional doctoral and post-doctoral training environment by engaging health system organizations in preparing a cadre of promising doctoral trainees and post-doctoral researchers for impact-oriented careers in academic and health system organizations; and
- Provide health system organizations with direct opportunities to realize and harness the benefits that research-trained individuals can bring to such organizations for rapid learning, improvement and evidence-informed decision-making that will advance the Quadruple Aim and health equity.
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Eligibility
Eligibility to Apply
For an application to be eligible:
- The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be one of the following:
- Stream A: a trainee who is enrolled full-time in a doctoral degree and studying HSPR or related fields* for their doctoral training at Canadian CIHR eligible institution and who has not previously held a HSI doctoral award.
- Stream B: a trainee who has obtained their doctoral degree in a HSPR or related field* and who has not previously held a HSI post-doctoral award.
- For the purpose of this funding opportunity, trainees cannot hold or be on leave from an independent research position.
- The NPA must not be a current or past employee of their proposed host partner organization or a current owner or shareholder of their proposed host partner organization (unless the candidate falls within the special case exception – see FAQ document [ PDF (323 KB) ] for definition of current or past employee).
- A health system supervisor that is a decision maker from a health system or related organization** (and who is a different individual than the academic supervisor – see below) that has committed to hosting the trainee for the experiential learning opportunity must be identified as the Primary Supervisor.
- By committing to hosting a fellow, the health system supervisor:
- Confirms its organization will contribute the 30% partnership funding towards the award
- Confirms its organization has a mechanism to pay the 30% funding to the awardee (either via transfer agreement to the awardee's academic institution or direct to the awardee)
- Confirms its commitment to supervising and mentoring the awardee for the duration of the fellowship (see Review Criteria and How to Apply for details)
- Eligibility for Mitacs funding requires that the host partner organization's 30% contribution flow through Mitacs to the awardee. Primary Supervisors from the host partner organizations must indicate in their letter of support whether they provide consent to flow their funds through Mitacs (see Additional Information section).
Note: While universities and university-based research institutes may play an important role in the HSI program, they are not eligible host partner organizations in this funding opportunity.
- By committing to hosting a fellow, the health system supervisor:
- An academic supervisor who has an academic appointment with a university-based graduate training program in Canada (and who is a different individual than the health system supervisor) must be identified as the Supervisor.
- Stream A: the academic supervisor must be the trainee's primary PhD supervisor.
- Stream B: the academic supervisor must secure the awardee with post-doctoral status at the university by the start date of the award.
- For any applications involving Indigenous Health Research, the NPA, health system supervisor and the academic supervisor must 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 Metis 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 through the use of 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 of Indigenous ancestry.
- For awards held within host partner organizations located in Canada, the NPA may be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or citizen of another country. For awards held within host partner organizations located outside Canada (i.e., international pool), the NPA must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. In all scenarios, the fellow must be registered at an eligible institution (see the CIHR Application Administration Guide – Part 4) at the time of the award start date.
- Applying for other awards: A candidate can apply for the HSI award and other federal awards programs (e.g., Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS D), Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS), Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (Banting PDF), Mitacs Accelerate in the same year (see Conditions of Funding, holding other awards, below).
- The applicant must complete one of CIHR's three interactive modules on sex and gender in research and include the completion certificate with their HSI Fellowship application (see How to Apply section for further details).
- Applicants are permitted to submit only one application per HSI Fellowship competition.
*Examples of HSPR or related fields include, but are not limited to, population health, health economics, health policy, Indigenous Peoples' health, artificial intelligence, public health, epidemiology, gerontology, data science, etc. See How to Apply for more information.
**A health system or related host partner organization may be a public, private for-profit, or not-for-profit organization at the local, regional, provincial/territorial, or federal/national level (e.g., national health or health-related organization, Indigenous health organization [community-based or other, such as an Indigenous non-governmental organization], ministry of health, community hospital, academic teaching hospital, health authority, quality council, public health organization, health charity, consulting firm undertaking health or health-related work, pharmaceutical company, health-related professional association). With the addition of an international stream, international health system host partner organizations that are featured in the Partner Linkage Tool are also eligible to participate as a host partner organization. A health system or related host partner organization is defined as an organization that contributes to: direct service delivery; mandated quality monitoring; the development of policy or programs that affects the health of individuals, populations and/or the health system; the development, provision or evaluation of technologies/products/services; or consulting services aimed at improving health outcomes and/or health system effectiveness and efficiency. Eligible international host organizations must be multinational in scope, include Canada as a country in its multinational partnership/membership, and offer a health services and policy research-relevant project to prospective applicants that is applicable to the Canadian context with potential to generate learnings for Canada. (Updated: 2023-01-06)
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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) to determine if an expenditure is an appropriate use of grant funds.
To further clarify, the following expenses are examples of appropriate uses of grant funds (i.e., the professional development and research allowance portion of the award), 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 the Indigenous community.
For this funding opportunity only, the following statement(s) apply:
- The professional development training and research allowance is primarily intended for, but not limited to:
- Costs related to travel and accommodation required for the national cohort meeting (if held in person, pending evolution of the COVID-19 context); and
- Fees associated with professional competency development or equivalent training that aligns with the enriched core competencies.
Conditions of Funding
- The applicant 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 award must be accepted within 15 working days of the date of offer or the award will be cancelled and potentially offered to the next fundable applicant.
- Proof of PhD registration / completion:
- Stream A (doctoral) applicants: Proof of PhD registration: Official confirmation of their registration in a doctoral program at a Canadian eligible CIHR institution and proof that they are studying HSPR or related fields.
