Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition: Frequently Asked Questions

General

• Could the amount of the funding per grant be reduced from what is currently stated in the funding opportunity?

  While there is no foreseeable reduction to the funds per grant in this competition, 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.

• Is there particular terminology we should use in our application for consistency?

  The term "women's health" is defined on the CIHR NWHRI website. Other terminology and definitions can be found in the funding opportunity on ResearchNet.

• Who can I speak to at CIHR to get more specific support?

  You can reach out to the CIHR Contact Centre

  • Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 8:00 pm E.T
  • Telephone: 613-954-1968
  • Tol-free 1-888-603-4178
  • support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
• Will more funding opportunities be launched as part of the Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition?

  The National Women's Health Research Initiative is made up of two components: the Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition and the Innovation fund. The Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition will have two funding opportunities – the Hubs and the Coordinating Centre. The Innovation fund will also have two funding opportunities. Please monitor ResearchNet and the NWHRI Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition web page for more information on upcoming funding opportunities as a part of this initiative. For more information on the Initiative Components and upcoming funding opportunities, please visit the National Women's Health Research Initiative web page.

Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition – Hubs Funding Opportunity

• Is completion of the SGBA (optional) exclusively for the NPA, or for all participants (i.e. NPA, PA, or PKU, KU, Co-Applicant, and Collaborators)?

  It is an optional task for all applicants - so you may decide who you would like to complete it, if any. Please refer to the How to Apply Task: Attach Other Application Materials.

• Will the reviewers be required to read appended materials? (they don't in some other CIHR competitions)

  The expectation is that reviewers will evaluate the required material as outlined in the FO. There are specific instructions as to what can be appended in the Task: Attach Other Application Materials.

• Regarding the geographic distribution, will there be a consideration in the final decision about the location of hubs across Canada.

  Geographic distribution will not be used in determining the final decision about the hubs, all evaluation criteria will be considered in the assessment of applications and final ranking will be used to arrive at the funding decision. Additionally, the following information has been included in the funding opportunity: "Upon completion of peer review, relevant applications in the fundable range will be funded from the top down in order of ranking, until the funds are exhausted."

• What kind of training will reviewers receive to ensure equity of review? (e.g. understanding of EDI, SGBA, etc.)

  Reviewer webinars will be hosted to provide reviewers with details around how the review of applications for this particular funding opportunity needs to be considered. Additional resources will be shared with them as available.

• How many proposals can an applicant submit to this call?

  As an NPA, only 1. From the funding opportunity: "An individual or an organization cannot submit more than one hub application as the Nominated Principal Applicant. If the Nominated Principal Applicant submits more than one application, CIHR will automatically withdraw the last application(s) submitted based on the timestamp of submission."

• In the case that there are co-applicants from many different approved CIHR institutions, do the funds flow through the NPAs institution? For instance, the NPA is at one university and the student is from another?

  Funds typically flow through the NPA's Institution Paid (as identified in the application) and funds can be transferred as per Treasury Board’s policy on transfer of funds. It is the Institution Paid’s responsibility to ensure proper agreements and contractual obligations are established as needed with co-applicants and collaborators.

• Can the Leader in the NGO also be added as a Co-Applicant? i.e. add the organization as Principal Applicant AND add the Leader as Co-Applicant?

  If the NGO is the Principal Applicant, filling a role of the tri-partite leadership then the Leader of the NGO could not be added as a member of the tri-partite team nor as one of the additional team members because the goal is to include a diversity of perspectives in the team that is being assembled. However, the Leader could be added as a co-applicant provided they are not filling a role of the core membership (tripartite + six additional team members).

• When will the funding be made available if we are successful?

  Funding will be made available after successful applicants receive the Authorization for Funding (AFF) which will be shortly after the Notice of Decision.

• Why is the funding start date in April, before the notice of decision in July?

