Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Canadian federal agency

Canadian Institutes of Health ResearchInstituts de recherche en santé du Canada

Logo of CIHR

Abbreviation| CIHR
Predecessor| Medical Research Council of Canada
Formation| June 7, 2000; 25 years ago (2000-06-07)[1]
Legal status| Federal departmental corporation

Official language

* English
* French

President

| Paul Hébert[2]

Main organ

| Governing Council
Subsidiaries| 13 institutes
Website| cihr-irsc.gc.ca

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; French: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada.[3][4] Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the Medical Research Council of Canada.

CIHR supports more than 15,000 researchers and trainees[5] through grants, fellowships, scholarships, and other funding, as part of the federal government's investment in health research. The peer review process is a vital part of CIHR. Review by panels of peers from the research community ensures that proposals approved for funding by CIHR meet internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence.

Along with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the CIHR forms the major source of federal government funding to post-secondary research and are collectively referred to as the "Tri-Council"[6] or "Tri-Agency".[7]

## History

[edit]

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the major federal agency responsible for funding health research in Canada. It was established by an Act of Parliament in April 2000 to create new knowledge according to internationally accepted scientific standards and translate this into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a stronger Canadian health care system. It replaced the Medical Research Council of Canada, which had overseen Canadian medical research since 1969. CIHR reports to Parliament through the Minister of Health and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. [8]

## Governance

[edit]

Source:[9]

The CIHR Act outlines a framework for the organizational establishment of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), its governance infrastructure, responsibilities of the President and Governing Council and establishment of the CIHR Institutes.

CIHR is led by its President. Overall strategic directions are set by its Governing Council, which has a mandate to oversee the direction and management of the property, business and affairs of CIHR.

The Science Council (SC) is a management committee that develops, implements and reports on CIHR's research and knowledge translation strategy, in accordance with the CIHR Act and the overarching strategic directions set out by Governing Council. This includes approving funding for some research and knowledge translation initiatives.

Day-to-day management of CIHR is led by the Executive Team.

## President

[edit]

Alan Bernstein was the founding president of the agency (2000-2007), followed by Alain Beaudet (2008-2017).[10][11][12] Michael Strong, an ALS researcher, was announced as the new president in June 2018.[13] In November 2024, Dr. Paul C. Hébert, from the University of Ottawa, was appointed as President of CIHR. [14]

## Institute structure

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CIHR consists of 13 institutes,[15] each headed by a Scientific Director and assisted by an Institute Advisory Board. They work together to shape a national health research agenda for Canada. The institutes bring together researchers, health professionals, and policy-makers from voluntary health organizations, provincial government agencies, international research organizations, and industry and patient groups from across the country with a shared interest in improving the health of Canadians.

The work of the institutes embraces the four pillars of health research:

1. biomedical;[16]
2. clinical;
3. health services;[17] and
4. population health.

A major goal of the institutes is to forge relationships across disciplines to stimulate integrative, multifaceted research agendas that respond to society's health priorities while adhering to the highest ethical standards.

## Member institutes

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Each institute focuses on a specific area of research.[3]

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

## COVID-19

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In June 2020, CIHR provided $109 million in funding to 139 research teams across Canada for COVID-19 research.[18] Over the coming months and years, CIHR provided additional funding for COVID-19 research, totaling $430 million by June 2022.[19] CIHR also worked with domestic and global partners to fund research and ensure the alignment and coordination of Canada's research with the international response.[20] On February 16, 2021, CIHR launched the CIHR-CEPI Leadership Award for Excellence in Vaccine Research for Infectious Diseases of Epidemic Potential, co-administered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).[21] The results were announced in April 2023 along with a $100 million investment from Global Affairs Canada to support CEPI's new five-year strategic plan to accelerate the development of vaccines.[22][23][24][25][26]

## See also

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* Patient engagement in Canada
* Canadian government scientific research organizations
* Canadian university scientific research organizations
* EvidenceNetwork.ca
* Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
* National Research Council of Canada
* Medical Research Council (UK)
* National Institutes of Health – US counterpart
* PolyAnalytik

## References

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1. ^ Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (March 26, 2025). "CIHR at 25 - CIHR". cihr-irsc.gc.ca. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
2. ^ Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (January 20, 2005). "Executive management - CIHR". www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
3. ^ a b "Major funders to share study data for public health". Reuters. January 10, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
4. ^ "The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)". McGill University.
5. ^ "Infographic: Funding world-class research for a healthier future". Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Government of Canada. November 9, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
6. ^ Government of Canada, Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics (April 1, 2019). "Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2018)". ethics.gc.ca. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
7. ^ Government of Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (December 18, 2019). "NSERC - Inter-Agency, Tri-Agency Financial Administration". www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
8. ^ https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-institutes-of-health-research
9. ^ https://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/37926.html
10. ^ Ben Hirschler (October 11, 2007). "More collaboration needed after HIV vaccine flop". Reuters. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
11. ^ "Embattled head of Canadian Institutes of Health Research to step down". ottawacitizen. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
12. ^ Research, Canadian Institutes of Health (July 10, 2015). "Dr. Alain Beaudet". www.canada.ca. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
13. ^ "Minister of Health announces Dr. Michael J. Strong as new President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research". Government of Canada. June 20, 2018.
14. ^ https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2024/11/government-of-canada-appoints-new-president-of-the-canadian-institutes-of-health-research.html
15. ^ "Getting Funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)". Association for Behavior Analysis International.
16. ^ Richard F Wintle (August 24, 2012). "The unsung heroes behind those big genomics breakthroughs". The Guardian.
17. ^ David Cooksey (2006). "A review of UK health research funding (page 30)" (PDF). BBC.
18. ^ Raquel Fletcher (June 26, 2020). "Quebec researchers already starting coronavirus studies after receiving grants - Montreal | Globalnews.ca". Global News.
19. ^ "CIHR COVID-19 Investments: By the Numbers". Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Government of Canada. June 10, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
20. ^ "COVID-19 Research". Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Government of Canada. March 20, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
21. ^ Canadian Institutes of Health Research (January 18, 2021). "Pre-announcement: CIHR-CEPI Leadership Award for Excellence in Vaccine Research for Infectious Diseases of Epidemic Potential - CIHR". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
22. ^ "International partnership supports vaccine research to prevent future outbreaks". Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Government of Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
23. ^ "Leadership Awards for Excellence in Vaccine Research". Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Government of Canada. April 26, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
24. ^ "International partnership supports vaccine research to prevent future outbreaks". CEPI - Latest news. CEPI. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
25. ^ "Saskatoon scientist receives $400K for 'universal' coronavirus vaccine research". CTV News Saskatoon. CTV News. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
26. ^ "Rady Faculty scientist receives CIHR/CEPI Leadership Award for Excellence in Vaccine Research". UM News. University of Manitoba. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

## External links

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* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Funding agencies in Canada

* Canada Foundation for Innovation
* Canadian Institutes of Health Research
* Canadian Space Agency
* Genome Canada
* National Research Council
* Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
* Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
* Sustainable Development Technology Canada

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* 2
* Israel

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