- Stream B (post-doctoral) applicants: Proof of PhD completion: Official confirmation (via a letter from their Program Director or equivalent) that they have completed their PhD requirements (PhD graduation, PhD oral defense, or at minimum have a confirmed oral defense date scheduled within two months of the award start date).
- For Canadian and Permanent Resident applicants who are seeking support to hold their award abroad, the award will only begin after the following documents have been provided:
- proof of Canadian Citizenship or Canadian Permanent Residency;
- proof of visa to enter the foreign country.
- For Canadian and Permanent Resident applicants who are seeking support to hold their award abroad, the award will only begin after the following documents have been provided:
- CIHR funding is conditional on continuing financial support from the host partner organization.
- Start date: The CIHR funding start date must be September 1, 2023, and the experiential learning opportunity start date within the host organization must be clearly specified in the application.
- Percentage of time embedded within host partner organization (note: this includes virtual embeddedness, due to the COVID-19 pandemic):
- Stream A: Doctoral awardees must devote between 60-100% of their time to working with their host partner organization on a project/program of work that is relevant to that organization, as outlined in the application. The remaining percentage of time (if any) must be spent on their doctoral program commitments (e.g., course work, comprehensive exam, dissertation) with their academic supervisor. Within this 100% time commitment, awardees must pursue activities related to professional competency development and participate in national cohort meetings.
- Stream B: Post-doctoral awardees must devote between 70-100% of their time working with their host partner organization on a program of work that is relevant to that organization, as outlined in the application. The remaining percentage of time (if any) must be spent on academic research and related activities (e.g., publishing thesis manuscripts, teaching at the university, advancing an existing program of research and/or developing a new one) under the supervision of their academic supervisor. The academic research may align with or be complementary to the focus of the experiential learning opportunity, but this is not required. Within this 100% time commitment, awardees must pursue activities related to professional competency development and participate in national cohort meetings.
Note: 60% is defined as on average, 3 days per week (based on a 37.5 hour work week). However, the 60-100% time does not need to be allotted equally on a weekly basis for the fellowship duration. A few illustrative examples are included in the FAQ document [ PDF (323 KB) ].
- Meetings: Award recipients are required to attend:
- An orientation workshop at the start of the award period (held virtually) hosted by CIHR-IHSPR.
- The annual HSI National Cohort Retreat, organized by the National Cohort Training Program (NCTP). If meetings are held in-person, the research and professional development training allowance is available to cover travel and accommodation expenses incurred. More information about the cohort and meetings will be provided at the beginning of the funding period.
- Professional development:
- Award recipients must pursue professional development training that aligns with the enriched core competencies. Awardees must identify at least three enriched core competencies to target for development over the course of their award. The research and professional development training allowance is available to cover expenses incurred.
- Holding other awards: In some cases, a candidate can hold this award and other federal awards (e.g., CGS-D, Vanier CGS) simultaneously. However, a candidate cannot receive funding from these other federal awards at the same time. A Request for Deferment of Start Date or Interruption of Award [ PDF (234 KB) - external link ] from the other federal funding sources must be granted before funding for the HSI Fellowship will be administered. As per the Tri-agency Research Training Award Holder's Guide, the maximum Deferment / Interruption is 12 months, which has implications for post-doctoral applicants that are offered or hold another federal multi-year post-doctoral award at the time of HSI Fellowship program application or notice of decision (e.g., applicants that are awarded both a HSI award and a CIHR Fellowship or Banting PDF in the same year will not be permitted to accept both since the duration of the HSI post-doctoral program is two years).
- For the purpose of this funding opportunity, the following are notpermitted:
- A Deferment (all awards must start on September 1, 2023)
- Paid or unpaid leaves for the purpose of other relevant work experience or to take up another award.
- Reporting:
- Enriched Core Competency Self-Assessments. CIHR-IHSPR will share further details at the beginning of the funding period.
- A final report including an Impact Narrative. Requirements for these reports will be provided by CIHR-IHSPR prior to the report due dates. These reports will be shared with competition partners, and a synthesis of findings across reports will be shared with the Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance and host partner organizations.
- The awardee will be required to contribute to the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes by participating in evaluation studies, surveys, workshops, audits and providing data or reports as required for the purpose of collecting information to assess progress and results.
- Mitacs funding: HSI awardees qualifying for Mitacs co-funding will be required to sign (along with their primary host partner and academic supervisors) the Mitacs memorandum [ Zip File (1,488 KB) - external link ] for either the Accelerate or Elevate program. Eligibility for Mitacs funding requires that the host partner organization's 30% contribution flow through Mitacs to the awardee. Mitacs co-funding includes access to the Elevate curriculum and professional development courses, which align with the HSI program enriched core competencies. For more information please review the Additional Information section.
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Review Process and Evaluation
Relevance Review Process
CIHR-IHSPR will conduct an initial relevance review to identify applications that are in alignment with the objectives and research areas of this funding opportunity. Applications that are not deemed relevant will be withdrawn from the competition. Subsequently, CIHR Institutes and Partners will conduct relevance reviews to identify applications that are in alignment with their respective research areas.
To conduct relevance review, CIHR and Partners must have access to various information submitted by applicants (e.g., project titles, summaries, full applications, etc.). Therefore, by applying to this funding opportunity, candidates agree to the sharing of information with Partners.
Review Process
A CIHR review committee will evaluate the full applications. Members will include researchers and leaders from health system organizations with relevant expertise. Committee members are selected based on suggestions from many sources including the institute(s)/branch(es) and partner(s), following the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of Federal Research Funding Organizations.
Peer review will be conducted in accordance with the CIHR Reviewers' Guide for the HSI Program. An extract from this guide demonstrating how each criterion will be assessed is included in the Additional Information section. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review it.
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.
- Achievements and potential of the Nominated Principal Applicant and Relevance to HSI Program Objectives (25%):
- Professional achievements and leadership potential (e.g., personal achievement, community engagement, civic engagement, volunteerism, goal achievement, involvement in work/academic life, other), given training/career stage.
- Academic achievements and activities given career stage.
- For applications involving Indigenous Health Research: demonstration of the capacity and track record to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way
- Quality of the host partner organization's and academic institution's training environment, supervision and mentorship (35%):
- Quality of mentorship plan, including demonstration of commitment to: meaningfully embed and integrate the applicant within the organization; advance and support the applicant's professional development, career preparedness and potential for impact; co-train and co-mentor the applicant in a dual mentorship model involving both supervisors working together in support of the applicant.
- Demonstration of supervisors' (health system and academic) commitment to program objectives; track record of expertise in health services and policy or related fields (e.g., health systems, population and public health, data science, epidemiology, health policy, service delivery, etc.); and capacity within their organizational roles to support and act upon (i.e., implement) the applicant's impact-oriented program of work.
- Quality and fit of the learning environment (host partner organization and university), given applicant's motivation for applying and targeted enriched core competencies.
- Demonstration of the supervisors' commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the training environments, professional development training activities, mentorship and/or other activities, as applicable. Additional guidance can be found on the Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research webpage.
- For applications involving Indigenous Health Research: demonstration of the capacity and track record of both supervisors to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way, and the conduciveness of the training environment to supporting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous self-determination.
- Quality, potential impact and feasibility of the applicant's project/program of work proposal (20%)
- Clarity of the rationale for how the project/program of work proposal addresses a critical challenge/impact goal faced by the host partner organization (i.e., importance and relevance) and the impact potential within the organization.
- Appropriateness of project/program of work approach, the defined outcomes in relation to the impact goal, and the knowledge translation/knowledge user engagement strategy.
- Feasibility of project/program of work proposal (i.e., scope of work in relation to the duration of the award and strength of analysis of potential risks and challenges to implementing the work).
- Quality and appropriateness of the integration of sex and gender in the project/program of work approach.
- Evidence of a concrete commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (refer to Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research) and its intentional and appropriate incorporation into the embedded research approach
- For projects involving Indigenous Health Research:
- demonstration that the proposed project/program of work respects Indigenous values and ways of knowing and sharing, aligns with CIHR's definition of Indigenous Health Research, and demonstrates appropriate consideration of TCPS 2: Chapter 9 - Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada.
- Description of how the research project will address the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the self-determination and self-governance of Indigenous Peoples, such as following the First Nations Principles of OCAP®1 (Ownership, Control, Access and Possession), or other principles of Indigenous self-determination, as appropriate.
- Potential impact and value-add to the applicant and the host partner organization (20%)
- Strength, clarity and relevance of the applicant's statement of motivation for applying, including the rationale for the three targeted enriched core competencies for development and the extent to which the HSI award will add value to the trainee's doctoral or post-doctoral training and advance the trainee's career objectives.
- Potential impact and value-add to the organization of hosting the applicant (i.e., what will be achieved that could not without the fellow?)
For further information on the evaluation criteria, see Additional Information.
Funding Decision
Upon completion of peer review, CIHR and partners will receive the ranking list, ratings and recommendations on funding level and award term for the applications that fall in the fundable range and have been determined to be relevant to the specific research areas and objectives of the initiative.
Funding decisions will be made in order to maximize funding per pool allocation while respecting rank order for all fundable applications. Awards are allocated by regional funding pool first, and then "additional funds" are allocated in rank order by application score among remaining applications.
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.
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How to Apply
How to Apply
- The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of one step: Full Application
- All documents must be uploaded as unprotected PDF documents and not exceed 30 MB.
- Any other information that exceeds the character limits, or is not required, will be removed from the application prior to peer review.
- As this is a unique funding opportunity, only some of the components of the general Fellowship Awards – Application Instructions will apply. Specific instructions stating what is required are found below.
- All participants listed will:
- Require a CIHR PIN.
- Complete the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Self-identification Questionnaire.
- Reminder to applicants: Please ensure that your application is complete (includes all required signatures) and is submitted on time to CIHR.
- CIHR cannot legally accept an application until the "Consent and Submit" task is completed on ResearchNet.
- In order to ensure fairness in the evaluation of applications, CIHR will not accept updates to applications after the application submission.
- Note: When completing the application, applicants must protect the privacy and confidentiality of all potential team members, staff, collaborators, etc. How an individual self-identifies is personal and confidential information, which must not be disclosed without consent.
Specific instructions to complete your ResearchNet application
Task: Identify Participants
- List all participants in this task:
- The Nominated Principal Applicant (the doctoral trainee or post-doctoral researcher);
- The Primary Supervisor (health system supervisor from the health system or related organization); and
- The Supervisor (academic supervisor).
- All participants listed above are required to submit a CIHR Biosketch CV and must enter a confirmation number. A CIHR Biosketch CV template already exists in the Canadian Common CV (CCV) system. If a Biosketch confirmation number does not exist for a participant, they need to log into the CCV system to create one. Additional information can be found on CIHR Biosketch – Quick Reference Guide webpage.
Task: Enter Proposal Information
- As per the Fellowship Awards – Application Instructions, with the following modifications:
- Details:
- Primary location where research will be conducted: enter the name of the host partner organization. The location of the host partner organization must correspond to the regional pool identified by the applicant.
