SPOR Capacity Development Initiative

The SPOR Capacity Development Initiative equips the SPOR community to advance patient-oriented research by providing community members with skills, knowledge and training in this field of research.

Much work is already taking place in capacity development across the country as SPOR-funded entities host trainees and researchers, provide training and scholarships, and promote and advance the science of patient engagement in health research. These activities target patients, trainees, researchers, health care professionals, and health system administrators, all of whom have different learning needs and goals.

The SPOR Capacity Development Initiative builds on this work by mobilizing the patient-oriented research community toward a systematic approach to training and capacity development. It supports career pathways for patient-oriented researchers, and creates opportunities for Canadian health system organizations to embed patient-oriented research principles, practices and findings within their policies and activities.

This Initiative increases capacity in patient-oriented research and supports viable career paths in patient-oriented research by:

1. Bringing together the community of patient-oriented research leaders, mentors, coaches and trainees to share and introduce new approaches to patient-oriented research capacity building;
2. Developing future leaders in the patient-oriented research community;
3. Integrating patient-oriented research principles, practices, and findings within Canadian health care contexts; and,
4. Incorporating Indigenous, Western, and other paradigms of patient-oriented research, training, mentoring, and leadership to enrich training opportunities and career development in a culturally safe manner.

SPOR Capacity Development Initiative Components:

SPOR National Training Entity

The SPOR National Training Entity (NTE) is a national platform based at Université Laval that serves as a community-building enterprise in the domain of patient-oriented research capacity development. Its work involves moving beyond common and siloed approaches to training by engaging stakeholders and community members from all relevant disciplines, sectors, geographies and cultural perspectives. The SPOR NTE’s core functions include:

• Bringing forward a national strategy to support more systematic training in patient-oriented research.
• Cultivating a community in patient-oriented research capacity development to generate ideas and innovative approaches to training.
• Supporting mentors and trainees, including partnerships with Patient-Oriented Research Award recipients and trainees from other SPOR-funded entities, by creating coaching and mentorship opportunities.
• Developing collaborations to better connect the patient-oriented research community and lead to sustainable partnerships.

For more information, please visit the PASSERELLE SPOR National Training Entity website.

Patient-Oriented Research Training Support

The following streams of funding support training opportunities for individuals in patient-oriented research. Recipients have the opportunity to collaborate with the SPOR NTE and with existing SPOR-funded entities.

Transition to Leadership Stream

These two-phased, six-year awards support the timely transition of individuals in a research fellowship into an independent research career. Phase 1 of the award provides a stipend and an allowance for professional development and research. Phase 2 of the award provides recipients of Phase 1 with salary support and a research allowance to launch their patient-oriented research career.

Meet the Transition to Leadership Awardees

Health System Stream

The grants will provide practical training opportunities for implementation specialists to integrate patient-oriented research within Canadian health care contexts inclusive of, but not limited to, health care institutions and community settings. Examples of such individuals include policy analysts, nurse managers in hospitals, managers in different areas of health care administration, etc. These grants are flexible to the specific needs of the host organization to best support the individual obtaining the training and the community being engaged. The timing of the first launch of these grants is to be confirmed.

For more information, please contact spor-srap@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Date modified:

2024-04-09