Message from the President: Experts recruited to conduct the 2011 International Review of CIHR

As we prepare to celebrate CIHR's 10^th anniversary, we are also embarking on a comprehensive review of the organization by a prestigious International Review Panel. The purpose of the external review, the second since CIHR was established in 2000, is to ensure that we have been effective in fulfilling our mandate as outlined in the CIHR Act.

As announced last July, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former Director of the US National Institutes of Health, has agreed to Chair the International Review Panel. It is my great pleasure to announce the blue-ribbon International Panel of experts who will join Dr. Zerhouni in this important undertaking. To ensure continuity from the first International Review of CIHR, I am delighted that two members from the 2006 Review have agreed to serve on the 2011 International Review Panel – Professor Sir John Bell (Chair of the 2006 Panel) from Oxford University and Professor Fiona Stanley from the University of Western Australia.

The 2011 International Review will take place in two phases. First, during the week of February 7, 2011, Expert Review Teams (ERT), each including a member of the International Review Panel, will review individual CIHR Institutes. Then, on March 30-31, 2011, the International Review Panel (IRP) will review the performance of CIHR as a whole as well as the performance of its 13 Institutes. The IRP will review Institute and CIHR reports and will conduct interviews with Canadian research leaders, CIHR partners and senior officials. Following the Panel's deliberations, Dr. Zerhouni will report the findings and recommendations to the CIHR Governing Council. The final report will be made public some time after its presentation to the Governing Council in June 2011.

We look forward to the results of this review that will be essential in delivering an authoritative and objective assessment of CIHR's performance relative to its mandate.

We will continue to provide you with updates on the 2011 Review. If you have any comments or questions about the International Review, please do not hesitate to send them to InternationalReview@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. Information on the first International Review of CIHR in 2006 can be found on our website.

Alain Beaudet, M.D., Ph.D.
President of CIHR

Members of the International Review Panel
Members of the Expert Review Teams