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An agreement between Industry Canada and provincial government representatives was reached last fall on the first Research Hospital Fund (RHF) competition. Part of this agreement was to have further discussion on the future of the RHF.
In November, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research proceeded with a consultation on a draft Call for Proposals. Our intent was to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on the second competition, in parallel with the discussions to be held between Industry Canada and provincial representatives. We thank those who provided comments.
A meeting was held in December 2005 between Industry Canada and provincial representatives to pursue discussions on the future of the RHF. The CFI has now received a letter from provincial Deputy Ministers responsible for Innovation indicating that there is unanimous agreement among provinces that they will not participate in the second RHF competition until federal/provincial agreement has been reached.
Given the position of the provinces, the ongoing discussions between the provinces and the federal government, and in the interest of goodwill on the part of all involved, the CFI will not proceed at this time with the launch of a Call for Proposals under the RHF, including the collaboration with CIHR on the Clinical Research Initiative. The CFI and CIHR regret any inconvenience this may cause to the community.
We cannot predict at this time when a Call for Proposal would be launched, or the terms and conditions of a future competition. We will keep you informed of any progress made over the coming months.
