CCV Frequently Asked Questions for CIHR Applicants

To fill out a CIHR CCV, go to the Canadian Common CV website and complete the following steps:

• Step 1: Once you have logged in, click "CV" and select "Funding" in the top menu bar. From the funding source drop-down menu, select "CIHR".
• Step 2: From the CV Type drop-down menu, select the CV type that is required by the Funding Opportunity to which you are applying.
  Note: If you have already created versions of the selected CV type, you will be prompted to also choose the version of the Funding CV you wish to open.
  Click “Load”.
• Step 3: Once in the CIHR template, a list of sections will appear (Personal Information, User Profile, Education, Recognitions, Employment, Research Funding History, Activities, and Contributions). Click the  (edit button) to access and complete/update a section. All mandatory fields will be marked with an asterisk (*). In the CIHR CCV, click the icon for information on what needs to be provided in a section or field.
• Step 4: Once finished entering all the required information in each section of the CCV, click "Preview". This will generate a PDF of what your CCV will look like once submitted.
• Step 5: Read through the Preview PDF version of your CV. If you are satisfied that your CV contains all the required information, click "Submit". A CCV confirmation number will appear within a message box in CCV (it can also be found on the top right of the PDF that is generated after hitting the Submit button). Keep this confirmation number in your records as you will need it to link the CCV to your application in ResearchNet.

Pressing "Submit" when you are in the CCV system sends all CV data that you have entered to CIHR. However, in order to link a specific CV submission to your CIHR application, you will need to enter the CCV confirmation number that is associated with that specific CV in ResearchNet.

Once you press "Submit" within the CCV system, this CV submission is stored as-is. You cannot make any changes to the PDF submission; however, you can make the desired revisions within the CV template, and then re-submit your CV. When making a new submission, a new confirmation number will be generated which you will need to enter or update in your ResearchNet application.

Periodically, CIHR makes changes to the requirements of the CIHR CCV based on feedback from applicants and peer reviewers. If you are now seeing errors, it may be due to a number of things:

• A new mandatory field has been added to the template;
• An existing field has been changed from optional to mandatory;
• The record selection exceeds the limit set for a given CV section.

To resolve the errors in your template, please fill in the required information and/or adjust your record selection.

To link your CV to an application please complete the following steps:

• Step 1: Within the CCV system, once you have previewed your CCV and have made any necessary revisions, select "Submit." This will generate a unique confirmation number for this submission of your CCV.
• Step 2: Log in to ResearchNet and open the intended funding application on your homepage. Within the Tasks section on the Application Overview page, click "Identify Participants". The list of people who are involved in your application will appear. Each Participant requires a CCV. For the Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA)/ Program Leader/Project Leader attaching colleagues’ CCVs, we suggest that the colleagues send their CCV submissions, which include the confirmation numbers in the top right hand corner. This way the NPA/ Program Leader/Project Leader can review the CVs before entering the confirmation numbers in ResearchNet.
• Step 3: Under Actions, click "Edit". The NPA/Program Leader/Project Leader enters his/her CCV confirmation number and those of the other participants in the application on ResearchNet. ResearchNet will validate that the CCV confirmation numbers submitted are for a CIHR CV type applicable to the funding opportunity, and will then associate the submitted CCV data with this CIHR application.

It is not necessary to complete the Generic CV. The Generic CV serves as the repository for all entered data; any information entered in CIHR Funding CVs appears in the Generic CV and remains available if you wish to apply to another funding opportunity or another agency. CIHR has a specific CCV template, and completing the CIHR Funding CV will focus your efforts on providing only the information required for application to a CIHR funding opportunity.

It is important to read the "how to apply" section of the funding opportunity carefully to determine which CV type is required for each stage of the application process. Please refer to the instructions for the opportunity to which you are applying to determine which CV template you require.

If you are applying to more than one CIHR funding opportunity, you may reuse the same CCV by entering the same confirmation number. It is not necessary to create a new CIHR CV for each funding opportunity if you wish to submit the same data.

With the introduction of template versioning capabilities, you may now create and manage different versions of the same Funding CV template. For example, if you plan to use your Biosketch CV to apply to different Funding Opportunities that have the same CV template requirements, you may now create separate versions of the Biosketch CV and customize the records you wish to include in the CV submission of each competition.

The output style of the CCV is determined by CCV, not CIHR. CIHR works closely with CCV to implement changes, and are therefore always appreciative of suggestions regarding how the CCV can be improved. Currently, the output of all CCVs is identical, and cannot be changed if desired by the applicant.

The PubMed section under "Publications" has been removed. All PubMed articles have been migrated into the Journal Articles section. Please take a quick look through the Journal Articles section to make sure that your information transferred correctly.

