ARCHIVED - Results of the March 2010 Operating Grants Competition and New Procedure for Large Grants

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(2010-06-30) On behalf of CIHR, I am pleased to announce the results of the spring 2010 Open Operating Grants competition, in which CIHR approved the investment of $230 million over five years. The 2010 competition met our stated goal of awarding at least 400 grants. We were able to increase the average total grant size from the fall 2009 competition from $583,721 to $589,634 and fully integrate all randomized controlled trials (RCT) grants within the budget available.

As I previously ARCHIVED - reported, CIHR is committed to ensuring the stability and sustainability of both operating grants and RCTs. RCT grants can range in size up to $5 million or more each, compared to an average operating grant of $500K to $700K. To establish the desired stability, CIHR's Scientific Council recently approved a new procedure for the funding of large grants in the Open Operating Grants competitions.

Beginning with the fall 2010 Open Operating Grants competition, a specific funding pool will be established for all large grants, including RCTs. All applications will continue to be reviewed by their respective peer review committees. Large grants will be defined as those in the 98th percentile of all grant amounts in any given competition. The funding pool for new and ongoing large grants will be approximately $12.5 million per competition or $25 million per fiscal year. Because large grant applications can vary considerably from one competition to the next, it is not possible to predict how many might be funded. However, by dedicating a funding pool for large and significant research projects, CIHR can ensure their sustainability and stability.

Pierre Chartrand, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer and Vice-President, Research
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

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