2013-14 Report on Plans and Priorities

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Minister's Message

I am honoured to present the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Report on Plans and Priorities for the fiscal year 2013-2014.

In 2010, CIHR released Health Research Roadmap, a five-year strategic plan for helping CIHR invest in world-class research, focus on health and health-systems priorities, and translate research findings into health and economic benefits. Since the launch, CIHR has made great progress towards completing the objectives laid out in Roadmap. Throughout the upcoming year, CIHR will continue to implement its strategic plan.

One of the most promising developments under Roadmap has been the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). As announced by the federal government in 2011, SPOR will facilitate partnerships between the Government of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, health charities, philanthropic organizations and the private sector to improve patient outcomes. For example, CIHR and the Graham Boeckh Foundation recently announced the first SPOR network: the Patient-Oriented Network in Adolescent and Youth Mental Health. By supporting research that is directly relevant to outcomes and by working more directly with patients SPOR will help integrate research evidence at all levels of the health care system.

CIHR has also taken action to ensure the long-term sustainability of its investigator-driven strategy. In December 2012, CIHR released a document that describes the high-level design and implementation plan for its new Open Suite of Programs and peer review processes. CIHR's strategy is to reduce program complexity, accommodate the diverse proposals CIHR receives, and continue to improve the quality, fairness and transparency of peer review. CIHR has worked closely with its community to develop the design, and is now working with its community to refine implementation details and approaches for the transition period. The modernization of CIHR's existing frameworks and systems will position Canadian health researchers for success and accelerate the advancement of knowledge and improvements to the health care system and health outcomes.

In the coming year, we will continue to be Canada's main driver of health research excellence. I commend CIHR for its ongoing efforts to improve the health of all Canadians.

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Health

Section I: Organizational Overview

Raison d'être

CIHR is the Government of Canada's health research funding agency. It was created with a mandate "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".

Responsibilities

CIHR was designed to respond to the evolving needs for health research and seeks to transform health research in Canada by:

• funding both investigator-initiated research as well as research on targeted priority areas;
• building research capacity in under-developed areas and training the next generation of health researchers; and
• focusing on knowledge translation that facilitates the application of the results of research and their transformation into new policies, practices, procedures, products and services.

CIHR integrates research through a unique interdisciplinary structure made up of 13 "virtual" institutes. These institutes are not "bricks-and-mortar" buildings but communities of experts. Each Institute supports a broad spectrum of research in its topic area: biomedical; clinical; health systems and services; and the social, cultural and environmental factors that affect the health of populations. Institutes form national research networks linking researchers, funders and knowledge users across Canada to work on priority areas.

CIHR reports through the Minister of Health and plays a key role in the Health Portfolio. As Canada's health research funding agency, CIHR makes an essential contribution to the Minister of Health's overall responsibilities by funding the research and knowledge translation needed to inform the evolution of Canadian health policy and regulation; and, by taking an advisory role on research and innovation issues. This is achieved through an extensive and growing set of linkages with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, providing decision-makers with access to high quality and timely health research.

CIHR works closely with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the two Granting Councils of the Industry portfolio, to share information and co-ordinate efforts, harmonize practices, avoid duplication and foster multi-disciplinary research. The three organizations (referred to as "Tri-Agency") provide a channel for the implementation of common policies, practices and approaches, whenever possible.

CIHR's Governing Council (GC) sets the strategic direction of the agency and is responsible for evaluating its performance. Leadership on research, knowledge translation and funding for research is provided by the Science Council (SC), while leadership on corporate policy and management is provided by the Executive Management Committee (EMC).

Strategic Outcome(s) and Program Alignment Architecture (PAA)

CIHR's Program Alignment Architecture (PAA), approved by Treasury Board in May 2009, is shown in the figure below. The PAA consists of one Strategic Outcome and five Programs that support the Strategic Outcome. The performance information presented in Section II is organized according to this PAA structure.

Long description: Strategic Outcome(s) and Program Alignment Architecture

Organizational Priorities

In 2009, CIHR's Governing Council (GC) approved CIHR's second Strategic Plan (2009-2014), The Health Research Roadmap: Creating innovative research for better health and health care. This Strategic Plan is the product of widespread consultations with members of the health research community, careful assessment of Canada's strengths and weaknesses, and on-going deliberation about what CIHR would like to achieve by 2014. Roadmap sets out a vision comprised of four strategic directions that are aligned with CIHR's corporate, business and operational priorities.

In 2010, CIHR implemented a rolling, three-year planning and reporting process for the implementation of Roadmap. The CIHR Three-Year Implementation Plan and Progress Report highlights the activities CIHR will undertake over the next three years to deliver on the strategic directions outlined in Roadmap. The report is updated annually in order to continuously assess progress made on achieving CIHR's strategic goals and priorities.

