Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI) – Frequently Asked Questions

General PHSI FAQs:

General PHSI FAQs:

Q1: What kinds of projects are funded through PHSI?

As is noted in the "Objectives" section of the PHSI funding opportunity, this program is intended to "support teams of researchers and decision makers interested in conducting applied health services and policy research that will be useful to health system managers and/or decision makers".

More specifically, the PHSI funding opportunity is intended to:

  • Support research that "reflects the emerging health needs of Canadians and the evolution of the health system and supports health policy decision-making";
  • Support research relevant to decision makers by producing results that can be applied to multiple regions and/or settings;
  • Foster "collaboration with the provinces and with individuals and organizations in or outside Canada that have an interest in health or health research" and engage a variety of partners, "in or outside Canada, with complementary research interests;
  • Promote the "involvement and recognition of, and respect for, health researchers from an array of health disciplines"; and,
  • Enable "the dissemination of knowledge and the application of health research to improve the health of Canadians and strengthen the Canadian healthcare system".

Within these parameters, the types of research projects supported are quite broad. For questions pertaining to eligibility of specific project proposals, please contact CIHR.

Q2: How is applied health research defined?

Applied health research means that the research findings are expected to be applicable to the issues and challenges facing the health care system. This implies that the research is neither purely theoretical, methodological, nor purely investigator driven. Applied research contributes to the creation of new research that has application in the real world and can inform health care decision-making.

Q3: Is the required partnered funding 20% of the amount requested from CIHR or the total project budget?

Applicants must secure partnership contributions from Project Specific partners and/or competition partners equivalent to a minimum of 20% of the total grant amount requested from CIHR. The partnership contribution can be a combination of cash and/or in-kind contributions. Note: 20% is the minimum requirement and there is no upper limit on partner contributions to a project.

Q4: What is required from partners by the September deadline?

The September 17th deadline (or August 30 for FRSQ or MSSS) is only for applicants who wish to work with a competition partner listed within the funding opportunity. Applicants must contact competition partners by their deadlines in order to be considered for support from these partners. Some competition partners required a draft project summary and a completed Partnership Details Form by the September deadline.

Requirements specific to each competition partner can be found in the "Partner/Collaborator Description" section of the funding opportunity.

Applicants who secure partnership contributions from Project-Specific partners (i.e., partners they identify themselves) do not have a deadline prior to the November 1, 2013 CIHR application deadline.

Q5: Is it possible to fund a project which that has already been funded through another grant/ award? And, is it possible for a previous PHSI grant to be extended for a current project?

It is not possible to apply to the PHSI funding opportunity for funds to support the same work that has been funded through another grant or award.

Projects that are currently funded through a PHSI grant are welcome to apply for a renewal, where the applicant is building on the knowledge and findings from the previous grant/ project.

Q6: What is the difference between a decision maker and knowledge user applicant?

PHSI is an integrated knowledge translation program. Therefore, researchers and decision makers work together throughout the research process.

A decision maker is a knowledge user who has the authority to influence or make decisions about health policy or the delivery of health services. In the PHSI competition, a decision maker is typically a health-system manager, policy-maker or clinician leader capable of making significant changes to policy or practice.

For the purposes of applying to the PHSI funding opportunity through ResearchNet, decision makers fall under CIHR's applicant category of "Knowledge User". These terms are, therefore, treated synonymously for application purposes.

Q7: What is the role and official function of knowledge-user applicants?

As required in the PHSI funding opportunity, "At least one decision maker must be involved in each application as the Principal Knowledge User and must be included among the list of applicants on the grant application. Additional decision makers can be listed on the grant in either the role Principal Knowledge User or Knowledge User."

A Principal knowledge user is engaged at the level of a Principal Applicant (as an individual who shares responsibility for the direction of the proposed activities). A Knowledge user is engaged at the level of a co-applicant (as an individual who contributes to the proposed activities). Please see the following link for more details: Individual Eligibility Requirements.

Q8: I am a Principal Investigator on the application but work within a hospital while being cross-appointed at an academic institution. What role do I take on the application?

It is not uncommon for individuals to hold different positions that would make them eligible to apply to CIHR as an independent researcher and a knowledge user. In this situation, you have the option to select whichever role will be most appropriate for your involvement in the project. In your application you must indicate your principal role within the project and clearly justify why this is appropriate given the scope, context and direction of the proposed work. If the principal expertise you are contributing to the project will be as an independent researcher you should select the Principal Applicant role and complete the Academic Common CV accordingly. If your primary contribution is based on your capacity as a decision maker, you should select the Principal Knowledge User role and complete a Knowledge User Common CV.

Please review the "Eligibility" section of the PHSI funding opportunity for complete details.

Q9: Can research associates and trainees receive stipends out of the PHSI grant?

As per the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide, research associates may receive a salary and trainees may receive a stipend from a PHSI grant. A stipend can be requested for a trainee who is listed as co-applicant on a grant.

Q10: Is overhead eligible as an in-kind contribution? And, what is considered overhead?

The following are examples of in-kind contributions allowable in the PHSI program:

  • Access to unique databases
  • Professional, analytical, or other services
  • Employee salaries (i.e. the salary of an employee who is not listed on the application as an independent researcher)
  • Equipment
  • Facilities (not including the facilities provided to the Nominated Principal Applicant by their institution as part of their employment)
  • Materials, technology
  • Software

The costs required to maintain a facility, such as heat and water, are examples of overhead. In keeping with the above, facilities provided to the Nominated Principal Applicant by their institution as part of the employment and their maintenance are not considered eligible in-kind contributions. If you have a specific item you would like to verify, please contact us at: PHSI-PASS@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Q11: Is there a specific format we should follow in preparing our application?

Applicants are encouraged to structure their applications in a way that aligns with and responds to the PHSI Evaluation Criteria. Doing so ensures that applicants respond to all of the criteria they will be measured against and provides reviewers with information critical to their evaluation in a logical and predictable format. The PHSI Evaluation Criteria can be found in the "Review Process and Evaluation" section of the funding opportunity.

Q12: Must the project team include someone from the project-specific partner organization?

This is not a requirement, however, successful applications typically reflect strong knowledge user engagement as demonstrated by the partnership contribution, letter of support and, where appropriate, engagement on the project team as a knowledge user applicant or collaborator.

Q13: Is the PHSI Planning Grant a good precursor to the PHSI grant?

In collaborative research, as much work needs to go into the partnerships as the research itself. To help teams build meaningful and productive partnerships in preparation for PHSI, CIHR offers PHSI Partnership Development Funds of up to $25,000 per team available through a separate competition – Planning Grants – launched three times per year. As such, the PHSI Partnership Development Funds funding opportunity is a good precursor to a PHSI application when additional work is required to build partnerships, but is not a prerequisite for applying to the full PHSI competition

Q14: Are applicants required to submit a letter of intent and is there a registration deadline?

The application process for this funding opportunity is comprised of one step only: Application. As such, a letter of intent is not required and there is not a registration deadline.

However, please note that applicants interested in requesting support from competition partners must submit the required documentation to the applicable partner(s) by the date(s) outlined in the funding opportunity. Most competition partners require that interested applicants contact them by September 17, 2013. However for Quebec applicants considering partnerships with the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) or the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec (MSSS), there is a Letter of Intent stage administered by FRSQ with a deadline of August 30, 2013.

Q15: It is possible to be a Principal Applicant (or a co-Principal Applicant) on more than one PHSI grant at the same time?

Yes, there is no limit to the number of applications an individual can submit as a Nominated Principal Applicant or to which an individual can participate as a Principal Applicant or a Co-Applicant, as long as these applications are different.

However, please note that some competition partners have placed a limit on how many applications an individual can submit to the same competition therefore you should communicate with potential competition partner(s) to obtain further information regarding specific eligibility requirements.

Q16: Is it considered a disadvantage if I choose a project specific partner rather than a competition specific partner?

No, the committee reviews both types of partners equally. Applicants must secure a minimum partnership contribution of 20% of the total grant amount requested from CIHR; these contribution(s) can come from project specific partner(s) and/or competition partner(s). Regardless of the type of partner secured, it is the involvement of the decision-maker(s) listed on the application that is evaluated by the committee. More specifically, they evaluate to what extent applicants have demonstrated that the researcher-decision-maker team has the requisite skills, experience and resources to complete the project in the proposed time frame.

Q17: Where can I find the Partnerships Details form on Research Net?

As per the Partnerships for Health System Improvement - ResearchNet "Application" Phase Instructions, the Partnership Details Form can be found on ResearchNet in the section entitled Apply for Funding - Complete Application > Identify Application Partners.

To complete this form, follow the steps below:

  1. Click "Add a Partner" to add partners.
  2. Enter the names and information details for all the Partners participating in your project.
  3. Print the "Partnership Details" PDF by clicking "View" for each Partner.
  4. Obtain signatures from each Partner.
  5. Attach the signed "Partnership Details" in PDF format by clicking on the "Manage Attachments" link on the right.

Q18: Are letters of support mandatory for knowledge users?

No, letters of support are not mandatory for knowledge users. However, CIHR does strongly encourage knowledge user applicants to submit a letter of support as the merit review committee reads these letters to assess their degree of commitment. Decision-makers are advised to personally write their letters, rather than sign a template letter, and are encouraged to refer to the "CIHR Guide to Writing Letters of Support" for additional guidance.

Q19: If an individual is listed as a knowledge user for this application but they already have an existing Academic Common CV, are they obligated to submit a Knowledge User CV?

The roles selected when identifying participants in ResearchNet will determine which CV type is required for each applicant. A Knowledge User Common CV is required for the Nominated Principal Applicant (if he/she has indicated a knowledge user role), Principal Knowledge User, and Knowledge User roles. The information already populated in the Common CV system by a researcher can be used to create a Knowledge User Common CV; the applicant will simply need to change the type of CV requested and adjust or complete information as they wish.

Q20: Are signatures required for Knowledge users or are the letters of support sufficient?

CIHR requires the original or copied signature of each participant listed on the signature page of an application (i.e., other Principal Applicants, Co-Applicants, Principal Knowledge-Users and Knowledge Users).

Q21: Do all signatures need to be on a single page?

No, signatures are not required to appear on a single page. The Nominated Principal Applicant can submit multiple signature pages, but these pages will need to be compiled as only one PDF document can be uploaded in the signature section in ResearchNet.

Q22: Can the partnership contributions include funding (cash and/or in kind) from international partners?

Yes, international organizations are eligible as project specific partners on a PHSI grant. Of note, to receive a favourable evaluation the project will need to meet the objectives of the PHSI funding opportunity.

In addition, as outlined in the Global Health Research Section and the International Collaborations Section of the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide, applicants who are eligible for CIHR funding may apply to CIHR's funding opportunities for funds to support research to be carried out in or in direct collaboration with researchers and/or knowledge users based in other countries. CIHR contributes to, and supports international research projects and international collaborations to address a range of research areas, including but not limited to established priorities in global health research and contributes to the development of health-research capacity both internationally and at home.

Q23: Can the partnership contributions include funding (cash and/or in kind) from private companies/industries?

Yes, private companies/industries are eligible as project specific partners on a PHSI grant.

Q24: Can the partnership contributions include funding conditional on success in this competition (i.e. funding also requiring partnership contribution)?

The minimum partner contribution requirement must be met at the time of application, and the Partnership Details Form will be used to confirm partnership contributions. As such, those partnerships for which a signed Partnership Details Form is not provided at the time of application will not count towards the partnership contribution requirement. However, as long as the Partnership Details Form is signed, partnership contributions can be conditional on success in this competition (e.g., by making a note on the form or stating in a letter of support).