CIHR Information Session
January 16, 2013
Lori Burrows
Associate Chair, Research, Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences
Chair, CIHR Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Panel
CIHR University Delegate
What do you need to know for 2013?
• The March and September 2013 Open Operating Grant
competitions will run as usual
• the Common CV has changed as of June 2012; if you already
had a CCV, some of the information was transferred, but you
must enter your publications and modify the other sections
• If you want, you CAN continue to use attachments for your
contributions (most significant contributions, publications,
patents, other contributions) until they tell us otherwise
Budgetary things that have changed...
• stipends for graduate students and PDFs are no
longer fixed but must be carefully justified
• NO BENEFITS for trainees
• staff salaries (technicians, research assistants, nurses
etc.) can increase over the life of the grant, and
benefits are permitted
• NO EQUIPMENT requests permitted...but computers
are now ‘supplies’
What do you need to know later?
• CIHR is changing how applications to the Open
Operating program are structured, reviewed and funded
• perceived issues:
– applicant burden (too many applications for the number that
can be funded; too many people applying for multiple grants to
fund large programs)
– reviewer burden (too many grants, uneven reviews across
committees, uneven quality of reviews)
– multidisciplinary science that doesn’t fit existing peer review
committee mandates
What is happening now
•
•
•
•
•
•
two grant streams, Foundation and Project
Peer review: multi-stage, structured reviews
development of a ‘College of Reviewers’
CIHR consultation of stakeholders (March 12, 2013)
Continued modification of the plan based on pilots
Overlap during the transition phase
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/documents/or_des_for_future-en.pdf
Project scheme
ideas
2 stages:
1, virtual and
2, face to face
2/yr*
5 reviews
at stage 1
*can only apply
for 1 per year
Foundation scheme
Leaders
3 stages :
1 & 2 virtual;
3, face to face
1/yr*
1 = calibre
*those who have ongoing
OOGP funding won’t lose it if
they are not successful with the
single Foundation application
2 = quality
Foundation scheme
No tire kickers allowed.
Your university/hospital needs to have your back.
How many, how much $, and for how long?
New people/groups get 5 yrs
This is split between two competitions per year
(right now the OOGP funds 800 grants per yr)
Example - part of a
structured review
sheet for the Project
scheme; criteria
include concept
(quality & importance
of idea) and feasibility
(approach, expertise
& quality of
environment). Budget
doesn’t affect rating,
though it’s examined.
Example - part of a
structured review
sheet for stage 1 of
the Foundation
scheme; criteria
include
vision/direction and
calibre of applicant
(research leadership &
productivity).
Example - part of a
structured review
sheet for stage 2 of
the Foundation
scheme; criteria
include quality of
program (concept,
approach); research
capacity (expertise &
mentoring plan); and
quality of the support
environment. Budget
is considered without
affecting ranking.
The College of Reviewers - starting 2013
What do they want to do? Create a resource.
What does this mean? Find ‘em, train ‘em, reward ‘em.
The College of Reviewers - starting 2013
Where are they going to find 5 (good) reviewers for each app?
When is all this going to happen?
When is all this going to happen?
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
How is all this going to happen?
If your grant is due for renewal in Fall 2014…you get the first try at the
Foundation scheme. There will be NO REGULAR COMPETITION THAT FALL.
They are still trying to figure out what to do with those who are due to renew
then, but don’t want to apply to the Foundation scheme.
Questions?
Lori Burrows
burrowl@mcmaster.ca