Risk Analysis

CIHR's Risk Management Framework establishes how the agency identifies assesses and mitigates risk. The framework also provides a governance model that promotes the accountability for risk management as well as defining the on-going review and updating process for existing and potential risks to the organization.

The key risks identified in the current Corporate Risk Profile (CRP) include:

Reform of the Open Suite of Programs

There is a risk that CIHR’s reforms to the Open Suite of Programs including changes to the peer review process, will not be understood, or supported by external stakeholders.

To mitigate this risk, CIHR implemented a governance structure for the implementation of the reforms, developed an integrated plan, and conducted a number of forums across the country with key stakeholders to get their input and feedback on the proposed changes. This work will be beneficial when the transition plan, which will pilot and phase in components of the changes, is implemented.

Knowledge Translation

Given CIHR's lack of direct control over all the factors that influence the uptake and use of research, there is a risk that CIHR may not be able to fully achieve the knowledge translation (KT) component of its mandate and improve the health of Canadians through health research.

To mitigate this risk, CIHR has integrated KT strategies into all of CIHR's Institutes and programs including Signature Initiatives. For example, SPOR is designed to ensure that its Networks and SUPPORT units are guided by the research needs of policy makers, health practitioners and patients.

Results Management

There is a risk that CIHR will be unable to adequately and efficiently evaluate and report on its performance, and make the necessary changes to ensure impact.

To mitigate this risk, CIHR will strengthen its performance measurement frameworks and activities at all levels (programs, initiatives, and operations). This will improve CIHR's ability to track and monitor performance outcomes related to research and operational activities. Currently underway are IT systems revisions to ensure appropriate data architecture is in place to support information and reporting plans, and the development and implementation of data quality and monitoring standards.

Institute Organizational Model

There is a risk of disruptions and corporate memory loss during transitions of Scientific Directors that may reduce an Institute's ability to achieve planned outcomes or its mandate in support of CIHR's strategic objectives.

To mitigate this risk, management has implemented an Institute Transition Plan and Renewal Schedule. In addition, an on-going process has been established to assess the performance of Institute Scientific Directors. These mitigation strategies have been successful in managing this risk.

Planning Summary

CIHR's planned spending totals $1,006.1 million in 2012-13. Planned spending then decreases to $981.4 million in 2013-14, and decreases annually down to $965.5 million by 2015-16. This decrease is mostly attributable to the funding allocated to the Tri-Agency programs between the three granting agencies, which is allocated after each competition. CIHR’s 2013-14 planned spending include the results from the latest Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) competition of $11.1 million, the last year of funding for this competition. It is expected that CIHR will be allocated funding from the upcoming Tri-agency programs competitions.

Expenditure Profile

Departmental Spending Trend

Long description: Departmental Spending Trend

CIHR's actual spending increased from $983.8 million in 2009-10 to reach $1,026.9 million in 2010-11, and is forecasted to return to $1,006.1 million in 2012-13. In the absence of new funding, total planned spending will decrease annually in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The variations in departmental spending from $983.8 million 2009-10 to $1,009.1 million in 2011-12 are mainly due to several permanent increases to CIHR's base budget announced in Federal Budgets over this period, coupled with incremental funding for targeted programs such as the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN), the Vanier Graduate Scholarships and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships. However, these increases have been offset by the full implementation, in 2011-12, of the results of the 2008 Strategic Review as well as the wind-up of temporary funding to expand the Canada Graduate Scholarships program announced in the 2009 Federal Budget.

In 2012-13, while the Federal Budget provided a permanent $15 million base budget increase to CIHR in support of its Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, savings identified as part of the Budget 2012 Spending Review caused CIHR's reference levels to decrease by $15 million in 2012–13 and $30 million in 2013–14 and thereafter. The savings measures implemented include reductions to CIHR's Tri-Agency Programs, the wind-up of the Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine initiative, and streamlining of CIHR's operations.

The Spending Review explains $15 million of the $24.7 million decrease from 2012-13 to 2013-14, with the balance of the reductions due to variations in annual funding for two of CIHR's Tri-Agency Programs, the Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence and the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR). CIHR's share of these Tri-Agency programs' funding is not fixed but rather is determined by the results of program competitions. Therefore, the decrease in planned spending in future fiscal years is attributable to the reallocation of Tri-Agencies programs' funding between the three granting agencies.

Estimates by Vote

For information on our organizational appropriations, please see the 2013–14 Main Estimates publication.

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Date modified:

2013-03-28