CIHR Strategic Plan 2021–2031
Action Plan for Year 1 (2021–22)

Table of Contents

1. President's Message
2. About CIHR
3. About the Action Plan
   • Priority A: Advance Research Excellence in All Its Diversity
   • Priority B: Strengthen Canadian Health Research Capacity
   • Priority C: Accelerate the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples in Health Research
   • Priority D: Pursue Health Equity through Research
   • Priority E: Integrate Evidence in Health Decisions
4. Serving Canadians: Our Commitment to Organizational Excellence

President's Message

Since its creation in 2000, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has supported the development of new scientific knowledge and enabled its mobilization into improved health outcomes for Canadians. We can take pride in knowing that Canada’s health research community is stronger and more diverse today than ever before, and that our researchers continue to develop innovations in all areas to improve the health of Canadians and strengthen our health care and public health systems. At the same time, we also recognize that there is still much more to be done.

CIHR is launching a new Strategic Plan that aims to build on its successes over the past 20 years, with the ultimate goal of improving the health of future generations of Canadians through innovations in research. The 2021–2031 Strategic Plan lays out a bold, generational vision in which Canadian researchers are global leaders in the development of ground-breaking discoveries that improve lives, and Indigenous communities lead health research that focuses on resilience, wellness, and Indigenous ways of knowing, resulting in equitable health outcomes.

Given the impact of the global pandemic, we returned to our community for feedback prior to launching the Strategic Plan to ensure that it continued to resonate. Those consultations made it clear that the Strategic Plan should be accompanied by a clearly articulated action plan that would speak to the delivery of key aspects of the Strategic Plan. We also heard clearly that such an action plan should be measured in its approach, with initiatives launched in a stepwise manner, consistent with the most pressing issues that currently confront us.

In that light, I am pleased to present the 2021–2022 Action Plan, which is the first installment of a series of annual action plans that will assist CIHR as we implement the Strategic Plan. This Action Plan outlines the key activities that CIHR will undertake in 2021, including the establishment of the Centre for Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, the beginning of a critical discussion to introduce a modernized concept of research excellence, the continued implementation of the Action Plan: Building a Healthier Future for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, and further efforts to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within the health research community.

Many of the activities described below will require coordination and collaboration across the health research landscape. By working together with our partners and stakeholders, I am confident that CIHR will make great strides in 2021 and work to achieve the best health for all, powered by outstanding research.

Michael J. Strong, MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FCAHS
President
Canadian Institute of Health Research

About CIHR

Our Vision

The best health for all, powered by outstanding research.

Our Mandate

As embedded in the CIHR Act, our mandate is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its mobilization into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and strengthened Canadian health care systems.

Achieving the vision and mandate

As Canada’s health research investment agency, CIHR collaborates with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health systems. CIHR was created in 2000, under the authority of the CIHR Act, as an independent agency that is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Health. Our mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its dissemination and implementation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and strengthened Canadian health systems. This is the value proposition of CIHR.

As part of the Government of Canada Health Portfolio, CIHR is vested with the responsibility to foster excellence in research that will improve the health of Canadians. As evidenced by its proven ability to deliver rapid research funding and leverage expertise throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CIHR also plays a significant role in the whole-of-government response to addressing emerging health emergencies.

CIHR is comprised of a headquarters located in Ottawa, as well as Institutes located throughout the country that support individuals, groups, and communities of researchers and trainees across Canada.

Governing Council

CIHR is governed by a Governing Council of 18 members with a broad range of expertise and experience, and who are appointed by the Governor in Council. Governing Council plays a key role in evaluating CIHR's overall performance, ensuring that the agency remains true to the CIHR Act, and has been a critical partner in the development of the Strategic Plan. As delineated in the Act, Governing Council plays a crucial role in ensuring that CIHR has a peer review process and funding programs that serve to fulfil the agency’s mandate.

Institutes

CIHR’s 13 Institutes are integral to the success of CIHR in delivering both our vision and mandate. The scientific directors, by working closely with their individual Institute Advisory Boards (IABs), provide a critical interface with our research community. They help to ensure that the decisions of CIHR leadership and the Governing Council are reflective of the emerging health needs of Canadians, while also strategically supporting the information needs of health policy- decision makers.

About the Action Plan

This Action Plan outlines the actions to be undertaken on a yearly basis to support the realization of the priorities and strategies in the Strategic Plan. Although actions for the first year are firm, CIHR recognizes that those for subsequent years will evolve as the implementation of the plan progresses and the environment around us changes.

The implementation of the 2021–2022 Action Plan will begin in April 2021. Subsequent action plans will be released annually thereafter. This inaugural action plan reflects a transition for the organization as the country continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the agency shifts its focus toward deliverables that will support the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

CIHR’s Strategic Plan has benefited from the most comprehensive engagement process ever undertaken in the agency’s history. CIHR’s foundational commitment to stakeholder engagement and consultation extends to our approach to implementing the action plans. For each of the actions that follow, CIHR will continue to foster collaboration with the health research community as part of our shared goal of implementing the Strategic Plan. In addition, CIHR remains committed to decision-making guided by evidence and to enhancing analytical capacity within the organization as required.

CIHR is also committed to reviewing its progress against stated actions. Milestones achieved for each will be documented to enable the assessment of progress on the strategies outlined in the Strategic Plan. Therefore, starting in 2022–2023, a report on the achievement of the previous year’s actions will be included in the Action Plan.

A Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) will be developed and released in fall 2021. It will identify indicators for monitoring the implementation of the Strategic Plan. Baseline data will be collected to guide CIHR’s efforts in ensuring effective monitoring and reporting on its yearly action plans over the course of the 10-year Strategic Plan. This will also serve to inform any corrective actions that may be required. The PMF will be developed through an iterative process that will involve consultation and engagement with subject matter experts in identifying effective indicators for assessing performance. Outcomes of the 2021–2022 Action Plan will provide baseline data for identifying suitable measures to support a robust PMF. Beyond our reporting annually of the achievements measured against the PMF, CIHR commits to conducting a full review of the implementation of the Strategic plan at its halfway mark (5 years). In doing so, it is our intent that the Strategic Plan and this accompanying Action Plan will be living documents that are reflective of the rapidly evolving health research needs of Canada and the interconnected world in which we live.

Priority A: Advance Research Excellence in All Its Diversity - Strategies

Priority B: Strengthen Canadian Health Research Capacity - Strategies

Priority C: Accelerate the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples in Health Research - Strategies

Priority D: Pursue Health Equity Through Research - Strategies

Priority E: Integrate Evidence in Health Decisions - Strategies

Serving Canadians: Our Commitment to Organizational Excellence - Strategies

Date modified:

2021-02-23