- Institution paid: enter your academic institution or your host partner organization if it is a CIHR eligible institution authorized to administer grant and award funds. Note: For HSI awardees that would like to by co-funded by CIHR and Mitacs, the academic institution must be entered as the Institution paid.
- Percentage of Time Spent on Different Activities: not required
- Descriptors:
- Suggested Institutes (Categories): not required
- Details:
- Research Proposal:
- The project/program of work proposal (referred as "Research Proposal" in ResearchNet) includes the work plan table, references, charts, tables and figures. Follow the instructions detailed below in formatting your proposal.
- Important: Research proposals written in French will be allowed to submit additional pages, 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:
- 7 pages when the Research proposal is written in English, each section with their own limits as described below.
- 8.5 pages when the Research proposal is written in French, each section to be expanded accordingly
Note: Any pages over the limit described above will be removed with no further notification to the Nominated Principal Applicant.
- The proposal must include the following headings and follow the indicated English page limit restrictions (each section to be expanded accordingly in French).
- Motivation for Applying and Value-Add (1 page max. English. See Evaluation Criteria #4)
- Outline:
- Your motivation for applying, what you hope to achieve with your HSI award, how it will strengthen your skills and advance your ability to achieve your career goals, how it will enrich your overall doctoral/post-doctoral training, and your rationale for the top three enriched core competencies identified for development.
- Why your host partner organization and academic institution are ideal training environments given your motivations for applying and your targeted enriched competencies for professional growth.
- Outline:
- Relevant Accomplishments and Abilities (1/2 page max. English. Evaluation Criteria #1)
To complement the information available in your CIHR Biosketch CV, briefly highlight your top professional and academic accomplishments and skills relevant to the HSI Program objectives (e.g., knowledge translation, policy development, publications, presentations, employment, specialized training, volunteer contributions, mentorship). - Training Environment and Support (1.5 pages English. See Evaluation Criteria #2)
Note: This section is to be completed primarily by your health system and academic supervisors, in collaboration with you, and must address Evaluation Criteria #2.
Describe:- The environment the trainee will be working within, including virtual/remote environments (e.g., independently or within a team, engagement in internal and external meetings, access to data, connections to key stakeholders and decision makers relevant to the projects, access to office space and supplies, etc.), and how it is an equitable and inclusive training environment;
- The mentorship and professional development training plan designed to accelerate the trainee's professional growth, including the enriched core competencies the supervisors (health system and academic) will help the trainee develop and implement (e.g., specific courses/workshops, training opportunities, experiential learning, conferences and meetings, creating a committee of health system and academic mentors, virtual/remote training opportunities), and how a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion will be incorporated in the plan;
- The support (from both the organization and university) that will be provided to help the trainee accomplish the project/program of work (e.g., methods training, introductions to key partners and stakeholders, access to required data and training on how to use);
- How the health system and academic supervisors will work together as a team to jointly train, mentor and supervise the trainee, and whether this collaboration builds on an existing relationship;
- How the supervisors' track record and expertise in health services and policy or related fields (e.g., health systems, population and public health, data science, epidemiology, health policy, service delivery, etc.), and roles within their respective organizations, will be leveraged to support the applicant's training, mentorship, professional development and project/program impact.
- The anticipated strategies the host partner organization will use to achieve the HSI program objective that organizations "harness the benefits that research-trained individuals can bring for improved decision-making."
- For applications involving Indigenous Health Research: the capacity and track record of both supervisors to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way, and the conduciveness of the training environment to supporting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous self-determination.
- Proposed Project/Program of Work Proposal (2 pages max. English. See Evaluation Criteria #3)
In collaboration with your health system supervisor and academic supervisor, outline the project/program of work you will undertake within your partner organization in accordance with Evaluation Criteria #3. - Work Plan Table (1 page max. English.)
Include a one-page document detailing anticipated key activities, milestones and deliverables for the program of work within the host partner organization (e.g., Gantt chart or other). - References, Tables, Charts, Figures (1 page max. English.)
Include up to one page of references, tables, charts and/or figures relevant to your proposal.
- Motivation for Applying and Value-Add (1 page max. English. See Evaluation Criteria #4)
Task: Attach Other Application Materials
- Letters of Support: Letters of Support from Primary Supervisor (health system) and Supervisor (academic):
- Supervisors are encouraged to review the Evaluation Criteria, (particularly #3 and #4), upon which the applicant's proposal and letters of support will be assessed.
- Primary Supervisor Letter (letter 1): Attach one letter of support from the Primary Supervisor (health system) with the following minimum specifications:
- The name of the Primary Supervisor and their position within the organization, and how they meet the requirement of a decision maker (see eligibility requirement #2);
- For applications involving Indigenous Health Research, demonstration of the supervisor's capacity and track record to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way.
- The organization's impact goal and the anticipated impact and value the HSI awardee will bring to the organization (see Evaluation Criteria #3 and #4b);
- The commitment to provide the fellow with a 1-year (for Stream A) or 2-year (for Stream B) experiential learning opportunity including a commitment to engage with the applicant and their academic supervisor to develop a high-quality, relevant and feasible mentorship and professional development training plan;
- The percentage of the applicant's time that will be committed to the proposed program of work (60-100% for Stream A; 70-100% for Stream B) and the start date of the experiential learning opportunity within the organization;
- Protection of the balance of the applicant's time, if any, for the trainee to continue with their doctoral program commitments (for Stream A) or academic research (for Stream B);
- Confirmation of the minimum 30% host partner organization cash contribution
- Applicants with a New Brunswick host partner organization who wish to have the NBHRF provide the 30% partner contribution must include a letter of funding confirmation from the NBHRF that also attests that the applicant is eligible for NBHRF funds (contact: Leah Carr)
- Applicants with a Saskatchewan host partner organization who wish to have SHRF provide the 30% partner contribution or a portion thereof must include a letter of funding confirmation from SHRF that also attests that the applicant is eligible for SHRF funds (contact: Karen Tilsley)
- Provision for the trainee to participate in professional development training that aligns with the enriched HSPR core competencies; and
- Attestation that the applicant is not a current or past employee of the host partner organization or that the organization and applicant fit the special exception case (Refer to FAQ document [ PDF (323 KB) ] for the definition of "current or past employee" and the definition of "special exception case").
Note: The application may qualify for co-funding by Mitacs. Please review the Mitacs memorandum [ Zip File (1,488 KB) - external link ] and clearly indicate in your letter your consent to flow your 30% host partner contribution to the fellow through Mitacs.
- Supervisor Letter (letter 2): Attach one letter of support from the Supervisor (academic) with the following minimum specifications:
- The name of the Supervisor, their academic position within the university, and their primary departmental affiliation;
- Confirmation that the Supervisor's research and expertise is in HSPR or relevant fields (e.g., departmental affiliation, relevant grants and awards);
- For applications involving Indigenous Health Research, demonstration of the supervisor's capacity and track record to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way.
- Protection of 60-100% of the applicant's time for experiential learning within the host partner organization;
- Provision of academic supervision for the remaining percentage of time (if any) on doctoral program commitments (for Stream A) or academic research (for Stream B) and for the embedded program of work undertaken with the Primary Supervisor, as needed;
- The commitment to engage with the applicant and their host partner organization supervisor to develop a high-quality, relevant and feasible mentorship and professional development training plan for the applicant;
- Provision for the trainee to participate in professional development training that aligns with the enriched HSPR core competencies; and
- For Stream A (doctoral trainee) applicants: Confirmation that the NPA is a doctoral trainee at the university, will remain enrolled in the doctoral program throughout the duration of the HSI award, and is supervised by the Supervisor
- For Stream B (post-doctoral) applicants: Confirmation that the trainee is a post-doctoral researcher of the university (or will be by the award start date)
- Primary Supervisor Letter (letter 1): Attach one letter of support from the Primary Supervisor (health system) with the following minimum specifications:
- Supervisors are encouraged to review the Evaluation Criteria, (particularly #3 and #4), upon which the applicant's proposal and letters of support will be assessed.
- Other: Attach the following under document type "Other":
- Label as "SGBA Certificate of Completion" – Mandatory (Maximum 1 page):
- After completing the appropriate training module that applies to the research project, the NPA will receive a certificate of completion that you will save and upload here. The training module should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.
- N.B. The certificate was previously issued as a secured document. If the certificate is secured, to successfully append the document to the application, the NPA must upload an unsecured PDF copy. The certificate can be saved as an unsecured PDF by using print screen or by scanning the document.
- Label as "Indigenous Health Research" – Mandatory if applicable (Maximum 2 pages), only for applications involving Indigenous Health Research / Indigenous Peoples: This funding opportunity seeks applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) and/or applicants who have experience of meaningful and culturally safe engagement with Indigenous Peoples. Applicants proposing research specifically involving Indigenous Health Research must therefore upload a free-style document to describe how they meet this requirement.
Impact of COVID-19
To take into account the impact of COVID-19 on the reduced ability to conduct research during the lockdown and progressive return to work, an additional 1 page can be attached in the "Attach Other Application Materials" section of your application outlining how the applicants were affected, depending on their stage of career, personal situations and area of research.
- Label as "SGBA Certificate of Completion" – Mandatory (Maximum 1 page):
- Official transcripts – Mandatory (for Stream A - Doctoral applicants only): Applicants are required to provide the following documents, uploaded as one single PDF document under "Transcripts" in the "Attach Other Application Materials" task:
- Official transcripts* of the applicant's complete academic record to date (this includes all undergraduate and graduate studies, completed or ongoing). Instructions below must also be followed:
- One copy of the legend (reverse of each transcript) must be included;
- Original copies of any uploaded transcripts must be retained since they may be requested by CIHR for verification purposes at any point in the process.
* For the fall 2022 scholarships and fellowships competitions, the agencies will accept unofficial transcripts if official transcripts cannot be obtained.
- Official transcripts* of the applicant's complete academic record to date (this includes all undergraduate and graduate studies, completed or ongoing). Instructions below must also be followed:
Task: Download Supplemental Application Material
- Label as "HSPR Studies Validation" – Mandatory (Maximum 1 page): Applicants must download the "HSPR Studies Validation" form and upload a completed version as part of the application. Detailed instructions are included within the form. For a definition of HSPR, please see the CIHR-IHSPR strategic plan.
Task: Apply to Priority Announcements/Funding Pools
- Select "Health System Impact Fellowship" under the "Priority Announcement/Funding Pool Title" drop-down list and then select the appropriate funding pool under the "Relevant Research Area" dropdown list in ResearchNet (see Funds Available, Distribution of Funding within Streams for guidance). 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. Select one of the following:
- Doctoral Western 1-year
- Doctoral Central 1-year
- Doctoral Eastern 1-year
- Doctoral Northern 1-year
- Post-Doctoral Western 2-year
- Post-Doctoral Central 2-year
- Post-Doctoral Eastern 2-year
- Post-Doctoral Northern 2-year
- Post-Doctoral International 2-year
- Describe (in one half-page) how the research proposed will address the relevant research area: Enter “N/A” for this field. Applicants are not required to describe or identify their research proposed in this field. This field will not go to peer review and will not impact the evaluation of applications. (Updated: 2023-02-14)
Task: Print/Upload Signature Pages
- Signature of the Nominated Principal Applicant is not required for the application.
- Signatures from individual(s) with signing authority from the Institution Paid and from the Research Institution are required, even in situation that they are the same Institution. Print the signature page PDF file which is found on ResearchNet and obtain all required signatures.
- 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.
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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.
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Sponsor Description
Note: Additional partners/internal collaborators, including from industry and the private sector, may join this funding initiative over the coming year.
Partners
Michael Smith Health Research BC
The Michael Smith Health Research BC is BC's health research agency. We are the provincial organization that is strengthening BC's health research system by supporting the people, institutions and activities that generate and use research-based knowledge to promote, restore and maintain the health of British Columbians. Our ambition is to inspire and connect curious, creative and passionate minds to drive discovery and innovation in health research. And we are driven by the belief that health-related decision making should be informed by high quality research that is produced and used in an equitable, diverse and inclusive research system.
Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS)
The mission of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), which reports to the Minister of Economy and Innovation, is to support health research to foster the wellness of Québec's population. Its mandate is to promote and financially support such research, to disseminate knowledge and train researchers, to forge the partnerships necessary for the development of Quebec's research and innovation system, and, lastly, to advance research internationally.
Mitacs
Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to our most pressing problems. For over 20 years, Mitacs has assisted organizations in reaching their goals, has funded cutting-edge innovation, and has created job opportunities for students and postdocs. We are committed to driving economic growth and productivity and to creating meaningful change to improve quality of life for all Canadians.
Our mission is to build a world-class, diverse community of innovators through our collaborative model, attracting and deploying top talent to industry, and matching need with expertise to create ambitious solutions to real-world challenges.
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 Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies (CRPPHE)
The Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies (CRPPHE), which is housed within CIHR, will ensure Canada has an emergency-ready health research system. The Research Centre builds on Canada's research strengths and continues to grow its capacity to be a leader in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from existing and future pandemics and health emergencies. It collaborates with other federal departments and agencies, as well as stakeholders domestically and internationally.
Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (Capacity-Building)
The Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN) – an initiative created by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Health Canada – was implemented in 2009 to increase the evidence on drug safety and effectiveness available to regulators, policy-makers, health care providers and patients, and to build capacity within Canada to undertake high-quality post-market research in this area. As of September 1st, 2022, CIHR will exclusively focus on the capacity building stream.
CIHR Healthy Cities Research Initiative (HCRI)
The CIHR HCRI is a major initiative led by the Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH) with the Institute of Aging (IA), the Institute of Gender and Health (IGH), the Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH), the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD), and the Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR). The HCRI is designed to deepen Canada's scientific leadership in planning, designing and building healthy and resilient cities.
CIHR – Institute of Aging (IA)
The CIHR Institute of Aging (IA) mission is to support research, capacity building and knowledge mobilization to maintain and improve the health, resiliency, and quality of life of older Canadians. This includes addressing the complex health challenges that can be more prevalent in older individuals. The CIHR-IA promotes the use of a lifecycle approach to support advances in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care delivery, and social determinants of health.
The CIHR-IA is a national leader in addressing health research priorities for older adults. Institute initiatives not only link and support researchers located in universities and hospitals across the country, but also bring together different levels of government, practitioners, voluntary health organizations and older adults themselves.
CIHR – Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is dedicated to supporting research that reduces the burden of cancer on individuals and families through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, effective treatment, psychosocial support systems, and palliation.
CIHR – Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH)
ICRH supports research into the causes, mechanisms, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with the heart, lung, brain (stroke), blood, blood vessels, critical and intensive care, and sleep. The ICRH vision is to achieve international leadership by fostering an environment of openness, excitement, energy, commitment and excellence in highly ethical, partnered initiatives focused on research, research training, and research translation for the circulatory and respiratory sciences and for the betterment of the health of Canadians
CIHR — Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR)
IHSPR is dedicated to positioning Canada as a global leader in optimizing health and health outcomes in the population through the provision of evidence-informed healthcare services. IHSPR's mission is to foster excellence and innovation in health services and policy research and catalyze the application of research finding to policies, practice and programs that provide real-world benefit and enhance the provision of high-quality care for Canadians.
CIHR – Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH)
The Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) supports research that ensures the best start in life for all Canadians and the achievement of their potential for optimal growth and development.
CIHR – Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH)
The Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH) fosters the advancement of a national health research agenda to improve and promote the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in Canada, through research, knowledge translation and capacity building. The Institute's pursuit of research excellence is enhanced by respect for community research priorities and Indigenous knowledges, values and cultures.
CIHR — Institute of Infection and Immunity (III)
The Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) has the mandate to support research and build capacity in the areas of infectious disease and the immune system. Its mandate transcends disciplines and encompasses all four CIHR health research pillars: biomedical, clinical, health systems services and population health. The Institute's mission is to establish, engage and mobilize an inclusive, collaborative and diverse research community focused on excellent research that addresses infection and immunity priorities in Canada and beyond. We are dedicated to creating a research environment that propels Canada to the forefront as a global leader in infection and immunity research while also supporting the delivery of CIHR's mandate and strategic priorities. To learn more about III strategic research priorities as outlined in our Strategic Plan 2021-2026, please visit our website.
CIHR — Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA)
The Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) supports research to enhance active living, mobility and movement, and oral health; and addresses causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth.
