A complete list of CIHR funding opportunities, including the ability to access opportunities by program category and by area of research, can be found at CIHR's Current Funding Opportunities.
List of current Knowledge Translation, Commercialization and Industry Partnered (or collaborative) funding opportunities, including the Proof of Principle Program (Phase I & II).
General overview of CIHR's Innovation and Industry Programs.
CIHR's Commercialization and Innovation Strategy.
4-A General Guidelines for Partnerships
4-A3 Definition of a Partnership
4-B General Guidelines for Industry-Partnered Programs
4-B2 CIHR Intellectual Property Guidelines
4-B4 CIHR Financial Guidelines for Industry-Partnered Programs
4-B4.1 Payment of Grants and Awards
4-B4.2 Funding Ratios for Industry-Partnered Applications
4-B4.3 Co-funding Levels for the Support of Research Personnel
4-B4.5 Options for Payment of Company Contributions
Researchers:
CIHR establishes relationships with organizations which often result in partnered funding opportunities. The information below sets up the partnership context at CIHR. Researchers should note that all funding opportunities with partners are subject to the guidelines governing all CIHR funding opportunities unless specifically mentioned otherwise in the description of the funding opportunity.
Industry-partnered grants and awards follow indications specific to dealing with the private sector. These indications are detailed in the subsection titled "CIHR Financial Guidelines for Industry-Partnered Programs" in this section of the Guide.
Potential Partners:
If you have connections with an organization that is interested in partnering with CIHR, find out "How to Partner with CIHR" or see the details regarding "Partnering with the Institutes".
In order for CIHR to meet its Mandate, it must work with all the stakeholders involved in health research and the health-care system. The CIHR Act states that CIHR will achieve its purposes by "fostering collaboration with the provinces and with individuals and organizations in or outside Canada that have an interest in health or health research" and by "creating health-research institutes that engage voluntary organizations, the private sector and others in or outside Canada with complementary research interests."
From CIHR's beginning it has been recognized that effective health research needs the collective effort of the many people and organizations committed to making Canadians healthier and building an effective health-care system.
CIHR does not agree to work exclusively with any partner, nor will it endorse a single product, service or organization or offer exclusive benefits to any products, services or organizations. Effective and innovative health research requires CIHR to remain open to all new partnership opportunities.
A partnership is a formalized working relationship between two or more organizations with separate identities and independent accountabilities and is based on mutual benefit and a clear understanding or agreement that sets out the shared goal and objectives and the terms of the arrangement. The parties involved in a partnership:
A collaboration is an interaction between two or more organizations guided, as in a partnership, by shared interests. However, unlike a partnership, the parties may not all contribute resources or share equally in the benefits or risk taking. They do, however, agree to share information openly and act cooperatively.
Partnerships also allow funding collaborations. A funding collaboration is a business transaction in which two or more entities exchange things of value. This value can be financial, in-kind, or benefits related to visibility/exposure, or publicity. It also involves a display of affiliation that stops short of product endorsement.
NOTE: It is important to recognize that for CIHR the term "partnership" does not denote a true legal partnership where actions committed by each party are legally binding on the other.
The aim of Industry-partnered programs is to provide an opportunity for health researchers to work in cooperation with industry by jointly funding research projects with private sector companies and other organizations. The research planned should benefit both parties while improving the quality of health of Canadians. Section 4B of the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide describes the guidelines for Industry-Partnered grants and awards.
CIHR Industry-partnered programs apply the following eligibility rules in addition to the "Eligibility Requirements for CIHR Grants and Awards" in section 1-B1 of this guide.
An individual (researcher or trainee) is considered NOT eligible as a Principal Applicant, Co-applicant, or Proposed Supervisor if his or her sole proprietorship (or own consulting company, or a company in which his or her financial interest holdings are greater than 5%) is the company proposed as the industry partner for a research grant, salary or trainee award application.
Situations, where the individual is a part owner (less than 5%) of or is affiliated with the company proposed as the Industry partner, are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The individual may be considered eligible if the following conditions are met:
Applications can be initiated either by a CIHR-eligible investigator or a company. The "company" is understood to mean an organization, an industry or a group of companies. A company is eligible provided that it:
For CIHR's policy on application restrictions, please refer to the subsections titled "Eligibility" in Section 2: CIHR Guidelines for Training and Salary Programs and the subsection titled "Restrictions on Same (or Very Similar) Applications" in Section 3: CIHR Guidelines for Grant Programs.
CIHR currently requires that institutional policies governing the assignment of intellectual property be adhered to in all industry-partnered initiatives. However, over time, CIHR expects to develop specific guidelines governing its participation in these types of activities. CIHR does not pass judgment on the eventual commercial success of the research.
