A Pan-Canadian Vision and Strategy for Health Services and Policy Research. Phase 1: Building the Foundation

Terrence Sullivan & Associates
January 2014

Acknowledgements

Led by the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR), this inaugural report represents a collaboration of 24 organizations committed to working together to develop a pan-Canadian vision and strategy for health services and policy research. In alphabetical order, we would like to thank the Alberta Cancer Foundation, Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions, Alzheimer Society of Canada, Arthritis Society, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance, Canadian Diabetes Association, Cancer Care Ontario, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, Manitoba Health Research Council, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, New Brunswick Health Research Foundation, Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research, Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Parkinson Society Canada, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.

Dr. Terrence Sullivan provided invaluable leadership of this initiative and report, with expert program management support from Melissa Heritage, data analysis from Laura Purves, research assistance from Sandra Hofstetter, and IHSPR staff support from Meghan McMahon and Kate Wood. We are also grateful for the support and guidance that Lillian Bayne and Mark Dobrow provided in the early stages of the initiative. Dr. Sullivan’s regional informants – Dr. Kim McGrail (Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, University of British Columbia), Dr. Bill Ghali (Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary), Dr. Steini Brown (Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto), Dr. Jean-Louis Denis (École nationale d'administration publique), Dr. Stephen Bornstein (Newfoundland and Labrador Centre of Applied Health Research) and Marcel Saulnier (Health Canada) – contributed much-appreciated regional expertise and insight. We would like to sincerely thank the members of our project advisory committee – comprising Kathryn Andrews-Clay (Canadian Institutes of Health Research), Krista Connell (Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation), Lee Fairclough (Canadian Partnership Against Cancer), Jan Hux (Canadian Diabetes Association), and John Riley (The Arthritis Society) – each of whom provided highly valued strategic guidance from the initiative’s conception through to the completion of this report. Finally, we would like to thank Chris Mercer and her team at AdHawk Communications Inc. for producing the asset maps that accompany this report. Without this rich collaboration of organizations and people, the pan-Canadian vision and strategy for health services and policy research would not be possible.

Table of Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

Message from the Leads

Canadians care about their health care system. Access, quality, affordability and good health remain top of mind goals for all Canadians who expect that the 200 billion in public and private spending that we invest in health care each year is invested wisely, in evidence-informed programs, services and technologies that improve system performance and health outcomes.

It is increasingly recognized that a high-performing health care system requires a high-performing HSPR enterprise, including a trained community of world-class researchers, accessible platforms and infrastructure to support innovative analyses, engaged knowledge users committed to evidence-informed policy- and decision-making, and sustainable funding programs.

Health services and policy research (HSPR) is the field of scientific investigation that aims to ensure our scarce resources are invested in programs, services and technologies that work. Indeed, HSPR focuses on improving the way health care services are organized, regulated, managed, financed, paid for, used and delivered. In simpler terms, HSPR produces knowledge of what works, for whom, at what cost, and under what circumstances in the interests of strengthening our health care system and improving the health and wellbeing of individuals and populations.

This inaugural report and the corresponding asset map from the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (CIHR-IHSPR), provincial health research organizations from across the country, and a number of Canada’s Health Charities represents an important first step in our understanding of the HSPR enterprise in Canada and, more specifically, the HSPR funding landscape (Building the foundation for a pan-Canadian vision and strategy for Health Services and Policy Research). It shows that Canada funds and conducts a substantial and increasing amount of HSPR, that HSPR investments reflect the priorities that have dominated health care agendas over the past ten years, that HSPR capacity is clustered in certain regions across the country, and that greater investment may be needed in areas related to financing and sustainability, change management and scaling up innovation.

We intend to harness this understanding of Canada’s existing assets and resources to plan for the future success of our HSPR enterprise. The organizations involved in this report are committed to working together to develop a pan-Canadian vision and strategy for HSPR that will utilize partnerships and collaborations to optimize HSPR investments, strengthen the HSPR enterprise, and position Canada as a global leader in the evidence-informed improvement of health and health system outcomes.

This report was made possible because of the widespread and shared belief among a number of organizatison that HSPR matters and that there is value in collaborating to plan for a stronger future state. We would like to thank all of the organizations that contributed data to this inaugual exercise, including provincial health research funding organizations across the country and a number of health charities. In addition, we would like to thank the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) for paving the way with their Cancer Research Investment Surveys, on which our initiative was modelled. We would also like to thank Kim Badovinac at the CCRA for the valuable advice she shared with us based on her experience with the cancer research investment surveys. We would also like to acknowledge the Listening for Direction consultation exercise that was led by the Canadian Foudnation for Healthcare Improvement (then the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation) and CIHR-IHSPR in collaboration with other partners, which was Canada’s first national qualitative consultation on health services and policy issues and which informed HSPR funding investment, particularly at CIHR-IHSPR, for a number of years.

We are very grateful to the members of our project advisory committee for their ongoing strategic advice and guidance on all aspects of this initiative. Finally, we would like to give special thanks to Dr. Terry Sullivan and Melissa Heritage for their superb leadership of this inaugual exercise. It would not have been possible without them.

Robyn Tamblyn, PhD
is the Scientific Director of CIHR’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research and a Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University.

Christina Weise, MPA
is the Executive Director of the Manitoba Health Research Council and Co-Chair of the National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations.

Diane Finegood, PhD
is the President & CEO of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research in British Columbia and Co-Chair of the National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations.

Deirdre Freiheit
is the Executive Director of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada.

1. Executive Summary

Canadian health services and policy research (HSPR) represents a diverse and growing field. Concerns about the quality, cost and sustainability of the health care system are dominant across the majority of countries and Canada is no exception. The ability of HSPR to inform and evaluate what works, for whom, at what cost, and under what circumstances makes a direct contribution to strengthening our health care system and thus improving the health of Canadians. As the field of HSPR evolves, so too does the desire to qualify and quantify its growth and evolution and to harness such information to plan for its future success.

This report marks the first concerted effort on behalf of a wide range of health policy and services research funders to document and understand the current state of HSPR investment in Canada, and what this investment has created in terms of assets, resources, strengths, opportunities and gaps upon which to build moving forward. This report outlines the process of over 19 partner organizations working together over a period of six months to define, collect, validate and analyze HSPR investment data to understand the current state of assets, resources and activity within Canada’s HSPR enterprise. The data in this report show that Canada funds and conducts a substantial and increasing amount of HSPR. Over 200 organizations are identified as participating in the funding, conducting, educating, use and support of HSPR in Canada. The top funded themes of research to date reflect the priorities that have dominated health care agendas over the past 10 years, including “managing for quality and safety”, “linking population and public health with health services”, “primary and community based healthcare” and “patient-centered care”, with “access to appropriate care across the continuum” as the top-funded theme nationally and within the top three funded themes in all provinces and territories included in this analysis. It is of note that these priority research themes are different from those in a comparable European study of health services research, where Policy Reform, Administration/Management, and Professional Education Ranked top three in total activity.1

The data show that while HSPR activity occurs across the country, it clusters in the three largest provinces and their greater metropolitan regions (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal), both in terms of funding received, and number of projects, organizations and researchers involved in HSPR. The percentage of provincial research investments versus other source funding (e.g., from federal and other sources) varies across provinces, with more competitive (provincially leveraged) jurisdictions appearing to include British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Overall, this report and the corresponding asset map (to be found on CHIR-IHSPR web site in January 2014) provide an important picture of the maturation of the HSPR community and serve as a key foundation for strategic planning.

As with most inaugural efforts, there is much to learn and improve upon moving forward. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) and its partners in the National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations and the Health Charities Coalition may choose to continue to this exercise using a survey approach every three to five years, and they may wish to expand upon the number and types of organizations included. The process to build the present analysis is based on the one started approximately eight years ago by the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance, which now includes over 40 participants in its annual survey up from an initial 19 participants in 2005.2 Working with a panel of representatives from partner organizations and a dedicated resource, the present report and corresponding asset map and related findings will be used to inform a pan-Canadian vision and strategy for HSPR that positions Canada as a global leader and optimizes health and health system outcomes. It is intended to serve as an evidence-informed input to support research and policy priority-setting and may shorten the know-do gap over time.

2. Introduction and Project Background

The past ten years have been an important maturation period for health services and policy research in Canada. Figure 1 illustrates the emergence of health services and policy research and its trajectory leading up to the present. The origins stem from the National Health Research and Development Program within Health Canada, the emergence of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (now Canadian Foundation for Health Care Improvement) and the emergence of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Institute for Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) in 2000.

Figure 1: Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Maturity Curve

Figure 1. This figure illustrates the evolution and growth of the field of health services and policy research in Canada over time, commencing in 1948 with the creation of the Public Health Research Grant.

Figure 1 long description

Partnership has been a key feature of the development of this field of research in Canada and is marked by a number of important programs such as the Capacity for Applied Developmental Research and Evaluation in Health Services and Nursing Program (CADRE), the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN) in partnership with Health Canada, Evidence on Tap and Best Brains Exchanges in partnership with ministries of health across the country, and Partnerships for Health System Improvement. The pan-Canadian vision and strategy for health services and policy research reflects the desire to continue this collaboration and chart the course for the next decade. This report outlines the goals and objectives of this project, along with a series of key findings and recommendations that can be used to support defining the vision and priorities in the decade ahead.

3. Project Objective and Approach

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) aims to position Canada as a global leader in optimizing the health and health outcomes in the population through the provision of evidence-informed healthcare services. IHSPR, the provincial health research funding organizations, and many of Canada’s health charities are working together to develop a pan-Canadian vision and strategy for health services and policy research (HSPR). This approach reflects the shared belief that the challenges facing our health care system are best addressed through a common vision and collaborative approach to supporting HSPR. This vision and strategy will serve as a cornerstone for the development of Canada’s HSPR agenda for the next 10 years.

The development of the pan-Canadian vision and strategy for HSPR comprises three phases:

  • Phase 1: Development of a strategic planning platform (an asset map of Canadian HSPR and compendium report on HSPR funding in Canada), informed through the identification of the current magnitude and distribution of assets and resources (including research investments) across the country.
  • Phase 2: Assessment of the major strengths, challenges and opportunities for HSPR in Canada through compilation and analysis of Phase 1 data.
  • Phase 3: Definition of pan-Canadian vision, strategy and shared priorities for HSPR - defined by IHSPR, its partners and stakeholders, and the HSPR community - and informed by Phases 1 and 2.

This report summarizes the process and findings of Phase 1 of the project, which aimed to describe the state of HSPR funding, assets and resources in Canada using a standardized and collaborative approach. It represents the first initiative of its kind on the part of HSPR funders across the country. The information contained in this report and the corresponding asset map provide a baseline measure of the nature and quantity of HSPR investment made in Canada over a five-year period from 2007/08 to 2011/12, and will be used for a joint strategic planning exercise that culminates in pan-Canadian vision and strategy for the future success of HSPR. IHSPR is committed to continuing and expanding data collection for the next version of this report.

How is Health Services and Policy Research Defined?

For purposes of this project, HSPR is defined as:

Health services research is a multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviours affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and, ultimately, Canadians' health and well-being.3

What’s in this Report?

This report contains information on the project governance and methodology as well as who is funding HSPR in Canada, the magnitude and type of HSPR investment, and areas of science being supported. The report is organized around four major themes:

  • Fund: Who is funding, how much, with what funding mechanisms, and in what areas of science?
  • Conduct: Which provinces and institutions are conducting HSPR and in what areas of science?
  • Educate: What is the magnitude and distribution of salary and training awards?
  • Support: What are the major platforms and infrastructures that support HSPR

Report Scope

While a number of major HSPR funders from the governmental (federal and provincial) and voluntary sectors are included, this report does not include all funders of HSPR in Canada. It focuses on research that was peer-reviewed at the time of application or publication and from organizations that fund HSPR in excess of $100,000 annually. While all provincial health research funding organizations are included in the report, not all Health Charities participated. A number of provincial ministries of health invest in HSPR and these investments are not included at this point in time (with the exception of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, which is unique as it is also a member of NAPHRO). Similarly, at the federal level, Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Genome Canada are not included. HSPR investments made by Think Tanks and private sector firms were deemed outside the scope of this report and are therefore not included.

4. Project Governance

The project has been guided by a Project Advisory Committee comprising members of CIHR, NAPHRO, the Health Charities Coalition and IHSPR’s Institute Advisory Board. The core project team worked in collaboration with a group of regional informants to plan and execute Phase 1. Regional informants worked along with data validators to ensure high-quality data and analysis. Details of this team and structure are included in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Project Governance

Project Steering Committee

CIHR-IHSPR

Core Project Team

  • Project Lead: Terry Sullivan
  • Research Lead: Lillian Bayne
  • Project Manager/ Analyst: Melissa Heritage
  • Data Lead: Laura Purves
  • Research Analysts: Mark Dobrow & Sandra Hoffsteter
  • GIS Support & Survey: AJ Hirsch-Allen, Ofer Amram

Regional Informants

  • Kim McGrail – Assistant Professor, School of Population and Public Health, UBC - BC
  • Bill Ghali – Director, Calgary Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary – AB, SK, MB
  • Steini Brown – Director, Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto - ON
  • Jean-Louis Denis – Professor, ENAP - QC
  • Stephen Bornstein – Director, Centre for Applied Health Research, MUN - Atlantic
  • Marcel Saulnier – Director General, Health Canada - Pan-Canadian

Project Advisory Committee

  • Krista Connell , CEO Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation
  • John Riley, Vice President, Research, Arthritis Society
  • Jan Hux, Chief Scientific Advisor, Canadian Diabetes Association
  • Lee Fairclough, Vice President, Strategy, Knowledge Management & Delivery, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
  • Kathryn Andrews-Clay, Director, Institute Affairs, CIHR

Figure 2. This figure illustrates the governance structure of the initiative, including the project steering committee, core project team, regional informants and project advisory committee.

The framework for the Phase 1 deliverable was vetted during the May 2013 Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research conference by the Network of Centre Directors and a small focus group of leaders in the field. These groups provided important feedback on the process and reinforced the value of using an asset map as a foundation for strategic planning rather than a stand-alone artefact.

5. Project Methodology

This is the first time that HSPR funding data from multiple organizations and jurisdictions have been collected, analyzed and jointly reported in Canada. The results are both interesting and informative and lay a strong foundation for a collaborative approach to strategic planning. Critical to the development of this report and corresponding asset map was the input of the Project Advisory Committee as well as key regional informants who informed and validated the data collection and organizational analysis activity.

Data Collection and Participating Organizations

For purposes of this project, research activity is defined as activity subject to peer review at point of application and/or publication. Data were collected from public and not-for-profit organizations that fund research that meets this definition and who fund in excess of $100,000 annually in HSPR. Data were not obtained from private industry sources or federal or provincial departments of health.

The data contained in this report cover a five-year period from 2007/08 to 2011/12. Any project that had a funding start date within this time period was included. Data were collected through the development of a standardized template of core data elements that was reviewed and approved by all partner organizations prior to use. Among the data requested of each project were: name of nominated principal applicant and all other principal and co-applicants; research institution of the nominated principal applicant; project title; project abstract; project start and end date; project funding amount (total and by year); and project keywords.

Data were collected between June and September 2013 from the following 27 organizations:

  1. CIHR
  2. Canada Foundation for Innovation (web source)
  3. Canada Research Chairs (web source)
  4. Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada (web source)
  5. Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
  6. Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions
  7. Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé
  8. Manitoba Health Research Council
  9. Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
  10. New Brunswick Health Research Foundation
  11. Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
  12. Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation
  13. Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
  14. Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation
  15. Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
  16. Canadian Diabetes Association
  17. Cystic Fibrosis Canada
  18. Canadian Cancer Society
  19. Alberta Cancer Foundation
  20. Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
  21. Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance
  22. Cancer Care Ontario
  23. Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
  24. Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario
  25. Alzheimer Society of Canada
  26. Parkinson Society Canada
  27. The Arthritis Society

Project Classification

All projects were validated to ensure relevance to health services and policy research. Relevant projects were classified according to the type of funding mechanism (e.g., operating grant, team grant, network grant, salary award, trainee award, infrastructure grant) and research domain area. Fourteen research theme areas were used. Theme areas were identified based on those that persisted throughout all three Listening for Direction4 exercises (it was determined that theme areas that were identified in the 2001, 2004 and 2007 iterations of Listening for Direction – a national consultation on health services and policy issues that commenced in 2001 and ended in 2007 - were a reasonable basis for classifying investment over the period of the present report) and IHSPR’s priority research areas. An additional category called “Centre, network and infrastructure-related” was used to capture funds that flowed to large data centres and networks/centres lacking a domain focus. This category also included travel and journalism awards that could not be assigned to domain-related categories.

  1. Primary and Community-Based Healthcare
  2. Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum
  3. Governance and Accountability
  4. Health Information (e-health)
  5. Drug Policy
  6. Health Care Financing and Funding/Health Economics
  7. Managing for Quality and Safety
  8. Change Management/Scaling up Innovation
  9. Health Human Resources
  10. Patient-Centered Care
  11. Emerging Technology and Drugs (technology assessment)
  12. Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services
  13. Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science
  14. Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases
  15. Centre, network and infrastructure-related

Other Organizations involved in Health Services and Policy Research

In addition to data collection from HSPR funders, an environmental scan was conducted of other key organizations in the HSPR community who are engaged in one or more of the following activities: funding research, conducting research, using research, educating or providing infrastructure and/or data support.

Analytic Strategy

Figure 3 outlines the analytic approach used to build the asset map and analyze the data. Table 1 provides the details of each step. Overall, the following analyses were conducted:

  • Total HSPR funding in Canada and by province, including source of funding
  • Total HSPR funding by research theme in Canada and by province
  • Funding of salary and training awards in Canada and by province
  • Knowledge translation activity, both provincially and by host institution
  • Top-funded host institutions
  • Number of researchers (Nominated Principal Investigators) by province and host institution

Figure 3: Outline of the methodology used to build asset map

Figure 3. This figure is a visual depiction of the methodology used to create the asset map, commencing with identifying the organizations for inclusion through to launching the inaugural asset map and phase 1 report.

Figure 3 long description

Data Quality

A number of steps were taken to strive for the best data quality possible. The data collection template was developed and finalized in collaboration with all partner organizations to ensure common understanding of all requested data fields. A data collection guide was developed and shared with all partner organizations along with the template, which included a short project overview, a definition of HSPR, the inclusion criteria (e.g., project was self-identified as Pillar III / Health Services and Policy, project was reviewed by a Pillar III / Health Services and Policy peer review committee), and definitions of each data field.

Data completeness varied across partner organizations but on the whole, most organizations had complete data (i.e., for each requested data field). In some cases, project abstracts or keywords were not available or a project’s total but not annual funding was available. Data from four partner organizations were not available for the full time period. This is noted in all relevant analyses. Finally, for the majority of organizations, including CIHR, projects were identified using self-identified Pillar III / Health Services and Policy affiliation, which applicants select at the time of grant application. It is recognized that this method results in some miss-classification (in both directions – false positives and false negatives are possible) but for the initiative’s inaugural exercise it was preferred from a timeliness and feasibility perspective.

Once data were submitted from all partner organizations, projects were reviewed for relevance to HSPR and any that were questionable or clearly not relevant (e.g., a biomedical project) were discussed with the project team and then shared with IHSPR for review. A total of 292 projects were excluded as non-relevant to HSPR.

The finalized database of all relevant HSPR projects and list of all organizations participating in HSPR was used to compile summary statistics at the national and provincial level and shared with Regional and other informants (e.g., individuals familiar with the HSPR landscape in their respective province) in each jurisdiction as a validation step. Validators were asked four consistent questions to help ensure accuracy and completeness of the data. This step helped to uncover a number of “hidden assets” in HSPR in Canada.

This methodology reflects best efforts to triangulate knowable health services and policy research funding data and organizations. It is expected that it may evolve over time as additional learnings are gathered through review and use of the data. The experience of developing this analysis also provides important insights into how future data collection and analysis may occur to maintain and sustain the picture of health services and policy research activity in Canada.

6. Overview of Findings

Key findings from the analysis of the magnitude and nature of HSPR funding and of the environmental scan of key HSPR organizations in Canada are presented below. The HSPR funding data allows for analysis of who is funding what (e.g., funding vehicle and domain area) and whom, and to which province and host institution the funds flow. Findings are presented according to the analytic framework presented in Figure 4, which captures the primary functions of HSPR: funding research, conducting research, using research to inform or support decision making, policy or practice, education of researchers and infrastructure and data support.

Figure 4: HSPR Strategic Analytic Framework

Fund: Provide financial support for conducting health services and policy research. Includes the amounts and associated funding vehicles.

Conduct: Conduct health services and policy research activity. Includes the organizations, researchers, projects and themes.

Use: Review and analyze research that has already been produced to determine conclusions and applications. Point where research knowledge is translated into practice in some way.

Educate: Provide core skills, methods and key learnings for health services and policy researchers to build capacity and excellence.

Support: Collect, store and share data for the purpose or in support of health services and policy research. Development of specific infrastructure to enable health services and policy research activity and/or advancement.

Figure 4. This figure depicts the strategic analytic framework that was used as the foundation for the analysis. The framework includes five categories that represent the core functions of the health services and policy research enterprise: fund research; conduct research; use research; educate (i.e., train and build capacity); and support research.

Fund: 1. Health Services and Policy Research: Funding

Total Health Services and Policy Research Investment across Canada

Overall, nearly $770M was invested in HSPR between April 2007 and March 2012 (Table 1) representing important growth in this field. This figure comes from the investments of the 27 organizations that were part of this inaugural exercise and is likely an under-representation of Canada’s total HSPR given that there are other organizations funding HSPR that are not represented in this report. It is comforting to see a strong presence and proliferation of funding organizations. While annual data was not available from all organizations, Figure 5 shows that HSPR investment is increasing over time. Research funded by CIHR, Ontario’s Ministry of Health & Long Term Care (MOHLTC), and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) represented the largest share of total HSPR investment (85%).

Table 1: National funding overview by funder (2007/08-2011/12)
Funder Amount Percent
Total $770,036,274 100.0%
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) $290,168,264 37.7%
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) $160,388,271 20.8%
Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) $93,762,634 12.2%
Canadian Cancer Society $46,271,061 6.0%
Cancer Care Ontario $22,632,841 2.9%
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) $19,706,056 2.6%
Ontario Institute of Cancer Research $18,728,720 2.4%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) $17,313,077 2.3%
Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS) $14,821,355 1.9%
Manitoba Health $11,625,000 1.5%
Canada Research Chairs $9,800,000 1.3%
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) $9,476,134 1.2%
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) $8,535,882 1.1%
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) $8,374,654 1.1%
Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF) $7,271,497 0.9%
Canadian Foundation for Innovation $5,764,511 0.8%
Alberta Cancer Foundation $5,135,674 0.7%
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $4,580,964 0.6%
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance $4,142,008 0.5%
New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF) $3,370,737 0.4%
Alzheimer Society of Canada $2,194,092 0.3%
Manitoba Health Research Council (MHRC) $1,569,195 0.2%
Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario $1,532,873 0.2%
Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (NLCAHR) $1,214,825 0.2%
BC Ministry of Health $949,000 0.1%
The Arthritis Society (AS) $360,000 0.1%
Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) $178,043 0.0%
Parkinson Society Canada (PSC) $168,908 0.0%

Figure 5: Trend in total health services and policy research investment (2008/09-2011/12)

Partial data only available for year-over-year funding – ON (2009 – 2012 only), AB, NB (2010/2011 – 2011/2012 only), BC, SK, QC (2008 – 2012), CIHR, Diabetes, Cystic Fibrosis, Arthritis (2010–2012 only).

Figure 5 long description

Provincial investment in HSPR varies across the country and it appears that some provinces leverage their investments to attract additional sources of funding (e.g., from CIHR and other funders) to greater extent than others (Table 2). For example, for every dollar that British Columbia invests in HSPR, it attracts an additional $6.66 from other sources (a six-fold leverage). For every dollar that Alberta invests, it attracts an additional $2.95 (an almost three-fold leverage). Other provinces, including Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick, rely more heavily on their provincial sources of funding than other sources.

Table 2: Total health services and policy research funding received by province and by source (2007/08-2011/12)
Province All Internal Provincial Sources Percent All External/National Sources Percent Total
British Columbia $9,296,327 13.0% $61,971,989 87.0% $71,268,316
Alberta $14,684,595 25.3% $43,355,296 74.7% $58,039,891
Saskatchewan $8,374,654 58.4% $4,816,972 41.6% $13,191,626
Manitoba $13,194,195 59.7% $8,906,922 40.3% $22,101,187
Ontario $160,338,271 39.4% $246,531,853 61.6% $406,870,124
Quebec $91,598,713 56.9% $69,278,886 43.1% $160,877,599
New Brunswick $3,370,737 61.1% $2,143,006 38.9% $5,513,743
Nova Scotia $7,241,467 35.5% $13,174,729 64.5% $20,416,196
Newfoundland & Labrador $1,214,825 44.0% $1,545,674 56.0% $2,760,499
Prince Edward Island $ - 0% $163,500 100.0% $163,500
Yukon $ - 0% $32,350 100.0% $32,350

The total amount that provinces invest in HSPR varies across the country, as illustrated in Table 2. Not surprisingly, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta capture the lion share of funding in Canada, as they also have the largest populations in the country. However, provincial investment in HSPR was also analyzed on a per capita basis (Table 3) and it is seen that the leading per capita investors (from provincial sources of funding) include Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. Table 4 shows the amount of funding received in each jurisdiction.

Table 3: Health services and policy research per capita research investment analysis
Province PopulationTable 3 note i Total Funding 2007/08 –
2011/12Table 3 note ii
Estimated Yearly FundingTable 3 note iii Per capita investment all sourcesTable 3 note iv Per capita investment provincial sourceTable 3 note v Per capita public health care investment (2011 forecasted)Table 3 note vi All HSPR per capita as a % of per capita public investmentTable 3 note vii
Ontario 13,412,000 $406,870,124 $81,374,024.84 $6.07 $2.39 $3,681.90 0.16%
($0.00165)
Quebec 8,084,100 $160,877,599 $32,175,519.88 $3.98 $2.27 $3,426.66 0.12%
($0.00116)
British Columbia 4,543,300 $71,268,316 $14,253,663.12 $3.14 $0.41 $3,608.87 0.09%
($0.00087)
Alberta 3,888,700 $58,039,891 $11,607,978.16 $2.99 $0.76 $4,499.15 0.07%
($0.00066)
Manitoba 1,250,000 $22,101,187 $4,420,237.40 $3.54 $2.11 $4,201.87 0.08%
($0.00084)
Saskatchewan 1,087,500 $13,191,626 $2,638,325.20 $2.43 $1.54 $4,359.39 0.06%
($0.00056)
Nova Scotia 945,061 $20,416,196 $4,083,239.14 $4.32 $1.53 $4,077.77 0.11%
($0.00106)
New Brunswick 757,000 $5,513,743 $1,102,748.60 $1.46 $0.89 $4,065.63 0.04%
($0.00036)
Newfoundland 526,800 $2,760,499 $552,099.81 $1.05 $0.46 $4,984.98 0.02%
($0.00021)
Prince Edward Island 145,200 $163,500 $32,700.00 $0.23 $0.00 $4,052.75 0.01%
($0.00006)
Yukon 36,200 $32,250 $6,450.00 $0.18 $0.00 $6,058.75 0.00%
($0.00003)

Table 3 Notes

Table 3 note i

Population by year, by province and territory (Number) (2012 figures).

i

Table 3 note ii

Total provincial funding received by both provincial and external sources for years 2007/2008 through 2011/2012.

ii

Table 3 note iii

Figures determined by taking totals from ‘total funding 2007/08 – 2011/12’ column and dividing by 5 to get a yearly estimate.

iii

Table 3 note iv

Figures determined by taking estimated yearly funding figures and dividing by population numbers.

iv

Table 3 note v

Figures determined by taking estimated yearly funding figures for provincial source funds and dividing by population numbers.

v

Table 3 note vi

National Health Expenditure Database. Provincial/Territorial Government Sector–Health Expenditure, by Province/Territory and Canada, 1975 to 2012—Current Dollars. Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2012.

vi

Table 3 note vii

Figures determined by dividing ‘per capita investment all sources’ figures by ‘per capita public health care spend’. Figures represented in both percentage and dollar format.

vii

Funding Mechanisms

HSPR investments are made through a variety of different funding mechanisms, such as operating grants, team grants, networks and centres, salary/career awards, training awards, and others. Table 5 lists the categories of funding mechanisms used in this analysis and the total HSPR investment and percentage of total investment each received. Two funding mechanisms account for over half the funding distributed in Canada. The top funding mechanism is operating /project/program research grants, which comprises 35% of total funding. Over half of that funding comes from CIHR. The source of the second highest funding mechanism - centre and network funding at 21% of total funding - is provincial, with the largest investment coming from the MOHLTC and FRQS. The remaining funding mechanisms each receive less than 7% of total funding. CIHR funding represents a significant share (approximately 90%) of total investment in certain funding mechanisms, including capacity and training grants, meeting and planning-related grants, and knowledge translation research programs. Health Charity organizations account for 90% of equipment and infrastructure grants and FRQS funds one-quarter of the total salary awards distributed in Canada (Table 6).

