Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) – Frequently Asked Questions

This information is intended to clarify specific details of the Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) funding opportunity. Please view the current competition for detailed information and requirements.

As an applicant what are the first steps I should take?

  • All applicants (including the Nominated Principal Applicant, Principal Applicants, Co-Applicants, Knowledge user applicants) must register for the new version of the CCV. It is strongly recommended that the Nominated Principal Applicant make sure that all applicants have a new CCV.
  • The Knowledge/Technology User (KTU) organization must provide a signed letter of support, a company or organization profile and a statement of ownership (if applicable), at the LOI and Full Application stages. It is therefore recommended to contact the KTU organization as soon as possible.

Do all applicants need to provide their CCV?

Yes. All applicants must provide their Biosketch CV. This includes, the Nominated Principal Applicant, the Principal Applicant(s) and Principal Knowledge User applicant. CVs for other Knowledge User Applicants and co-Applicants will only be required at the full application stage. Note that the CV is no longer uploaded to ResearchNet by the applicant. The CCV confirmation numbers for all applicants must be entered by the Nominated Principal Applicant. Therefore, it is important that all applicants prepare ahead of time and set up their CCV account. This should be done well in advance of the deadline.

Can applicants change between LOI and Full application stage?

Applicants may be removed or added between LOI and Full application stage. However, the Nominated Principal Applicant and Principal Applicant (one from the natural sciences or engineering community and one from the health sciences community) used to meet the eligibility requirements of the program must be the same individuals identified at the LOI stage.

What happens if the Nominated Principal Applicant or the Principal Applicant is not eligible?

If a participant on the team is not eligible, the application will be withdrawn. Please ensure that all applicants are eligible.

Why must the Nominated Principal Applicant and Institution Paid associated with my application be NSERC eligible as well?

If funded, CIHR and NSERC will administer their portion of the CHRP funding separately. Therefore, both the Nominated Principal Applicant and the Institution Paid must be eligible in order to meet CIHR and NSERC’s relevant policies.

What are the eligibility requirements for other applicants?

Individual applying as Co-Applicant for CHRP must be an individual who contributes to the proposed activities.

This may include:

Individual participating as a Collaborator is an individual whose role in the proposed activities is to provide a specific service (e.g., access to equipment, provision of specific reagents, training in a specialized technique, statistical analysis, access to a patient population, etc.).

What are the LOI and application requirements related to the inclusion of trainees?

Your application must include trainee(s). The number of trainees should be commensurate with the size of your project.

Letter of Intent instructions:

  1. Required: Please explain your plans for training trainees in collaborative and interdisciplinary research within the ‘Training Plan’ section of the ‘Enter Proposal Information’ task.
  2. Optional: Identify trainees at least by graduate level and name (if known) in the ‘Training Plan’ section mentioned above and/or in the Participant Table of the ‘Attach Other Application Materials’ task.
  3. Optional: If desired, trainees can also be included within the ‘Identify Participants’ task as either a Co-Applicant or Collaborator. Note: Biosketch CVs will not be accepted for Co-Applicants or Collaborators at the LOI stage.

Full Application instructions:

  1. Required: A one-page Training Plan must be prepared and uploaded in the ‘Attach Other Application Materials’ task on ResearchNet. Within this training plan, include details for all trainees including their role on the project.
  2. Required: Identify trainees at least by graduate level and name (if known) on Participant Table.
  3. Optional: Trainees may be included within the ‘Identify Participants’ task as either a Co-Applicant or Collaborator. Note: If trainee is identified as a Co-Applicant, a Biosketch CV will be required for full application stage. Biosketch CVs are not required for Collaborators.

Can information from the LOI or past applications be migrated to the new application?

No.

What happens if an application does not respect the formatting guidelines?

In fairness to all applicants, the CIHR formatting guidelines must be respected. If they are not, pages may be truncated, or the application may be withdrawn.

Can additional material be included?

Yes. However, reviewers are only required to read the references, tables, charts, figures and photographs. If CIHR deems this material to be excessive the application may be truncated.

Is there a maximum amount I can request?

No.

How do I enter the budget?

You must enter the budget term under the "Enter Budget information" task.

The amount requested from CHRP must be entered under the "CIHR ($)" column. Other amounts (either in-kind or cash) from other sources (such as KT User organizations, partners, other funding agencies) must be included accordingly under the "Other Funding" section. The amounts entered under "other funding" must reflect the amounts detailed in the support letters and the budget justification section.

