Canadian Institutes of Health Research 2024–25 Departmental Plan: Gender-based analysis plus

Governance

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has a Gender-based Analysis (GBA) Plus Framework to coordinate related work and operationalize commitments to the Health Portfolio and Department of 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 dissemination of findings as well as in the research team and work environment.
  • Operationalized through the CIHR Sex and Gender-Based Analysis in Research Action Plan, the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health Strategic Plan, the Tri-agency EDI Action Plan, and the CIHR Strategic Plan 2021–2031.
• 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, Action Plan: Building a healthier future for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan, and the CIHR Strategic Plan 2021–2031.
• 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, the Official Languages Act, and the Accessible Canada 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.

Since 2021–22, CIHR has implemented enhanced internal EDI governance to help guide its actions, which includes the implementation of an Employee EDI Committee that 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 its integration into a number of governance and advisory bodies to support the advancement of this Agency-wide priority.

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

1. Anti-Racism External Advisory Committee (EAC-AR): This committee provided guidance to CIHR on approaches to engaging communities impacted by systemic racism within the funding system. The committee first met in June 2021 with a one-year mandate. Guidance provided by the committee informed the development of CIHR’s draft anti-racism action plan, to be published in 2024–25.
2. External Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism (EAC-ASA): This committee provides guidance on identification of barriers to accessibility within the health research funding system and provided guidance on the development of the CIHR Accessibility Plan 2023–2026 that aligns with the Accessible Canada Act. In 2024–25, CIHR will publish an expanded, more-in depth Accessibility and Systemic Ableism Action Plan, co-developed with the EAC-ASA.

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 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to implement the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan. Work is governed through an Interagency Committee on EDI.

Capacity

All CIHR staff and members of CIHR’s Governing Council are required to complete the Department of Women and Gender Equality’s 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 of 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. CIHR also organizes learning events focused on EDI to promote awareness and understanding of diverse perspectives, and to develop cultural competence. In 2024–25, 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 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). The questionnaire was also extended to peer reviewers. This data allows CIHR to monitor diversity in applicants and recipients of funding, as well as peer reviewers. 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, the Agency tracks GBA Plus and EDI-related training completed by staff 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 several 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, the Annual report on the operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act 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 the diverse population of Canada. 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 Departmental Results Indicator (DRI) "percentage of research that addresses sex or gender considerations." For the 2024–25 fiscal year, CIHR's target is that 58% of CIHR-funded Investigator-Initiated research addressed sex and/or gender considerations. Targets are also reported in the DRF 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 and recipients of CIHR funding across all funding programs. Aggregate results are reported internally as part of the Program Information Profiles and externally as part of the Canadian Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) progress reports.

Measures to enhance monitoring and reporting in 2024–25: CIHR launched an expanded Self-Identification Questionnaire for applicants and extended the questionnaire to peer reviewers. 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 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 considerations of diversity. The DRI for this program is "percentage of research that addresses sex or gender considerations." For the 2024–25 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 DRI for this program is "percentage of research that addresses sex or gender considerations." For the 2024–25 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.