CIHR 2023–24 Departmental Plan: Gender-based analysis plus

GBA Plus Governance

CIHR has a GBA Plus Framework to coordinate related work and operationalize commitments to the Health Portfolio and Department for Women and Gender Equality. The Framework seeks to build GBA Plus organizational capacity and sustain the practice of GBA Plus through three streams:

• GBA Plus in CIHR-Funded Research: Aims to ensure that GBA Plus is taken into account in research design, methods, analysis and interpretation and/or dissemination of findings.

  • Operationalized through the CIHR Sex and Gender-Based Analysis in Research Action Plan and the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health Strategic Plan.

• GBA Plus in CIHR's Funding System: Aims to ensure equitable access to CIHR funds across eligible individuals.

  • Operationalized through an Equity Strategy, Gender Equity Framework, Official Languages and Minority Communities Action Plan, and Action Plan: Building a healthier future for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

• GBA Plus in CIHR's Workplace: Aims to ensure CIHR conducts its business in an equitable manner.

  • Operationalized through federal legislation (such as the Employment Equity Act, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and the Official Languages Act), policies (Harassment in the Workplace Policy), and mandatory GBA Plus and EDI-related training commitments for employees and Governing Council members.

The CIHR GBA Plus Responsibility Centre leads, enhances, supports, and monitors implementation of CIHR's GBA Plus Framework and the actual practice of GBA Plus. It is comprised of the GBA Plus Focal Point and staff of the EDI Policy Team within the Equity Strategy Branch. In 2021–22, CIHR implemented a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) governance structure comprised of two internal EDI advisory groups, including:

1. EDI in the Research Ecosystem Action Committee: This committee is focused on enhancing EDI in CIHR's funding system and funded research, and is co-chaired by CIHR's Vice-President, Learning Health Systems and CIHR's Scientific Director of the Institute of Infection and Immunity. The co-chairs of this committee serve as CIHR's EDI Champions with respect to GBA Plus/EDI in CIHR's funding system and funded research.
2. Employee EDI Committee: This committee is focused on enhancing EDI in CIHR's workplace, and is co-chaired by CIHR's Corporate EDI Champion (currently CIHR's Associate Vice-President, Government and External Relations) and an employee.

CIHR has also established two time-limited external EDI advisory groups:

1. External Anti-racism Advisory Committee: This committee provides guidance to CIHR on approaches to engaging communities impacted by racism on systemic racism within the funding system and on the development of CIHR's actions and action plan relating to anti-racism. In 2023–24, CIHR will explore the establishment of an Advisory Board with a longer-term mandate to help guide the finalization and publication of the action plan. In parallel, CIHR will seek guidance from its partners on how to best engage First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to discuss distinct interventions to address racism against Indigenous Peoples in the health research funding system.
2. External Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism: This committee provides guidance on identification of barriers to accessibility within the health research funding system and the development of a CIHR accessibility action plan that aligns with the Accessible Canada Act.

Strategic guidance on GBA Plus/EDI-related matters is also provided by CIHR's Science Council, while operational guidance and decision-making is provided by senior management. CIHR's Governing Council is responsible for developing and approving CIHR's strategic directions, and applies an EDI lens to all deliberations.

CIHR will continue to work with NSERC and SSHRC to implement the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan. Work is governed through an Interagency Committee on EDI and implemented by an Interagency EDI Policy Working Group.

GBA Plus Capacity Building

All CIHR staff and members of CIHR's Governing Council are required to complete the Department of Women and Gender Equality GBA Plus training module. As part of the onboarding for new employees, CIHR requires employees to complete a series of EDI related learning modules. Further, CIHR implements mandatory training commitments each fiscal year for employees and senior management on EDI and Indigenous cultural awareness. These training commitments comprise courses provided by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) and the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) with whom CIHR has recently collaborated as an Employer Partner. These courses are documented in each employee's performance agreement and completion is tracked at year-end. In the 2023–24 year, CIHR plans to develop and publish new and enhanced resources for applicants and peer reviewers to support integration of equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in all funding applications and to mitigate bias in the peer review process.

GBA Plus Monitoring

To monitor GBA Plus in CIHR-funded research, CIHR tracks the proportion of funded research proposals that integrate sex and gender, and reports on this in its Departmental Results Framework. To monitor GBA Plus in its funding system, CIHR tracks diversity in applicants for and recipients of CIHR funding through the Tri-Agency Self-Identification Questionnaire. In 2022–23, CIHR implemented an expanded questionnaire with new questions and response options to collect information on eight identity dimensions (age, gender identity, sexual orientation, Indigenous identity, members of visible minorities, population group, disability and language). Also in 2022–23, the questionnaire was extended to peer review committee members. Using this data, CIHR will monitor diversity in applicants and recipients of funding, as well as peer review committees. CIHR also reports on the proportion of newly funded recipients who self-identify as women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities in its Departmental Results Framework (DRF). Targets are reported in the DRF and are available through GC InfoBase.

In all ongoing and planned program evaluations, GBA Plus is included in data collection and analysis, where relevant and feasible. To monitor GBA Plus capacity in CIHR's workplace, CIHR tracks GBA Plus and EDI-related training completed by staff and Governing Council members, and participates in Health Portfolio-wide surveys to assess staff knowledge and application of GBA Plus. CIHR also monitors progress towards creating a diverse and inclusive workplace through a number of mechanisms including the Employee Self-Identification Survey, the Public Service Employee Survey, the Employee Exit Survey, Official Languages Consultations and Analyses, the Workplace Equity Information Management System (WEIMS) analysis and CIHR Demographic Analysis.

CIHR's Investigator Initiated Program collects sufficient data to enable the monitoring and/reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity through the following initiatives:

Monitoring Gender and Diversity in CIHR-funded Research

Biological (e.g., sex, age, etc.) and socio-cultural (e.g., gender, race, etc.) factors influence health risks, health services use, health system interaction and health outcomes. Across all program areas, CIHR requires applicants to integrate sex, gender and other diversity considerations into all funding applications, to ensure that CIHR-funded research is relevant, impactful and culturally sensitive for Canada's diverse population. In CIHR's Project Grant Program, reviewers are required to provide an assessment of the integration of sex and/or gender into research proposals. In addition, CIHR and the Institute of Gender and Health deliver training for peer reviewers, tailored to the subject-matter areas of committees in the Project Grant competition.

CIHR monitors integration of sex and gender in funded research through the performance indicator "percentage of research that addresses sex or gender considerations". For the 2023–24 fiscal year, CIHR's target is that 58% of CIHR-funded Investigator-Initiated research addressed sex or gender considerations. Targets are also reported in the Departmental Results Framework and will be available in the GC InfoBase.

Monitoring Gender and Diversity in CIHR's Funding System

Beginning in May 2018, applicants to all CIHR programs must complete the Tri-Agency Self-Identification Questionnaire. Using data collected from the questionnaire, CIHR monitors diversity in applicants for and recipients of CIHR funding across all of its funding programs. Aggregate results are reported internally as part of Program Information Profiles and externally as part of the Canadian Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) progress reports.

Measures to enhance monitoring and reporting in 2023–24:

As noted above, in 2022–23, CIHR launched an expanded Self-Identification Questionnaire for applicants and also extended the questionnaire to members of peer review committees. This data will be used to monitor and identify barriers and exclusions within CIHR's funding system, and to develop appropriate solutions to address them.

Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan

In fall of 2018, CIHR, along with NSERC and SSHRC, developed a Tri-agency EDI Action Plan that comprises initiatives relevant to enhancing EDI across all program areas. The objectives, and corresponding initiatives within the action plan aim to increase EDI amongst recipients of research funding, as well as teachers, researchers and students at post-secondary institutions. Performance indicators have been developed to measure progress against the plan's overall objectives, as well as impacts of the agencies' influence over the longer term, and are reported externally as part of the Canadian Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) annual reports.

CIHR's Research in Priority Areas Program collects sufficient data to enable monitoring and/reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity through the following initiatives:

Monitoring Gender and Diversity in CIHR-funded Research

Please see description above in the Investigator-Initiated Research section. CIHR requires applicants to integrate sex and gender considerations in all funding applications, across all program areas, where appropriate. It has also been encouraging and promoting the integration of other diversity considerations. The performance indicator for this program is "percentage of research that addresses sex or gender considerations". For the 2023–24 fiscal year, CIHR's target is that 54% of CIHR-funded Research in Priority Areas addressed sex or gender considerations. Targets are also reported in the Departmental Results Framework and will be available in the GC InfoBase.

Monitoring Gender and Diversity in CIHR's Funding System

Using data collected from the Tri-Agency Self-identification Questionnaire, CIHR monitors and reports on diversity in applicants for and recipients of CIHR funding across all of its funding programs. Aggregate results are reported internally, in the Program Information Profiles, and externally as part of the CRCC progress reports.

Measures to enhance monitoring and reporting are described above in the Investigator-Initiated Research section.

Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan

Please see description above in the Investigator-Initiated Research section.

CIHR's Training and Career Support Program collects sufficient data to enable monitoring and/reporting of program impacts by gender and diversity through the following initiatives:

Monitoring Gender and Diversity in CIHR-funded Research

Please see description above in the Investigator-Initiated Research section. CIHR requires applicants to integrate sex and gender considerations, across all program areas, where appropriate. It also promotes and encourages integrating other diversity considerations. The performance indicator for this program is "percentage of research that addresses sex or gender considerations". For the 2023–24 fiscal year, CIHR's target is that 63% of CIHR-funded research in Training and Career Support addresses sex or gender considerations. Targets are also reported in the Departmental Results Framework and will be available in the GC InfoBase.

Monitoring Gender and Diversity in CIHR's Funding System

Using data collected from the Tri-Agency Self-identification Questionnaire, CIHR monitors and reports on diversity in applicants for and recipients of CIHR funding across all of its funding programs. Aggregate results are reported internally as part of Program Information Profiles and externally as part of the CRCC progress reports.

Measures to enhance monitoring and reporting are described above in the Investigator-Initiated Research section.

Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan

Please see description above in the Investigator-Initiated Research section.