Notice of Funding Opportunity: Team Grant – GACD 2027: Implementation research focused on strategies targeting chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) in children and young people

Introduction

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the Team Grant – GACD 2027: Implementation research focused on strategies targeting chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) in children and young people. This funding opportunity is led by the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD), in partnership with CIHR’s Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) and the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA).

Overview

Chronic diseases that begin in childhood have an impact on both quality of life and life expectancy. Onset of many non-communicable diseases occurs at younger ages in low- and middle-income countries, and this is further accompanied by a longer duration of disease and a higher rate of complications.

While some non-communicable diseases are preventable, many, including congenital heart disease, sickle cell anaemia and type 1 diabetes are not. The burden of these conditions is often greater in low- and middle-income countries and underserved populations. Interventions that can successfully control, manage or prevent chronic disease in young people can dramatically improve health outcomes later in life.

The aim of this call is to fund implementation research focusing on prevention, screening, diagnosis, or management of chronic noncommunicable diseases in the critical life stages between early childhood and young adulthood (1 to 24 years of age) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC: as defined by the world bank) and/or underserved populations, including Indigenous populations, in high-income countries (HICs).

Objectives

The projects funded under this call will collectively:

• Contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one third by 2030;
• Address implementation of strategies in children and young people that will:
  • promote the early prevention, risk reduction, and timely diagnosis of non-communicable diseases;
  • ensure continuity of care for non-communicable diseases, from prevention and screening to management in the community;
  • promote improved health outcomes in underserved populations, and low-and middle-income countries;
  • improve quality of life in children and young people and extend healthy life expectancy;
  • provide evidence and recommendations that are of direct relevance to policymakers, communities and practitioners, inform policy, and/or other decision makers on the effective adaptation and/or scaling up of interventions at local, regional, and national levels; and
  • improve local capacity for implementation research, data collection and harmonisation, and stakeholder engagement for strategies aiming to tackle non-communicable diseases in children and young people.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity will support projects relevant to the following research areas:

• IMHA Pool:
  Projects in this pool must have a primary focus on a minimum of two research areas within IMHA’s mandate: active living, mobility and the wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin as well as the mouth, teeth and craniofacial region.
• INMHA Pool:
  The INMHA pool seeks to advance implementation science on policies and interventions that protect the brain and mental health of children and youth in digital environments, specifically in the context of AI-enabled digital general-purpose technologies, in alignment with INMHA's mandate. It will support rigorous methodological designs and comparative analyses of how such policies and interventions are adopted, implemented, enforced, and sustained in real-world settings. Priority will be given to projects focusing on Indigenous Peoples, youth living in challenging psychosocial contexts, and youth living with cognitive and/or mental health challenges. Projects that align with INMHA's mandate and focus on brain and mental health of other underserved child and youth populations in the same context, will also be considered.

Partner Linkage Tool

GACD has developed a collaborator forum to assist applicants in identifying project partners.

Funds Available

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is anticipated to be $2,000,000, enough to fund approximately two (2) grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount per grant is anticipated to be $200,000 per year for up to five (5) years, for a total of $1,000,000 per grant.

Anticipated Timelines

• Launch: January 2027
• Stage 1 Application Deadline: April 2027
• Stage 2 Application Deadline: August 2027
• Funding Start Date: January 2028

The official CIHR funding opportunity will be posted on ResearchNet in the coming weeks.

For a full list of CIHR funding opportunities, please visit ResearchNet.

Date modified:

2026-10-30