*Cancer Organizations include: Alberta Cancer Foundation, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance, Canadian Cancer Society, Cancer Care Ontario, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Ontario Institute of Cancer Research

**Provincial Agencies include: BC Ministry of Health, Manitoba Health

***Health Charities include: Cystic Fibrosis Canada, The Arthritis Society, Alzheimer Society of Canada, Canadian Diabetes Association, Parkinson Society Canada

Table 4: Total health services and policy research funding received by province (2007/08-2011/12)
Province Total
Grand Total $770,036,274
Ontario $406,870,124
Quebec $160,877,599
British Columbia $71,268,316
Alberta $58,039,891
Manitoba $22,101,187
Nova Scotia $20,416,196
Saskatchewan $13,191,626
New Brunswick $5,513,743
Funding Recipient Not Specified (Travel and supporting Awards) $4,251,347
Pan-Canadian Organizations (Organizations that operate at a national and not jurisdictional level -
National Indian & Inuit Community Health Representatives Organization
$3,353,158
Newfoundland $2,760,499
International $1,196,839
Prince Edward Island $163,500
Yukon $32,250
Table 5: Total funding by funding type
Funding Type Total Percent
Grand Total $770,036,274.4 100.0%
Research Programs – Operating/Project/Program $267,578,620.3 34.7%
Centres & Networks $163,568,661.3 21.2%
Research Program – Team Grant $54,974,722.2 7.1%
Salary Award – General* $46,345,875.9 6.0%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $45,943,888.5 6.0%
Research Program – General $45,848,823.8 6.0%
Research Program – KT $40,984,085.7 5.3%
Training Award – Doctoral $17,748,148.8 2.3%
Training Award – Fellowship $16,154,584.5 2.1%
Salary Award – Mid Career $16,074,999.0 2.1%
Capacity & Training Grants $14,540,966.5 1.9%
Salary Award – Clinician Scientist $12,165,859.8 1.6%
Salary Award – New Investigator $10,930,986.0 1.4%
Training Award – Masters $5,888,812.7 0.8%
Other $5,568,382.0 0.7%
Training Award – General* $4,105,690.4 0.5%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $1,059,019.0 0.1%
Research Grants – Randomized Controlled Trials $554,148.0 0.1%
Table 5 note

Some jurisdictions indicated salary award or training award and could not be sub-categorized so were classified as “general”

*

Table 6: Top funding organizations of salary awards
Funder Total Percent
Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé $21,732,093.0 25.4%
Canadian Institutes of Health Research $16,247,044.4 19.0%
Canada Research Chairs $9,800,000.0 11.5%
Ontario Institute of Cancer Research $7,900,000.0 9.2%
Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions $7,822,723.0 9.1%

Conduct: 2. Health Services and Policy Research: Research Activity Analysis

Research is conducted across the country with significant pockets of capacity in the more populous regions. Based on the data analysis and the environmental scan of other organizations engaged in HSPR in Canada (i.e., in relation to the five core functions of fund, conduct, use, educate, support), there are 225 organizations active in Canada’s HSPR enterprise (Appendix B). Over the five-year period of this exercise, the data analysis reveals that a total of $770 million was invested in HSPR across 3207 projects. Details of the breakdown by province are depicted in Table 10.

Health Services and Policy Research Activity at the Institution Level

The institutions that attracted the greatest share of total HSPR investment between 2007/08 and 2011/12 are listed in Table 7. Seven of the top 10 institutions are located in Ontario, with the other three based in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec. British Columba attracted 9% of total HSPR funding (provincial plus other/external sources of funding) in Canada (Table 4) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) is Canada’s top-ranked institution for receiving funds (Table 7).

Table 7: Top 10 institutions by health services and policy research funding received (2007/08-2011/12)
Institution Total
University of British Columbia $40,893,978
University Health Network $40,161,406
McMaster University $39,501,992
University of Toronto $35,131,173
University of Alberta $31,167,870
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences $30,488,968
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre $27,949,357
University of Waterloo $27,680,048
Cancer Care Ontario $27,472,806
McGill University $23,884,772

In terms of within-province distribution of HSPR funding across institutions, Ontario and Quebec have a relatively even distribution of funds among their many institutions. The top eight funding recipient institutions in Ontario, with funding of more than $20M per institution, each represent 5% to 10% of Ontario’s total funding. This differs greatly from most other provinces, where one or two institutions represent the majority of HSPR funding. For example 87% of funding in Alberta goes to either the University of Alberta or the University of Calgary (Table 8). It should be noted, however, that the manner in which host institutions receive and disclose funding is a function of the arrangement between provincial governments and their academic health sciences centres and universities. In particular, this arrangement determines whether academic health sciences centres hold the funding dollars or whether the university or health region holds the funding dollars.

Table 8: Top funded institutions in Ontario and Alberta
Institution Total Percent
University Health Network $40,161,406.1 9.9%
McMaster University $39,501,991.6 9.7%
University of Toronto $35,131,173.3 8.6%
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences $30,488,968.0 7.5%
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre $27,949,357.0 6.9%
University of Waterloo $27,680,048.3 6.8%
Cancer Care Ontario $27,472,805.9 6.8%
St. Michael's Hospital $20,197,084.1 5.0%
University of Alberta $31,167,870.2 53.7%
University of Calgary $19,513,455.1 33.6%

Investment in Health Services and Policy Research Theme Areas

The top funded HSPR themes over the period of analysis reflect the priorities that have dominated health care agendas over the past 10 years with “access to appropriate care across the continuum” as the top-funded theme nationally (Table 9) and one that appears in the top three research themes in all jurisdictions. The top funded five themes are (% of total share):

  • Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum (14.4%)
  • Managing for Quality and Safety (11.9%)
  • Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services (9.4%)
  • Primary and Community-Based Healthcare (8.8%)
  • Patient-Centred Care (7.3%)

The bottom funded three themes are:

  • Health care financing and funding (1.6%)
  • Emerging technologies and drugs (technology assessment) (0.5%)
  • Change management / scaling up innovation (0.3%)

Total investment in each research theme is presented in Table 9. Information on the top funded institutions within each research theme is available in Table 11. As seen in Table 11, two research theme areas are dominated by a single host institution. The University of British Columbia accounts for 40% of total drug policy funding in Canada. The University of Waterloo accounts for 33% of linking population and public health with health services funding in Canada, due to the significant funding provided to the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, which is based at the university.

Table 9: Total health services and policy research funding by research theme (2007/08-2011/12)
Research Theme Total Percent
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $110,540,851 14.4%
Managing for Quality & Safety $91,800,613 11.9%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $72,652,851 9.4%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $67,849,843 8.8%
Patient-Centred Care $56,168,031 7.3%
Knowledge Translation/Implementation Science $42,705,701 5.6%
Governance and Accountability $29,262,537 3.8%
Health Human Resources $21,443,714 2.8%
Health Information (e-health) $16,434,721 2.1%
Drug Policy $12,910,864 1.7%
Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases $12,519,847 1.6%
Health Care Financing and Funding/Health Economics $12,065,376 1.6%
Emerging Technology and Drugs (technology assessment) $3,524,377 0.5%
Change Management/Scaling Up Innovation $2,558,101 0.3%
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $217,598,847 28.3%

Other Health Services and Policy Research Activity

Canada’s HSPR enterprise depends not only on sustainable investment in research (and the training of these researchers), but also on the production of research evidence, the use and application of such evidence to improve health and health care, and the availability of platforms and data that provide the foundation. In an effort to capture the rich and diverse array of organizations that contribute to this enterprise above and beyond the funders of HSPR, an environmental scan of organizations involved in the conduct, use, education and/or support of HSPR was also conducted. A total of 225 organizations were identified. An enumeration of these organizations and their alignment with five key functions are listed in Appendix B. Table 10 below summarizes organizations by jurisdiction at a high level.

Table 10: Health services and policy research organizations, projects and Nominated Principal Investigators (NPIs) – National and Provincial breakdown
Total Projects Total NPI Total Funding Total HSPR Orgs
3207 2138 $770M 225
BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS NL PE YK National level orgs
Total funding
(M unless indicated)
$71 $58 $13 $22 $406 $160 $5 $20 $3 $163K $32K $3
NPI (# of) 278 189 63 61 781 509 28 184 45 3 1 11
Total projects (# of) 387 310 84 86 1183 826 29 242 60 3 1 14
Total #HSPR orgs identified 17 11 8 8 65 44 6 9 5 3 1 48
Universities engaged in HSPR 6 3 3 2 17 12 2 5 1 1 - -
Hospitals/
Health Authority
8 3 2 1 25 22 1 2 1 1 - -
Public Agency 2 3 3 5 11 10 3 2 2 1 1 15
Non-Governmental Organizations (charities, not for profit, non scheduled or regulatory bodies of government) 1 - - - 10 - - - - - - 33
Other - 2 - - 2 - - - 1 - - -
Table 11: Top 3 funded institutions for each research theme
Research Theme Institution & Funding Institution & Funding Institution & Funding
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare University of Calgary
$6,764,291
University Health Network
$5,063,363
University of Western Ontario
$4,261,381
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum University of Alberta
$14,448,728
University of British Columbia
$10,504,247
St. Michael’s Hospital
$5,347,051
Governance and Accountability Université de Montréal
$4,215,622
University of Toronto
$3,389,042
Cancer Care Ontario
$2,898,080
Health Information (e-health) University of British Columbia
$2,458,101
McGill University
$2,057,052
University of Waterloo
$1,824,197
Drug Policy University of British Columbia
$5,159,222
McGill University
$1,690,086
Université de Montréal
$1,195,667
Health Care Financing and Funding/Health Economics Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
$1,589,113
University of British Columbia
$1,466,484
University Health Network
$1,381,867
Managing for Quality and Safety Cancer Care Ontario
$15,394,647
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center
$11,056,100
McMaster University
$5,651,301
Change Management/Scaling up Innovation Santé et Services sociaux Québec
$950,000
McMaster University
$453,032
Université de Sherbrooke
$295,000
Health Human Resources University of Ottawa
$2,741,371
University of Toronto
$2,489,130
IWK Health Centre
$1,950,000
Patient-Centered Care McMaster University
$4,850,121
BC Cancer Agency
$4,402,640
Hospital for Sick Children
$3,531,752
Emerging Technology and Drugs (technology assessment) University of Alberta
$1,002,456
Université de Sherbrooke
$539,499

École Polytechnique de Montréal
$365,603

Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases University of Manitoba
$1,478,546
Alberta Health Services

$1,193,708
St. Michael’s Hospital

$726,118
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services University of Waterloo

$23,212,025
McGill University
$4,493,823
Dalhousie University
$3,077,166
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science McMaster University
$4,997,526
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
$4,081,974
BC Cancer Agency
$3,600,000
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related Institute for Clinical Evaluative Science
$29,469,141
Quebec multi-centre research networks
$19,520,435
University Health Network
$18,088,020

Educate: 3. Health Services and Policy Research: Educate

Growth of the field of HSPR is a combination of demand and supply and perhaps innovation. The availability of training, mentoring and educational opportunities for health services and policy researchers is key to building capacity in this field (as in other fields) and has been a primary focus over the past 10 years with major initiatives such as the Capacity for Applied and Developmental Research and Evaluation in Health Services and Nursing (the “CADRE” program), led in partnership by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (formerly called the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation) and CIHR, the Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research Grants (the “STIHRs”) led by CIHR, and the establishment of the Canadian Association of Health Services and Policy Researchers (CAHPSR) and the increasing participation of students within it. There are over 20 universities (see Appendix E) across the country with an explicit training program in HSPR and significant investment has been made in salary/career and training awards, which provide a dedicated source of support for researchers to develop their programs of research.

