2020-21 Departmental Results Report: Details on transfer payment programs

2008

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2016–17

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Investigator-Initiated Research

The Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) program is a Tri-Agency program that supports Canadian universities in their efforts to build on Canada's growing reputation as a global leader in research and innovation. The program awards world-renowned researchers and their teams to establish ambitious research programs at Canadian universities. This program is administered by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on behalf of Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and SSHRC.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

In 2020–21 the program supported 17 CERCs with a total budget of $22.7M, of which CIHR invested $5.9M.

A midterm review process for all CERCs awarded as of 2013 is underway and will be completed in 2021. The review process has demonstrated to date that the CERC award holders are building competitive research environments that are attracting top talent and building critical mass of expertise in the country’s priority areas.

Women represent 41.1% of CERC award holders. This is the highest representation of women in the history of the program.

No audits are planned at this time.

A joint evaluation of the Canada Excellence Research Chairs and Canada 150 Research Chairs (C150) was completed in June 2020. Key findings include:

• CERC and C150 are unique in their ability to attract and support world-class international researchers in building research capacity within Canada. These programs represent a specific niche in federal funding programs.
• The CERC and C150 programs have been successful in attracting world-class researchers to Canada. In turn, the reputation and innovative research of these chairholders has been cited as a main factor in attracting faculty and highly qualified personnel (HQP) to core teams, and the forming of partnerships and collaborations.
• Qualitative data suggest that the CERC program has resulted in increased research capacity at host institutions and has greatly influenced the career trajectories of team members, thus contributing to a range of successes that extend beyond the accomplishments of the chairholder alone.
• CERCs may not be reaching wider audiences beyond academia—an expected intermediate outcome as per the program’s logic model.
• The timeframe for the CERC application and nomination process was considered too lengthy and onerous, which ultimately led to the loss of desirable candidates. Other concerns surrounded the length of the CERC term; that is, the number of years available to spend the $10M award.
• Despite advances over the last few years, there are still a number of EDI implementation challenges, which in part pertain to the lack of clarity around EDI requirements and what recruitment targets should be applied.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

2014

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014–15

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Investigator-Initiated Research

The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) supports Canada’s postsecondary institutions in their efforts to become global research leaders. CFREF helps institutions: (i) compete with the best in the world for talent, for partnership opportunities and to make breakthrough discoveries; (ii) seize emerging opportunities and strategically advance their greatest strengths on the global stage; and (iii) implement large-scale, transformational and forward-thinking institutional strategies. This program is administered by SSHRC on behalf of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

A total of 18 CFREF recipients at 17 Canadian institutions were supported in 2020–2021, for a Tri-Agency investment of $199M.

The midterm reviews of 13 CFREFs awarded in the second competition were undertaken during 2020–2021. Results are expected by summer 2021. The midterm reviews have demonstrated to date that CFREF recipients have established strong partnerships and collaborations at the national and international level; recruited highly qualified personnel and students; hired new faculty; built world-class infrastructures; already achieved significant advancements in their respective fields of research; and leveraged funding that will contribute to the sustainability of these initiatives in the long term.

Funding supports several areas of strategic relevance to Canada, including environment and agriculture; health and related life sciences; advanced manufacturing; information and communications technology; and natural resources and energy.

An audit is under way, with an expected completion of August 2021.

The CFREF evaluation was completed in March 2021. Key findings include:

• Funded grants have largely met immediate outcomes, and have demonstrated progress towards achieving intermediate outcomes.
• CFREF continues to be relevant as it provides the government with a unique vehicle for strategically investing in priority research areas.
• The CFREF program is well aligned with government priorities on innovation and talent recruitment.
• CFREF participants identified access to interdisciplinary research and training environments and access to state-of-the-art research facilities as key benefits of participation in grant-funded activities.
• While institutions are working to implement their equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) plans, this work needs to continue in order to improve representation and diversity among CFREF teams.
• The flexibility that CFREF offers grantees to build their own governance structure was identified as a strength of the program by many key informants.
• Securing funding to sustain transformational changes brought by the CFREFs could be a challenge following the end of the granting period.
• The CFREF program has been delivered by the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) in a very cost-efficient manner to date.
• Grantees and applicants identified some challenges, which could be mitigated by improving communications between TIPS and grantees/applicants.
• Reporting activities could be improved to enhance consistency in data collection, and to better capture long-term outcomes and contributions of these grants. Specific areas for improvement were identified in the final report.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

2003–04

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2009–10

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Training and Career Support

CIHR's portion of the Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) program provides financial support to high-calibre scholars who are engaged in master's or doctoral programs in health. This program is a Tri-Agency program and is administered by each respective agency (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC).

