CIHR Bridge

CIHR Bridge grants provide financial support to health researchers who:

• Have held a CIHR Project Grant as a nominated principal applicant (NPA) or principal applicant (PA), or (new) a health-oriented award from a national sponsor outside of Canada;
• Are not currently holding a CIHR Project Grant funding as an NPA or PA (if in an automatic extension year, can no longer be receiving instalments); and
• Have been unsuccessful as an NPA in one of the last two CIHR Project Grant funding competitions.

It is expected that the CIHR Bridge grant will lead to a competitive CIHR Project Grant application as an NPA within a year of the end date of the grant.

Guidelines

Terms and Conditions

Eligibility

Principal Investigator

• Holds a full-time tenured or tenure-track position (Assistant, Associate, Full) at Carleton at the time of application (i.e., appointment date on or before the applicant submission deadline).
• The researcher:
  • Has held a CIHR Project Grant as an NPA or PA, or (new) a health-oriented award from a national sponsor outside of Canada;
  • Is not currently holding a CIHR Project Grant funding as an NPA or PA (if in an automatic extension year, can no longer be receiving instalments);
  • Has been unsuccessful as an NPA in one of the last two CIHR Project Grant funding competitions;
  • May only submit one application as a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI in a given gate to the Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR); and
  • Cannot have been awarded a Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) as a PI or co-PI in the past three years.
• A Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) may not be held in conjunction with a SSHRC Exchange Grant: Knowledge Mobilization.
• Previous recipients of a Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) must demonstrate that the proposed single defined research project involves different objectives than their past grant(s) and that there is no duplication of funding for any of the proposed activities.
• NEW: the final report for the previous award must have been submitted.

Co-Principle Investigator

• Holds a full-time tenured or tenure-track position at Carleton at the time of application (i.e., appointment date on or before the applicant submission deadline).
• Has not been awarded a Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR) as a PI or co-PI within the past three years. Previous recipients of a Research Development Grant proposing a similar research project must clearly explain how they are planning to respond to committee comments. 
• NEW: the final report for the previous award must have been submitted.
• Does not hold a SSHRC Exchange Grant: Knowledge Mobilization.
• A professor may only submit one application as a PI or co-PI in a given gate to the Research Development Grant (SSHRC Explore, NSERC or CIHR, whether Early Career Researcher or Bridge streams).

Team Member

• Anyone is eligible, no CV submission is required.

Budget

Expenses must be eligible under the Tri-Agency Guidelines for Use of Grant Funds.

Eligible Expenses

• Stipends to students and postdoctoral fellows;
• Salaries of technical and professional staff;
• Materials, supplies and services;
• Research travel (e.g., field work); and
• Knowledge dissemination (e.g., travel to present papers at technical conferences).

Note: small equipment (i.e., computers) cannot account for more than one third of the total budget.

Ineligible Expenses

• Professional development activities;
• Partnership-building activities;
• Large equipment and renovations; and
• Teaching release.

Note: transfers of funds to other institutions are not permitted.

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Criterion 1: Concept (50%)
   • Significance and impact of the research
     • Creativity of the idea;
     • Rationale of the project idea is sound;
     • Overall goals and objectives are well defined and clear; and
     • Anticipated project contributions are likely to advance basic health-related knowledge, health care, health systems or health outcomes.
2. Criterion 2: Feasibility (30%)
   • Approaches and methods (80%)
     • Appropriateness of the approaches and methods;
     • Timelines and related deliverables are realistic; and
     • Potential challenges are identified and the mitigation strategies are appropriate.
   • Expertise, experience and resources (20%)
     • Appropriate expertise and experience to lead and deliver the project outputs and to achieve the proposed contributions;
     • Appropriate level of engagement and/or commitment from the applicants;
     • Appropriateness of the environment to enable the conduct and success of the project; and
     • Adequate demonstration of the applicant’s productivity and progress of their research program.
3. Criterion 3 (10%)
   • Consideration of sex, gender and other identity factors in the research design.
4. Criterion 4 (10%)
   • Appropriateness of budget to support the project (realistic and well justified).

Contact Us

Christine Rivas: christinerivas@cunet.carleton.ca