COVID-19

COVID-19

Please consult this page for all COVID-19 information related to CIHR. Check back often, as we will be updating this page regularly.

Information for the research community

CIHR is closely monitoring the evolution and impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and is taking action to support our grants, scholarships and awards recipients, as well applicants, peer reviewers and employees.

• We're all in this together: A message from CIHR President Dr. Michael Strong (March 19, 2020)
• Tri-Agency message on COVID-19 (March 16, 2020)
• Update on COVID-19 and impact on CIHR’s policies, programs and operations (March 13, 2020)
• Reimbursing non-refundable travel fees due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 (March 9, 2020)
• Coronavirus: Canada's rapid research response (March 6, 2020)

FAQs

• Is CIHR closed? Is it business as usual?

  No, CIHR is not closed. The agency is continuing to operate and carry out some of its business activities. In order to facilitate social distancing, CIHR employees are working remotely from home. It should be noted that this is not business as usual. For the foreseeable future, CIHR is refocusing its resources to concentrate on the COVID-19 pandemic, including mitigating its effects on the research community.

• What is happening with the Spring Project Grant competition?

  CIHR is currently assessing how best to move forward with the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition. We are seeking to minimize disruption to the research community, while recognizing the importance of contributing to efforts to help stop the spread of the virus. A decision will be made in the coming days and will be widely communicated to the community next week.

• Is CIHR moving to virtual peer review?

  Face-to-face peer review continues to be CIHR’s standard for peer review. The agency is currently assessing ways of mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on planned peer review activities, and more information will be provided to the community on a competition-by-competition basis.

• What is CIHR doing to support researchers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

  CIHR is committed to supporting grant- and scholarship-holders, applicants, and peer reviewers as we adjust, together, to these extraordinary circumstances. This could include adjusting program application and reporting dates, extensions to grants, etc. We are currently reviewing the list of all competitions that were recently launched, are in progress, or were to be launched in the coming months, and coming up with mitigation strategies for each one.

  Decisions will be made on a competition-by-competition basis and will be communicated early and widely to affected researchers. The Tri-Agencies have also moved to include as eligible expenses the reimbursement of non-refundable travel fees from agency funds when travel is cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Is CIHR still participating in conferences and events?

  The Tri-Agencies are cancelling or postponing non-essential in-person events and travel at least until the end of April. As the situation is still evolving, there is a possibility that events in the spring and summer may also be affected. More information will be available shortly. However, CIHR may still participate in events and conferences where virtual participation is an option.

  Furthermore, CIHR’s Institutes are determining how to proceed (postponing, cancelling, or moving to a virtual format) on an event-by-event basis in close collaboration with CIHR and their respective host institutions (whose policies they are expected to follow).

• Will there be an effect on the development, finalization, and launch of CIHR’s Strategic Plan?

  While a great deal of progress has been made on the development and finalization of CIHR’s new Strategic Plan, the next step in the process – review of the latest draft by several bodies internal and external to CIHR – may be impacted by COVID-19. CIHR will make every effort to avoid disruption to the process. CIHR will postpone the Strategic Plan launch event that had been scheduled for June in Ottawa.

• How do I get more information

  We encourage the community to consult the relevant Tri-Agency websites and Twitter accounts on a regular basis as we will be providing frequent updates. Individuals may also wish to contact their university administration, or the funding agencies directly. CIHR’s Contact Centre remains operational and staff, who are working remotely, can be reached at support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Date modified:

2020-03-26