ResearchNet - RechercheNet

Table of Contents

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

Description

The Project Grant program is designed to capture ideas with the greatest potential for important advances in fundamental or applied health-related knowledge, health care, health systems, and/or health outcomes by supporting projects of research proposed and conducted by individual researchers or groups of researchers in all areas of health. The best ideas may stem from new, incremental, innovative, and/or high-risk lines of inquiry or knowledge translation approaches.

Research Areas

The Project Grant program is open to applicants in all areas of health research that are aligned with the CIHR mandate: "To excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system".

• Global Health

  Applications focused on global health, or which include international collaborations are eligible. Applications focused in the field of global health that demonstrate that the proposed research project has the potential to improve health in Canada and/or the global community are accepted and encouraged as more than ever before, the health of Canadians is deeply intertwined with the health of people around the world. Global health research is defined as any research with a focus on the health of people living in low- and middle-income countries, as well as research that aims to understand the systematic factors that shape health and are inherently global (e.g., globalization, equity, neglected diseases, and transnational risks). Global health is relevant to all pillars. Please consult Global Health 3.0: CIHR’s Framework for Action on Global Health Research for more information.

• Indigenous Health Research

  Applications with a central focus on carrying out meaningful and culturally safe research involving Indigenous Peoples with the intent to promote health through research that is in keeping with Indigenous values and traditions and follows the TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada guidelines are encouraged.

• Randomized Controlled Trials

  Applications involving a randomized controlled trial (RCT) are accepted and encouraged where appropriate based on scientific and methodological grounds. All applications containing an RCT as a major component (irrespective of the suggested peer review committee) must structure their research proposal according to the RCT headings provided. (Updated: 2022-01-12)

• Commercialization

  Applications related to commercialization are encouraged. Commercialization refers to the component of knowledge translation that is focused on bringing new products, tools, or services to a state of use in the private, not-for-profit, or public sectors. It can extend beyond bringing intellectual property (IP) to the marketplace for profit (e.g., cost savings in the health system, humanitarian licensing). CIHR is committed to facilitating the commercialization of health research in Canada in support of its overall mandate. For commercialization projects, the applicant should include a Research/Technical Plan and a Commercialization Plan. For further information, refer to CIHR’s Commercialization Projects page.

• Interdisciplinary Research

  Applications involving interdisciplinary research are accepted and encouraged. Furthermore, for the Fall 2021 Project Grant competition, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) launched a pilot Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee (TAIPR), with the following mandate. This committee is continuing to be offered for the Spring 2022 competition. As the evaluation of this pilot project proceeds, the details on the inclusion of TAIPR in future competitions will be communicated in the next funding opportunity. (Updated: 2022-01-12)

• Specific Research Areas

  Priority Announcements (PAs) offer additional sources of funding for highly rated applications that are relevant to specific research areas. Refer to the Project Grant: Spring 2022 Priority Announcements (Specific Research Areas) for further details. (Updated: 2022-01-12)

Funds Available

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

The total amount available for the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 Project Grant Competitions is $650M.

• Within the investment allocated to each Project Grant competition, there will be a funding envelope of:
  • $16.25M dedicated to large grants. Large grants are defined as those within the top 2% largest total grant amount requested by all applicants within the competition and varies with each competition. This budget envelope is not intended for series of projects to be bundled together for long-term support. Individual grant applications requesting a total of more than the total dedicated amount for the competition will be withdrawn.
  • $14.95M (4.6%) dedicated to supporting applications with an Indigenous health research focus.
• A portion of the competition budget will also be reserved to ensure that the proportion of grants funded is at least equal to the proportion of applications submitted by early career researchers (ECRs), female applicants and for applicants submitting applications written in French. Should the full amount set aside not be required, all remaining funds will be returned to the Project grant competition to further increase the number of grants funded.
• The number of grants funded will depend on the requested budgets and peer review recommendations.
• Project Grant applicant funding levels are proportionate to the requirements of the research proposed, which is expected to vary by research field, research approach, and scope of proposal activities.
• Funding is augmented by Priority Announcements (PAs) that award grants in specific research areas. Refer to the Project Grant: Spring 2022 Priority Announcements (Specific Research Areas). (Updated: 2022-01-12)
• For more information on the appropriate use of funds, refer to Allowable Costs.

Partner Participation

The Project Grant program has no formal requirements for partnering; however, depending on the nature of the research proposal, a commitment from interested or engaged knowledge user(s) or other partners will be reasonably expected by peer reviewers.

Objectives

The Project Grant program is expected to:

• Support a diverse portfolio of health-related research and knowledge translation proposals at any stage, from discovery to application, including commercialization;
• Promote relevant collaborations across disciplines, professions, and sectors; and
• Contribute to the creation and use of health-related knowledge.

Eligibility

Eligibility to Apply

For an application to be eligible:

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant must be:

   1. an independent researcher or a knowledge user affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation) at the time of funding.

      • if the Nominated Principal Applicant is a knowledge user, there must be at least one Principal Applicant who is an independent researcher

      or

   2. an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.

      or

   3. an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate (see Administration of Funds, below).

2. The Nominated Principal Applicant must have their substantive role in Canada for the duration of the requested grant term.

3. Principal Applicants must be independent researchers or knowledge users (inclusion of one or more Principal Applicants is optional).

4. Co-Applicants can be one of the following (inclusion of one or more is optional):

   • independent researchers;
   • knowledge users;
   • trainees;
   • other.

5. An individual or an organization cannot submit more than two Project Grant applications per competition as a Nominated Principal Applicant. If the Nominated Principal Applicant submits more than two applications, CIHR will automatically withdraw the last application(s) submitted based on time-stamp of submission.

6. Applicants must comply with CIHR’s Policy on Identical / Essentially Identical Applications (see Section 5.2 Application Administration Guide).

7. Individuals who hold a Foundation Grant in the role of Program Leader are eligible to apply to the Project Grant competition in the role of Nominated Principal Applicant or Principal Applicant only 18 months prior to their grant expiry date. Please contact CIHR if you have questions about your eligibility. (Updated: 2022-01-12)

Early Career Researchers (ECRs)

Inclusion within this cohort is based on the ECR eligibility status of the Nominated Principal Applicant, at the application deadline.

All time spent in full-time independent research appointments/positions will be taken into consideration when determining eligibility irrespective of time spent in a clinical component or other duties (i.e., administrative, academic, etc.). Should an applicant hold or have held a part-time appointment/position, CIHR will count that time as 50% (e.g., a one-year part-time appointment/position will count for 6 months towards the maximum).

Leaves of absence will be considered in the calculation of eligibility (i.e., will not count towards the maximum) and should be included in the Employment section under Leaves of Absence in the Common CV.

Administration of Funds

CIHR grants are generally administered by the business office of an institution or organization declared eligible to administer CIHR funds after a financial and eligibility review.

Organizations identified as the Institution Paid may be required to undergo a financial and eligibility review, if they have not already done so, in order to administer the grant funds. They may be required to sign a funding agreement with CIHR. If necessary, a successful applicant may choose to have their funds administered by a CIHR eligible institution.

Funds will not be released to the Institution Paid of a successful applicant unless they have been approved to administer funding.

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

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 including CIHR’s Policy on Identical / Essentially Identical Applications. See also the Directive on Employment and Compensation in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration for more information on salary expenses from grant funds.

As is the case with all Agency-funded research, ethics review in accordance with Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS) will be required for research involving human participants. Please note that the TCPS addresses research ethics review during publicly declared emergencies – Chapter 6, Section D, Articles 6.21, 6.22, and 6.23. Institutions and REBs are encouraged to refer to this guidance during the current emergency. Should you have any questions about how to interpret this section of the TCPS, please contact the Secretariat at secretariat@srcr-scrr.gc.ca.

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Guide on Financial Administration for requirements regarding the appropriate use of grant funds.

The following expenses will be considered eligible for funding received through this funding opportunity:

• Reasonable expenses related to knowledge translation, networking, commercialization (including patent costs specific to the IP) and community-based research are eligible. The applicants must justify these and all other expenses in the context of their research proposals and the appropriateness of such requests is subject to peer review.
• The Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada) recognizes the importance of respecting the culture and traditions of Indigenous Peoples and acknowledges the necessity to incur expenditures in that regard in the conduct of research. As such, the Agency considers these expenditures eligible for payment from the grant holder’s grant funds (with appropriate backup documentation);
  • 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; and
  • 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.

Conditions of Funding

Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial requirements either prior to the release of funds or when they receive CIHR's funding documents.

• Prior to obtaining funding, successful Nominated Principal Applicants are required to obtain the Institution Paid’s signature if said institution was not a CIHR eligible institution at the application deadline.
• The Nominated Principal Applicant will be required to submit an electronic Final Report to CIHR. This online report will be made available to the Nominated Principal Applicant on ResearchNet at the beginning of the grant funding period and can be filled in as the research progresses.
• The Principal Applicants who are successful in this competition are strongly encouraged to actively participate in peer review when invited. Additionally, if you have not already joined the College of Reviewers, please consider becoming a member. To learn more about selection criteria and how to apply for membership in the College of Reviewers, please visit CIHR’s website. (Updated: 2022-01-12)
• CIHR is a signatory on the World Health Organization’s Joint Statement on Public Disclosure of Results from Clinical Trials (“WHO Joint Statement”) requiring all clinical trials to be registered and the results disclosed publicly in a timely manner. For more information, please consult CIHR Signs the World Health Organization’s Joint Statement on Public Disclosure of Results from Clinical Trials. (Updated: 2022-01-12)

Review Process and Evaluation

Review Process

Peer review will be conducted in accordance with the Peer Review Manual – Project.

Applications to the Project Grant Program are reviewed by peer review committees specifically constituted for this purpose. For a list of these committees and their respective mandates, refer to the Peer Review Committees and Mandates on the CIHR website.

Applicants are required, within the ResearchNet registration process, to indicate their suggestions of up to two most relevant peer review committees and to provide a justification for their suggestions (see Peer Review Committees and Mandates). Suggested committees remain unchanged between registration and application. The final committee selected may not necessarily be the first or second choice of applicants. Applicants will be informed of which peer review committee reviewed their application on their Notices of Recommendation and of Decision.

Evaluation Criteria

Each application will be reviewed based on the adjudication criteria below.

Notes:

• In the interpretation of the adjudication criteria, a research proposal may exert only a basic/mechanistic impact, which is as important as the translational impact. The impact does not only mean near-future clinical relevance.
• When applicable, knowledge translation / commercialization approaches / methodologies should be considered, as well as opportunities to apply research findings nationally and internationally.
• Irrespective of the suggested peer review committee, all applications containing an RCT as a major component will need to consider the specific RCT evaluation criteria.
• Review of applications in the Commercialization committee will include the assessment of a Research and Technical plan and a Commercialization plan according to specific criteria.
• Specific considerations must be taken into account for the review of applications to the Indigenous Health Research committee.
• Applications submitted to the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee will follow a specific review process with features that are distinct from all other Project Grant competition committees and will be evaluated according to specialized evaluation criteria. Please consult the Peer Review Guide created for this committee for more details.

(Updated: 2022-01-12)

Criterion 1 – Concept

• Significance and Impact of the Research

Criterion 2 – Feasibility

• Approaches and Methods
• Expertise, Experience and Resources

You are strongly encouraged to consult the Adjudication Criteria and Interpretation Guidelines section of the Peer Review Manual - Project for the full details pertaining to evaluation checkpoints and guidelines for each criterion as that will assist you with the preparation of your application.

Funding Decision

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

How to Apply

Important: Please read all instructions in order to familiarize yourself with the registration and application processes before applying. An overview of CIHR's registration and application processes can be found under the general application process. Note that these are general instructions only. To complete your registration and application, follow the instructions for this program along with any additional specific instructions and submission requirements listed below.