CIHR – Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism & Diabetes (INMD)
INMD's mandate supports research to enhance health in relation to diet, digestion, excretion, and metabolism; and to address causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions and problems associated with hormone, digestive system, kidney, and liver function.
CIHR – Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH)
The mandate of IPPH is to support research into the complex biological, social, cultural and environmental interactions that determine the health of individuals, communities and global populations; and to apply knowledge to improve the health of individuals and populations through strategic partnerships with population and public health stakeholders and innovative research funding programs. IPPH's mission aims to improve the health of populations and promote health equity in Canada and globally through research and its application to policies, programs, and practice in public health and other sectors. To learn more about CIHR-IPPH's strategic priorities please visit its website.
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Additional Information
Mitacs Co-Funding
Doctoral and post-doctoral applicants applying for a HSI Fellowship may be eligible for co-funding by Mitacs if their host partner meets Mitacs' partner organization eligibility criteria. HSI awardees (post-doctoral only) that are co-funded by CIHR and Mitacs will have access to the Mitacs Elevate professional development training program and Elevate cohort retreats, in addition to the HSI Fellowship enriched core competency and national cohort training. Two requirements of Mitacs funding are that:
- The partner organization's 30% cash contribution flows through Mitacs (see FAQ document [ PDF (323 KB) ] for more information). Mitacs then forwards both the host partner's and Mitacs' contribution to the awardee's academic institution for payment to the awardee. Primary Supervisors from the host partner organizations must indicate in their letter of support whether they provide consent to flow their funds through Mitacs. Mitacs must receive the partner organization's contribution BEFORE it flows any funds to the academic institution. Note: if consent is not provided, the applicant's proposal remains in the competition but is not eligible for Mitacs co-funding.
- HSI awardees and their respective partner organizations and academic supervisors sign the Mitacs Memorandum, which will be sent to fellows
by mailalong with their notice of decision letter. The Mitacs Memorandum [ Zip File (1,488 KB) – external link ]. (Updated: 2023-01-06)
Further detail on the evaluation criteria for both applicants and reviewers
1. Achievements and potential of the applicant (25%):
Criterion:
a. Professional achievements and leadership potential (e.g., personal and professional achievement, community engagement, civic engagement, volunteerism, goal achievement, involvement in work/academic life, other), given training/career stage.
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "relevant accomplishments and abilities"
- Candidate's CV
Notes for Reviewers:
- Review the identified information sources for examples of professional recognitions, voluntary contributions, civic engagement, professional development training, relevant work experience, etc.
- Examine the characteristics and skills of the candidate (leadership, project management/organizational skills, communication, knowledge translation, critical thinking, interest in evidence-informed health system improvement)
- Assess relative to your expectations of someone with their professional experience. Keep in mind that not all applicants would have the same opportunity to pursue volunteer opportunities.
Criterion:
b. Academic achievements and activities given career stage
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "relevant accomplishments and abilities"
- Candidate's CV
- Academic transcripts (for doctoral applicants only)
Notes for Reviewers:
- Review the identified information sources for evidence of awards, scholarships, publications and presentations, knowledge translation activities, relevant course work and academic training, and course work performance (types of courses, course load, grades, overall average, trend [give credit for steadily improving or consistently good performance])
- Assess relative to your expectations of someone with their academic experience
Criterion:
c. For research involving Indigenous Health Research: demonstration of the capacity and track record of the Nominated Principal Applicant to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way
Information Source:
- Candidate's "Indigenous Health Research" attachment
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- The candidate's experience and ability to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way
2. Quality of the host partner organization's and academic institution's training environment, supervision and mentorship (35%):
Criterion:
a. Quality of mentorship plan, including demonstration of commitment to: meaningfully embedding and integrating the applicant within the organization; advancing and supporting the applicant's professional development, career preparedness and potential for impact; co-train and co-mentor the applicant in a dual mentorship model involving both supervisors working together in support of the applicant
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Training Environment and Support"
- Supervisors' letters of support
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Evidence of quality mentorship from a leader in the organization and academic supervisor
- Evidence of a team-based, collaborative approach to supervision and mentorship
- Evidence of ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion are considered in the training environment, professional development and mentorship plans
- Type and breadth of opportunities for professional development (e.g., regular opportunities to meet with supervisors, professional development training courses, involvement in senior-level meetings, opportunities to meet executive leaders within the organization and relevant stakeholder organizations)
- Alignment of plan with CHSPRA's enriched core competencies and with candidate's three selected competencies for development
- Extent to which plan will help the candidate achieve the work proposal and accelerate their professional growth
Criterion:
b. Demonstration of supervisors' (health system and academic) commitment to program objectives: track record of expertise in health services and policy or related fields (e.g., health systems, population and public health, data science, epidemiology, health policy, service delivery, etc.); and capacity within their organizational roles to support and act upon (i.e., implement) the applicant's impact-oriented program of work
Information Source:
- Supervisors' CVs
- Candidate's description of "Training Environment and Support"
- Supervisors' letters of support
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Evidence of commitment to evidence-informed health system improvement
- Evidence, by way of clearly articulated and thoughtful strategies for achievement that the host partner's organization is committed to the HSI program objective that organizations "harness the benefits that research-trained individuals can bring for improved decision-making
- Experience mentoring and supervising trainees/employees
- Commitment to mentoring the trainee and accelerating their professional growth
- Evidence that academic supervisor is supportive of the experiential learning opportunity
Bear in mind the Primary Supervisor from the health system organization may not have experience supervising trainees but may have relevant experience supervising and mentoring employees
Criterion:
c. Quality and fit of the learning environment (host partner organization and university), given applicant's motivation for applying and targeted enriched core competencies
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Training Environment and Support
- Supervisors' letters of support
- Candidate's "motivation for applying and value-add" statement
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Whether the learning environment is equitable and inclusive as well as one in which an applicant will be inspired and challenged
- Whether adequate supports and resources are available to the applicant in support of their pursuit of the organization's impact goal (e.g., access to data, office space, introductions to key partners and stakeholders, etc.)