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

The CGS program strives to make Canada one of the world’s top countries for research training and development in order to build an innovative and competitive economy, increase future job opportunities and, ultimately, generate social, economic and cultural benefits for Canadians. As a result of investments made to the CGS program, additional awards (540 Master’s and 179 Doctoral) were offered to applicants.

In the 2020–21 competition, CIHR committed an investment of $28.2M over three years to support research training in areas related to health.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

Key controls of this program are reviewed by Internal Audit as part of the annual Internal Control over Financial Management Assessment.

The Canada Graduate Scholarships are being evaluated as part of a Tri-Agency evaluation of Research Training and Talent Development. Planning and initial implementation of this evaluation was underway, but experienced delays due to COVID-19 related isolation; expected completion is likely to be August 2022.

Applicants and recipients are engaged through communication with academic institutions and Tri-Agency or agency specific electronic communication.

2007

2022–23

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2012–13

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Research in Priority Areas

The Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program bridges the challenging gap between innovation and commercialization. The program matches clusters of research expertise with the business community to share the knowledge and resources that bring innovations to market faster. Centres advance research and facilitate commercialization within four priority areas: the environment; natural resources and energy; health and life sciences; and information and communications technologies. This program is administered by NSERC on behalf of CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

As per Budget 2018, the Government announced it would transfer the management of the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) (and associated funding) to the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) managed by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).

Pre-competitive development of promising technology and the promotion of its transfer to new or established Canadian companies are facilitated.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

There are no plans to evaluate this program as the CECR was transferred to the Strategic Innovation Fund managed by ISED and will be evaluated as part of the SIF. This program has been evaluated 3 times since its inception in 2007. Given the solid evaluation history, there are few lessons to be learned from an evaluation at this time.

No further competitions are planned under this program. Existing recipients are supported by direct contact and engagement through their assigned NCE staff liaison who sits as an observer on the Board of Directors.

2000–01

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2011–12

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Investigator-Initiated Research – Training and Career Support – Research in Priority Areas

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) provides a wide array of funding programs under this transfer payment program. This includes grants that provide support for the direct costs of research projects, for the training of researchers, or for activities that support the translation of research findings. Other funding includes direct salary and stipend support to individual researchers/scientists and research trainees.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

CIHR invested the funding in this program to fund a wide range of health research areas. CIHR grants and awards helped maintain a strong and diverse health research base, which is detailed in the 2020–21 Departmental Results Report.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

Key controls of this program are reviewed by Internal Audit as part of the annual Internal Control over Financial Management Assessment.

The following evaluations were completed for this transfer payment program in 2020–21:

1. An evaluation of the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN) was completed in 2020–21.

   DSEN's post-market research on drug safety and effectiveness, while of high quality, was not timely for decision maker’s needs, negatively affecting its relevance and usefulness. The main roadblocks to the timely production of information were communication issues within the query process, decentralized leadership leading to key leadership responsibilities not being carried out, the availability of data, and the evolving nature of decision makers' needs.

2. An evaluation of the Institute of Aging (IA) was completed in 2020–21.

   IA collaborated with other Institutes and organizations to address its strategic directions and priorities. IA implemented capacity building activities to maintain and strengthen research capacity. Given the cross-cutting nature of aging research, it’s critical that CIHR’s funding within IA’s mandate be spread across CIHR’s four research themes. The IA Scientific Director (SD) effectively engaged, collaborated, and partnered with stakeholders.

3. An evaluation of the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) was completed in 2020–21.

   IHDCYH has advanced knowledge and built capacity in mature fields of research, maintained investments in niche areas of research, and invested in emerging areas in its mandate. There is a need to shift the mandate towards a life-cycle approach and place emphasis on prevention; increase awareness of how CIHR supports interdisciplinary research; and, improve peer review culture. The IHDCYH Scientific Director (SD) effectively engaged, collaborated, and partnered with stakeholders.

4. An evaluation of the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH) was completed in 2020–21.

   There is a need for continued investment in ICRH’s mandate given the significant burden of disease. The current Scientific Director (SD) and ICRH team provide scientific leadership to steward its major investments in research networks and begin to build research capacity. The SD and ICRH have effectively engaged and responded to the needs of researchers, trainees, the broader stakeholder community and Canadians.

CIHR engages applicants and recipients on an ongoing basis through various forms of social media, electronic newsletters, presentations, discussion forums and consultation processes.

2000–01

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2008–09

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Research in Priority Areas

The Institute Support Grant program provides funding to selected host institutions (including Canadian academic institutions, universities and teaching hospitals) to assist them in hosting the 13 Institutes of CIHR. The Institutes help CIHR maintain strong ties to Canada's research communities and to understand their needs. Each CIHR-appointed Scientific Director is among the top scientists in his/her field. Institutes help CIHR define its strategic health research priorities and develop research partnerships with other interested parties in health research. Institutes also organize conferences, seminars and workshops, all with the goal of developing and disseminating health-related knowledge and best practices.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

In 2020–21, CIHR provided each of the host institutions a grant to support institute operations, including the salaries of Scientific Directors, Institute staff and other administrative expenses. Institute Support Grants also support activities that facilitate and develop national research networks linking the Institutes' respective research communities.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

The next evaluation of the ISG is planned for completion by March 2024–25 as part of the Evaluation of the CIHR Institutes.

CIHR engages applicants and recipients on an ongoing basis through various forms of social media, electronic newsletters, presentations, discussion forums and consultation processes. Scientific Directors are among the top scientists in their fields and maintain strong ties to Canada's research communities. For more information please visit their respective websites.

1997–98

2023–24

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014–15

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Research in Priority Areas

The program supports large-scale academically led research networks that harness the creativity and inventiveness of Canadian health, natural and social scientists, and engineers. Partners from industry, government and not-for-profit organizations contribute additional expertise and bring cash and in-kind support. This program is a Tri-Agency program administered by NSERC on behalf of CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

Strong linkages and partnerships between university, government and industry, and other users (NGOs) resulting in the exploitation of leading-edge research results with economical and/or societal benefits to Canada.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

There are no plans to evaluate this program, as the NCE is no longer an ongoing program and its funds will be gradually transferred to the New Frontiers in Innovation Fund. This program has been evaluated regularly (i.e., every 5 years) since its inception (as a sunset program) in 1985. Given the solid evaluation history, there are few lessons to be learned from an evaluation at this time.

No further competitions are planned under this program. Existing recipients are supported by direct contact and engagement through their assigned NCE staff liaison who sits as an observer on the Board of Directors.

2008–09

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2014–15

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Training and Career Support

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program is a Tri-Agency program designed to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by offering them a significant financial award. This award assists students during their studies at Canadian universities. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health-related fields. This program is administered by CIHR on behalf of CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

Through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship program, the Government of Canada invests up to $25M annually, divided among the budgets of CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC, to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Up to 166 scholarships are awarded annually to Canadian and international doctoral students studying at Canadian universities who demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering, and health.

In the 2020–21 competition, CIHR invested $8.4M over three years to support research training in areas related to health.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

Key controls of this program are reviewed by Internal Audit as part of the annual Internal Control over Financial Management Assessment.

An evaluation of the Vanier CGS program was completed in 2020–21.

While there is a continued need to support top-tier national and international doctoral students, the Vanier CGS program’s current design and delivery limits its ability to: attract top students from other countries to Canada and retain Canada’s top doctoral students at the time of application. The program is achieving its expected intermediate outcomes, however, applicants and recipients report similar outcomes, calling into question the added value of the program.

Applicants and recipients are engaged through communication with academic institutions and directed Tri-Agency or agency-specific electronic communication, as well as through the Vanier CGS website.

2007

2023–24

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2012–13

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Research in Priority Areas

The Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence program (BL-NCE) funds large-scale collaborative research networks that bring a wide range of research expertise to bear on specific challenges identified by an industrial sector. This Tri-Agency program is administered by NSERC on behalf of SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

As per Budget 2018, the Government announced it would transfer the management of the Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence programs (and associated funding) to the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) managed by ISED.

Private sector investments in Canadian research is increased.

Training of skilled researchers supported.

Transfer of ideas from the laboratory into solutions needed by the private sector is accelerated.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

There are no plans to evaluate this program as the BL-NCE was transferred to the SIF managed by ISED and will be evaluated as part of the SIF. This program has been evaluated regularly (i.e., every 5 years) since its inception in 2007. Given the solid evaluation history, there are few lessons to be learned from an evaluation at this time.

No further competitions are planned under this program. Existing recipients are supported by direct contact and engagement through their assigned NCE staff liaison who sits as an observer on the Board of Directors.

2017

2025–26

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2017–18

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Investigator-Initiated Research

The Canada 150 Research Chairs (C150) program provides Canadian universities with a one-time investment to attract top-tier, internationally based scholars and researchers (including Canadian expatriates) to Canada. This program is administered by SSHRC on behalf of CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

In 2020–21, the CIHR total investment was $18.9M over seven years.

Of the 24 Chairs, more than 58% are women and 42% are Canadian researchers choosing to return to Canada to carry out their ambitious research programs. Each Chair has the opportunity to recruit students from Canada and beyond who will help further their work in disciplines such as chemistry, microbiology, evolutionary genomics, gender and African politics, global governance, neurosciences, epigenetics, public health and psychology.

No audits are planned at this time.

A joint evaluation of the Canada Excellence Research Chairs and Canada 150 Research Chairs was completed in June 2020. Key findings include:

• CERC and C150 are unique in their ability to attract and support world-class international researchers in building research capacity within Canada. These programs represent a specific niche in federal funding programs.
• The CERC and C150 programs have been successful in attracting world-class researchers to Canada. In turn, the reputation and innovative research of these chairholders has been cited as a main factor in attracting faculty and HQP to core teams, and the forming of partnerships and collaborations.
• The primary issue with the C150 competition was its timeline was too compressed, which ultimately resulted in candidates declining the potential nomination.
• Despite advances over the last few years, there are still a number of EDI implementation challenges, which in part pertain to the lack of clarity around EDI requirements and what recruitment targets should be applied.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.

2007

Ongoing

Grant

Appropriated annually through the Estimates

2018–19

• Canada’s health research is internationally competitive
• Canada’s health research capacity is strengthened
• Canada’s health research is used

Research in Priority Areas

The College and Community Innovation (CCI) program is managed by NSERC in collaboration with CIHR and SSHRC. The CCI program increases innovation at the community and/or regional level by enabling Canadian colleges to increase their capacity to work with local companies, particularly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), in areas of the natural and social sciences, engineering, humanities and/or health. It supports applied research and collaborations that facilitate commercialization, as well as technology transfer, adaptation and adoption of new technologies, in areas of strategic importance to Canada.

There is no repayable contribution under this TPP.

The CCI program invests approximately $86M annually to increase innovation at the community and/or regional level by enabling Canadian colleges to increase their capacity to work with local partner organizations, particularly SMEs.

In 2020–21, the CCI program continued undergoing an evolution to simplify, streamline and address the changing dynamics of applied research in colleges and communities across Canada. This evolution will better reflect the program’s Tri-Agency nature by broadening the program’s scope to include social and health innovation.

No audits of this transfer payment program were completed or underway in 2020–21.

Evaluation of the College and Community Innovation program is planned to be completed by March 2024.

A variety of engagement initiatives (webinars, site visits, telephone, email, online forums) are used as part of the regular competition cycle in order to give applicants and recipients opportunities to seek and receive information and to provide feedback on service delivery.