CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI) Early Career Transition Award
The funding opportunity for 2025 is now available on ResearchNet.
Many groups in Canada are underrepresented in faculty and academic leadership positions. Yet, research shows that diversity sparks creativity and strengthens scientific quality, innovation, and impact.
First launched in 2022, the CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI, pronounced "ready") Early Career Transition Award is available to trainees, such as post-doctoral researchers, clinicians, and research associates, from specific underrepresented groups to help them launch their research faculty careers in Canada. Through its two-phase model, which begins with mentored career development of trainees and is followed by support to establish and sustain an independent research program, REDI develops the next generation of health research leaders.
The CIHR REDI program helps Canada capitalize on the full extent of its tremendous scientific talent by addressing gaps in training, support, and representation. As such, it contributes to the creation and application of health-related knowledge to improve the health of people in Canada.
REDI 2025
About REDI 2025
REDI 2025 is co-led by Dr. Chelsea Gabel, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH), and Dr. Charu Kaushic, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III).
REDI 2025 builds on the success of the first iteration of the program (REDI 2022), which supported racialized women and Black scholars as they transitioned to independent research careers. Relaunched with expanded eligibility, REDI 2025 reaffirms CIHR and its partners' commitments to advancing scientific excellence by fostering a research environment that values and supports diversity, representation, equity, inclusion, and Indigenous rights. The program also adopts an expanded intersectional framework for race and gender.
Co-led by the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity and the CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health and supported by internal and non-governmental partners, REDI 2025 provides two distinct streams of support:
- One stream for scholars who self-identify as Black (any gender), racialized women or racialized gender-diverse people;
- A new stream for scholars who self-identify as First Nations, Inuit, Métis (any gender).
A total of $34.5 M is available to fund approximately 50 REDI Awards (25 per stream) and 50 Community Engagement and Knowledge Mobilization supplements.
Resources for Applicants
Getting Started
Application & Transition Support
Frequently Asked Questions
CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence Early Career Transition Award (2025): Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions?
Join us for one of our upcoming information sessions, or contact our support team directly at support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
Refer to the list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) that has been developed to provide additional information to support the application process. Please note that this page may be updated as needed leading up to the application deadline.
Information Sessions
CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence Early Career Transition Award (2025): Information Sessions
Join us to learn more about REDI 2025! CIHR will be hosting a series of webinars to help applicants and host institutions understand the requirements of the REDI 2025 funding opportunity and to answer questions about the application process.
For Host Institutions of Applicants
Bilingual Session
- Wednesday, November 12, 2025
- English presentation and Q&A in both English and French
For Applicants
English Sessions
- Monday, December 1, 2025
- End of January 2026 (date to be confirmed)
- English presentation and Q&A
French Sessions
- Monday, December 15, 2025
- End of January 2026 (date to be confirmed)
- French presentation and Q&A
Bilingual Q&A Session
- March 2026 (date to be confirmed)
- English presentation and Q&A in both English and French
Partnerships
CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence Early Career Transition Award (2025): Partnerships
Acknowledging REDI 2022 Support
The first iteration of the CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award, led by the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity, resulted in a substantial investment of over 28 million dollars over six years, funding 43 talented awardees across 25 institutions. This success was largely made possible due to the support of various institutes and initiatives at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, along with numerous non-governmental partners. View our full list of REDI 2022 partners.
The CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award (2025) funding opportunity is co-led by the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity and the CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health and delivered in collaboration with internal CIHR and non-governmental partners.
Internal partners
- CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III)
- CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH)
- CIHR Institute of Aging (IA)
- CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
- CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH)
- CIHR Institute of Gender and Health (IGH)
- CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR)
- CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH)
- CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA)
- CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA)
- CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD)
- CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH)
- CIHR Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies (CRPPHE)
- CIHR HIV/AIDS and STBBI Research Initiative
Non-government partners
Resources
Resources
The resources below are designed to support applicants, mentors, and host institutions participating in REDI 2025. They include key program documents and references to strengthen applications and provide guidance on mentorship and career development. The applicant resources are not exhaustive but offer a starting point of tools and best practices to build upon when preparing an application.
REDI 2025 Funding Opportunity Documents & Tools
Essential Documents: Guidance for Applicants and Mentors
- Funding Opportunity on ResearchNet
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Self-Identification Tool
- Linkage Tool: Connecting REDI Applicants with Mentors
- Information Letter on the Role of the Primary Mentor
- REDI Phase 2 Transition Process Guide
Applicant Resources: Strengthening Your Application
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) at CIHR.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research. How to integrate sex and gender into research.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Meet the Methods series: Quantitative intersectional study design and primary data collection.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Why sex and gender need to be considered in COVID-19 research: A guide for applicants and peer reviewers.
- Tri-agency Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Resources. Includes key resources on information and best practices for EDI and Indigenous Rights, and online training modules for researchers.
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. NSERC Guide on Integrating Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Research.
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Best Practices in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Research.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) which recognizes that scholarly outputs are not limited to published journal articles but can include a broader range of outputs.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Frequently Asked Questions: The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Health Research Training at CIHR: Training Tools. Includes Professional Development Offerings and Research Training Modules.
- National Institutes of Health. Research Training and Career Development. Resources - Career Guidance.
- iBiology Careers – Professional Development Resources.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 2019. If interested, an online guide and podcast can also be accessed from this website under Resources at a Glance.
- Dr. Angela Byars-Winston's talk on Effective, Culturally Responsive Mentorship (Jan. 20, 2022), posted on the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) website.
- Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Culturally Aware Mentoring Resources.
- iBiology. Mentor Training to Improve Diversity in Science. Part 1: A Conversation on Culturally Aware Mentoring; Part 2: Resources and Strategies to Enhance Culturally Aware Mentoring.
- Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Mentor & Mentee Support Resources.
- Project Implicit. Implicit association tests to measure attitudes or beliefs people may be unwilling or unable to report.
- Indspire. Decolonizing and Indigenizing Mentorship.
- Murry, A. T. et al. (2020) Indigenous Mentorship in the Health Sciences: Actions and Approaches of Mentors. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 266-276.
Past Funding Opportunities & Materials (Archived)
- CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence Early Career Transition Award (2022)
- Travel Awards for Mentors: CIHR REDI – 2025 Forum
- Message from the CIHR President and Scientific Director of the CIHR-Institute of Infection and Immunity (November 25, 2022)
- CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence Early Career Transition Award (2022): Frequently Asked Questions Archived
- Information Letter on the Primary Mentor Role (REDI 2022) Archived
- CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award 2022: Self-identification tool Archived
Past Recipients
REDI Early Career Transition Award Recipients (2022)
The first launch of REDI (2022) supported 43 talented researchers from 25 institutions spanning all four pillars of health research and represented an investment of over $28 million over 6 years.
Two years into the program, over 30% have already secured independent faculty researcher positions in Canada, a powerful sign of the program's impact.
Learn more about the 2022 REDI Recipients.
The first round of the REDI program supported 43 talented researchers from 25 different research institutions.
Contact information
For more information about the CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award, please email the CIHR Contact Centre:
support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca- Date modified: