Award Programs and Other Health Research Training Initiatives

CIHR Health Research Training Award Programs

Read about and apply for CIHR training awards at the undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral/post-health professional degree level.

Training Platforms

One of the funding tools used by CIHR to build Canada's capacity in health research is training platforms focused on providing training and mentoring opportunities to the next generation of researchers. Listed below are some of the recent platforms:

• Health Research Training Platform (HRTP)
  The HRTP provides training and mentoring opportunities to trainees and early career researchers through interdisciplinary, inter-jurisdictional, and intersectoral research training platforms that equip their participants with the foundational skills and knowledge required for a wide range of careers within and outside of academia.
• SPOR National Training Entity
  As a part of the SPOR Capacity Development Initiative, this platform goes beyond common and siloed approaches to training by engaging stakeholders and community members from all relevant disciplines, sectors, geographies and cultural perspectives in the domain of patient-oriented research.
• Healthy Cities Research Training Platform (HCRTP)
  CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC have jointly funded a national HCRTP platform to develop an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral training initiative to build capacity in research on how to design, implement, and scale innovative, solution-based interventions in a variety of urban contexts.
• Clinical Trials Training Platforms
  Training Platforms, as one of the three Clinical Trials Fund funding streams, aim to provide training and mentorship to better position the next generation of clinical trial researchers within the clinical research ecosystem.
• Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR)
  The NEIHR program, led by the Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH) and co-led by the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH), aims to strengthen Indigenous research capacity development through training and mentoring along the entire career continuum.

CIHR Training Enhancement Projects

In addition to funding opportunities, CIHR offers other capacity building initiatives designed to enhance the research training experience, in line with CIHR's Training Strategy.

• Reviewer Pathway - a comprehensive suite of learning and capacity development programs aimed at supporting the development of peer review skills across career stages, expertise and background.
  1. Mock Review Toolkit
     The Mock Review Toolkit is a set of resources designed to support the planning and delivery of mock peer review. The Toolkit is intended to accommodate a wide range of audiences, from university administrators looking to host a mock peer review session at their institution, to trainees, such as PhDs and postdocs, looking to learn more about CIHR's peer review process.
  2. Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) Review Program
     To support the development of the next generation of health researchers by accelerating their research independence and leadership, CIHR invites postdoctoral researchers to participate as peer reviewers for the Doctoral Research Award (DRA) competitions. The PDF Review Program builds on the postdoctoral peer review pilots conducted through the 2016 and 2017 DRA competitions.
• Individual Development Plans [IDP] tool (version 2.0)
  The best career outcomes come to those who actively plan for their career. Even if you're not sure what you want to do following your studies, the IDP can help. We welcome feedback on version 2.0 of our sample IDP tool. Please contact support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.