Yes, publications can still be imported using the PMID, and you may now import multiple PubMed articles at once using the instructions provided below:

• Step 1: In CCV, click on the "Utilities" tab at the top of the page.
• Step 2: Click on "Import Publication from Web".
• Step 3: In the text box provided, insert all PMIDs of publications you would like to import separated by a comma (no spaces).
• Step 4: When prompted, select the section where you wish each publication to go once imported (e.g. Journal Articles, Book Chapters, etc.).
• Step 5: Click on "Confirm Import". Your publications should now be successfully imported.

The CCV has recently introduced a functionality that will allow users to import their publications into the CCV using sources other than PubMed. The following sources can now be used in CCV:

• PubMed
• Citeulike
• DBLP
• Google Scholar
• IEEE Xplore
• Plos
• Scopus
• Web of Science

To import publications from locations other than PubMed (e.g. Google Scholar, Web of Science, etc.), you will need a file containing the bibliographic information from that site in either XML or BibTeX format. Save the file in a location where you can retrieve it when prompted by the CCV.

• Step 1: In the CCV, click on the "Utilities" tab at the top of the page.
• Step 2: Click on "Import Publication from file".
• Step 3: Select the source of the information.
• Step 4: Attach the file containing your bibliographic information from the source indicated in Step 3, then click "Import".
• Step 5: The system will prompt you to indicate where each of the publications you are importing should be placed (e.g. Journal Articles, Book Chapters, etc.).
• Step 6: Click on "Confirm Import". Your publications should now be successfully imported.

As of June 29, 2015, the CCV has been updated to provide a record selection management capability that allows users who submit a Canadian Common CV to different organization or to different competitions within the same organization to manage their record selection for each individual Funding CV template.

This enhancement will allow you to:

• Create, edit and save versions of each Funding CV template, each with its own customized record selection. This feature is particularly useful to if you need to submit the same type of Funding CV to multiple competitions;
• Preserve the record selection made in each individual Funding CV template version;
• View the number of records selected for submission while updating the record selection in each section of CV template versions.

Note: When loading a template for the first time after June 29, 2015, or when creating a new template version, the record selection will be based on the Generic CV. Any changes in record selection thereafter will be version specific and will not impact any other templates or versions in the CCV. It is important to note that modifications to the CCV dataset (e.g. creating or deleting records, entering or deleting data in individual fields) will still be reflected across all templates and versions created by a user.

Note: A version called "Base" is automatically generated when creating the first version of a Funding CV template. The Base acts as any other version of the Funding CV template, but note that it cannot be re-named.

Yes. You should never need to delete any information from the CCV. Only those records that are ‘checked’ (i.e., selected) for submission, will be included in the PDF version of your CV.

To select entries to submit with your CV, simply click on the checkbox in the "Submit?" column. If you un-check the box, the entry will not be submitted with your CV.

Please note, as of June 29, 2015 users may select the records for submission in any particular CV template or template version, without impacting the record selection anywhere else in the CCV.

When a date field restriction is imposed on a given section it cannot be bypassed. Only entries from the specified period will be accepted by the system.

However, the Leaves and Absence section of the CCV can be used to describe any interruptions which may have had an impact on research activities and/or dissemination of research results. In addition, depending on the funding opportunity to which you are applying, the following suggestions may help you include any relevant contributions which could not be entered in your CV:

• Mention your leaves of absence and their impact on your research outputs/productivity in relevant sections or tasks within your application to help contextualize the timeline of your contributions;
• Refer to any relevant contribution or activity that has not been captured as part of your CV in the appropriate section of your application.

The institution listed as the Primary Record in your Canadian Common CV (CCV)’s Affiliations section is a critical piece of information that is used to calculate Research Support Fund (RSF) grant credit shares for the program.

Incorrect values can result in the assignment of a participant on a CIHR grant to the incorrect institution.

An individual’s primary Institutional affiliation, as recorded in CIHR’s database, can be confirmed and updated as required, at any time, by contacting CIHR’s Contact Centre.

Should you have any questions or problems with the CCV, please contact CIHR at support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca or 1-888-603-4178 to request assistance.

If you cannot find your research classifications within the dropdown menus, please enter the classifications that most closely relate to your research. There is also a "Research Specialization Keywords" subsection. This subsection allows you to enter text in free format, so if you were unable to find your specific research areas within the earlier subsections, you may enter a more precise description of your research in this field. Please note that CIHR is working with CCV for future enhancements to the CCV Research Classification System, so please let us know if there are research classifications that are missing.

A credential is defined as a designation earned to assure qualification to perform a job or task such as a certification, an accreditation, a designation, etc. Examples of credentials might include such things as professional licenses or trade certificates.

Fellowship award information should be entered in the "Recognitions" section of the CCV. Select "Prize/Award" as the "Recognition Type".

Canada Research Chair information could fit in one of two sections: the recognitions section as a "Prize/Award" OR the "Funding History" section. It is at the discretion of the applicant where to place this information.

A "Prize/Award" is a general term describing the presentation of an item of monetary and/or other value to a person or persons (i.e. a scholarship, fellowship, prize, grant or bursary, a University medal for academic performance, etc.).

A "Distinction" refers to academic distinctions such as the Dean's Honour Roll or membership in learned or professional societies (fellow, member, associate).

An "Honor" is a general term describing an appointment as an honorary or distinguished fellow in a learned or professional society or academy. It can be either to honour exceptional achievement and/or service within the professional domain of the awarding body or to honour contributions related to the domain from someone who is professionally outside of it. Accomplishments are considered of such high distinction that only a select few are worthy of this designation (i.e. an honorary degree bestowed at a university).

An affiliation is the organization(s) with which the person is affiliated. These can be work or non-work related. Depending on the CIHR Funding CV you are working with, the primary affiliation of the researcher/trainee can be defined as one of the following:

• The primary organization where the researcher is employed, appointed, or conducts research (i.e. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, an affiliated research organization of the University of Toronto);
• The parent institution of the primary organization if required (i.e. University of Toronto is the parent institution of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre);
• The institution that received payments from CIHR for the researcher's current and ongoing grants;
• A company or private organization for independent researchers, researchers from industry, or researchers whose work is not affiliated with any academic research facilities.

For template specific guidelines, please ensure to consult the appropriate Quick Reference Guides.

In the Funding History section, there is a field called "Other Investigators". In this field, you can fill out information regarding grant participants and indicate their roles in the grant. If you were not the principal investigator of the grant, please make sure to include who that person was in this section.

The time limit is calculated based on the end-date of the grant.

This information is not required in the CIHR CCV.

This information is not required in the CIHR CCV.

Information regarding Thesis/Supervisory/Student Committees can be placed under "Supervisory Activities". Be sure to choose "Academic Advisor" as the "Role".

In general, CIHR does not ask applicants to include information on students who are taught by the applicant in a graduate or undergraduate class. "Mentorship Activities" include services contributed in order to provide counsel, guidance, and instruction to a protégé, and it is appropriate to include the students in the classes you teach under this section if this information is important to your application. Please do not include students in your undergraduate/graduate classes under "Supervisory Activities" as this section is reserved for students where your supervision directly contributed toward the completion of their degree (i.e. PhD, MSc, Postdoc, or 4th year thesis students who are directly supervised or co-supervised by the applicant).

As of June 29th, 2015, the PDF output of the CCV lists all records in the Student/Postdoctoral Supervision grouped based on the Study Level, followed by descending chronological order.

In this section, applicants can insert information regarding any activities relating to knowledge translation such as Business Innovation/Creation of start-up, Citizen/Community Engagement, Consulting/R&D Collaboration for/with Industry, Policy/Regulation Development, Standards Development, and Technology Transfer and Commercialization. Further examples of what can be included here can be found in the Guide to Knowledge Translation Planning at CIHR: Integrated and End-of-Grant Approaches. Patent information should be captured under the Intellectual Property section in Contributions.

The CCV is a system shared by many funding agencies who decided together on the new set of data requirements. These common data requirements did not include a "lifetime number of publications" table and, as such, CIHR does not have the option to include it in its CV at this time. Currently, it is not necessary to enter any contribution data beyond what CIHR requires for each contribution category as specified in the funding opportunity (i.e. 5 year limit for the CIHR Academic CV). Contribution information beyond what is required by the funding opportunity is not sent to peer review committees.

The answer to this question depends on the CV type (template) you are filling out. For most CV templates, the "most significant contributions" information remains a PDF attachment which you may submit as part of your application in ResearchNet if it is a requirement of the funding opportunity. In most cases, this attachment is optional, and applicants will not be penalized if this attachment is absent from the application.

For Project Grant competitions, information regarding “most significant contributions” will be completed as part of the application directly in ResearchNet.

In line with the San Francsico Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), applicants can highlight a broad range of contributions and impacts. For further guidance consult the Applicant Resource: How to highlight your research contributions and impacts.

If it is not clear where a particular contribution should be placed, choose the category that you believe to be the most appropriate. CIHR will ensure that the peer reviewers do not miss information by familiarizing them with the CCV structure in advance of peer review.

In the CIHR CCV, a presentation should be included under the Presentation section if there were no resulting conference publications (e.g. abstract published in conference proceedings) associated with the presentation. All presentations that occurred which resulted in the publication of an abstract/poster/short paper should be included under the "Publications" section under "Conference Publications".

Currently, the CCV assumes that if the presentation is in your CV, you are the primary presenter. For additional clarity, we suggest that the presenter put their name in the Co-presenter field, followed by the names of any co-presenters, if applicable.

Do not include the names of individuals who might have been involved in the research (e.g. co-author).

Please note that CIHR is currently working with the CCV to make this section (and others) more intuitive.

The sorting rules applied on the Conference Publications section are as follows:

• Primary Sorting, in descending chronological order based on Date (relative to publishing status);
• Secondary Sorting, in descending chronological order based on Conference Date.