Developing Capacity

There is a need to grow Canada's capacity to attract, train and mentor health care professionals and patient-oriented researchers, as well as to create sustainable career paths in patient-oriented research.

The capacity building component of the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) will be achieved through two main streams:

1. A SPOR Training Strategy will provide training and career support to the full spectrum of patient-oriented researchers including clinical investigators, methodologists, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, health economists, health-related social scientists, and health professionals. CIHR is currently working with an advisory working group to develop a strategy which is expected to be finalized in 2013.
2. Training, mentoring and career support will also be integrated into the SPOR Networks and SUPPORT Units. The unique research and research support environments created will be leveraged to provide cross-disciplinary training environments for the next generation of patient-oriented researchers. Each Network and SUPPORT Unit will be required to clearly articulate a training strategy and a detailed plan to execute that strategy as part of the evaluation/development process.