Can I purchase equipment/supplies from a supporting organization?

No. Grant funds cannot flow to a Principal KTU organization in any way, including the purchase of equipment and/or supplies, even at a discounted price. These items should be in-kind contributions (donation or loan).

Can applicants partner with a non-Canadian Principal Knowledge/Technology user (Principal KTU) organization?

If a collaboration with a suitable Canadian-based KTU organization is not possible, justification must be provided for collaborating with a non-Canadian organization. The justification must describe how the partnership will benefit the Canadian health care system/services and what economic benefits to Canada will result from the partnership (i.e. potential to strengthen Canada’s industrial base, generate wealth, create employment and/or influence Canadian public policy).

An eligible non-Canadian partner may propose scenarios such as:

  • plans to expand commercial operations, such as R&D or manufacturing, to Canada
  • plans to partner with a Canadian company that will participate in commercializing the research results for the economic benefit of Canada
  • the possibility of the creation of a Canadian-based organization to exploit the research results
  • a partnership that will lead to policies/practices that will benefit the Canadian health care system/services and economy

Which organizations are not eligible as Principal Knowledge/Technology Users?

The following organizations are not considered eligible to act as the Principal Knowledge/Technology User. These entities can be included in addition to the principal KTU partner at the full application stage to broaden the impact of the Knowledge Translation plan.

  • Government research laboratories and foreign research institutions,
  • Venture capitalists, technology transfer offices, or potential investors.
  • Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE, CECR, BL-NCE, or their affiliated entities)

What is required from the Principal KTU organization at the LOI stage?

The Principal KTU organization involved in the project must submit a dated, signed letter of support on letterhead. The letter must provide the following information:

  • a concise statement describing the nature of their Canadian operations
  • support for, and agreement with the proposal
  • the potential benefit arising from the research and the relevant timeframe
  • potential interactions between the organization’s personnel and the research team

What are eligible Knowledge Translation plans?

The proposed research project must have a strong focus on knowledge translation (KT) and lead to health and economic benefits for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and/or a strengthened health care system. KTU organizations should be meaningfully engaged throughout the research process, as appropriate, to inform research planning and design.

Two streams that a KT plan may include are a commercial stream which can lead to a health related product or service, or a clinical stream which can lead to new health practices or policies. Not all research projects fit easily into one of the two streams but may form a hybrid of the two. In any case, the plan should demonstrate that the outcomes will lead to economic and/or health benefits for Canada.

Activities focused on sharing the research findings or brokering relationships with stakeholders are not typically sufficient for the Principal KTU role. Depending on the nature of the research proposal, a “communication plan” is not typically a sufficient KT plan.

A KT Plan should describe:

  • Where the CHRP project KT Plan fits in the context of the overall timeframe for translation.
  • The KT path and whether the ultimate knowledge translation will be directly to clinics or through commercialization of results, or some combination, and where the CHRP project KT Plan fits in this process.
  • Why the Principal KTU is appropriate for the KT phase and path.
  • The potential for Canada to benefit.

Plan details should include:

  1. the activities to be undertaken in the CHRP project that will translate the research results outside the research/academic environment towards clinical implementation and/or commercialization of results;
  2. questions to be explored with the KTU’s help regarding integration with current healthcare practice, market readiness, market barriers, cost etc. (as appropriate);
  3. the KTU organization’s role in the KT Plan including feedback and validation steps;
  4. the timeline for the translation activities.

Can applicants partner with an academic/university-based KTU organization?

When the KTU organization is based at a university or academic institution, the application must clearly demonstrate how the research results will be applied outside of the academic/research setting and how they will be transferred beyond this setting to health and/or economic benefits for Canadians.

Examples of an eligible and an ineligible KTU organization are provided below. Please note that these examples only capture two possible scenarios.

Example 1 (Eligible):

The KTU organization is a university medical clinic. The knowledge translation plan is to implement the research results in the clinic’s services to clients/patients. The K/T user organization is linked to academia however the research results will be applied directly in the clinic’s practice/programs to benefit the health of Canadians.

Example 2 (Not Eligible):

The KTU organization is a university training centre. The knowledge translation plan is to implement the research results within the training centre to improve training for students/medical professionals. In this example it is recognized that there will be an indirect benefit to Canadians; however, the research results remain in an academic setting and there is no direct application to products, policies, programs or practices outside of the research setting for the benefit of Canadians.

