Important Dates

Notices

Table of Contents

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

Description

CIHR is Canada's major federal funding agency for health research. Its objective is 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.

CIHR integrates research through a unique interdisciplinary structure made up of 13 virtual Institutes. The Institutes are networks of researchers and stakeholders brought together to focus on important health problems, with each Institute dedicated to a specific area of focus, linking and supporting researchers pursuing common goals.

One of the mechanisms for the Institutes to achieve their mandates is the Institute Community Support (ICS) Program. Specific details and funds available for the Institutes’ ICS funding opportunities can be found on the Institutes’ web sites at the following links: (Updated: 2009-11-13)

• Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health
• Institute of Aging
• Institute of Cancer Research
• Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health
• Institute of Gender and Health
• Institute of Genetics
• Institute of Health Services and Policy Research
• Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health
• Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
• Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction
• Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
• Institute of Population and Public Health

Funds Available

Each CIHR Institute will establish an annual budget to support this program. CIHR's contribution to the amount available for this program is subject to availability of funds voted annually to CIHR by parliamentary appropriations, and the conditions that may be attached to them.

Objectives

The ICS Program is not intended to support the direct cost of research (e.g., pilot projects, feasibility studies or operating grants), principal and co-investigator salaries or research equipment. CIHR Institutes use the ICS Program for community development to provide support grants and awards to individuals and organizations within their respective communities to be used for:

• Supporting organizations and activities whose goal is consistent with the Institute's and CIHR's vision, mandate and strategic directions;
• Providing grants or awards in aid of research and knowledge translation activities where the circumstances fall outside CIHR's other programs.

The Institutes' contributions to these activities helps to fulfill their role and the role of CIHR in raising awareness of the importance and value of health research to the health of Canadians, to strengthening the health system, and to contributing to the economy.

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria for all CIHR research funding programs apply. The business office of the institution of an eligible Nominated Principal Applicant generally administers CIHR funds. Please refer to the Eligibility Requirements for CIHR Grants and Awards regarding the eligibility requirements for individuals and institutions.

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) will not be considered under this funding opportunity.

Specific Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements specific to this funding opportunity include the following:

• Applicants affiliated with Canadian non-governmental not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations) with a research or knowledge translation mandate consistent with the mandate of CIHR may be eligible to apply for funds through the CIHR ICS program.
• The CIHR definition of Principal Applicant does not apply to the ICS program. Applications are equally welcomed from independent researchers, research trainees, activity/event coordinators affiliated with Canadian non-governmental not-for-profit organizations, and/or community leaders. In the context of the ICS program, the term Principal Applicant is defined as any individual who plays a primary role in the organization or administration of the proposed activity / event.
• The business office of the institution / organization of an eligible Nominated Principal Applicant will generally administer CIHR funds. If the institution / organization of the Nominated Principal Applicant has not previously signed a memorandum of understanding with CIHR, then additional paperwork will be required as a condition of funding. Additional details will be provided by CIHR.

Guidelines

This funding opportunity will follow the General Guidelines for Grant Programs. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the use of Gender and Sex-Based Analysis in applications. 

Allowable Costs

Applicants should review the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide for a complete listing and description of allowable costs and activities.

The full application must provide a detailed justification of all costs.

Certain types of ICS grants and awards may require costs and activities not listed in the guides, such as administrative support costs. These exceptions are identified by each Institute on their respective ICS funding opportunities on their web pages.

Conditions of Funding

All conditions specified in CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies shall apply to applications funded through this Funding opportunity. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official languages policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of CIHR's Support. Successful applicants will be informed of any special financial requirements prior to the release of funds or when they receive CIHR's Authorization for Funding (AFF) document.

In addition to CIHR standard guidelines and requirements, the following special requirements shall apply:

• Within six months after the end of the grant's term, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit a final performance report, summarizing the results and describing how the grant funds were used.
• Appropriate recognition of the Institute and CIHR must be provided in the grant recipient's press releases, web sites and promotional material;
• Recipients of grants from the ICS Program must provide a letter summarizing the outcome of the initiative. This letter should be addressed to the Scientific Director of the Institute;
• Additional requirements may be determined by the respective Institutes, particularly in the cases of large contributions, such will be outlined on the respective Institute ICS Funding Opportunities which can be found on their web sites. 

Access to Information Act and Privacy Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

All personal information collected by CIHR about applicants is used to review applications, to recruit reviewers, to administer and monitor grants and awards, to compile statistics, and to promote and support health research in Canada. Consistent with these purposes, applicants should also expect that information collected by CIHR may be shared as described in Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to CIHR for Peer Review.

CIHR as a federal entity is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, therefore the requirements of these two statutes will apply to all information located in CIHR's premises including, without limitation, cost-sharing agreements related to this Funding opportunity and all matters pertaining thereto.

While respecting the application of the Privacy Act to federal entities, all signing parties involved in a collaborative agreement will also be bound by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). All personal information (as identified by the PIPEDA) collected, used or disclosed in the course of any commercial activity under collaborative agreements related to the Funding opportunity will be collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the PIPEDA.

CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People

The CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People came into effect as policy for CIHR-funded research on July 1, 2008. Applicants whose proposed research will involve Aboriginal People are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with these guidelines and in particular with the section "Application of the Guidelines," which outlines the situations in which these guidelines apply.

Policy on Access to Research Outputs

CIHR believes that greater access to research publications and data will promote the ability of researchers and knowledge users in Canada and abroad to use and build on the knowledge needed to address significant health challenges. Open access will promote accessibility to CIHR-funded research and will serve to increase the international visibility of Canadian research. As of January 1, 2008, CIHR grant recipients are reminded to adhere with the responsibilities outlined in the Policy on Access to Research Outputs. Under this policy, grant recipients must make every effort to ensure that research papers and bio-molecular data generated from CIHR funding are freely accessible online.

Communication Requirements

Grant recipients are required to acknowledge CIHR, its institutes and partners in any communication or publication related to the project. See CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies, Public Communication and Acknowledgement of CIHR's Support for details on CIHR's communication requirements. The contributing institutes/partners will be identified on the Authorization for Funding and decision letter.

Performance Measurement

CIHR is committed to demonstrating results to Canadians for the money invested in health research. Therefore, processes for monitoring progress and appropriate use of funds, as well as for performance measurement and program evaluation are in place. As a result, funding recipients must:

• 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;
• encourage their associates, trainees and administration to participate in the monitoring, review and evaluation of CIHR's programs, policies and processes as required.

Review Process and Evaluation

Requests for grants and awards from the ICS Program will be processed in the following manner:

• Once a written request is received that includes all of the required information described below, it will be submitted to the Institute's ICS Review Committee for discussion and recommendation to the Scientific Director.
• Approval of an ICS grant or award request rests with the Scientific Director.
• All decisions will be provided to the applicant in writing by CIHR, normally within six weeks of receiving the request.

How to Apply

All requests made by individuals or organizations with a health research and health research knowledge translation mandate, must be sent in writing by courrier and e-mail to the Institute and express details of the event/initiative as follows:

• The amount of funding requested; dates; clearly stated objectives; scope and deliverables;
• The type of research or knowledge translation related activities for which support is requested;
• The anticipated size of the target audience and the specific intended use of the CIHR grant or award;
• If the grant or award is for support for a research or knowledge translation related activity or researcher, and the reasons why this request should be supported outside the regular CIHR competition process;
• Justification for the amount and duration of the grant or award

Requests to the ICS Program should be addressed to the specific Institute you are requesting funds from. Contact information for each Institute can be found by clicking on the following link Contact the Institutes and selecting the appropriate Institute and scrolling down to the Mailing Address heading.

Please submit your application using the "ICS Application Form" [ PDF (241 KB) | Help ].

If you are requesting funds from multiple Institutes please indicate all that apply in section 2 "Budget Information" of the ICS application form. You must submit a separate application to each Institute.

Applications must be submitted at the latest February 1^st, 2010 to be considered for funding under this current competition.

Contact Information

For questions about the ISC Program please contact:

Mélanie Brulé
Program Coordinator, Institute Affairs
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-957-6139
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: melanie.brule@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

For specific information regarding funding opportunities offered by each Institute please contact the relevant Institute by clicking on the following link Contact the Institutes.