Canadian Institutes of Health Research

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) provides numerous funding opportunities throughout the year for health research in four themes through 13 institutes.

The four themes are:

Biomedical
Clinical
Health systems services
Social, cultural, environmental, and population health

The 13 institutes are:

Aboriginal Peoples' Health
Aging
Cancer Research
Circulatory and Respiratory Health
Gender and Health
Genetics
Health Services and Policy Research
Human Development, Child and Youth Health
Infection and Immunity
Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction
Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
Population and Public Health

The institutes are currently undergoing a model review to ensure their governance structure, funding model, policies, and objectives, etc. are responsive to emerging health trends in Canada.

**NOTE: CIHR has also recently initiated reforms to their Open Programs and to the Peer Review process. This has led to changes in proposal content and organization. Many current and upcoming opportunities are piloting the new format. If you have applied to a specific opportunity in the past, it is advisable that you carefully review the application guidelines for the opportunity should you plan to apply again as there might have been changes since your previous application. As the new programs are phased in, existing programs are being discontinued. The numerous programs in the Open Programs suite have been amalgamated into two distinct program schemes, the Foundations Scheme and the Projects Scheme, each with an annual application cycle.

General information about these new schemes is provided under the left-hand links. However, until more resources are available on the new funding schemes, the best approach is to carefully follow the Application Guidelines for the specific funding opportunities and to contact the Health Research Funding Officer in the Research Office for information and assistance.