The following guidelines apply to all of CIHR's grant programs. Grant program descriptions can be found in the Current Funding Opportunities section under "Grant Programs" and "Research Related Activity Programs".
3-A Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC & SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide
3-A1 Responsibilities and Accountability [External site]
Deviation from Proposed Activities and/or Budget
Financial Monitoring of Accounts
3-A2 Annual Funding of Grants [External site]
Communication of Competition Results
Extension Period for Use of Funds Beyond Grant Period
3-A3 Use of Grant Funds [External site]
Computers and Electronic Communications
Dissemination of Research Results
Services and Miscellaneous Expenses
3-A4 Reporting [External site]
3-A5 Administrative Matters [External site]
Ownership of Items Purchased or Collected With Agency Funds
Transferring Grant(s) to an Eligible Canadian Institution
Moving Equipment, Material or an Unexpended Equipment Grant
Deferral of Instalment Payments of an Ongoing Grant
Parental, Medical, or Care and Nurturing Leave
Residual Balances in Agency Accounts
3-B CIHR Additional Guidelines for Grant Programs
3-B1 Restrictions on Same (or Very Similar) Applications
3-B4 Requests for Funds for Equipment/Maintenance
3-B5 Requests for Supplementary Funds
3-B7 Replacing or Adding Participants on CIHR Grants
3-B7.1 Replacing a Nominated Principal Applicant on a Grant
3-B7.2 Replacing or Adding an Other Applicant on a Grant
3-B8 Progress Report for Long-Term Grant Holders (5 or more years)
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) have worked together to harmonize and simplify the policies/guidelines and regulations governing the use of grant funds awarded by the three agencies to assist researchers and institutional administrators in their interpretation of the acceptable use of public funds and at the same time respect the cultural differences of the three communities. The harmonized document is entitled "Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC & SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide".
The list of examples included in the "Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC & SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide" is not exhaustive. Researchers are encouraged to communicate with their relevant institutional contacts (e.g., Business Officer or Research Grants Officer). In the absence of a clear understanding of a Federal Granting Agency's policy, the institution should seek a ruling from that Agency.
The Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC & SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide is divided into five distinct sections and provides financial administration guidelines relating to grants funded by the three federal granting agencies. These sections are as follows:
Responsibilities and Accountability [External Site]
Annual Funding of Grants [External Site]
Use of Grant Funds [External Site]
Reporting [External Site]
Administrative Matters [External Site]
Section 3 of the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide describes the guidelines for grant programs which aren't covered by the Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC & SSHRC) Financial Administration Guide.
CIHR will not accept same (or very similar) grant proposals submitted in response to more than one funding opportunity with overlapping review periods. Note that once a research proposal has been submitted to CIHR, it is immediately considered to be under review, regardless of the application stage. Applicants must wait until after they are notified of the decision for one research proposal before they can submit the same (or very similar) research proposal to another funding opportunity.
A request for funding through CIHR's Priority Announcements is not considered to be a duplicate proposal submission.
Also note that applicants may not submit the same proposal concurrently to both CIHR and NSERC or SSHRC.
For information on resubmissions, refer to the subsection titled "Resubmissions".
An applicant who is unsuccessful in one competition may resubmit the same or similar application in a subsequent competition. In so doing, the applicant may include a rebuttal with the resubmission to address concerns raised by reviewers, to point out changes to the proposal, and/or to counter criticisms believed to be unfounded. The rebuttal must not exceed two pages in length, must be printed single-sided on white, 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, and previous reviews or other materials must not be appended. Additional pages and/or materials will be removed from the application prior to being sent to reviewers.
The rebuttals should contain complete argumentation that can be fully understood on a stand-alone basis without reference to any other documentation except the proposal itself. It is CIHR's intent that each application be considered de novo relative to other applications in the competition. It is the applicant's responsibility to present the resubmission in such a way that a first-time reviewer has all the information needed to evaluate the proposal without recourse to previous iterations or reviews. This accomplishes two objectives:
Resubmitted applications will not necessarily be reviewed by the same peer review committee members who previously reviewed it, for any of the following reasons:
Since resubmitted applications may be assigned to different committee members, additional issues (i.e., strength(s), weakness(es) of the application) could be identified and the new rating may either increase or decrease as a result.
An applicant may apply for a renewal of funding to continue the same line of investigation when his or her current grant expires. To do so, the applicant uses the same form, indicating "renewal" where appropriate.
New and renewal applications are evaluated together, on a "level playing field", using the same rating scale, and it is CIHR's intention to apply the same cut-off rating for funding for both types of applications. However, different emphases may be placed on the training experience and track record of the applicant as appropriate to new and renewal applications respectively.
