Announcement - Eligibility criteria for the Foundation Scheme “live pilot” competitions

2013-08-01

Over the past two years, CIHR has been working with members of the research community to improve the Open Suite of Programs and peer review processes. The new design sets clear objectives for CIHR’s investigator-initiated grants programs and will integrate the current suite of Open funding mechanisms into a simpler system that is flexible enough to accommodate today's changing landscape of health research. As a result, CIHR will be implementing two new schemes: Project Scheme and Foundation Scheme beginning in 2014.

The implementation of CIHR’s new Open Suite of Programs and peer review processes represents a significant change for the research community and CIHR. To support the transition toward a new funding program and peer review processes, a staged, multi-year approach is being implemented. A major component of this approach includes the introduction of two Foundation Scheme “live pilot” competitions with application deadlines scheduled for Fall 2014 and Fall 2015.

While CIHR continues to learn from pilot projects developed to test key design elements, the organization is also committed to ensuring the community has sufficient time to prepare for the transition. For this reason, CIHR's Science Council recently approved the eligibility criteria for the Foundation Scheme “live pilot” competitions.

In developing the eligibility criteria, CIHR focused on balancing the need to manage application pressure with the desire to minimize the impact on the research community; ensure applicants represent CIHR’s diverse research community; and facilitate the integration of new talent during the transition period.

We invite you to visit the section of our website about the Reforms of open programs and peer review for more information about other aspects of the design.