National Women's Health Research Initiative: Initiative Components

• Meet the Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition grantees
• Meet the Biomedical Discovery Grant - Innovation fund grantees
• Meet the Translational Research, Operating Grant – Innovation fund grantees
• Meet the Healthcare Implementation Research - Operating Grant – Innovation fund grantees

The NWHRI was informed and launched following community engagement through an Ideas Fair and Learning Circle.

The National Women's Health Research Initiative consists of four funding opportunities under two distinct streams:

• The Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition
  • Knowledge Mobilization Hubs
  • Coordinating Centre
• The Innovation Fund
  • Biomedical Discovery Grants
  • Operating Grants (Translational and Healthcare implementation research)

Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition

The Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition (the Coalition) is a collaboration between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Gender and Health (CIHR-IGH) and Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). The Coalition launched through two funding opportunities and supports 10 Knowledge Mobilization Hubs across Canada, linked through a Coordinating Centre. The Hubs and Centre work together to maximize the visibility and impact of women's health research and practice in Canada.

The Hubs and Coordinating Centre are co-led by Canadian non-governmental organizations (including community organizations), healthcare providers, and independent researchers in women's health. Together, they are mobilizing new and existing knowledge into effective, gender-sensitive, and culturally appropriate women's health services across Canada.

Specific objectives for the Knowledge Mobilization Hubs are in the archived funding opportunity.

Objectives for the Coordinating Centre are identified here.

In April 2023, CIHR funded the 10 Hubs up to $840,000 over 4 years.

In April 2024, the Coordinating Centre was funded up to $1.2 million over 3 years.

Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund supports research in areas of women's health that have been chronically underfunded and under-researched. The program was launched through two funding opportunities: the Biomedical Discovery Grants and Operating Grants.

Biomedical Discovery Grants

The Biomedical Discovery Grants invest in high-risk, high-reward research in women's health, involving basic science and/or other types of preclinical studies.

Specific objectives are identified in the archived funding opportunity.

In March 2024, CIHR funded 23 one-year biomedical discovery grants up to $150,000 each.

Operating Grants (Translational and Healthcare implementation research)

The Operating Grants invest in innovative applied health research that addresses implementation gaps and progress interventions towards real-world impact that improves access to health care and improves health outcomes for women, girls, and gender diverse people across Canada.

The two research pools include:

1. Translational research in healthcare diagnostics, therapeutics, and devices.
2. Healthcare implementation research to remove barriers and improve access to healthcare.

Specific objectives for the operating grants are identified in the archived funding opportunity.

In October 2024, CIHR funded 24 three-year operating grants up to $600,000 each. The recipients were announced at a research roundtable by the former Minister for Health, the Honourable Mark Holland, and the former Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth, the Honourable Marci Ien (see backgrounder "National Women's Health Research Initiative – Translational and Implementation Science Grants").

Visit the Funding section for information about funding opportunities associated with this initiative.

Date modified:

2026-03-04