ResearchNet - RechercheNet

Funding Organization
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Program Name
Fellowship : Health System Impact Fellowship ARCHIVED
Sponsor(s)

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.

Program Launch Date
2022-12-20
Deadline Date
TBD

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:

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:

*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:

*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.

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.

*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:


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Objectives


The Health System Impact Fellowship objectives are to:


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Eligibility


Eligibility to Apply

For an application to be eligible:

  1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be one of the following:
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
  2. For the purpose of this funding opportunity, trainees cannot hold or be on leave from an independent research position.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
    1. By committing to hosting a fellow, the health system supervisor:
      1. Confirms its organization will contribute the 30% partnership funding towards the award
      2. 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)
      3. Confirms its commitment to supervising and mentoring the awardee for the duration of the fellowship (see Review Criteria and How to Apply for details)
    2. 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.

  5. 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.
    1. Stream A: the academic supervisor must be the trainee's primary PhD supervisor.
    2. Stream B: the academic supervisor must secure the awardee with post-doctoral status at the university by the start date of the award.
  6. 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:
    1. Prioritize First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples and communities in leading their research agendas;
    2. Promote cultural safety (of and appropriate engagements by researchers working with Indigenous Peoples in meaningful ways to ensure that respectful relations are established;
    3. 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
    4. Promote equity and development of trainees, researchers and knowledge users who are of Indigenous ancestry.
  7. 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.
  8. 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).
  9. 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).
  10. 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:

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

Conditions of Funding


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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.

  1. Achievements and potential of the Nominated Principal Applicant and Relevance to HSI Program Objectives (25%):
    1. 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.
    2. Academic achievements and activities given career stage.
    3. 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
  2. Quality of the host partner organization's and academic institution's training environment, supervision and mentorship (35%):
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Quality and fit of the learning environment (host partner organization and university), given applicant's motivation for applying and targeted enriched core competencies.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
  3. Quality, potential impact and feasibility of the applicant's project/program of work proposal (20%)
    1. 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.
    2. Appropriateness of project/program of work approach, the defined outcomes in relation to the impact goal, and the knowledge translation/knowledge user engagement strategy.
    3. 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).
    4. Quality and appropriateness of the integration of sex and gender in the project/program of work approach.
    5. 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
    6. For projects involving Indigenous Health Research:
      1. 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.
      2. 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.
  4. Potential impact and value-add to the applicant and the host partner organization (20%)
    1. 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.
    2. 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

Specific instructions to complete your ResearchNet application

Task: Identify Participants

Task: Enter Proposal Information

Task: Attach Other Application Materials

  1. 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
          1. 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)
          2. 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)
  2. 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.

  3. 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.

Task: Download Supplemental Application Material

Task: Apply to Priority Announcements/Funding Pools

Task: Print/Upload Signature Pages


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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:

  1. 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.
  2. HSI awardees and their respective partner organizations and academic supervisors sign the Mitacs Memorandum, which will be sent to fellows by mail along 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.

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Notes for Reviewers:

Criterion:

b. Academic achievements and activities given career stage

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Notes for Reviewers:

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

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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.

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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

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Notes for Reviewers:

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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

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

Criterion:

b. Appropriateness of project/program of work approach and knowledge translation/knowledge user engagement strategy

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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).

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

Criterion:

d. Quality and appropriateness of the integration of sex and gender in the project/program of work approach

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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

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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

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

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?)

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Notes for Reviewers:

Consider:

References

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


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