An application for renewal must be submitted prior to the expiry of the current funding period, so that, if successful, the applicant will experience no interruption in funding. The deadline date to apply for a renewal grant appears on the Authorization for Funding. The renewal date may be postponed under exceptional circumstances, but the request for postponement must be made prior to the renewal date. Grant holders are required to submit the request for postponement by mail or by e-mail to the Deputy Director for assessment.
If a renewal application is unsuccessful, the applicant may resubmit the same or a similar application to a subsequent competition, however, it will be considered as a new application. If a renewal application is submitted after the renewal deadline date, it will also be considered as a new application.
If, for any reason (e.g., need for additional funds for the project) a grant holder submits a renewal application prior to the scheduled renewal date, and is successful, the funding for the currently-held grant will be cancelled as of the effective date of funding for the new competition. Funds approved for the early renewal application will begin on the effective date of funding for that competition.
An applicant who submits an early application for renewal and is unsuccessful will have the currently-held grant terminated on the day prior to the effective date of funding of the early renewal grant. The applicant may resubmit the same or a similar application to a subsequent competition, however, it will be considered a new application.
Applicants may request funds for equipment and/or maintenance as part of their application to the Operating Grants Program if this equipment and/or maintenance would support the research proposed in their application.
If, during the course of a CIHR-funded grant or a grant jointly-funded by CIHR and one or more organization(s), an applicant requires funds for equipment and/or maintenance to further support the CIHR-funded research, he or she may submit an application to the Operating Grants Program or the Research Resource Grant Program. Note that applicants cannot request funds for equipment and/or maintenance from more than one funding opportunity with overlapping review periods. For more information, consult the subsection titled "Restrictions on Same (or Very Similar) Applications".
Applications for supplementary funds during the course of the grant will not be considered.
Exception:
Paid Parental Leave
The institution's business officer makes the payments for authorized expenditures from the Common Grant Account in accordance with the institution's accounting and administrative procedures.
The grant holder is responsible for authorizing expenditures from his or her CIHR grant account in accordance with CIHR's regulations and conditions of grants and with the institution's policies. No other party may initiate or authorize expenditures from a CIHR grant account without the grant holder's written delegated authority. All claims must have the grant holder's or delegate's signature. The signatures certify that:
Grant holders must be able to provide supporting documentation to their institution and to CIHR for all expenditures charged to their grant accounts. Such documentation includes the following:
Individuals claiming travel-related expenses from a grant must prepare a separate claim for each trip. Travel claims must also conform to the standard travel policies and procedures of the grant holder's institution. For claimants other than the grant holder, the affiliation with the grant holder's research group must be specified. If the traveler is a student, the travel claim must be signed by the grant holder. In the event that the traveler is the grant holder or a visiting researcher, the travel claim must be countersigned by the department head or Dean confirming the relevance of the travel to the research being funded.
The travel claim must include the following information:
All supporting documentation must be kept for seven years after the expenditure has occurred. In the event that other restrictions are imposed, these will be clearly stated in the Authorization for Funding for the guidance of the grant holder and the business officer.
Awards tenable outside Canada will be paid directly to the award holder. Stipends will be paid on a quarterly basis, in equal instalments. The first instalment will be made within 30 days of the beginning of the award or when all the required documents have been received.
Some grants are not paid through a Common Grant Account. In some cases, payments are made directly to recipient organizations. Examples of such grants are those that are provided to organizations in the voluntary sector.
Due to the unique nature of these grants, the terms and conditions of the administration of the funds are determined on an individual basis. The terms and conditions could include:
Should a need arise whereby a Nominated Principal Applicant needs to be replaced on a grant (e.g., a change in eligibility, resigning or retiring from the academic position, illness or death), grant holders are required to submit the following documentation by mail to CIHR for assessment:
There will be no increase in funding due to the replacement of a Nominated Principal Applicant.
A Nominated Principal Applicant may seek to replace or add an applicant to an existing grant. In order for CIHR to consider this request, the Nominated Principal Applicant is required to submit the following documentation by mail to CIHR for assessment:
There will be no increase in funding due to the replacement or addition of an applicant on a grant.
Long-term grant holders (5 or more years) are subject to a mid-term review. For example, for a five-year grant, a progress report must be submitted during the third year of support. Applicants should refer to their Authorization for Funding (AFF) for the applicable deadline date.
Grant holders are required to submit one original "Progress Report for Long-Term Grant Holders (5 or more years) (Form 44)" by mail to the Program Delivery Coordinator for assessment.
The progress report must describe the progress made and the publications issued since the start of the operating grant.
If the progress is unacceptable, the grant holder will be requested to submit a complete renewal application at the next competition and CIHR will cancel all subsequent commitments. For example, for a five-year grant, CIHR will cancel the last 12 months of the grant.
If the grant holder does not submit a progress report, CIHR will cancel the final years of the grant. For example, for a five-year grant, CIHR will cancel the final two years of the grant.