Trainee Support in HSPR

Investment in HSPR training awards was categorized into three funding mechanisms: masters awards, doctoral awards, and fellowships. Overall, investment in training awards accounted for 5.7% of total HSPR funding in Canada. Masters awards received 0.8% of total HSPR investment ($5.8M), doctoral awards received 2.3% ($17.7M), and fellowships 2.1% ($16.2M). Table 5 shows the breakdown of investment across all funding mechanisms (e.g., salary awards, operating grants). Not reflected in these data is the training support provided through team grants and other funding mechanisms that tend to have training and capacity building requirements built into their core objectives.

Table 12 illustrates the top funded institutions by all training awards. The University of Toronto and University of British Columbia attracted the largest investment in training awards, and the funding sources are listed in Table 13. Although Dalhousie ranks 12th overall in universities receiving total funding, it ranks 4th overall in recipients of training awards (Table 12). Over two-thirds of training funding received by Dalhousie is funded by the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation. CIHR funds a significant portion of training awards to the University of Toronto (85%) and University of British Columbia (74%).

Table 12: Top 5 Universities – All training awards
University Total Percent
University of Toronto $4,256,829.4 9.7%
University of British Columbia $3,556,251.0 8.1%
Université de Montréal $2,645,559.9 6.0%
Dalhousie University $2,378,937.3 5.4%
McGill University $2,234,036.5 5.1%

Salary Support in HSPR

Investment has also been made to support investigators across the full continuum of the career trajectory. Overall, investment in salary/career awards accounted for 11.1% of total HSPR funding in Canada. New investigator-type awards received 1.4% ($10.9M) of total HSPR investment, mid-career-type awards received 2.1% ($16M) of total HSPR investment, and clinician scientist awards received 1.6% ($12.2M). FRQS is a generous supporter of both training awards and salary awards (Table 13). Details of top funding organizations are listed below.

Table 13: Top funding organizations for salary and training awards
Funding Organization Total Percent
Canadian Institutes of Health Research $42,171,998.1 32.6%
Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé $28,952,140.2 22.4%
Canada Research Chair $9,800,000.0 7.6%
Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions $9,191,800.0 7.1%
Ontario Institute of Cancer Research $7,944,000.0 6.1%

Support: 4. Health Services and Policy Research: Support

Data is the lifeblood of research and is a critical enabler. The data platforms are enumerated as a support function in Appendix B. A number of other CIHR centres for research development were added between 2002 and 2010. These are constructed for specific topical areas of population health and are associated with the Institute for Population and Public Health.5

Canada has traditionally been known for its wealth of data as a publicly funded system with access to large administrative data sets. However, only a few provinces have established, well-functioning data centres to support HSPR, although several other provinces have capacity that has not yet been fully stimulated or exploited. These established data centers include the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario, the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy in Manitoba, the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research and Population Data BC in British Columbia. A number of other provinces have growing data sources for HSPR including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Quebec. Both the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Statistics Canada (including the Research Data Centre initiative) are important assets at the national level for health data. In addition, a number of organizations work actively to support this community. The role of IHSPR and CAHSPR are noted leaders in building and advocating for this community. A number of other CIHR centres for research development were added between 2002 and 2010 associated with the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health.

7. Findings and Recommendations

This report provides a portrait of the magnitude, nature and diversity of HSPR funding investment, assets and resources in Canada over a five-year time period. It reflects the first joint effort of a group of organizations that fund HSPR and who share a belief that the future success of health care in Canada will be informed by HSPR. Given the many funders and diversity of researchers and host organizations, it has become apparent that a nimble, pan-Canadian planning effort is an essential ingredient to appropriately set priorities, align partnership opportunities for funds, and to create some form of allied structure to advance HSPR in this country. Such planning is likely to more effectively serve the policy and decision makers in health services, patients, providers and the researcher community by allowing for greater coordination in focus and leverage for health services research and health care reform.

Key Findings

Funding:

  1. Canada has spent over $770 million on HSPR from all sources between 2007/08 and 2011/12. The CIHR is the leading funder of HSPR in Canada, as befits its status as our national health research agency. But national agencies, provincial agencies and their governments and charitable organizations are all important contributors. The numbers presented in this report are a conservative assessment of Canada’s investments in HSPR, as they do not include all organizations. For example, research investments made by ministries of health (with the exception of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, which is unique as it is also a member of NAPHRO), Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Genome Canada are not included, and not all Health Charities participated. Similarly, any investments from private-sector organizations are not included, nor are the occupational health and safety research programs delivered in association with workers compensation boards in Canada, particularly Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. However, the workers compensation research number constitutes .001% of all public spending on health care during the 2007/8-2011/12 period.
  2. Spending is growing and comes from a diversified source of agencies, governments and charitable organizations. Moreover it is captured and received by a range of institutions, consistent with the unique institutional structures in place in each province and at the national level.
  3. There is no right number identified for what should be spent, or from which sources, as decision makers have a growing desire for better evidence and evaluation, better tools, and more rapid application of new tools and evidence to service and policy reform. It is a logical extension that HSPR should continue to grow and evolve consistent with the value proposition presented by the scientific community to the policy and clinical and administrative decision-making communities. This point is taken up in recommendations that follow.
  4. As with all comparisons in Canada, there are significant differences between jurisdictions, differences in proportionate investment by provinces and differences in the competitive capacity to succeed in national and international competitions for funds. Total per capita investment from all sources ranges from a low of $1.12 in PEI to a mid-range of $14.98 in Alberta to a high of $30.13 in Ontario. With respect to provincial only sources of investment Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Quebec stand out for their generous provincial support and Quebec and Nova Scotia for personnel support in particular. Viewing provincial sources as a leverage point for effective national and international competition, British Columbia (7 fold leverage) and Alberta (almost 4 fold leverage) would appear to be successful at leveraging their provincial spending to attract national and international funds. Quebec doubles and Ontario triples their respective provincial HSPR investments.
  5. The per capita figures warrant particular attention as both the UK and the US have tried to move towards targeted commitments to overall health research spending (UK) and health services research warrants special scrutiny to maintain reform momentum. The US Congress specified in 1989 that one-half of 1 percent of the National Research Service Awards (NRSA) budget for training be allocated for training HSPR researchers through the Agency for Health Care Research & Quality. They subsequently expanded that allocation to 1 percent of NRSA funding in 1999, which has remained unchanged.6 In the UK, Tony Culyer in 1994 provided a landmark series of recommendations on overall health research including a 1.5% of NHS spending target on the funding of all health research. Both of these strategies have merit and might be worthy of consideration for a Canadian reflection on the spending related to health services research. While there is no simple compilation on health services research in either of our sister nations which quite matches the current Canadian effort, it may be worthy of trying to mount some closer apples to apples comparisons with the national research agencies in both countries. The most recent estimates cited from Kieran Walshe and Huw Davies in 2013 suggest about 7.5% of total health research spending is directed towards HSPR in the UK.7 This begs the musical question of the merit for setting a target for HSPR as a function of either a) all health research spending or b) as a fraction of overall public spending within this country.

Priority Focus:

  1. It is apparent that the priority funding streams for HSPR have been well taken on by HSPR researchers in Canada at the project, program and personnel support level. The top ranked priorities in order of investment include Access to Appropriate Care, Managing for Quality and Safety, Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services, Primary and Community-Based Healthcare and Patient Centered Care. At the lower end were Healthcare Financing and Funding, Health Technology Assessment, as well as Change Management/Scaling up innovation - all areas which would seem to be central to reform efforts to achieve the Canadian equivalent of the Triple Aim (see Table 9 for priority investment listing). In consideration of the next stage of planning for the pan-Canadian vision and strategy it may be worthwhile to examine current priorities for decision makers to ensure the programs of today are meeting the challenges of tomorrow. The know-do gap in clinical practice is no less of a know-do gap in HSPR with respect to decision making in health services management and policy.

Comparative Performance:

  1. Among the key issues raised in key informant interviews with HSPR leaders was how little comparative performance data are produced between jurisdictions in Canada. CIHI does an excellent job of presenting descriptive information on administrative data, as does OECD among its member countries, however there is little HSPR work that compares a range of quality and performance benchmarks among Canada’s provincial-territorial health systems. This appears to arise in part but not exclusively because of privacy barriers. Real or perceived barriers to link data across provinces must be overcome by active leadership from the research community. Of course another reason for this is that there appears to be little appetite by provincial governments for the evaluation of large policy initiatives. One thoughtful idea arising from the key informant interviews was to create a Canadian Observatory on health systems, which could undertake such comparative work with relative independence.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1: Continue to monitor and report HSPR activity

Building a portrait of the current state of HSPR in Canada is important not only because it yields a view of the activity today across a variety of dimensions, but because it also provides some illumination into how to sustain this activity going forward. One of the biggest challenges in creating an asset map of this kind lies in the consistency of the data and the clarity of the data elements. Given that this data has not been collected and integrated across all funders before, there are inconsistencies in data capture and the definitions of each element. Working with a group of representatives from partner organizations, IHSPR may take the lead to refine the template, and/or develop a data classification, collection and reporting cycle similar to that currently used by the CCRA using a biennial survey, quinquennial or to be determined cycle to maintain this view of activity. As part of this purification, through utilization effort going forward, a more rigorous and specific method to codify and classify the data according to research theme should also be considered. The participating organizations may wish to emulate the CCRA approach and assign a dedicated analytic resource (person) to support this process of partner engagement, data definition, collection, preparation, analysis and reporting. The effort to gather and “standardize” such diverse data sets will require dedicated resources and institutional commitment from CIHR and partner organizations.

Recommendation 2: Complement investment/activity analysis with impact measurement and reporting for HSPR

One of most frequent comments from key informants arising from any question of how much money is spent is that an ROI measure that goes beyond conventional academic/scientific citation impact measures is critically needed. The development of such measures could be pursued in conjunction with other organizations or as a small competitive research project on its own merit. Certainly the impact of research is a long chain with multiple links but developing some triangulated measures of impact would be very valuable in codifying the benefits of HSPR investments as well as bolstering the case for deeper commitments. Implementation science and operations research begin with the view that putting research into practice and closing the know-do gap are essential parts of the aspiration of most health services researchers. This can create discomfort when the implication is a bold change in the way we finance services or pay professionals, but finding the right impact assessments will inform how to better ensure the translation of HSPR into better services to patients and better policies for citizens. While all HSPR is contextually bound to local policy and institutional arrangements, international collaboration with like-minded HSPR organizations might help to create common instruments for impact assessment as well as common nomenclature for HSPR classification.

Recommendation 3: Maximize HSPR opportunities presented through SPOR

CIHR’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) has been in development over the last couple of years and is moving from gestation to delivery. Partnerships are emerging at the national and provincial level and infrastructure investment in SUPPORT Units across the country are intended to address the needs of patients, support decision makers and investigators in designing and conducting studies, and facilitate access to data (including linked datasets and the integration of emerging datasets). Given the significant resources associated with SPOR and the strength of the HSPR community in responding to health service and policy maker needs, SPOR presents a unique opportunity to build stronger provincial and regional infrastructure for HSPR, as well as administrative and policy reform.

Recommendation 4: Increase opportunities for embedded researchers

It is clear that one of the achievements in the last decade in HSPR has been to grow the cadre of talent in HSPR through regional training programs and national and provincial support for researchers. One of the principal issues faced by health service organizations and public agencies is to advance change based on best evidence from HSPR and with sensitivity to local context. In the last few years we have witnessed the emergence of growth in the number of HSPR researchers working in large public agencies, regional authorities and delivery system institutions.8 Embedded researchers focus on helping these organizations with research, analysis and sometimes implementation of change studies and evaluation of change studies. While these relationships are unique and require attention and cultivation, the opportunities to build capacity in health sector transformation and applied implementation science – not to mention entirely new career tracks for HSPR investigators – remain large and promising.

Recommendation 5: Define pan-Canadian priorities and joint funding and investment opportunities with other research funders: Create an HSPR Alliance among major funders

It is recommended that CIHR-IHSPR take a lead role in brokering a partnership alliance among the many organizations funding HSPR in Canada. The multiple organizations making documented investments in HSPR have common cause and purpose together. Moreover, they can more rapidly accelerate new work and leverage impacts by aligning and working together where there is common priority and common funding opportunities. CIHR-IHSPR may be the convener to build such an alliance and to support the continued documentation of HSPR across the country, with the spirit and intent of maximizing our collective HSPR assets and impact.

Recommendation 6: Explore ‘Big Data’ Opportunities

The new world of big science and ‘big data’ (linking of large and diverse data sets) offers many commercial possibilities. When the delivery system is built on the backbone of a single payer model of health service finance, the opportunities for Canada to build analytics around the linkage of purpose built databases and administrative data for purposes of discovery and application looms very large around us. In December 2013 a Tri-council effort in Canada is exploring the best way to move a research agenda forward tailored to our specific competitive advantages for big data (Tri-Council Consultations).9 Many discoveries on how best to advance the personalized medicine agenda for optimal care of patients, as well as the possibility to better inform health service organization, financing and delivery turn on the capacity to link research and administrative data. Such work holds great promise and appeal for a country willing to get its act together on privacy and appropriate data linkage and sharing for research purposes. Already many of the former privacy barriers to appropriate linkage appear to have been surpassed by virtual technology10 but this reality may not yet have penetrated many of the corridors of privacy authorities. With high capture of many health encounters within Canada, the emergence of new research cohorts within the country allow for an unprecedented look at ‘big data’ linkage from molecular to population health within Canada.

Recommendation 7: Identify provincial/national collaborative tables for policy and service leaders to set priorities with researchers

There have historically been good interactions between the federal –provincial-territorial government tables and HSPR leaders within Canada despite the propensity for continuous turnover of senior officials. The advent of SPOR allows for the strengthening of provincial level inputs at the policy level, which is already well advanced in many provinces in Canada, but perhaps less well advanced nationally. Assuming we can advance an alliance for HSPR, there ought to be some way to seek representation and engage with FPT health deputies to align common research reform efforts with an emerging health policy and health services research strategy.

In Summary

This report summarizes for the first time a comprehensive picture of HSPR investments from public and charitable sources within Canada. This was done by analyzing investment levels and patterns in HSPR between 2007/8 and 2011/12. Funding was traced through CIHR, national partner organizations, health charities, provincial health research funding agencies, and a limited number of provincial ministries. These data were analyzed according to the strategic analytic framework introduced in this report (via funding, conducting research, using research, educating researchers and decision makers, or supporting through infrastructure development) and mapped according to 15 different research themes. The analyses presented in this report have been adapted to an easy-to-use web-based tool – the asset map - that allows for rapid scanning of investment levels across the country, top priority areas receiving funding, and more. It is hoped this asset mapping - taken together with a wide ranging survey of the field and key thought leaders - can usefully inform not only the current status assessment, but illuminate the way forward among partners in HSPR towards a new, pan-Canadian vision and collaborative strategy for HSPR. The possibility of a stronger alliance among HSPR funders represents a potential breakthrough model to expand the value, volume and talent in HSPR research in this country.

References

  1. Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada. Institute of Health Services and Policy Research strategic plan 2009-2014; [date unknown] [revised 2010 Apr 8; cited 2013 Oct 30].
  2. Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada. CIHR-IHSPR strategic priority research areas; [date unknown] [revised 2013 Oct 16; cited 2013 Oct 30].
  3. Redman S. Expert review team report for Institute of Health Services and Policy Research. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada; 2011 Feb [revised 2011 Aug 2; cited 2013 Oct 26].
  4. Hansen J, Schäfer W, Black N, Groenewegen P. European priorities for research on health care organizations and service delivery. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2011 Jul;16 Suppl 2:16–26.
  5. Ettelt S, Mays N. Health services research in Europe and its use for informing policy. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2011 Jul;16 Suppl 2:48–60.
  6. Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada. SPOR SUPPORT units; [date unknown] [revised 2013 Nov 7; cited 2013 Oct 30].
  7. Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Provincial health research plans: Summary. British Columbia (CA): MSFHR; [date unknown] (Unpublished).
  8. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. SPOR health priorities. Canada: CIHR; 2013 Mar 8 (Unpublished).
  9. Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Government of Canada. HSPR strategic research priorities; 2012 [revised 2013 Oct 16; cited 2013 Aug 8].
  10. Canadian Institutes ofr Health Research. IAB input on future SPOR networks: Discussion guide. [place unknown]: CIHR; 2013 Mar 7 [cited 2013 Oct 28] (Unpublished).
  11. Ipsos Reid. Canadian Institutes of Health Research strategy for patient-oriented research: Draft report: general public survey. [place unknown]: Ipsos Reid; 2013 Mar 6 [cited 2013 Oct 26] (Unpublished).
  12. Ipsos Reid. Canadian Institutes of Health Research strategy for patient-oriented research: Summary of findings. [place unknown]: Ipsos Reid; 2013 Mar 25 [cited 2013 Oct 26] (Unpublished).