  This timeline is a result of an administrative technicality based on CIHR's financial cycle. CIHR's financial year is from April 1 to March 31, a funding start date of April 1, 2023, means that the hubs will receive the full years' worth amount from April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024. To provide enough time for applicants to apply and applications to be peer-reviewed, the notice of decision will be sent on July 18, 2023. This does not mean that funded teams will be required to start their projects before their notice of decision; it ensures that funded teams will receive an entire year worth of funding. If the funding start date was in July, the awarded hubs would only receive 9 months' worth of funding for the period of April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2024. The important date for applicants is the notice of decision date, not the funding start date, and please be assured that teams are not required to start their work before their notice of decision.

• What types of changes are possible to this funding opportunity?

  Key details of this opportunity will likely remain the same. However, if there are updates to the funding opportunity, changes will be reflected in ResearchNet in red text.

  Applicants may choose to be notified when changes are made by putting a watch on the funding opportunity. This can be done by clicking "Watch this Opportunity" link at the top right-hand corner of the funding opportunity.

• How can Canadian non-governmental organization (including community organizations) apply for this funding opportunity?

  To apply for this funding opportunity, a Canadian non-governmental organization (including community organizations) must have:

  • A ResearchNet Account
  • A CIHR PIN
  • Provide an Applicant Profile CV

  You can find information on how to obtain these on the Register with CIHR web page.

  Please reach out to the Contact Centre for specific instructions on how to create a ResearchNet
  Account as an organization: support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

  Any organization that wishes to administer Tri-Agency grant and award funds must have a legal status in Canada and provide a statement of Canadian incorporation or constitution as proof of its legal status.

  For more information, please visit Institutional Eligibility Requirements for the Administration of Grants and Awards

• Can an independent researcher also be a healthcare provider?

  The funding opportunity requires a health care provider, researcher, community organization as part of the tripartite leadership. While one Principal Applicant may identify as more than one of these roles, the team must identify three unique Principal Applicants with each one taking on one of these as their primary role.

  The same applies to the additional team members in each of the six categories. While a team member may align with more than one category, they can only represent one category.

• Can there be more than 3 Principal Applicants?

  Three Principal Applicants is the minimum requirement to meet the tripartite leadership criteria for applications to the hubs funding opportunity. You may exceed this requirement if you wish.

• Can the composition of the tripartite leadership include a different combination from what is stated in the FO? E.g., two healthcare providers as principal investigators?

  The tripartite leadership must comprise a minimum of three Principal Applicants, one in each of the three categories: Canadian non-governmental organization, independent researcher in women's health, and healthcare provider in women's health.

• Are the additional team members required by the registration date?

  No, it is not necessary to have the full team identified at the time of registration. You can add or remove other participants (except for the Nominated Principal Applicant) between the registration and application deadline.

• Can the Nominated Principal Applicant contact the Contact Centre on behalf of the non-governmental organization to obtain a CIHR PIN?

  A PIN is confidential information and will only be provided to the owner of the PIN, which in the case of a non-governmental organization would be an in individual in a senior leadership position at the organization. However, the non-governmental organization can contact the CIHR Contact Centre to inquire about adding an individual as a delegated contact to request the creation of their PIN. However, it is best that individuals get a CIHR PIN by following the steps found at the Register with CIHR web page.

• What role will the additional six individuals that make up the leadership team have? Can they be included as collaborators?

  The additional team members must be assigned the roles of Co-Applicant or Knowledge Users. Elders and/or Indigenous Knowledge Keepers can participate on an application as collaborators without the need to secure a CIHR PIN.

• Can a "healthcare provider in women's health" be listed as a Co-Applicant as their primary role?

  The healthcare provider in women's health that is part of the tripartite leadership team is to be listed as Principal Knowledge User. The healthcare provider in women's health that is one of the additional six team members must be listed as a Knowledge User.

• Do all hubs have to partner with Indigenous organizations even if the hub's priority is unrelated to Indigenous people?

  There is no requirement to partner with Indigenous organizations but there must be someone in the team who is a "person who can speak to the perspectives of Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit People". This person should self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis) and/or demonstrate a track record of meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples. Submission of a completed standardized form comprising of answering one question and/or filling out a paragraph describing how they meet this requirement is required.