Can applicants assume the role of both a researcher applicant and a KTU representative?

When an applicant has the expertise to assume the role of either an ‘Applicant’ (Nominated Principal Applicant, Principal Applicant, Co-applicant or Collaborator) or a KTU representative, they must select one role on the CHRP application (as either an ‘Applicant’ or Principal Knowledge User / Knowledge User). Applicants may not assume both roles.

Example 1:

A clinician scientist with an academic appointment may be qualified to assume the role of an Applicant or a KTU representative on a CHRP application. They may only assume one role and should select the one that is most appropriate for their participation on the project. Applicant ownership of the partner organization is generally not permitted; exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis if an arm’s length relationship between the applicants and partner organization can be demonstrated. Please refer to NSERC’s Guidelines for Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships. Contact CIHR’s contact centre to inquire further.

Example 2:

A researcher from a private sector company with an appointment at an academic institution could fulfill the role of an Applicant or a KTU representative on a CHRP application. As in the previous example, they may only assume one role and should select the one that is most appropriate for their participation on the project. Applicant ownership of the partner organization is generally not permitted; exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis if an arm’s length relationship between the applicants and partner organization can be demonstrated. Please refer to NSERC’s Guidelines for Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships. Contact CIHR’s contact centre to inquire further.

Do I need to include a Biosketch CV for the representative from my KTU organization?

Yes. To include a Biosketch CV from the representative of your KTU organization at the LOI and full application stages, they must be identified as a ‘Principal Knowledge User’ within the Identify Participants task on ResearchNet. Biosketch CVs for other Knowledge User applicants will only be required at the full application stage.

I'm not sure if there is an issue with "conflict of interest" or "arms-length" with one of my KTUs. Can they be involved in the project?

"Conflict of Interest" issues arise when an Applicant is both a recipient of the grant funds on the academic team and also:

  • has an ownership position in the partner organization (30% or more);
  • is employed by the partner organization in any role, whether salaried or not;
  • is a member of a governing board of the partner organization; or,
  • is related to a person who controls, or who is a member of a governing board that controls, the partner organization (i.e., are connected by blood relationship, marriage or common-law partnership, or adoption).

When this situation exists, the applicant is playing a role on both the academic team and for the partner. This creates the potential for conflict of interest such as – compromising an independent objective assessment of the research by the partner, creating potential implications for the academic interests of students, bringing the rationale for the selection of the KTU into question (i.e. was it for convenience or are they the right partner to add value to the collaboration). An individual must choose only 1 role in the application.

This potential Conflict of Interest (COI) exists regardless of specific CHRP eligibility rules and regardless of whether the company is the Principal KTU or other participating KTU. The applicant should consult with their University about how to handle this potential COI since it is part of the applicant's and the University's responsibility when administering Agency funds. Please refer to Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research and the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions.

However, the company may be eligible if the applicant and the academic institution are sufficiently independent from the company's management and operations, and if they and their relatives (if applicable) do not have a combined controlling interest in the company (i.e., combined or sole ownership must be less than 30%). In this case, justification details must be provided in the application. The specific situation can be referred to the CIHR CHRP Contact Centre in advance of applying.

Please refer to NSERC's Guidelines for Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships which includes guidelines on Assessing Receptor Capacity.

How is 'poised for exceptional growth' assessed?

When assessing the receptor capacity of a KTU, NSERC looks for the company to have been in operation for at least two years or be poised for exceptional growth. If the company is less than two years in operation but if all the other elements of the Assessing Receptor Capacity table are addressed, including evidence of significant financing, the company may be eligible. In this case, justification details must be provided in the application. The specific situation can be referred to the CIHR Contact Centre in advance of applying.

Can applicants submit a proposal to conduct a clinical trial?

Clinical Trials will NOT be funded through this Funding Opportunity. However, the use of randomization in basic biomedical research studies is accepted.

Which signatures are required?

Signatures are required from all applicants with the exception of Collaborators and the NPA who provides a virtual signature when submitting via ResearchNet. This includes all Principal Applicants, Co-Applicants and Knowledge User applicants.

Signatures are not required from the Institution Paid at the LOI (as no funds are attached) and the Full Application (due to eApproval process) stages.

Will support be available for applicants?

An applicant information webinar session will be available, please consult the Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP) website and the Funding Opportunity page for more information. Applicants and research offices may contact CIHR’s contact centre for further information.

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