Team Grant: Beyond Treatment – Advancing Cancer Survivorship
Frequently Asked Questions

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage was created in response to questions submitted during the Applicant Webinars (November 27, 2025 and January 13, 2026), and through the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Contact Centre. It is intended to support those interested in applying to the Team Grant: Beyond Treatment – Advancing Cancer Survivorship funding opportunity.

Please note that instructions provided in the Team Grant: Beyond Treatment – Advancing Cancer Survivorship funding opportunity on ResearchNet take precedence over this FAQ webpage.

This webpage may be updated frequently until the application deadline. If you have any questions related to this funding opportunity, please contact the CIHR Contact Centre (support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca or 1-888-603-4178). Questions may be edited for clarity and length.

Application Process

  • Is the new Tri-agency CV (TCV) required for this funding opportunity?

    The new Tri-agency CV is not required for this funding opportunity.

  • Who should we contact for any questions related to preparing the application (e.g., research scope, eligibility) for this funding opportunity?

    Please contact the CIHR Contact Centre (support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca) for any inquiries related to this funding opportunity.

  • Is the DMP a separate document or integrated into the proposal?

    The Data Management Plan (DMP) is its own document that should be attached as part of the “Other Application Materials”. Refer to the How to Apply section on ResearchNet.

Eligibility

  • Can you participate in more than one application?

    An individual cannot submit more than one application to this funding opportunity as a Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA). You may participate in other roles (Principal Applicant, Co-applicant, Knowledge Users, Collaborators, etc.) on multiple applications.

  • Are international co-applicants eligible to receive funding and are there any restrictions on team members being from non-Canadian institutions?

    CIHR has no restrictions on the citizenship of co-applicants as long as they are in accordance with the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration. There is no restriction on the institution that team members are from as long as the Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) is affiliated with a Canadian institution. Refer to the Eligibility section on ResearchNet.

  • Who can be the Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA)?

    The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be one of the following:

    • An independent researcher affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge mobilization).
      OR
    • An individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
      OR
    • An Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate.
  • What is considered interdisciplinary when assembling a team?

    The research team must be interdisciplinary, and at a minimum, must include an Early Career Researcher (ECR) and a knowledge user (including but not limited to PWLLE, practitioners, decision makers, policy makers, community leaders). Refer to the Eligibility section on ResearchNet.

    An interdisciplinary team consists of members across disciplines and sectors appropriate to the proposed research, which may include but is not limited to:

    • Biomedical (e.g., pre-clinical)
    • Clinical
    • Health services
    • Social, cultural, environmental and population health
    • Social sciences and humanities
    • Natural sciences and engineering
  • What type of patient involvement is expected in the application?

    The research team must include a knowledge user, which can include a person with lived or living experience (PWLLE). Refer to the Eligibility section on ResearchNet.

    For the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR)-funded project, patients must be meaningfully engaged as partners where they are decision-makers exercising agency throughout the project (i.e., designing the project, identifying outcomes, conducting the project, and summarizing and sharing the results with target audiences). For more information on the SPOR funding criteria, refer to the Research Areas section on ResearchNet.

Funding Decision

  • How will applications be funded?

    Applications relevant to each pool will be funded top down in order of ranking. Remaining applications in the competition will be pooled together and funded in rank order. Refer to the Funding Decision section on ResearchNet.

  • If an application is relevant to more than one funding pool, how will this be managed?

    Applicants can only select one funding pool for their application. It is up to the applicant to select which pool reflects the appropriate research area addressed by their research proposal. If more than one pool is selected, your application will only be considered for the first one identified.

Research Areas (Funding Pools)

  • Is the SPOR research area considered a separate funding pool that you can apply to?

    The Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) research area is not a separate funding pool that applicants can apply to. SPOR will fund a project within any of the funding pools that uses a patient-oriented research (POR) approach and aligns with the principles and guidelines in the SPOR Patient Engagement Framework and SPOR Capacity Development Framework. Refer to the SPOR Research Area section on ResearchNet.

  • How is pediatric cancer defined in the Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Pool?

    Childhood/pediatric cancer is defined as cancers that occur between birth and 14 years of age in this funding opportunity.

  • Will reviewers align with the specific pool focus areas (e.g., Indigenous Peoples’ Health)?

    CIHR strives to mirror the content of the applications received to the expertise of the peer review panels.

  • For the Indigenous Peoples' Health Pool, is the focus of the proposed research limited to Indigenous Peoples of Canada or can the research focus on other Indigenous populations?

    Proposals submitted to the Indigenous Peoples' Health Pool must focus on Indigenous Peoples in Canada (i.e., First Nations, Inuit, or Métis).

Research Scope

  • What is meant by “biological mechanisms” in the description of the funding pools?

    Biological mechanisms are defined as the underlying molecular, cellular, physiological, and biochemical processes that account for how biological effects arise from specific causes.

  • Will research on cancer recurrence be funded?

    Research related to recurrence of cancer (local, regional, and distant/metastasis) after completing initial (primary) cancer treatment is not eligible for funding. Refer to the Out of Scope section on ResearchNet.

  • Would pre-diagnosis phases (e.g., individuals with known elevated genetic or other predispositions to cancer, but not yet diagnosed) fall under the types of research you would consider eligible in this funding opportunity?

    Pre-diagnosis phases are out of scope of this funding opportunity. The scope of this funding opportunity is limited to research projects focused on the extended and permanent phases of cancer survivorship.

  • Does this funding opportunity focus only on identifying biological mechanisms to help inform future prevention and treatment strategies? Does this mean that health services research for cancer survivorship or interventional research, including the development and testing of new approaches to mitigate or treat adverse effects, is not in scope of this funding opportunity?

    The objectives of this funding opportunity are to advance understanding of the risks and development of toxicities and complications that arise in the extended and permanent phases of cancer survivorship (i.e., after completion of primary cancer treatment) and identify strategies to improve survivorship care in the post-primary treatment phase, in relation to host, lifestyle, environmental, social, and other intersectional factors. Refer to the Objectives section on ResearchNet.

    The majority of the funding pools require a biological/mechanistic component to be the main focus of the research project. The Indigenous Peoples' Health Pool has a broader scope, which can include projects that focus on survivorship care delivery in the post-primary cancer treatment phase. Please review each pool’s required criteria, as well as the Out of Scope research areas. Applications that are not deemed to be relevant to BOTH the pool's research area AND overarching objectives of the funding opportunity will be withdrawn from the competition at the Full Application stage.

  • Does the proposal have to address all cancer groups or can it focus on survivorship issues pertaining to a specific treatment (e.g., immune checkpoint inhibitors)?

    The research proposal does not have to address all cancer groups. The project must be focused on at least one of the funding pools/research areas listed on ResearchNet. Applications submitted to the Breast Cancer Survivorship Pool or the Reproductive and Sexual Health in Breast Cancer Survivorship Pool must have a focus on breast cancer. Applications submitted to the Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Pool must have a focus on childhood/pediatric cancers.

Research Teams

  • Are applicant partners required to be part of each team for this funding opportunity?

    Applicant partners are not required in each team and do not confer any advantages in the evaluation and funding of applications.

  • Can we include partners other than the two applicant partners that were presented at the Webinar and are listed on ResearchNet?

    Applicants may find other applicant partners in addition to those that were presented at the Webinar and are listed on ResearchNet.

  • Is an Early Career Researcher (ECR) required in the research team or just encouraged?

    An ECR is required as part of the research team as outlined in the Eligibility section on ResearchNet.

  • How do we make connections with others interested in forming a team?

    CIHR encourages applicants looking to build a team to refer to the Partner Linkage Tool, which aims to facilitate connections between applicants to support the formation of research teams and application development.

  • Are industry partners allowed on the research team?

    Industry partners cannot be the Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) on the application, however they can be collaborators or applicant partners.

Other

  • How can we access the slides that were presented at the Webinar sessions?

    Please contact the CIHR Contact Centre (support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca) for the slides.

  • Will this be a recurring competition?

    This is a one-time funding opportunity. A future round of this competition is not guaranteed.

Date modified: