Travel Award – CIHR-IGH 2025 Summer Institute in Sex and Gender+ Science

Table of Contents

Important Dates

Application Deadline: January 9, 2025

Anticipated Notice of Decision: Mid-February 2025

Description

The CIHR Institute of Gender and Health (IGH) 2025 Summer Institute in Sex and Gender+ ScienceFootnote 1, with the theme of Advancing Knowledge and Equity: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Sex and Gender+ Science Across Biomedical, Clinical, Health Services, and Population Health Research, will take place in Toronto from May 26 - 30, 2025 hosted by the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network. To enable trainees to participate in the 2025 Summer Institute, IGH will provide travel awards for up to 30 trainees.

The CIHR-IGH Summer Institute in Sex and Gender+ Science is a capacity-bridging program that takes place over 5-days and provides trainees (graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) at Canadian Institutions with advanced training in sex and gender science as well as networking opportunities with fellow trainees, academics and community members.

Sex and gender+ science has gained momentum as a distinct field of study in recent years with a growing community of scholars dedicated to advancing knowledge, theories and methods for sex and gender science and applying this evidence to improve health. For this field to continue evolving, we need to move beyond describing sex differences and gender disparities by normative sex and gender categories to examining and understanding the sex and gender-related factors and processes that drive them, and how they intersect. As the only health research funding institute in Canada with a specific focus on sex, gender and health, IGH has a key leadership role in advancing sex and gender science by supporting research, bridging capacity, and convening communities for sex, gender, and health research and knowledge mobilization. The Summer Institute is one such initiative to bridge capacity and convene communities to advance sex and gender+ scienceFootnote 2.Summer Institute sessions will include lectures, discussion sessions and workshops to provide trainees with opportunities to gain practical knowledge and “hands-on” instruction for incorporating sex and gender considerations across the research continuum.

All trainees who wish to attend the 2025 IGH Summer Institute, MUST apply through this funding opportunity. Trainees are required to attend all sessions. A detailed agenda will be provided to participants prior to the 2025 Summer Institute.

Funds Available

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $60,000, enough to fund approximately 30 travel awards.

For more information on the appropriate use of funds, please refer to the Allowable Costs.

Please note that CIHR’s financial contributions for this initiative are subject to the availability of funds. Should CIHR’s funding levels not be available or are decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR reserves the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to awards received as a result of this funding opportunity.

Objectives

The specific objective of this funding opportunity is to provide interested trainees at Canadian institutions with the opportunity to participate in the 2025 IGH Summer Institute in Sex and Gender+ Science.

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible, all requirements stated below must be met:

  • The applicant must be a trainee enrolled at a Canadian University. A Trainee: must be registered in a Master’s or doctoral program OR be at the post-doctoral or post–health professional degree stage. International students enrolled at a Canadian University are eligible to apply.
  • The trainee must be committed to attend the entire 5-day program of the 2025 IGH Summer Institute.

In addition:

  • The trainee must be engaged in research that aligns with the IGH mandate and/or strategic research priority areas of IGH and considers sex as a biological variable and/or gender as a socio-cultural determinant of health as an integral part of the research question(s), research design, methods, analysis and/or data reporting.
  • IGH is committed to excellence in research and research training. In alignment with the Tri-agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), this travel award opportunity is committed to increasing equitable and inclusive participation in research training opportunities. As such, a statement outlining EDI-informed considerations that apply to the application must be included (see How to apply section for more details).
    • EDI considerations may be relevant to the research process (e.g., how is the research planned and carried out? Who are the research participants? Who is impacted by the research?) and/or to the research team (e.g., who is leading the research? What is the research environment?  Who is contributing to the research team? Are people with lived and living experience involved in the research? Are equity-denied groups engaged in the research?).
    • The following CIHR resource on EDI in research may be helpful: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Research System.

Guidelines

General CIHR Policies

Before submitting an application to this funding opportunity, applicants should review the relevant policies and guidelines on the CIHR Funding Policies page to ensure understanding of their responsibilities and expectations.

Allowable Costs

Applicants are advised to consult the Use of Grant Funds section of the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA) to determine if an expenditure is an appropriate use of grant funds.

For this funding opportunity, eligible expenses are restricted to costs directly related to attending the 2025 IGH Summer Institute. The following are examples of appropriate uses of the grant funds, provided they satisfy the principles and pertinent TAGFA directives (see Travel and travel-related subsistence expenditures):

  • Lowest price economy return airline ticket, bus ticket, train ticket, public transportation, or taxi/ride share from the applicant's home town or academic institution to the 2025 IGH Summer Institute location, including ground transfers.
  • No funds will be provided for accommodation in Toronto, since group accommodation at the 2025 IGH Summer Institute will be covered directly by the Summer Institute host. The exception is for accommodation while in transit for applicants in remote areas, as applicable.
  • Meals and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses while in transit (meals will be provided during the 2025 IGH Summer Institute)
  • Childcare costs (up to $50 per day, as applicable).
  • See the application form for more details

The following expenses are not eligible for support through this funding opportunity:

  • Travel companion(s) expenses;
  • Any expenses incurred as a result of extending the stay beyond the Summer Institute dates.

Note: Trainees who live in Toronto and want to attend the 2025 Summer Institute must still apply for a Travel Award, even if the amount of funding requested is $0.  Trainees who live in Toronto are eligible to apply for local transportation costs to the Summer Institute venue (e.g., mileage/parking, public transportation, taxi/ride share, etc) and Childcare costs as applicable. Trainees who live in Toronto will be provided accommodation close to the venue and all meals during the Summer Institute.

Use of Personal Information

  • Personal information submitted during the application process, will be made available to IGH personnel for the purposes of future program design and delivery, results measurement, and reporting.
  • Personal information will be used to contact applicants and coordinate activities related to the 2025 IGH Summer Institute.

Review Process and Evaluation

Relevance Review Process

IGH will perform relevance reviews to identify applications that are in alignment with the objectives of this competition. For the purposes of this travel award, applications will be deemed relevant if:

  1. The trainee research program aligns IGH mandate and/or strategic research priority areas of IGH;
  2. Sex as a biological variable and/or gender as a sociocultural determinant of health is an integral part of the research question(s) and design, methods, analysis and/or data reporting.

Applications that are not deemed to be relevant will be withdrawn from the competition. There is no formal appeal process for relevance decisions.

Inquiries about whether applicants are eligible and/or applications relevant should be sent prior to submitting the application at: IGH-ISFH@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated and ranked according to the following criteria:

  1. Relevance and strength of the Research Approach and Impact
    1. Research approach: Evidence of knowledge, experience, and/or plans for incorporating sex and/or gender+ considerations into the applicant’s research program, as an integral part of the research question, design, methods, analysis, data reporting, and/or knowledge mobilization activities.
    2. Impact on research and/or career: Potential impact of attending the 2025 IGH Summer Institute on the research and/or career of the applicant, as reflected in the applicant’s letter of motivation.
    3. EDI considerations.
  2. Strength of the Applicant and the Application
    1. Qualifications and experience of the applicant, including training, skills, experience, and research contributions (relative to career stage). This includes contributions to scholarly manuscripts and book chapters, presentations at scientific conferences, attainment of external funding, scientific leadership experience, involvement in scientific outreach activities, including community outreach activities, as reflected in the applicant's curriculum vitae (CV).
    2. Demonstrated strength of the applicant based on the letter of motivation and the research supervisor’s letter of support.
    3. Clarity of application and motivation for applying to attend the 2025 IGH Summer Institute.
    4. EDI considerations.

Funding Decision

Once travel award applications have been scored and ranked, IGH will fund relevant, highly ranked proposals (in rank order), taking into account representation across CIHR Health Research Pillars, geography, and official language of study based on the institute of study. Approximately 30 applicants will be invited to attend the 2025 IGH Summer Institute.

Conditions of Funding and Special Requirements

  • The applicant must comply with CIHR Funding policies and consent to the use and disclosure of full application and nominative information for relevance review and funding decisions at the time of application;
  • The travel award is only applicable to the 2025 IGH Summer Institute. Should the awardee be unable to attend the 2025 IGH Summer Institute, the awarded funds will need to be returned.

In addition, successful applicants:

  • May be profiled in CIHR communications, on the IGH website and social media, and will be asked to submit a photo and/or short bio to be used in CIHR and IGH related communications (e.g., newsletters);
  • Must be committed to attend the entire 2025 IGH Summer Institute program.
  • Will be asked to complete a post-event survey on their participation at the 2025 CIHR-IGH Summer Institute. More information to be provided.

How to Apply

All trainees who wish to attend the 2025 IGH Summer Institute, MUST apply through this funding opportunity.

To apply:

  • Complete and sign the Applicant Consent Form [ PDF (77 KB) ];
  • Complete and sign the Application Form and Budget [ PDF (88 KB)];
  • Get a CIHR PIN to be included in the application form, if not done already;
  • Assemble the accompanying documents (listed below);
  • Compile ALL forms and accompanying documents into a single PDF and save in the following format: LastNameFirstName_SI_SexGender2025_TravelApplication.pdf;
  • Email the full application (forms and accompanying documents) to IGH-ISFH@cihr-irsc.gc.ca before January 9, 2025 at 11:59pm PT with the subject line “Travel Awards 2025 CIHR-IGH Summer Institute”. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be accepted.
  • If you have not received an email confirming the receipt of your application within 5 business days of applying, please ensure the email was entered correctly and follow-up to ensure the application was received successfully.

Accompanying Documents

  1. Applicant’s research program summary (maximum 1 page, single-spaced, Arial 11 point,). The summary must include a concise account of the applicant’s research program, an overview of the research plan, specific objectives, and the methodology. The summary must also reflect the alignment of the applicant’s research program with the IGH mandate and the area of sex and gender+ science in health.
  2. Certificate of completion for one of the sex and gender training modules. The applicant must submit a certificate of completion for one of the three online sex and gender training modules developed by IGH. Applicants should complete the module(s) that is most relevant to their research.
  3. Applicant’s Canadian Common CV (CCV) Biosketch CV
  4. Applicant’s letter of motivation (maximum 1 page, single-spaced, Arial 11 point). The applicant must provide a letter of motivation outlining:
    • How attending the 2025 CIHR-IGH Summer Institute will contribute to their research and/or career in sex and gender+ science
  5. Applicant’s statement on EDI (maximum ½ page, single-spaced, Arial 11 point) that apply to the application. EDI-informed considerations may involve one or more of the following:
    • EDI considerations relevant to the research process (e.g., in the research questions, design, methods, analysis, reporting, etc);
    • Research respectfully involving and engaging Indigenous communities (TCPS 2 Chapter 9);
    • EDI considerations relevant to the researcher and/or research team
    • The lived and living experience of health or social inequity of the applicant, community engagement activities of the applicant, and/or other relevant considerations.
  6. Research supervisor letter of support, signed on institutional letterhead from the applicant’s primary supervisor that explicitly states:
    • Their consent for submission of the Travel Award application;
    • That they agree the applicant may travel to and participate in the 2025 IGH Summer Institute; and
    • The strength(s) and suitability of the applicant as a participant in the 2025 IGH Summer Institute.

For further guidance on incorporating gender and sex into health research, applicants are encouraged to consult resources on How to integrate sex and gender in health research. Additional resources on EDI in research may also be helpful: EDI in the research system (CIHR) and NSERC guide on integrating EDI considerations in research.

Contact Information

Inquiries about the application process should be emailed to IGH prior to submitting the application at IGH-ISFH@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

If you have not received an email confirming the receipt of your application within 5 business days of applying, please ensure the email was entered correctly and follow-up to ensure the application was received successfully.

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