Designing for the Future: The New Open Suite of Programs and Peer Review Process – Questions and Answers - College of Reviewers

1. Will CIHR provide feedback to reviewers on their peer review performance?

It is CIHR's intent, through the College of Reviewers Recognition and Performance Management Program, to recognize members' contributions and performance, as well as identify opportunities for further development. We are exploring approaches to collect quantitative and qualitative feedback on performance. Consultations on this topic will be required.

2. Will CIHR be consulting with Chairs and Scientific Officers before inviting existing peer reviewers to the College of Reviewers?

CIHR's current base of reviewers is invaluable, and provides a strong foundation for the initial recruitment waves for the College of Reviewers. CIHR will work with a number of key stakeholders, including Chairs and Scientific Officers of existing CIHR peer review committees, to identify and invite existing peer reviewers, as well as to nominate potential candidates, to the College of Reviewers.

3. How many members will there be in the College of Reviewers to ensure that there are 5 experts reviewers per application? [ new ]

CIHR has done work to model the approximate number of reviewers needed to review applications to the Foundation and Project Schemes. Illustrative examples for each scheme are described below:

  • Assume there are 2,000 applications submitted to the Project Scheme. With five reviewers per application, and 15-20 applications assigned per reviewer, the estimated number of reviewers required would be approximately 500 to 675 per Project Scheme competition.
  • Assume there are 750 applications submitted to the Foundation Scheme. With five reviewers per application, and 15-20 applications assigned per reviewer at each of the two stages of review, the estimated number of reviewers required would be approximately 275 to 350 per Foundation Scheme competition.

For both schemes, CIHR would need approximately 1,750 to 2,000 reviewers to participate in the peer review process on an annual basis.

CIHR's current base of active reviewers serving on Open Operating Grant Program (OOGP) committees is about 2,300 individuals. Over the last five years, approximately 5,800 unique reviewers have served on CIHR committees. Through an aggressive recruitment strategy, and increased access to reviewers through internet-assisted technology, CIHR's goal is to have at least 8,000 members in the College of Reviewers.

4. How will you involve institutions in the recruitment of College members? [ new ]

Institutions will be asked to nominate candidates to the College of Reviewers as part of CIHR's targeted recruitment strategy, as well as through an open third-party nomination process.

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