Applicants, please consult with your proposed department/unit and faculty for information about potential department/unit and/or faculty-specific requirements for tri-agency fellowship applications.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR supports excellence across all four pillars of health research: biomedical; clinical; health systems services; and population health.
CIHR accepts applications for funding support that fall within its mandate, subject to agency policies and the specific requirements of the applicable funding opportunity.
CIHR's Health Research Training Strategy aims to equip research trainees so that they emerge from their training as scientific, professional, or organizational leaders within and beyond the health research enterprise. Generating Research Leaders of tomorrow is a key objective for CIHR.
Fellowships provide support for highly qualified applicants in all areas of health research at the post-PhD degree or post-health professional degree stages to add to their experience by engaging in health research either in Canada or abroad.
It is expected that applicants integrate sex and gender perspectives into their research to promote rigorous science that has the potential to expand our understanding of health determinants for all people. As such, applicants are required to indicate how they will account for sex (biological factor) and gender (socio-cultural factor) in the research design, methods, analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of findings. For more information and resources, please see the Sex, Gender and Health Research page on the CIHR website.
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 awards consist of a stipend and a research allowance and are valued in Canadian dollars. It is anticipated that approximately $21 million over five (5) years will be available through this competition.
- The maximum amount awarded for a single award is up to $60,000 per annum for up to five (5) years. The value and duration of each award is determined by the degree(s) held, licensure (where applicable), location of tenure and experience of the applicant.
Applicant self-identification information may be used by CIHR to consider individuals for designated funding, should it become available.
Stipend
The annual stipend level for:
- Trainees with a PhD degree is $40,000 per annum.
- Health Professionals who hold licensure (full or educational) in Canada and have less than two (2) years of research or clinical training experience since the completion of their health professional degree is $40,000 per annum. Upon completion of two (2) years of postgraduate research training, the awardee may be eligible to receive a stipend increase to the higher level.
- Health Professionals who hold licensure (full or educational) in Canada and have two (2) or more years of research or clinical training experience since the completion of their health professional degree is $50,000 per annum.
- Health professionals who do not hold licensure in Canada is $21,000 per annum. Upon completion of two (2) years of postgraduate research training, the stipend may increase to $40,000 per annum.
For awards physically held outside Canada, $5,000 is added to the annual stipend.
Research allowance: $5,000 per annum.
Duration of Support
The maximum duration of support, taking into account all Tri-Agency federal funding held1, will depend on the degree(s) held by the applicant. For holders of a:
- PhD degree, or PhD and health professional degrees, the maximum period of support is three (3) years minus the duration of any previous Tri-Agency support held at the postdoctoral researcher / post-health professional degree level (see examples of postdoctoral/degree researcher programs).
- Health professional degree who are not requesting support to pursue a graduate degree, the maximum period of support is four (4) years minus the duration of any previous Tri-Agency funding held at the postgraduate level (see examples of Doctoral and Masters' programs).
- Health professional degree who are requesting support to pursue a graduate degree, the maximum period of support to complete the degree is five (5) years minus the duration of any previous Tri-Agency funding held at the postgraduate level (see examples of Doctoral and Masters').
Note: Health Professionals who receive funding through this program to pursue a graduate degree must terminate their award upon completion of the degree.
Supplement: The Alice Wilson Award
A $1,000 award is offered yearly by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) to three women of outstanding academic qualifications entering a career in scholarship or research at the postdoctoral level via fellowship programs from the Tri-Agencies (one award is granted per Agency). CIHR will seek the consent of top-ranked women who accept a CIHR Fellowship to share their information as potential nominees to the RSC, who will make the final determination and inform successful candidates upon completion of their selection process.
More information is available on the Royal Society of Canada website.
Objectives
The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are:
- To provide recognition and funding to academic health research trainees;
- To provide a reliable supply of highly skilled and qualified researchers.
Further Information
Application Procedures
Please refer to the CIHR website for application procedures.
Eligibility Requirements
Please refer to the CIHR website for eligibility requirements.
Evaluation Criteria
Please refer to the CIHR website for evaluation criteria.