CIHR COVID-19 Investments: By the Numbers

Since the start of the pandemic, CIHR has invested $430M in COVID-19 research, to which partner organizations have added $20.5M, for a total investment of $450.2M. These funds have been used to support 967 research grants. The majority of this funding has come from one-time investments in CIHR from the Government of Canada specifically for COVID-19 research.

These figures are current as of June 1, 2023, and will be updated as new investments are announced.

967 grants funded, $450M total investment, 45 competitions

Investment breakdown

Long Description
Competition Amount Invested
Second COVID-19 Rapid Research funding competition (April 2020) $123.5M
First COVID-19 Rapid Research funding competition (February 2020) $55.3M
Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities I $41.2M
Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities III $26.4M
Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities II $18.7M
Mental health operating grants $10.3M
Understanding/mitigating impacts of COVID-19 on children, youth, and families $10.1M
Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net) Extension $9M
Network for Emerging Variants $9M
Canadian Network of COVID-19 Clinical Trials Networks $6M
Supplementary funding – COVID-19 variants $3.6M
COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence $3.6M
Canadian Treatments for COVID-19 (CATCO) trial $3.6M
Canadian Immunization Research Network – vaccine readiness $3.5M
CATCO Scale-Up COVID-19 Supplement $3.5M
Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness in long-term care homes $3.2M
Canadian International COVID-19 Surveillance Border Study $2.5M
Mental health knowledge synthesis grants $2.2M
Evaluation of Harm Reduction Approaches to Address to Opioid Crisis during COVID-19 $3M
Indigenous COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity $2.1M
Supplementary funding – COVID-19 variants $1.8M
Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) $1.2M
COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END) Extension $1.1M
Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM) urgent guideline activities related to COVID-19 $1M
Knowledge synthesis network $1M
Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) $997,683
Supplementary funding: Sex as a biological variable $664,712
GA4GH Genomic Data Sharing Tools Against COVID-19 $650,000
College and Community Innovation Program – Applied Research Rapid Response to COVID-19 $300,000
Canadian Venous Thromboembolism Research Network (CanVECTOR) and Canadian Critical Care Trials Group $300,000
Frailty $297,215
Legal frameworks for vaccination $240,731
Rapid Funding for DSEN Targeted Research $135,808
Science Up First $1.1M
COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities $4.6M
Canadian Pediatric COVID-19 Research Platform $6.7M
Respiratory Health Effects of Long COVID $159,000
Addressing the Wider Health Impacts of COVID-19 $44.3M
Indigenous COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity II $3.5M
Canadian Network of COVID-19 Clinical Trials Networks (CNCCTN) Extension $5M
JPND Call for Expert Working Groups $66,470
COVID-19 Outpatient Therapeutic Studies $11.2M
POPCORN Supplement $2.9M
Canadian Post COVID-19 Condition Research $19.9M

Read more about these funding opportunities and the individual projects funded.

Learn how this research was funded and read about how Canadian research offers hope in the fight against COVID-19.

Read more about equity, diversity and inclusion in CIHR’s COVID-19 competitions.
Note: We are currently pulling together the data to break down the results of our COVID competitions further, and will make them available soon.

Timeline of investments

Long Description
Competition Launch Date
First COVID-19 Rapid Research funding competition February 2020
Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) March 2020
Supplementary funding: Sex as a biological variable April 2020
Second COVID-19 Rapid Research funding competition (April 2020) April 2020
Mental health knowledge synthesis grants April 2020
Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM) urgent guideline activities related to COVID-19 April 2020
Frailty and COVID-19 in older adults April 2020
Canadian Treatments for COVID-19 (CATCO) trial April 2020
Canadian Venous Thromboembolism Research Network (CanVECTOR) and Canadian Critical Care Trials Group May 2020
Mental health operating grants June 2020
Legal frameworks for vaccination July 2020
Canadian Immunization Research Network – vaccine readiness August 2020
Strengthening pandemic preparedness in long-term care homes September 2020
Indigenous COVID-19 research September 2020
Canadian International COVID-19 Surveillance Border Study October 2020
Knowledge synthesis network October 2020
Evaluation of harm-reduction approaches to address the opioid crisis during COVID-19 October 2020
Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) November 2020
Canadian Network of COVID-19 Clinical Trials Networks November 2020
Emerging COVID-19 research gaps and priorities - I November 2020
Supplementary funding – COVID-19 variants February 2021
Network for Emerging Variants February 2021
Emerging COVID-19 research gaps and priorities - II March 2021
Canadian Treatments for COVID (CATCO) trial – supplementary funding March 2021
Understanding/mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on children, youth and families June 2021
COVID-19 vaccine confidence June 2021
Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities - III July 2021
COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities July 2021
Addressing the Wider Health Impacts of COVID-19 September 2021
Extension to the COVID-19 Evidence Network to Support Decision-making (COVID-END) October 2021
Indigenous COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity II October 2021
Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN) targeted research December 2021
Grant extension for CoVaRR-Net December 2021
Respiratory Health Effects of Long COVID December 2021
Canadian Pediatric COVID-19 Research Platform January 2022
Science Up First March 2022
Canadian Network of COVID-19 Clinical Trials Networks (CNCCTN) Extension April 2022

Investments across Canada

Long Description
Province/Territory Number of projects
Alberta 129
British Columbia 121
Manitoba 36
Newfoundland and Labrador 6
New Brunswick 2
Northwest Territories 0
Nova Scotia 31
Nunavut 0
Ontario 448
Prince Edward Island 1
Quebec 166
Saskatchewan 26
Yukon 1

Partner Investments

Long Description
Partner Funding amount
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) $8.1M
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) $7.9M
Alberta Innovates $946,110
Research Manitoba $900,000
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care $750,098
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) $714,250
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research $325,000
Genome Canada $244,715
Research Nova Scotia $225,000
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation $150,000
New Brunswick Health Research Foundation $100,000
Centre for Aging and Brain Health $75,000
Canadian Lung Association $68,148

COVID-19 international linkages

Long Description
Country affiliation N projects (Total)
Argentina 1
Australia 16
Australia; New Zealand 1
Austria 2
Bangladesh 1
Benin 1
Brazil 9
Burkina Faso 1
Chile 2
China 12
Colombia 4
Democratic Republic of Congo 1
Ecuador 3
Egypt 1
Ethiopia 1
Finland 1
France 6
Germany 4
Ghana 1
Greece 1
Guinea 1
Hong Kong 5
India 7
Indonesia 1
International 13
Iran 1
Ireland 1
Italy 4
Kenya 2
Lebanon 1
Lesotho 1
Malawi 1
Malaysia 1
Mali 2
Mauritius 1
Mexico 5
Netherlands 4
New Zealand 3
Nigeria 1
Norway 3
Pakistan 2
Peru 1
Philippines 4
Poland 1
Russia 2
Rwanda 1
Saudi Arabia 2
Senegal 1
Sierra Leone 2
Singapore 3
South Africa 4
South Korea 1
Spain 3
Sri Lanka 1
Sweden 5
Switzerland 2
Tanzania 2
Thailand 3
Turkey 1
Uganda 1
United Arab Emirates 2
United Kingdom 16
United States 61
Vietnam 2
Zimbabwe 1
Date modified: