Project Grant: Fall 2025 Peer review participants
The peer review process relies on the time and dedication of experts across the health research spectrum. For the Fall 2025 Project Grant competition, a total of 1736 individuals (including Chairs [64], Scientific Officers [129], reviewers [1549]) participated in 66 peer review committees. There were also 131 early career researcher (ECR) Reviewers in Training present during the peer review process.
Note: Some individuals played multiple roles, such as chairing one review panel and then acting as a peer reviewer in another, which is why the role counts may not add up to 1736.
Approximately 74% (1324) of the committee members are members of the College of Reviewers, which has specific membership selection criteria. As a first step, CIHR staff provided lists of suggested reviewers based on specific selection criteria, and then reviewers were vetted by committee Chairs and Scientific Officers.
Peer review participants by sex
| Female | Male | Undeclared | |
|---|---|---|---|
| participated | 751 participated | 950 participated | 96 participated |
| invited | 2117 invited to participate | 2655 invited to participate | 251 invited to participate |
| accepted | 885 accepted (41.8% acceptance rate) | 1128 accepted (42.5% acceptance rate) | 110 accepted (43.8% acceptance rate) |
The figures above exclude early career researchers who participated in the Reviewers in Training program.
Participants by region
The following table is based on the region information of the individual's institution. The table includes all peer review participants, excluding early career researchers who participated in the Reviewers in Training program.
| Region | Invited | Accepted | Acceptance Rate | Participated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | 571 | 226 | 39.6% | 196 |
| Alberta | 545 | 237 | 43.5% | 209 |
| Saskatchewan | 99 | 43 | 43.4% | 39 |
| Manitoba | 176 | 73 | 41.5% | 65 |
| Ontario | 2015 | 845 | 41.9% | 702 |
| Québec | 1299 | 567 | 43.6% | 476 |
| New Brunswick | 25 | 5 | 20.0% | 5 |
| Nova Scotia | 149 | 73 | 49.0% | 62 |
| Prince Edward Island | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 47 | 21 | 44.7% | 16 |
| International | 70 | 27 | 38.6% | 23 |
| No region specified | 26 | 6 | 23.1% | 4 |
Participants by pillar
The following table is based on the self-reported primary research pillar of peer review participants, excluding early career researchers who participated in the Reviewers in Training program.
| Pillar | Participants | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Biomedical (Pillar 1) | 930 | 51.8% |
| Clinical (Pillar 2) | 350 | 19.5% |
| Health Systems/Services (Pillar 3) | 169 | 9.4% |
| Social/Cultural/Environmental/Population Health (Pillar 4) | 180 | 10.0% |
| Uncategorized | 168 | 9.3% |
Note: The proportions of peer review participants by pillar reflect the types of applications submitted to the competition. For more information, please visit the competition results page.
Career stage of participants
The table below approximates career stages based on the start year of the peer review participants' self-reported first independent appointment. Only ECR status extensions offered by CIHR due to the COVID-19 pandemic were considered in this approximation; other eligible leaves were not considered. For more information on the ECR status extensions, see the definition of researcher (early career) in the CIHR Glossary of Funding-Related Terms.
| Career Stage | Invited | Accepted | Acceptance Rate | Participated | Participant proportion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Career Researcher | 952 | 548 | 57.6% | 468 | 26.0% |
| Mid Career Researcher | 1338 | 621 | 46.4% | 530 | 29.5% |
| Senior Career Researcher | 2042 | 776 | 38.0% | 665 | 37.0% |
| Unknown | 691 | 178 | 25.8% | 134 | 7.5% |
The figures above exclude early career researchers who participated in the Reviewers in Training program.
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