CIHR Strategic Plan 2021–2031
Action Plan for Year 3 (2023–24)

Table of Contents

1. President's Message
2. About CIHR
3. About the Action Plan
   • Priority A: Advance Research Excellence in All Its Diversity
   • Priority B: Strengthen Canadian Health Research Capacity
   • Priority C: Accelerate the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples in Health Research
   • Priority D: Pursue Health Equity through Research
   • Priority E: Integrate Evidence in Health Decisions
4. Serving Canadians: Our Commitment to Organizational Excellence
5. Year 2 (2022-23) Progress and Achievements

President's Message

I am pleased to present the Action Plan for Year 3 of CIHR’s 10-year Strategic Plan. The Action Plan outlines the activities that we will undertake in 2023-24 and in the coming years to make our Strategic Plan a reality.

At the end of the Action Plan is a progress report on how CIHR has done in implementing our Year 2 Action Plan. Despite the continued pandemic, we made considerable progress in advancing towards our ambitious vision of a healthier future for all.

I would like to highlight a few key accomplishments:

• We co-developed a revised concept of inclusive research excellence, implemented new conflict of interest policies and procedures, and signaled our intent to be a core partner in the second phase of the Research on Research Institute, an international consortium of funders working together to develop a more open, inclusive, and effective research ecosystem.
• We established a core Clinical Trials Fund (CTF) team and completed funding opportunities that led to the announcement of $191M to strengthen the Canadian clinical trials ecosystem with the creation of a pan-Canadian consortium, training platforms, and the funding of clinical trials projects across the country.
• Through the Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, we established an integrated, interdisciplinary, Canadian Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) Research Network whose activities align with the report from the Chief Science Advisor’s Task Force on PCC.
• We further implemented CHIR’s Action Plan: Building a healthier future for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and worked to strengthen relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities through the co-development of engagement strategies and tools.
• We launched several initiatives with a focus on addressing health inequities through research including the National Women’s Health Research Initiative and the Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence Early Career Transition Award.

We have also made considerable progress in strengthening and modernizing CIHR as an organization. We launched CIHR’s first multi-year Accessibility Plan in support of the Government of Canada’s intent to achieve a barrier-free Canada by 2040. It includes concrete actions and deliverables to ensure accessibility is embedded in CIHR’s hiring and retention practices. The Employee Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee was focused on the Employment Systems Review, which seeks to identify systemic and attitudinal barriers to creating and maintaining a representative workforce and an inclusive workplace.

I want to thank all CIHR staff, including our colleagues at the Institutes, for their hard work and dedication. I want to also acknowledge the contributions of our partners and members of our community who serve on peer review committees and advisory bodies. By working together, we can truly achieve the best health for all, powered by outstanding research.

Michael J. Strong, MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FCAHS
President
Canadian Institute of Health Research

About CIHR

Our Vision

The best health for all, powered by outstanding research.

Our Mandate

As embedded in the CIHR Act, our mandate is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its mobilization into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and strengthened Canadian health care systems.

Achieving the vision and mandate

As Canada’s health research investment agency, CIHR collaborates with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health systems. CIHR was created in 2000, under the authority of the CIHR Act, as an independent agency that is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Health. Our mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its dissemination and implementation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and strengthened Canadian health systems. This is the value proposition of CIHR.

As part of the Government of Canada Health Portfolio, CIHR is vested with the responsibility to foster excellence in research that will improve the health of Canadians. As evidenced by its proven ability to deliver rapid research funding and leverage expertise throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CIHR also plays a significant role in the whole-of-government response to addressing emerging health emergencies.

CIHR is comprised of a headquarters located in Ottawa, as well as Institutes located throughout the country that support individuals, groups, and communities of researchers and trainees across Canada.

Governing Council

CIHR is governed by a Governing Council of 18 members with a broad range of expertise and experience, and who are appointed by the Governor in Council. Governing Council plays a key role in evaluating CIHR's overall performance, ensuring that the agency remains true to the CIHR Act, and has been a critical partner in the development of the Strategic Plan. As delineated in the Act, Governing Council plays a crucial role in ensuring that CIHR has a peer review process and funding programs that serve to fulfil the agency’s mandate.

Institutes

CIHR’s 13 Institutes are integral to the success of CIHR in delivering both our vision and mandate. The scientific directors, by working closely with their individual Institute Advisory Boards (IABs), provide a critical interface with our research community. They help to ensure that the decisions of CIHR leadership and the Governing Council are reflective of the emerging health needs of Canadians, while also strategically supporting the information needs of health policy decision makers.

About the Action Plan

This Action Plan outlines the commitments CIHR will undertake on a yearly basis to support the realization of the priorities and strategies in the Strategic Plan. While CIHR will adhere as closely as possible to the timelines below, we recognize that some commitments - especially those for future years - may evolve as the implementation of the plan progresses and the environment around us changes.

CIHR’s Action Plan for Year 3 builds on the strong foundation we laid in Years 1 and 2 to set us up for success on our journey to achieving the best health for all, powered by outstanding research. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to evolve CIHR’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting to support Canada’s recovery and ensure Canada has an emergency-ready health system. We will also set our sights on delivering on the promise of the Strategic Plan, from championing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the health research ecosystem, to modernizing our grants management systems, to investing in clinical trials so that Canada becomes a leader in developing and testing new drugs, treatments, and ways of delivering health care.

For each of the actions that follow, CIHR will continue to foster collaboration with the health research community as part of our shared goal of implementing the Strategic Plan. In addition, CIHR remains committed to decision-making guided by evidence and to enhancing analytical capacity within the organization.

CIHR is also committed to reviewing our progress against stated commitments. At the end of this document, you will find a report on the progress we made delivering our Action Plan for Year 2.

Priority A: Advance Research Excellence in All Its Diversity

Priority B: Strengthen Canadian Health Research Capacity

Priority C: Accelerate the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples in Health Research

Priority D: Pursue Health Equity Through Research

Priority E: Integrate Evidence in Health Decisions

Serving Canadians: Our Commitment to Organizational Excellence

Year 2 (2022-23) Progress and Achievements

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is pleased to present this report on the progress it has made implementing the Strategic Plan Action Plan for Year 2 (2022-2023). Despite the continued pandemic, we made considerable progress in delivering on the early stages of our 10-year vision. Approximately half of the strategic actions are on-track to be delivered within the timelines of the Year 2 Action Plan and the remaining actions are underway. We invite you to learn more about this year’s progress and achievements.

Priority A: Advance Research Excellence in All Its Diversity

CIHR is on track to deliver on its priority to advance research excellence in all its diversity. Our Year 2 progress included:

• Co-developed a revised concept of inclusive research excellence, implemented new conflict of interest policies and procedures, and signaled our intent to be a core partner in the second phase of the Research on Research Institute (RoRI). RoRI is an international consortium of funders working together to develop a more open, inclusive, and effective research ecosystem.
• Prepared new guidance regarding responsible research assessment, in alignment with the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). We expect to implement this guidance in Year 3 (Fall 2023).
• Promoted open science through beginning implementation of the Tri-Council Research Data Management Policy, including:
  • monitoring compliance with the requirement for institutional research data management strategies; and
  • piloting the submission of data management plans as part of the applications process of select strategic funding opportunities.
• Began implementing the new CIHR Policy Guide – Requirements for Registration and Disclosure of Results from Clinical Trials.
• Enhanced international collaboration through evidence-gathering, consulting, and drafting of our international action plan, expected to be published in Year 3 (2023-24).
• Participated in a number of joint transnational calls under the European Commission’s EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020.

CIHR did not commit to any actions for this strategy in Year 2. Updates will appear in the Year 3 (2023-2024) Progress Report.

Priority B: Strengthen Canadian Health Research Capacity

CIHR continued to make progress in strengthening investigator-initiated research, promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and enhancing rapid response capacity this year. Our progress included:

• Based on Year 1 progress and groundwork, CIHR identified several mechanisms to strengthen investigator-initiated research and is now consulting and refining proposals.
• Continued work to assess and consider the peer review meeting format for the Project Grant competition with a recommendation expected in Year 3.
• CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC advanced the Tri-agency Grants Management System (TGMS) project with the selection of a vendor and continued work to select a system integrator. Work was also initiated to harmonize business processes across the agencies.
• Launched the expanded Tri-Agency Self-Identification Questionnaire to applicants and reviewers in June and September 2022. This foundational work allows for the collection and analysis of data to better understand representation in funding processes. Based on feedback from the research community and other federal departments and agencies on the gender identity question, CIHR introduced a revised version of the question with broadened response options in December 2022.
• Continued to advance work on anti-racism and commitments to address barriers to accessibility and systemic ableism. In late 2022, CIHR launched a survey on ableism and barriers to accessibility and posted a summary report as well as an update on next steps for CIHR’s Anti-Racism Action Plan. The survey and the report will inform the development of their respective action plans to be launched by the end of the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
• Undertook background work to inform the development of the CIHR Training and Career Support Framework and Action Plan. Analysis of the first Health Research Training Platform Pilot funding opportunity captured lessons learned and will inform an anticipated re-launch. CIHR continued to pilot other innovations in training and career support, most notably through the Research Excellence, Diversity and Independence Early Career Transition Award and the Health System Impact Embedded Early Career Research Award.
• Enhanced CIHR’s rapid response capacity, through the establishment of core governance and procedures for the Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies. Through the Centre, CIHR delivered a $20M federal investment to establish an integrated, interdisciplinary, Canadian Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) Research Network. The Research Network activities, aligned to the Office of the Chief Science Advisor (OCSA) of Canada’s Task Force on PCC report, will allow for acceleration of research into policy and practice, and support Canada’s ability to quickly identify and address long-term adverse features of the COVID-19 infection as they emerge. CIHR has also co-led the development and delivery of a rapid interdisciplinary $10 million funding opportunity to build capacity in Canada to respond to Mpox and other zoonotic threats.

Priority C: Accelerate the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples in Health Research

CIHR has made progress in Year 2 on advancing the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and removing barriers to Indigenous-led research. This work has been conducted while continuing to engage with rights-holding communities, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. Our progress included:

• The CIHR Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR) program continues to contribute to the Indigenous health research ecosystem in ways which align with the CIHR Strategic Plan in its support for the next generation of researchers. Significant work has been done to co-develop the NEIHR Performance Measurement and Evaluation Framework and to support the monitoring of the implementation and performance of the NEIHR Centres to inform their applications of the renewal funding opportunity. CIHR continues to further implement the Action Plan: Building a healthier future for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
• Strengthened relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities through the co-development of engagement strategies and tools. A working group has been established to begin mapping a calendar of anticipated Indigenous engagement needs across CIHR to ensure a coordinated approach and to build an Indigenous engagement resource toolkit.
• We worked with Tri-Agency partners on Indigenous membership and citizenship. To better understand and manage issues relating to Indigenous membership and citizenship, an ad-hoc Tri-Agency committee was created to develop and implement an engagement plan that gathers perspectives from key Indigenous partners and stakeholders.  
• The Tri-Agency Working Group has continued its work on removing administrative barriers to Indigenous community-led research, including:
  • implementation of a streamlined application and approval tool for organizations to administer agency funding; and
  • mechanisms to provide indirect cost support to Indigenous not-for-profit organizations that administer agency funds.

Priority D: Pursue Health Equity Through Research

CIHR has continued to advance the work required to ensure health equity for all through research. Our progress included:

• The inclusion of patient engagement in our work through the mandate of the new Executive Director of Patient-Oriented Research. 
• Completed a series of scans both within the organization and beyond to identify current practices around the engagement of people with lived and living experience (PWLLE). A new CIHR Community of Practice on Patient Engagement has been established to evolve and implement these practices at CIHR.
• Launched several initiatives and funding opportunities with a focus on addressing health inequities through research including:
  • The National Women’s Health Research Initiative will advance a coordinated research program that addresses under-researched and high-priority areas of women’s health.
  • The Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence Early Career Transition Award aims to support the transition from trainee to independent faculty member of individuals from underrepresented groups in Canada.
  • Investments in the CIHR HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections Research Initiative and the Transforming Health with Integrated Care Implementation Science Team Grants.  
  • A joint CIHR/SSHRC investment of $19.2M is supporting a Race, Gender, and Diversity Initiative.
• Consultations to advance Equity Science and to accelerate progress on health inequities are ongoing. The Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH), in partnership with Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, are finalizing a call for papers focused on identifying and mapping currently available evidence, approaches and next practices related to Equity Science.
• Continued progress on global health included:
  • CIHR and partners funded the Women Rise Initiative with International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and SSHRC, and GACD 2022: NCD Prevention in Cities (IDRC).
  • CIHR’s Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies and IDRC offered rapid response grants relating to several critical health emergencies including Mpox and the Sudan Ebola virus.
  • Contributed to domestic global health through our support to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Global Health (SAC-GH)
  • Affirmed leadership positions in the international Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) and Glopid-R.
  • Continued to advocate for equity on the global stage by hosting panels and conferences such as the Canadian Conference on Global Health and making equity considerations a focus of our funding opportunities.

Priority E: Integrate Evidence in Health Decisions

CIHR continued to advance its goal of bridging the gap between discovery and implementation, where researchers in Canada are at the forefront of knowledge mobilization, maximizing results and research outputs and fostering health system innovations through commercialization in areas such as technology, virtual care, and artificial intelligence. Our Year 2 progress included:

• Building on Year 1 progress, CIHR advanced the development of a Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Framework and Action Plan based on input from key stakeholders, including knowledge mobilization experts. Information gathered through sessions and surveys has been compiled into a What we Heard Report and draft activities to support the framework are being tabled for feedback through a second phase of engagements, with publication expected by Fall 2023.
• Work continued on a KM casebook, highlighting best KM practices across all four research pillars.
• Clinical Trials Fund (CTF) achievements included the establishment of a core CTF team and the completion of funding processes. We announced approximately $191M in funding in January 2023 to support the Canadian clinical trials ecosystem.
• Collaboration between the Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) and CTF have resulted in the launch of a number of funding opportunities aimed at supporting innovative clinical trials (iCT), as well as patient-oriented iCT training platforms.
• Launched and completed an online consultation with a wide array of stakeholders and partners with interests in the Canadian clinical trials ecosystem to support further analysis and the development of a proposal for a long-term clinical trials strategy for CIHR. Additional stakeholder engagement is ongoing and will continue in 2023-2024.
• Progressed work to refresh SPOR including renewed relationships with key partners, such as the National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations (NAPHRO) and the Health Charities Coalition of Canada (HCCC), as well as other stakeholders (e.g., Principal Investigators and Executive Directors of SPOR-funded entities, Indigenous research partners, etc.). These partnerships will help to build momentum and consensus around the proposed SPOR refresh process.

Serving Canadians: Our Commitment to Organizational Excellence

CIHR has made considerable progress regarding the modernization of its operations, technologies, and management practices, including Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) actions. Our Year 2 progress included:

• The Employee EDI Committee is now well established and has been focused on the Employment Systems Review and providing input on the development of an EDI Strategy. A component of CIHR’s compliance with the Employment Equity Act, the Employment Systems Review seeks to identify systemic and attitudinal barriers to creating and maintaining a representative workforce and an inclusive workplace.
• Launched the Canadian Institutes of Health Research first multi-year Accessibility Plan in support of the Government of Canada’s intent to achieve a barrier-free Canada by 2040. This Plan aligns with the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act; a law that benefits all Canadians, notably persons with disabilities, by proactively identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility. It includes concrete actions and deliverables to ensure accessibility is embedded in the Agency’s hiring and retention practices.
• Continued evolution and improvements to our new integrated planning approach to enable evidence-informed decision-making, effective prioritization of annual activities, and alignment of available resources. 
• Key priorities for the next three years (2023-2026) have been established by senior leadership to facilitate decision-making for operational planning and lay the foundations for multi-year planning that will be rolled out next fiscal year.
• Work is underway to implement the Strategic Plan Performance Measurement Framework, starting with defining expected outcomes for each strategy.
• Continued enhancement of our business systems, including the implementation of a strategy to migrate business applications to the Cloud, and fortified response to increasing cyber-security threats.
• In alignment with best practices and the Government of Canada direction, CIHR worked with the Treasury Board Secretariat to modernize its current financial system solution. The new solution will stabilize CIHR’s infrastructure platform, allowing us to better support the research community.
• A comprehensive evidence-based review of the authorities and accountabilities of the senior leadership cadre is on schedule. Key steps included evidence gathering and analysis, as well as the recent creation of a Governing Council Working Group on Institutes. The outcomes of this work will enhance efficiency and effectiveness across the Agency and lay the groundwork for the next phases of governance updates and the Institute Model Review. Year 3 will see further work to define the scope of this project, the development of its framework, and its implementation.
• Implemented the CIHR Future Workplace model in July 2022. This model, which focuses on operational excellence, is the result of two years of consultation, research, analysis and engagement with employees and managers. The model and the approach were well received by CIHR’s employees, and we continue to learn and adapt as needed. CIHR is currently developing monitoring and performance metrics in conjunction with change management processes. This will inform the ongoing evaluation of the evolving CIHR Workplace model.
• CIHR implemented several initiatives to support employee wellness, including:
  • the provision of a Mental Health Ombuds Service that provides a safe space for employees to discuss matters related to wellbeing and mental health, as well as issues such as harassment, inclusion, and diversity.
  • an updated Mental Health Strategy and an Action Plan was developed to deliver initiatives to continue to reduce stigma, to build capacity in employees and managers, while embedding the psychosocial factors of the National Standard on Psychological Health and Wellness in the Workplace into our culture.
• Updated the CIHR Official Languages Action Plan. Implementation will continue over several fiscal years.

Date modified:

2023-06-27