Appendix A: Asset Map Methodology

Activity Description of Approach
Identify Organizations
  • Working with the Project Advisory Committee and the project’s Regional Informants, the team identified a list of organizations engaged in, or involved with, health services and policy research in each jurisdiction in Canada.
  • Organizations were classified into one of five categories and primary functions were identified. Details of definitions of each are included in Appendix B
    • Categories
      1. Universities
      2. Hospitals/Health Region or Health Authority
      3. Public Agencies and Government
      4. Non-Governmental Organizations
      5. Other
    • Functions
      1. Fund Research
      2. Conduct Research
      3. Use Research
      4. Educate
      5. Data Repository/Data Support (Support)
  • With an understanding of the key players, data were collected from funders to understand and depict the health services and policy research activity in each jurisdiction.
Collect Data from Funders
  • A standardized template was prepared to collect HSPR funding data from each participating organization. Understanding that data is collected and reported differently in each province, the project team worked with nominated data leads in each jurisdiction to modify the template to accommodate important differences. Data was collected for research activity within the five year funding window between 2007/8-2011/12 from 27 different organizations. Total and annual funding was requested for each project, though not all organizations could provide an annual breakdown. See Appendix C for details on the funding data that was submitted by the funding organizations.
Classify and Catalogue Data
  • All projects were assessed for relevance to health services and policy research. A small subset of records were determined to be primarily clinical or biomedical in nature and thus excluded from the database. Any records that were considered to align with both HSPR and population and public health research were included and coded to the theme “Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services.” Additional records were excluded because the full funding dates occurred outside the time range of 2007/08 – 2011/12. For example, if a record was submitted and the funding started and ended outside the timeframe we did not include it (e.g. 2013 – 2016.)
  • Each project was catalogued into one of 14 research themes based on title, abstract (if available) and keywords (if available). While many projects aligned with more than one theme, a primary theme affiliation was identified and used. An additional category called “Centre, network and infrastructure-related” was used to capture funds that flowed to large data centres and networks/centres lacking a domain focus. This category also included travel and journalism awards that could not be assigned to domain-related categories.
  • Each project was also classified according to funding type (e.g., team grant, salary award). The full listing of funding types can be found in Appendix D.
Synthesize and Analyze Data
  • During the process of consolidating all the funders’ data submissions for applications, it was determined that the identification of host organizations needed to be reviewed and updated so that there was consistency regarding the organizational level of named organizations. It was determined that the highest, rolled up level of an organization would be identified as the host organization (e.g. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre vs Odette Cancer Centre). A new field was created to capture this detail so that both the organization name identified by the funding organization and the high-level organization name is captured in the data set.
  • All data fields were reviewed to ensure consistency for reporting purposes (e.g. a consistent date format for project start and end dates, consistent naming of investigators).
  • Each investigator was assigned a number to enable analyses of the number and types of grants s/he was involved with. If an applicant had been identified by CIHR, then that individual maintained the CIHR applicant number. If no applicant number was provided by the funding organization then a unique code was assigned to the record of the individual.
  • Data were stored in Excel and Access databases.
  • Various queries were run to capture the current state HSPR in Canada, including:
    • Total provincial funding from all sources and from provincial specific vs. other sources
    • Total funding according to research themes
    • Provincial funding according to salary and training funding types
    • Knowledge translation activity, both provincially and by host institution
    • Top funded host institutions
    • NPI counts for provinces and host institutions
Validate and Finalize Data and Organizations
  • A review of the final draft organization list and data overview for each jurisdiction was prepared for review and validation with regional informants or other key informants knowledgeable about the data in that province. Validators were asked the following questions about the data:
    1. Do we have the correct organizations named?
    2. Are the organizations properly classified?
    3. Are the primary functions for each accurate? (fund research, conduct research, use research, educate, data repository/data support)
    4. Do we have any gaps? Why do we have gaps?
  • The validation process allowed provinces to identify sources of funding or key HSPR organizations that had not been captured or identified. Any additional sources identified were added to the overall data set for the final run of queries.
Inaugural Asset Map and Overview of Current State Report
  • All data was finalized and prepared for inclusion in two final products: a report and asset map.
  • Working with the Project Advisory Committee and Regional Informants, the project team identified a series of views of the data nationally and/or provincially to be depicted on a geo-map.
  • The geo-map is a web-enabled tool to present activity at an aggregate level to visually depict the current state of HSPR funding, activity, capacity and areas of expertise – analyses that are included in the present report.
  • This report provides a more detailed overview of health services and policy research activity in each jurisdiction and recommendations for consideration based on this process.
  • Microsoft Excel and Access files of all data used for analysis were provided to IHSPR for continued use as well as source files from each funder.

Appendix B: Pan-Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Jurisdictional Tables

This appendix provides a detailed overview of the assets and related organizations in each jurisdiction. The details included reflect a combination of analysis of data received from the 27 organizations as well as informant interview and related research activity. This constitutes a more detailed, combination of qualitative and quantitative data for each jurisdiction than is available in the online geo-map and is a richer reflection of the assets in Canada.

For each jurisdiction, the following six analyses are depicted.

1. Organizational Overview

List of Health Services and Policy Research organizations working in that particular jurisdiction. Organization names were listed by category with the primary function of each organization identified.

Categories for organizations include:

  1. Universities
    • Centres embedded within universities and/or recognized within university as having special status as a centre, institute or within a department.
    • University has a charter defined in law.
  2. Hospital/Health Region or Health Authority
    • Research to support organizations directly delivering health care or with a range of research interests.
  3. Public Agencies and Government
    • Largely government funded with specific legislative supports or with government mandated responsibilities
  4. Non-Governmental Organizations
    • Not for profit organizations that focus research to support specific diseases or conditions
  5. Other

Functions for organizations include:

  1. Fund Research
    • Provide financial support as part of a competitive process for conducting health services and policy research. Includes all forms of funding (chairs, grants, etc.) but not in-kind funding
  2. Conduct Research
    • Conduct (investigator driven or policy/ decision maker led) health services and policy research activity that is subject to peer review at the point of application and/or publication
  3. Use Research
    • Review and analyze research that has already been produced to document themes or generalize findings or ready for use by a specific audience. Includes knowledge translation, clinical decision support tools, briefing notes etc. Not research activity itself but creates a new product.
    • Develop evidence-based policies to guide health system and health service structure and/or delivery of services. Use of research as evidence to support to recommend (or not) specific course of action at either a policy or administrative level
    • Use of research as evidence for specific approach to delivery of or policies and decisions related to care.
  4. Educate
    • Universities that explicitly offer health services and policy research degree programs
  5. Support (Data Repository/ Data Support)
    • Organizations that collect, store and share data for the purpose or in support of health services and policy research
    • Organizations that promote and advance HSPR

2. Jurisdictional Profile

  • Total value of funding received in each jurisdiction over five years, number of unique NPIs operating in each jurisdiction.

3. Funding by Funding Organization over five years

  • List of organizations who funded projects in each jurisdiction along with the funding amount over five years and the percent of all funding that the funder represents.

4. Funding By Funding Type

  • Funding mechanisms that have been received by organizations in each jurisdiction over the past five years with total value and percent of total.

5. Top Research Themes

  • Top funded research themes in each jurisdiction with value and percent of total.

6. Research Activity Organizations

  • List of organizations who received money, total funding received and number of projects.

British Columbia

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. rganizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *.

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities University of British Columbia*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use, Educate, Support
    • Centre for Health Services an Policy Research
    • Population Data BC
    • School of Population and Public Health
University of Victoria*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
Simon Fraser University*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
University of Northern British Columbia*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • BC Rural and Remote Health Research Institute
Royal Roads University*
  • Conduct, Use
Thompson Rivers University*
  • Conduct, Use
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority Provincial Health Services Authority*
  • Conduct, Use
    • BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre
    • BC Women’s Health Research Institute
    • BC Cancer Agency*
    • BC Cancer Research Centre
    • BC Children’s Hospital
    • BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC)
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority*
  • Conduct, Use
    • Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
    • Centre for Clinical Epidemiology & Evaluation
    • Vancouver General Hospital
    • Providence Health Care Research Institute - CHEOS
Vancouver Island Health Authority*
  • Conduct, Use
    • Royal Jubilee Hospital
    • Victoria General Hospital
Fraser Health Authority*
  • Conduct, Use
Interior Health Authority*
  • Conduct, Use
Northern Health Authority*
  • Use
Vancouver Native Health Society*
  • Conduct, Use
Centre for Rural Health Research (CRHR)
  • Conduct, Use
Public Agencies and Government Ministry of Health
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
  • Fund, Use

Health Services and Policy Research Activity in British Columbia

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $71,268,316
# NPIs 278
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 834
# Projects 387
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 years Percent
CIHR $44,529,710 62.5%
Canadian Cancer Society $10,537,664 14.8%
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research $8,347,327 11.7%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $2,629,247 3.7%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $1,008,470 1.4%
BC Ministry of Health $949,000 1.3%
Canada Research Chair $900,000 1.3%
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $752,443 1.1%
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance $592,995 0.8%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $531,851 0.7%
Foundation for Innovation $262,171 0.4%
Alzheimer Society of Canada $203,620 0.3%
Canadian Diabetes Association $23,818 0.0%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $33,326,833 46.8%
Research Program - Team Grant $8,778,357 12.3%
Research Program - KT $7,862,379 11.0%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $4,530,421 6.4%
Research Program - General $2,711,323 3.8%
Training Award - Fellowship $2,069,093 2.9%
Capacity & Training Grant $1,799,980 2.5%
Training Award - Doctoral $1,691,193 2.4%
Centres & Networks $949,000 1.3%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $209,370 0.3%
Other $160,376 0.2%
Salary Award
Salary Award - Clinician Scientist $2,615,878 3.7%
Salary Award - Mid-Career $2,112,499 3.0%
Salary Award - New Investigator $1,200,000 1.7%
Training Award
Training Award - Fellowship $2,069,093 2.9%
Training Award - Doctoral $1,691,193 2.4%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $14,863,367 20.9%
Patient-Centered Care $8,651,654 12.1%
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science $8,195,218 11.5%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $6,829,697 9.6%
Managing for Quality and Safety $5,732,088 8.0%
Drug Policy $5,724,466 8.0%
Linking Population and Public Health with health Services $4,501,334 6.3%
Governance and Accountability $3,832,619 5.4%
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $3,540,493 5.0%
Health Human Resources $3,393,471 4.8%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
University of British Columbia $40,893,978 240
BC Cancer Agency $10,052,388 29
University of Victoria $7,469,576 37
Simon Fraser University $5,006,796 37
Provincial Health Services Authority $1,556,740 9
University of Northern British Columbia $1,401,717 6
Vancouver Coastal Health $1,352,432 5
Vancouver Island Health Authority $1,109,372 7
Fraser Health Authority $953,774 6
Royal Roads University $467,000 3
Thompson Rivers University $287,502 2
Arthritis Research Centre of Canada $251,871 2
Interior Health Authority $220,052 1
Northern Health Authority $215,118 1
Other $25,000 1
Vancouver Native Health Society $5,000 1

Alberta

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *.

