Research Excellence at CIHR: Implementing CIHR's Research Excellence Framework

CIHR has many existing strategies, policies and practices that align with the definition of research excellence. However, CIHR recognizes that more work is required to value and incentivize a holistic and inclusive approach to research excellence.

Given this, operationalizing CIHR's Research Excellence Framework will involve new actions, starting with the activities outlined below. In keeping with the 'evergreen' principle, CIHR will employ a learning approach to monitor, evaluate and update both the Framework and its implementation. The following information will be updated cyclically to ensure transparency on the progress made.

Ethics

Actions:

  • Establish an External Advisory Committee on Ethics to provide guidance that supports CIHR's commitment to ethics in health research and health research ethics. Completed
  • Development of a pan-Canadian Core Consent for Clinical Research. Anticipated to be published in 2025

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Actions:

  • Continue to implement CIHR's commitments under the Tri-agency EDI Action Plan (2018–2025), particularly as it relates to measures to increase equitable and inclusive access to granting agency funding opportunities. Ongoing
  • Co-develop, publish, and implement a CIHR Accessibility and Systemic Ableism Action Plan towards improving accessibility and addressing systemic ableism in the health research funding system. To be published in 2024 Implementation to follow
  • Co-develop, publish, and implement a CIHR Anti-Racism Action Plan towards addressing systemic racism in the health research funding system. Anticipated to be published in 2025 Implementation to follow
  • Implement equalization in the Project Grant competition for individuals who self-identify as being a visible minority in Canada or a person with a disability. June 2024
  • Continue implementing the Health Portfolio Sex and Gender Based Analysis Plus Policy to ensure all CIHR policies, services and programs are developed with consideration of intersectionality. Ongoing
  • Develop an agency-wide policy for inclusion across the lifespan, to increase equity in CIHR-funded research. Timeline to be determined

Indigenous Knowledge

Actions:

  • Further implement the Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health strategic plan. Timeline to be determined
  • Implement actions recommended by the Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health to address anti-Indigenous racism in the health research funding system. Timeline to be determined
  • Implement payment of indirect costs for Indigenous-led organizations. Anticipated to be implemented in 2024
  • Develop, publish, and implement a Tri-Agency Indigenous Citizenship and Membership Affirmation Policy and Directive that outlines a respectful and culturally safe system of affirmation of citizenship and membership for funding and positions dedicated to Indigenous Peoples. Anticipated to be published in 2024 Gradual implementation anticipated to begin in 2024

Patient-Oriented Research

Actions:

  • Undertake a Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Strategy and Governance Refresh to renew the objectives for Canada's SPOR that builds on successes to date and lessons learned, while also reflecting evolving health system, community, partner, and patient priorities. Anticipated to be published in 2025
  • Develop, publish, and implement a Patient-Oriented Research Action Plan to support the robust involvement of people with lived and living experience with health inequities across core areas of CIHR's programs. Timeline to be determined

Knowledge Mobilization

Actions:

Develop, publish, and implement a new CIHR Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Framework and Action Plan to enhance the impact and return on investment of agency-funded research.

Example early actions:

  • Host a dialogue focused on opportunities to formalize and strengthen a pan-Canadian evidence-support system
  • Develop and launch a new recurring KM program (e.g., to catalyze research co-developed with knowledge users)

To be published in 2024 Implementation to follow

Open Science

Actions:

  • Develop, publish, and implement an updated Tri-Agency Open Access Policy to require immediate open access to publications. Anticipated to be published in 2025 Implementation to follow
  • Continue implementing the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy (DMP) to require the inclusion of DMPs in all strategic funding opportunities and data deposit associated with agency-funded research publications. Ongoing
  • Enhance guidance and expectations related to compliance with the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data principles. Timeline to be determined

Training, Mentorship and Sponsorship

Actions:

  • Co-develop, publish, and implement a Tri-Agency Training Strategy to deliver an equitable, accessible, and effective suite of scholarships and fellowships that help support and prepare a diverse population of students and post-doctoral researchers for careers requiring strong research skills in all sectors of society. Anticipated to be published in 2024 Implementation to follow
  • Develop, publish, and implement a CIHR Training and Career Support Framework and Action Plan to support health-research specific needs across research career stages, transitions, and paths. Timeline to be determined

Responsible Research Assessment

Actions:

CIHR will continue taking overarching measures to be at the leading edge of responsible research assessment through national and international partnerships and collaborations:

  • Continue the implementation of principles related to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) to ensure alignment across program design and peer review practices. Ongoing
  • Contribute as a core partner of the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) Phase 2, to shape international funder-driven projects focused on transforming research systems and cultures. This includes partnering on a project specific to changing the role of funders in responsible research assessment and developing a global observatory of emerging practices in this area. Ongoing
  • Publish an updated bias in peer review module that provides reviewers with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and mitigate bias that can affect the peer review process, with new content on systemic bias, intersectionality, and bias related to gender identity, race, disability, and sexual orientation, among others. Anticipated to be published in 2024
  • Implement broad responsible research assessment practices through the consistent consideration of all key components of research excellence across CIHR funding opportunities. Ongoing
  • Implement process changes to capture CV information in a narrative format to allow applicants to include important contextual information, and peer review to recognize diverse contributions, backgrounds, and careers rather than an overreliance on decontextualized metrics such as journal impact factor. Timeline to be determined, with pilots ongoing
  • Implement research excellence champions to influence culture change within CIHR's peer review committees and by extension the broader research community. Timeline to be determined
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