- Extent to which the applicant will be meaningfully integrated in the organization (e.g., involvement in team meetings, and external meetings with relevant stakeholders, opportunities to be involved in other projects within the organization)
- Evidence of joint commitment from both supervisors to work together to help the applicant succeed
- Fit of learning environment given applicant's motivations for applying and targeted enriched competencies for professional growth
Bear in mind the host partner organization has, by the review stage, been deemed eligible and that this program encourages the involvement of private for-profit, not-for-profit and public sector health system and related organizations at federal, provincial, regional and local levels
Criterion
d. Demonstration of the supervisors' commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the training environments, professional development training activities, mentorship and/or other activities, as applicable. Additional guidance can be found on the Best practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research webpage.
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Training Environment and Support"
- Supervisors' letters of support
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Whether Equity, Diversity and Inclusion considerations have been incorporated within the training environments (academic and health system), professional development training activities, mentorship and/or other activities, as applicable
Criterion
e. For projects involving Indigenous Health Research: demonstration of the capacity and track record of both supervisors to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way, and the conduciveness of the training environment to supporting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous self-determination
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Training Environment and Support"
- Supervisors' letters of support
- Supervisors' CVs
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Whether the supervisors have a demonstrated capacity and track record of working and engaging with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way
- The conduciveness of the training environment to supporting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous self-determination
3. Quality, potential impact and feasibility of the applicant's project/program of work proposal (20%)
Criterion:
a. Quality of the rationale of how the project/program of work proposal addresses a critical challenge/impact goal faced by the host partner organization (i.e., importance and relevance) and impact potential within the organization
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Project/Program of work proposal"
- Primary Supervisor's letter of support
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- The clarity of the organization's impact goal
- The extent to which the proposed project/program of work will address the goal
- The potential for impact that the project/program will have on enhancing the organization's achievement of the goal (relevance and impact potential)
- The challenge and excitement of the project in which the candidate will be involved
Criterion:
b. Appropriateness of project/program of work approach and knowledge translation/knowledge user engagement strategy
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Project/Program of work proposal"
- Candidate's "Work plan table"
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- The appropriateness of the proposed project design and approach, including the knowledge translation/knowledge user engagement strategy
Criterion:
c. Feasibility of project/program of work proposal (i.e., scope of work in relation to the duration of the award and strength of analysis of potential risks and challenges to implementing the work).
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Project/Program of work proposal"
- Candidate's "Work plan table"
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- The feasibility of accomplishing the project within the time requirements
- The appropriateness of strategies to mitigate anticipated risks/challenges to accomplishing the project/program of work
- The contingency plan for the organization to carry through with the project after completion of award, if unanticipated delays arise
Criterion:
d. Quality and appropriateness of the integration of sex and gender in the project/program of work approach
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Project/Program of work proposal"
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- The appropriateness of the proposed approach to integrate sex and gender in the project/program of work
Criterion:
e. Evidence of a concrete commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (refer to Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research) and its intentional and appropriate incorporation into the embedded research approach
Information Source:
- Candidate's description of "Project/Program of work proposal"
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Extent to which Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is considered and incorporated within research project/program and appropriateness of the approach(es) for doing so.
Criterion:
f. For projects involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, demonstration that the proposed program respects Indigenous values and ways of knowing and sharing, and aligns with CIHR's definition of Indigenous health research
Information Source:
- Candidate's "Indigenous Health Research" attachment
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Whether the approaches and methods of the proposed research project respect Indigenous values and ways of knowing and sharing
- Whether the proposed research project has the potential to produce valued outcomes from the perspective of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis participants and Indigenous Peoples more broadly
4. Potential value-add to the applicant and the host partner organization (20%)
Criterion:
a. Strength, clarity and relevance of the applicant's statement of motivation for applying, including the rationale for the three selected enriched core competencies and the extent to which the HSI award will add value to the trainee's doctoral or post-doctoral training and advance the trainee's career objectives
Information Source:
- All application materials, particularly the "Motivation for Applying and Value-Add" statement
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- The relevance of the motivation to the program objectives, the commitment to the applicant to the program objectives, how this opportunity will strengthen the candidate's capabilities and advance their ability to achieve said career goals, the rationale for the top three enriched core competencies identified for development
- Whether and how the experiential learning opportunity will add value to the fellow's doctoral/post-doctoral training (e.g., consider whether it provides exposure to a new organization, provides an opportunity to develop new skills and competencies, adds a new dimension to the trainee's doctoral/post-doctoral research, equips the applicant with the skills and relationships for a managerial/leadership position in the health system, etc.)
Criterion:
b. Potential impact and value-add to the organization of hosting the applicant (i.e., what will be achieved that could not without the applicant?)
Information Source:
- Primary Supervisor's letter of support
- Candidate's description of "Project/program of work proposal"
Notes for Reviewers:
Consider:
- Whether and how hosting the applicant will add value to the organization, such as whether the applicant has expertise in a desired methodology, the applicant is tackling a complex and unsolved challenge faced by the organization, the applicant will build internal research capacity within the organization, the applicant will develop a needed program/database/tool or evaluate a key program/policy/tool, etc. What will be achieved that could not without the applicant?
References
1. OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC).
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