The Foundation primarily sponsors and promotes applied health systems research through its funded programs. Most research programs are jointly funded by the Foundation and other organizations — in particular, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), provincial ministries and agencies and decision-making organizations that have a particular interest in the topic at hand.
To ensure research is relevant to decision makers, the Foundation focuses its resources on priority health-system issues and on filling gaps in applied health services and policy research, including nursing management and organization issues.
All competition proposals are reviewed by merit review panels composed of researchers and decision makers. The panels assess proposals for their scientific merit and their potential impact on the health system. This innovative approach sets the Foundation apart from other research funding bodies.
Funded programs fall into two categories: research grants, and capacity development, including training and personnel awards.
Decision Support Synthesis Program
The Foundation's Decision Support Synthesis program aims to contribute the best available evidence to decision-making in a particular policy or management context. Decision support syntheses are driven by the information needs of decision makers and produce recommendations for policy and management through a deliberative process that involves key stakeholders. These syntheses incorporate different types and sources of evidence, including research results and promising practices.
Research, Exchange and Impact for System Support (REISS) Competition
The REISS Competition, based on effective linkage and exchange, features several exciting components. The Foundation is committed to funding four programs per year (one per theme), with a maximum contribution to each of $500,000 over four years. The funded programs will span four years and will include components in research, capacity development, and knowledge exchange, as well as periodic deliverables over the course of the program.
Developed in consultation with researchers, decision makers, and funders across Canada, the REISS competition combines elements known to fuel collaborative, evidence-based support for the organization, management, and policies of the Canadian healthcare system. The result is a unique funding model that goes beyond traditional research funding to promote high-potential-impact research, high-quality capacity-building initiatives, and effective dissemination and implementation of results.
Open Grants Competition
From 1998 to 2004, the Open Grants Competition served as the flagship research funding program of the Foundation. The Foundation has transferred the project portion of the Open Grants Competition to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, beginning with the 2005 competition. For more information on this new CIHR competition, "Partnerships for Health System Improvement," please visit www.cihr.ca.
Commissioned Research
This program responds to the short (12- to 24-month) and mid-term (two to five years) research and synthesis needs of decision makers. Commissioned work is developed and funded by the Foundation in partnership with interested decision makers.
Note that all applicants must adhere to the Foundation's conflict of interest policy.