• Does the mandate of the tripartite lead NGO have to exclusively focus on knowledge mobilization in women's health?

  No, knowledge mobilization in women's health can be a part of the NGO's larger mandate.

• Do all the listed objectives in the funding opportunity need to be met?

  It is important that applications meet as many objectives as possible. An application that meets all the objectives would be more competitive than if it does not.

• Should the hubs be focused on regional issues (i.e. population specific) or thematic?

  The focus of the hubs is to be proposed by applicants. Each hub must identify one or more areas of women's health to address, within the scope of this funding opportunity, based on community, regional and/or national needs, ensuring that women's and gender-diverse people's voices are at the heart of the hub's activities. It is important to acknowledge that traditional knowledge, such as those of Indigenous and African diasporic communities, has been undervalued and underutilized in Western medicine. Therefore, the hubs are expected to amplify traditional ways of knowing to provide insights on how to improve women's health. More details on the criteria and eligibility for the hubs can be found in the funding opportunity on ResearchNet.

• How are the hubs going to inform research priorities and are the hubs required to address research questions?

  The aim of the hubs is to mobilize and scale-up newly generated and existing knowledge and models of care into effective, gender-sensitive and culturally appropriate women's health and wellness services across Canada; it is also to engage in community-based priority-setting activities for future research in women's health through early, extensive and ongoing engagement efforts with relevant stakeholders and rights holders, including community organizations, diverse groups of women and researchers. As such, the hubs may inform research priorities, but do not conduct research. There will be a call for research in the innovation fund funding opportunities. Please see the funding opportunity objectives for more information.

• Can funds related to this FO be allocated to administrative or overhead costs?

  No, these are not eligible costs: Expenditures that are capital in nature (e.g. building construction, renovations, improvements); those related to overhead (e.g. rent, electricity); or those related to the general operations and administration of the host organization

• Under "Allowable costs" what is meant by "Reimbursement of the NPA organization for costs incurred in compensating their employee for the time they spend working on the funded activities"?

  This is related to compensating existing employees for the work on the activities related to this FO in situations where it would not be part of their regular work.

• If an organization is currently unauthorized to administer CIHR funds, for example, a community organization, must the process to obtain authorization be completed before registration?

  The organization can start the process, but it does not have to be completed before the registration or application deadline. Also note that in some cases, a community organization may not be eligible to hold grant funding in general, but they can obtain approval to hold the specific funds related to this FO. See "How can Canadian non-governmental organization (including community organizations) apply for this funding opportunity?" above.

• How can I connect with those working on similar areas of women's health as me, and collaborate with others on a hub application?

  Applicants are encouraged to use and share their information within the Partner Linkage Tool to connect with others that are proposing similar topics of interest or to collaborate on a single application. Applications must meet the criteria of the funding opportunity to be considered.

• Which hubs are seeking trainee supports?

  Including at least one trainee in the team is a requirement for the hubs.  If a trainee has not yet been identified by the application date, be sure to account for and clarify the trainee role in the application and in the budget details. The trainee must be named and listed as a member of the grant team in the first annual report. Please consult the eligibility requirements and objectives of the funding opportunity.

• Who will be recruited to peer-review the hub competition?

  CIHR's peer review process involves the evaluation of applications by a group of reviewers, who have (individually or collectively) the required experience and/or expertise to assess the quality of the applications within the context of the funding opportunity objectives and evaluation criteria and must ensure no conflict-of-interest present. For this funding opportunity, CIHR aims to reflect diverse perspectives in peer-review panels with expertise and experience in women's health.

Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition – Coordinating Centre

• If I have received funding through the hubs funding opportunity, can I apply to the coordinating centre funding opportunity?

  Applicants who received funds from the Hubs funding opportunity may apply to the Coordinating Centre funding opportunity, when launched. Applicants who did not receive funds from the Hubs funding opportunity and those who did not apply to the Hubs funding opportunity are also able to apply to the Coordinating Centre funding opportunity when it is launched.

Date modified:

2023-01-18