Revised Grants Evaluation Criteria at CIHR

(2009-08-06) CIHR has implemented a new set of standard evaluation criteria applicable to Operating, Catalyst, Team and Emerging Team grants, effective for all opportunities included in the July, 2009 funding opportunity launch.

These new criteria are the result of a major effort at CIHR to:

1) ensure that grants evaluation criteria support the CIHR mandate across all four pillars of research funding (biomedical, clinical, health services and policy, population and public health) and can encompass varied funding program objectives;

2) aid in consistent decision-making, by breaking down high-level criteria into discrete factors;

3) increase the fairness of grant proposal review by consistent reference to one set of relevant criteria;     

4) provide the best possible feedback to applicants, by reporting on the assessment of their proposals in relation to the principal evaluation criteria.

The five criteria are: (1) research approach, (2) originality of the proposal, (3) applicant(s), (4) environment for the research, and (5) impact of the research. These criteria are elaborated by a core set of factors common to all relevant funding opportunities. As appropriate to the specific objectives of each funding opportunity, the criteria can be elaborated by additional factors, which are explained in the funding opportunity description.

More information can be found in the Peer Review Manual for Grant Applications, section 7 and on the CIHR Revised Grants Evaluation Criteria page.

Questions and comments should be addressed to James Waring, Analyst, Peer Review Management.