Partners and grant holders must inform CIHR of any commercial exploitation arising from CIHR-supported activity. However, CIHR does not claim proprietary rights to inventions resulting from research supported by its funds. The onus is on the grant holder to seek patent protection in collaboration with the university or institute and the industrial partner for inventions or developments arising from CIHR-supported research. Every effort should be made to ensure that the application of any such discoveries benefits to the utmost the Canadian economy.
For CIHR's requirements for the ethical conduct of research, please refer to the subsection titled "Ethics" in Section 1: CIHR General Grants and Awards Policies.
CIHR's funding is conditional upon the company or other organization also making a contribution. It should be noted that CIHR funding cannot be levered against contributions provided in the past and/or for support of research that has already started or been completed. The ratios for matching the industry partner's financial contribution (in cash and, if applicable, in-kind) will vary depending on the type of application (see Funding Ratio Table below).
In the administration of funds for partnered grants and awards, one person is named as the administrator of the funds and, for purposes of the Common Account, is the grant or award holder. The Authorization for Funding will specify the amounts to be contributed by both CIHR and the company or other organization. For grants and awards of this type, institutions must maintain a separate account for the funding received from CIHR versus funding from a private sector company or other organization. Holders' statement of expenditures must be submitted annually under the same conditions as other CIHR funds.
| Program Type | Ratio (CIHR : company) |
|---|---|
| Training awards (e.g., Fellowships) | 1 : 1 based on CIHR stipend scales |
| Salary awards (e.g., New Investigators, Research Chairs) | 1 : 1 based on CIHR stipend scales |
| Grants (e.g., Operating Grants) | 1 : 2* |
| Randomized Controlled Trials | 1 : 2** |
* Includes eligible in-kind contribution.
** This ratio is 1 : 4 if the partner is a member of Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D).
Industry-Partnered Training Awards: Provide stipend support of trainees undertaking Master's, Ph.D. or post-degree studies. The funding ratio for successful applications is 1 : 1 (CIHR : company).
(ST denotes Stipend and RA denotes Research Allowance).
| Program | Type of Funding | CIHR Contribution | Minimum Company Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master's Awards | ST | $8,750 | $8,750 |
| Doctoral Research Awards | ST | $10,500 | $10,500 |
| RA | $500 | $500 | |
| Fellowships | ST | $20,000 to $25,000 |
$20,000 to |
| RA | $2,500 | $2,500 | |
| Operating Fellowships | ST | $23,363 to $26,250 |
$23,363 to $26,250 |
| RA | $10,000 | $10,000 | |
| Clinician-Scientists Phase 1 | ST | $26,250 | $26,250 |
| RA | $2,500 | $2,500 |
Please note that a company may choose to support award holders for a finite period (1 or 2 years) instead of the full period of eligibility.
Industry-Partnered & Salary Awards: Provide salary support for independent investigators at varying levels of experience. The funding ratio for successful applications is 1 : 1 (CIHR : company).
(SA denotes Salary and RA denotes Research Allowance).
| Program | Type of Funding | CIHR Contribution* | Minimum Company Contribution* |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Investigators | SA | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Investigators | SA | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Research Chairs - Salary** | SA | $25,000 to $70,000 | $25,000 |
| Clinician-Scientists Phase 2 | SA | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| RA | $20,000 | $20,000 |
* Please note that fringe benefits, estimated at 10% and reconciled at year-end, must be added to salary costs.
** Chair applicants may also request grant funds at 1 : 2 (CIHR : company) funding ratio.
For grants, at least 75% of the industry partner's required contribution toward the project should be in cash. Cash contributions are deemed NOT eligible for levering by CIHR in any of the following cases:
A list of eligible expenses can be found in the "Use of Grant Funds" section of the "Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC & SSHRC) Financial Guide". Please note that partner contribution for all awards must be 100% cash.
Up to 25% of an industry partner's required contribution may comprise of in-kind (cash-equivalent) contributions. In-kind contributions are generally those that are entirely relevant and central to the research (such judgment may be referred to peer review) and would have to be purchased if they were not provided by the industry partner.
The types of in-kind contributions that are recognized and therefore considered eligible to lever CIHR funding are listed in the "In-kind Eligibility Table".
All such in-kind contributions must be accompanied by a statement signed by the industry partner's chief financial officer certifying the value of the contributions and must be appropriately documented to be recognized. The valuation of in-kind contributions must be stated either at the internal cost to the industry partner or at retail cost less 40%, which ever is less.
Examples of ineligible in-kind contributions are as follows:
