Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Funding Programs

The mandate of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is to “excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system” (Bill C-13, April 13, 2000). 

Established in 2000, CIHR promotes a solutions-focused, multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to health research. Its unique structure brings together researchers from across disciplinary and geographic boundaries through its 13 Institutes. As of June 2011, CIHR supports over 14,100 health researchers and trainees in universities, teaching hospitals and other health organizations and research centres across the country. The agency supports health research through a transparent process that meets the highest international standards of excellence and ethics in four research areas: biomedical; clinical; health systems and services; and the social, cultural and environmental factors that affect the health of populations.

CIHR provides funding opportunities in the field of health research in four themes: 

·     Biomedical 

·     Clinical 

·     Health Systems Services

·     Social, Cultural, Environmental and Population Health

CIHR Institutes are supported by a central, corporate organization, based in Ottawa, Ontario. 
For more information on each institute, click the links below:  

CIHR administers a number of funding programs on an annual basis.  For more information, visit the CIHR Funding Opportunities Database.

For additional information see: