Partnerships for Better Health – CIHR-ICRH Strategic Plan 2022-2025
Priority B: Accelerating Knowledge Through Collaboration

Strategic Goal

To create and support innovative purpose-driven research collaborations to generate and use knowledge within the Institute mandate areas.

Past

Solutions to address complex health challenges within the ICRH mandate are not isolated to the research enterprise and will require coordinated efforts inclusive of social, economic and political structures to make significant advances for improved patient outcomes.

The Institute has a track record of creating investments in interdisciplinary, multi-pillar research, community-engaged collaborative efforts that have shifted from the traditional single discipline research paradigm needed to address complex health challenges within its mandate. Networking opportunities such as the Community Development Programs (e.g., Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, Canadian Venous Thromboembolism Network) and Emerging Networks (e.g., Canadian Vascular Network, Canadian Respiratory Research Network, Canadian Stroke Prevention and Intervention Network) formed a large component of funded activities and have contributed to significant health research advancements.

Interestingly, these network investments have also driven advancements in investigator-initiated research, as individual investigators who are members of these funded networks have experienced increased success within CIHR Operating Grant programs, such as the Project Grants.

Present

As a learning organization that seeks to be responsive to the evolving research needs and be adaptive to the health research ecosystem, the Institute has iterated the collaborative research model to meet the identified health challenge. As examples, the Sepsis Research Network and Heart Failure Research Network funding opportunities were designed to support single nationally coordinated, interdisciplinary research efforts that included patients, PWLE, family/caregivers, Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers, government, policy makers, not-for-profit organizations, health care providers, researchers, clinicians and industry, with a primary focus on the identified complex health challenge.

Adaptive funding models, such as the Sleep Research Consortium, were designed to fund individual research teams linked through a Coordinating and KM Centre. This broad, yet focused centre, has a mandate to co-create new knowledge and strategies to mobilize knowledge for improved health outcomes as they relate to insomnia and sleep deprivation.

Regardless of the funding model (e.g., network, consortia or other) the key ingredient that enabled the activity was like-minded partners collaborating to achieve a common goal.

Future

In the future, ICRH will continue to learn and adapt collaborative funding models that are greater than the sum of their parts to create meaningful change in identified areas of need.

We will intentionally seek new innovative partnerships and partnership models to address the complex health challenges that will only be addressed through interdisciplinary, collaborative research efforts (e.g., teams, consortia and networks).

Strategies

• 1) Creating Innovative Funding Models

  The Institute will use the decision-making framework to guide and inform decisions with partners to co-create and co-deliver funding models that are innovative and collaborative in nature.

• 2) Reducing Barriers

  The Institute, as a learning organization, will assess and address barriers to successful implementation of supported collaborative models for meaningful and effective research collaborations.

• 3) Collaborating for Excellence

  The Institute will continue to focus on equitable, inclusive and diverse partnerships efforts with existing and new partners, including partners that have historically not been linked to health research (e.g., charities, private foundations, consumer organizations and other relevant organizations).

• 4) Linking, Amplifying and Leveraging

  The Institute will engage with existing and new partners to link, amplify, and leverage current investments to further enhance research collaborations.

• 5) Incentivizing Collective Engagement

  The Institute will continue to incentivize engagement of early- and mid-career researchers in networks and other collaborative research platforms to improve access and inclusion of a diverse group of leaders, mentors and research participants.

• 6) Responding to Change

  The Institute will continue to approach partnership opportunities with flexibility, transparency and equity to reflect the dynamic nature of the health.

• Previous - Priority A: Preparing Future Capacity
• Next - Priority C: Catalyzing Impact Through Knowledge Mobilization (KM)

Date modified:

2022-06-09