When preparing your application, CIHR expects that you will adhere to all applicable instructions and requirements. This includes font sizes, spacing, page limits etc. Failure to comply with these requirements may negatively impact the evaluation of the application. In cases of non-compliance that result in extra pages being added by applicants, CIHR may reformat and remove any pages that exceed the stated limit with no further notification to the Nominated Principal Applicant.

• Applications must be submitted using ResearchNet.
• This funding opportunity follows the eApproval process. This means that when the applicant submits an application, it will be directed electronically to the institution which the applicant has identified as the Institution Paid. The Institution Paid will review the application and submit their approval electronically to CIHR on behalf of the applicant. It is important to be aware of your internal institutional deadline.
• The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of two steps: Registration and Application. A Registration must be submitted to be eligible to submit a full application.
• All participants listed, with the exception of collaborators, are required to:
• Have/obtain a CIHR PIN.
  • Complete the Equity and Diversity Questionnaire.
• Although not required, it is important to provide a PIN number for Collaborators.
• Organizations applying as Nominated Principal Applicants must contact CIHR's Contact Centre for guidance in creating a ResearchNet account and registering for a CIHR PIN.

Specific instructions to complete your ResearchNet application

Registration

For full instructions, please see Project Grant – Registration Instructions.

Task: Identify Participants

• The Nominated Principal Applicant must remain unchanged between Registration and Application. Other participants can be added, removed, or change roles between Registration and Application.
• A CV is not required for registration.

Task: Enter Proposal Information

• Indigenous Health Research (IHR): For an application to be considered for review by the IHR committee and for the IHR peer review members to assess the level of engagement as required by the TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 on Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada and Indigenous partnering community/organization ethical guidelines
  • Select ‘yes’ to the question regarding the TCPS 2 – Chapter 9 (“Does your proposal address the TCPS 2 - Chapter 9 Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada and Indigenous partnering community/organizational ethical guidelines?”);
  • Provide a detailed justification in the related text field to indicate how the proposal addresses the principles of the TCPS 2 – Chapter 9;
  • Select the Indigenous Health Research (IHR) committee as the first suggested peer review committee in Task 5.

Task: Complete Summary

Task: Enter Budget Information

Task: Complete Peer Review Administration Information

• Applicants are required to indicate their suggestions of up to two most relevant peer review committees and to provide a justification for their suggestions (see Peer Review Committees and Mandates).
• Applications that represent research across disciplines and subject areas pertaining to two or more of the (1) social sciences and humanities, (2) natural sciences and engineering, and (3) health and wellness, and that clearly utilize interdisciplinary approaches may select the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee (TIR) as their first suggested committee should they wish to be considered for review by this committee.
• Suggested committees and the corresponding justifications must remain unchanged between registration and application. If an application overlaps with more than one area of science, the peer review committee which best reflects the main research area and objectives of the application should be selected. CIHR will consult with committee Chairs and Scientific Officers in assigning applications to committees before making the final decision on which peer review committee will review each application based on the summary of proposed research received at registration. The final committee selected may not necessarily be the first or second choice of applicants. Applicants will be informed of which peer review committee reviewed their application on their Notices of Recommendation and of Decision.

Task: Preview

Task: Consent and Submit

Application

For full instructions, please see Project Grant – Application Instructions.

Task: Identify Participants

• All participants are required to submit a CV (excluding collaborators).
• All Canadian academic applicants must submit a CIHR Biosketch CV, using the Canadian Common CV (CCV) interface.
• Knowledge users, non-academics, Indigenous organizations, and international applicants are required to submit a CIHR Biosketch CV or an Applicant Profile CV.
  • Each Applicant Profile CV (maximum three pages per applicant) should include 5-10 expertise keywords; and a summary of the applicant's education, current/past affiliations and employment/research experience with effective dates; and any other information pertinent to the participant's role on the application and is to be submitted by uploading it in the “Attachment” tab.
• Indigenous organizations as the Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA): If an Indigenous organization is identified as the NPA, a description of the organization’s mandate (maximum two [2] pages) must be included in the Applicant Profile CV (a 3-page PDF CV). This document must include a description of how the organization meets the eligibility requirement of being an Indigenous community, group or organization with a research or knowledge translation mandate

Task: Enter Proposal Information

• Information entered at registration will be pre-populated in the application
• In support of evidence demonstrating that documents written in French require approximately 20% more space than similar documents in English, applications written in French will be allowed two additional pages for their research proposal. This provision will ensure an equitable amount of space for applications written in either official language. The following page limits for the research proposal will therefore apply:
  • Research proposals submitted in English – 10 pages
  • Research proposals submitted in French – 12 pages
• For research proposals submitted in English, any pages over the 10-page limit will be removed with no further notification to the Nominated Principal Applicant. NOTE: References must be included as a separate document and are uploaded through a specific subtask in ResearchNet. (Updated: 2022-03-08)
• Applicants must adhere to formatting requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements may negatively impact the evaluation of the application and can lead to withdrawal of an application.
• CIHR expects that all applicants will integrate sex and gender into their research design, methods, analysis and interpretation, and/or dissemination of findings within their research proposal, when applicable. As in previous competitions, when sex and/or gender considerations are applicable in the research being proposed, addressing these considerations solely in the sex and/or gender textbox is insufficient. (Updated: 2022-01-12)
• For applications to be considered by the Indigenous Health Research committee, the research proposal’s central focus should be to carry out meaningful and culturally safe research involving Indigenous Peoples with the intent to promote health through research that is in keeping with Indigenous values and traditions. The proposal must also explicitly describe engagement with the community in relation to the research. Applications that do not align with the IHR committee mandate will be reviewed by another relevant discipline-based committee.
• Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT): Proposals including an RCT as a major component (irrespective of whether or not the applicant self-declared the application as containing an RCT) have specific requirements:
  • If the budget requested is less than $250,000 in every funding year, applicants may suggest the most relevant discipline-based peer review committee or the RCT peer review committee;
  • If the overall budget requested is greater than or equal to $250,000 in any funding year, applicants must select the RCT peer review committee;
  • Irrespective of the suggested Peer Review Committee, all applications containing an RCT as a major component must structure their research proposal according to the RCT headings provided. (Updated: 2022-01-12)
• Commercialization: For commercialization proposals, applicants must integrate a Research/Technical Plan and a Commercialization Plan as part of their research proposal.

Task: Complete Summary

Task: Identify Application Partners (Optional)

Task: Enter Budget Information

• Provide a detailed budget justification in relation to planned activities and clearly justify all budget items.

Task: Complete Peer Review Administration Information

Task: Attach Other Application Material

• Letters of Support:
  • For applicants with a pending appointment including, but not limited to, early career researchers, a letter of support is required from the Dean of the Faculty indicating the date the appointment is expected to take effect. The appointment must commence by the effective date of funding.

Task: Apply to Priority Announcements/Funding Pools (Optional)

• When applying, applicants must select their Priority Announcement(s) in the drop-down menu in ResearchNet in the Priority Announcement/Funding Pool task. Note that Prizes do not appear in the drop-down menu.
• Candidates may request that their application be considered for up to three (3) priority announcement research areas per application, in each Project Grant competition.
• Within their application to the Project Grant competition, applicants must consent to the sharing of information in order to be considered for Priority Announcements. Applicants who do not consent to this sharing of information will be considered ineligible for Priority Announcements.

Task: Preview

Task: Consent and Submit

Additional relevant materials

• Learning materials developed to support applicants in completing their application can be found on the Learning for Applicants page.
  • The Nominated Principal Applicant is asked to complete one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and upload with the application the Certificate of Completion in the Attach Other Application Material task.
  • Please select and complete the training module most applicable to your research project. Applicants are also asked to review the “How to integrate sex and gender in research” section on the CIHR website.
• Priority Announcements and the Project Grant – Frequently Asked Questions

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.