February

• Can a foreign researcher be a Principal Applicant on a grant?

  Answer: Principal Applicants are no longer required to have an employment relationship or academic status with a CIHR-eligible Institution. Foreign researchers who do not have such status, but who share responsibility for the direction of the proposed activities, and who meet the eligibility requirements for Principal Applicant as outlined in the Funding Opportunity, may apply as Principal Applicant. Foreign researchers applying as Principal Applicants are not required to spend a minimum of six months per year at a Canadian institution. (Note that the requirement for "6 months per year in Canada" (Grants programs only) remains in place for Nominated Principal Applicants).

• The Global Alliance for Chronic Disease Sets First International Priorities
  
  On June 15, CIHR partnered with five other national health research councils to form the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) initiative. This global health initiative's priorities are to fight chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) by collectively developing a research base, as well as developing and sharing best practices for fighting cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. GACD members are responsible for managing approximately 80% of the world's public health research funding worldwide. The other founding members of GACD include Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the U.K. Medical Research Council, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Indian Council of Medical Research.
  
  At its inaugural scientific summit in New Delhi in November 2009, GACD members decided to prioritize three research themes in their first call for proposals: lowering hypertension (high blood pressure), reducing tobacco use, and eliminating indoor pollution caused by crude cooking stoves in developing countries, which together contribute to about 1 in 5 deaths worldwide each year.
  
  For more information, please view the Global Alliance for Chronic Disease website.

January

• Internationalization of CIHR funding policy and program tools - Grants and Awards Guide Update