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities University of Alberta*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • School of Public Health
University of Calgary*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Calgary Institute for Population and Public Health
University of Lethbridge*
  • Conduct, Use
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority Tom Baker Cancer Centre*
  • Conduct, Use
Alberta Health Services*
  • Conduct, Use, Support
Cross Cancer Institute*
  • Conduct, Use
Public Agencies and Government Alberta Health
  • Fund, Use
Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions
  • Fund, Use
Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA)
  • Use
Non-Governmental Organizations Lung Association Alberta & NWT*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Institute of Health Economics (IHE)
  • Conduct, Use

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $58,039,891
# NPIs 189
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 466
# Projects 310
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
CIHR $28,610,643 49.3%
Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions $14,684,595 25.3%
Alberta Cancer Foundation $5,135,674 8.8%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $2,308,903 4.0%
Canada Research Chair $2,000,000 3.4%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $1,569,184 2.7%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $1,193,708 2.1%
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance $851,716 1.5%
Foundation for Innovation $515,747 0.9%
Canadian Cancer Society $299,727 0.5%
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $294,799 0.5%
The Arthritis Society $180,000 0.3%
Alzheimer Society of Canada $164,207 0.3%
Fonds de recherche - Santé $136,823 0.2%
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research $80,555 0.1%
Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario $13,610 0.0%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $16,111,626 27.8%
Research Program - Team Grant $13,818,000 23.8%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $4,624,077 8.0%
Research Program - KT $4,512,580 7.8%
Research Program - General $3,101,258 5.3%
Other $169,568 0.3%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $31,179 0.1%
Salary Award
Salary Award - General $7,886,748 13.6%
Salary Award - Mid-Career $2,075,000 3.6%
Salary Award - New Investigator $1,290,232 2.2%
Salary Award - Clinician Scientist $475,000 0.8%
Training Award
Training Award - Fellowship $2,024,459 3.5%
Training Award - Doctoral $927,583 1.6%
Training Award - General $653,256 1.1%
Training Award - Masters $339,323 0.6%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $20,173,934 34.8%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $9,129,086 15.7%
Managing for Quality and Safety $7,115,372 12.3%
Patient-Centered Care $4,791,933 8.3%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $4,724,834 8.1%
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science $2,637,808 4.5%
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $2,210,692 3.8%
Governance and Accountability $1,779,090 3.1%
Health Information (e-health) $1,339,616 2.3%
Health Human Resources $1,267,830 2.2%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
University of Alberta $31,167,870 155
University of Calgary $19,513,455 123
Tom Baker Cancer Centre $3,646,983 7
Alberta Health Services $2,320,302 16
Cross Cancer Institute $1,095,686 6
University of Lethbridge $270,595 2
Lung Association AB & NWT $25,000 1

Saskatchewan

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities University of Saskatchewan*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • School of Public Health
    • Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
    • Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit
    • The Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre
University of Regina*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
    • Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit
    • The Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre
First Nations University
  • Conduct, Use
    • The Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority Saskatoon Health Region*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
    • Royal University Hospital
Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region*
  • Conduct, Use
    • Regina General Hospital
Public Agencies and Government Saskatchewan Health Quality Council (HQC)*
  • Conduct, Use
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF)
  • Fund, Use
Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
  • Fund, Use, Support

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $13,191,626
# NPIs 63
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 156
# Projects 84
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation $8,374,654 63.5%
CIHR $3,824,508 29.0%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $369,253 2.8%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $295,437 2.2%
Canadian Cancer Society $120,000 0.9%
Foundation for Innovation $67,666 0.5%
Alzheimer Society of Canada $61,590 0.5%
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $48,518 0.4%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $30,000 0.2%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $3,306,262 25.1%
Research Program - Team Grant $2,558,501 19.4%
Research Program - KT $1,997,197 15.1%
Research Program - General $1,294,253 9.8%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $363,103 2.8%
Other $30,000 0.2%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $30,000 0.2%
Salary Awards
Salary Award - New Investigator $1,756,179 13.3%
Salary Award - Mid-Career $462,500 3.5%
Training Awards
Training Award - Fellowship $708,333 5.4%
Training Award - Doctoral $622,590 4.7%
Training Award - Masters $62,708 0.5%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $4,590,187 34.8%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $3,877,626 29.4%
Managing for Quality and Safety $1,370,481 10.4%
Governance and Accountability $980,316 7.4%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $893,293 6.8%
Patient-Centered Care $421,005 3.2%
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $355,750 2.7%
Health Information (e-health) $295,437 2.2%
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science $187,534 1.4%
Health Human Resources $134,997 1.0%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
University of Saskatchewan $8,355,963 60
University of Regina $4,505,226 19
Saskatoon Health Region $238,834 3
Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region $61,603 1
Saskatchewan Health Quality Council $30,000 1

Manitoba

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *.

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities University of Manitoba*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate, Support
    • Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
University of Winnipeg*
  • Conduct, Use
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority Winnipeg Health Region*
  • Conduct, Use
Public Agencies and Government Cancer Care Manitoba*
  • Conduct, Use
Manitoba Health
  • Fund, Use, Support
Manitoba Health Research Council
  • Fund
Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety
  • Use
Manitoba Patient Access Network
  • Use, Fund

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $ 22,101,187
# NPIs 61
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 173
# Projects 86
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
Manitoba Health $11,625,000 52.6%
CIHR $5,347,100 24.2%
Canadian Cancer Society $1,608,298 7.3%
Manitoba Health Research Council $1,569,195 7.1%
Foundation for Innovation $1,453,780 6.6%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $230,958 1.0%
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $147,900 0.7%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $84,000 0.4%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $34,956 0.2%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Centres & Networks $11,625,000 52.6%
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $6,798,658 30.8%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $1,684,738 7.6%
Research Program - KT $560,484 2.5%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $89,876 0.4%
Research Program - General $84,000 0.4%
Other $69,956 0.3%
Salary Awards
Salary Award - Mid-Career $750,000 3.4%
Training Awards
Training Award - General $245,975 1.1%
Training Award - Doctoral $175,000 0.8%
Training Award - Masters $17,500 0.1%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $11,625,000 52.6%
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $2,798,971 12.7%
Patient-Centered Care $2,332,043 10.6%
Health Information (e-health) $1,709,504 7.7%
Managing for Quality and Safety $1,105,841 5.0%
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science $872,223 3.9%
Governance and Accountability $694,970 3.1%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $350,290 1.6%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $250,209 1.1%
Health Care Financing and Funding/Health Economics $232,619 1.1%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
University of Manitoba $21,399,071 80
University of Winnipeg $323,258 2
Winnipeg Health Region $230,958 3
CancerCare Manitoba $147,900 1

Ontario

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *.

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities University of Waterloo*
  • Conduct, Use
    • School of Public Health and Health Systems - Propel Centre for Population Health Impact
McMaster University*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics
    • Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA)
    • Centre for Evaluation of Medicines
    • Programs for Assessment of Technology in Health (PATH) Research Institute
    • McMaster Health Forum
    • Clinical Advances through Research and Information Translation (CLARITY)
University of Toronto*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IHPME)
    • Health System Performance Research Network (HSPRN)
    • Dalla Lana School of Public Health
    • Ontario Tobacco Research Unit*
    • Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment (theta) Collaborative
University of Ottawa*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Institute of Population Health
    • Canadian Cochrane Centre
University of Western Ontario*
  • Conduct, Use
Queen’s University*
  • Conduct, Use
    • Centre for Health Services and Policy Research (CHSPR)
York University*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Faculty of Health - School of Health Policy and Management (SHPM)
    • York Institute for Health Research (YIHR)
Lakehead University*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Lakehead/Laurentian University - Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRANHR)
University of Guelph*
  • Conduct, Use
Ryerson University*
  • Conduct, Use
Laurentian University*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Lakehead/Laurentian University - Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRANHR)
University of Windsor*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Wilfrid Laurier University*
  • Conduct, Use
University of Ontario Institute of Technology*
  • Conduct, Use
Trent University*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Carleton University*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
Brock University*
  • Conduct, Use
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority University Health Network (UHN)* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
    • Toronto General Hospital
    • Toronto Western Hospital
    • Princess Margaret Hospital
    • Toronto Rehab
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
St. Michaels Hospital* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
    • Keenan Research Centre
The Ottawa Hospital*- University of Ottawa
  • Conduct, Use
    • The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)
The Hospital for Sick Children* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
Bruyere Continuing Care*
  • Fund, Conduct
London Health Sciences Centre*
  • Conduct, Use
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
Women's College Hospital*
  • Conduct, Use
Kingston General Hospital* - Queen’s University
  • Conduct, Use
Hamilton Health Sciences Centre*
  • Conduct, Use
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario*
  • Conduct, Use
Providence Healthcare* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
    • Providence Healthcare Research Institute
Mount Sinai Hospital* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital* - University of Toronto
  • Conduct, Use
Health Sciences North*
  • Conduct, Use
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton* - McMaster University
  • Conduct, Use
Jean Tweed Centre*
  • Use
Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre*
  • Conduct, Use
Grand River Hospital*
  • Conduct, Use
Saint Elizabeth Health Care*
  • Conduct, Use
Hotel Dieu Hospital Kingston* - Queen’s University
  • Conduct, Use
Windsor Regional Hospital*
  • Conduct, Use
Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada*
  • Use
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)
  • Fund, Conduct, Use, Support
Public Agencies and Government Cancer Care Ontario (CCO)*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health*
  • Conduct, Use
Echo: Improving Women's Health In Ontario*
  • Conduct, Use
Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation*
  • Fund, Use
Ontario Mental Health Foundation
  • Fund, Use
Rainbow Health Ontario*
  • Use
Ontario Ministry of Community & Social Services*
  • Conduct, Use
Health Quality Ontario (HQO)
  • Fund, Use
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC)
  • Fund, Use
Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation
  • Fund
Public Health Ontario (PHO)
  • Conduct, Use
Non-Governmental Organizations Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use, Support
Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Institute for Work and Health (IWH)*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Ontario Stroke Network*
  • Fund, Use
Heart and Stroke Foundation Ontario*
  • Fund, Use
Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs*
  • Use
Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario*
  • Conduct, Use
Addictions Ontario*
  • Use
Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres*
  • Use
Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario*
  • Use

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years Notes
Total Funding Received $406,870,124 MOHLTC funding ranges from 2009 - 2012
# NPIs 781
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 2,085
# Projects 1,183
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
Ministry of Health & Long Term Care $160,338,271 39.4%
CIHR $141,841,526 34.9%
Canadian Cancer Society $24,789,184 6.1%
Cancer Care Ontario $22,632,841 5.6%
Ontario Institute of Cancer Research $18,684,720 4.6%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $10,608,352 2.6%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $7,613,419 1.9%
Canada Research Chair $4,900,000 1.2%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $3,692,628 0.9%
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $3,159,419 0.8%
Foundation for Innovation $2,758,786 0.7%
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance $2,432,613 0.6%
Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario $1,519,263 0.4%
Alzheimer Society of Canada $1,021,561 0.3%
Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé $422,287 0.1%
The Arthritis Society $180,000 0.0%
Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions $96,000 0.0%
Canadian Diabetes Association $79,225 0.0%
Parkinson Society Canada $70,000 0.0%
Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation $30,030 0.0%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $159,788,279 39.3%
Centres & Networks $104,712,649 25.7%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $29,556,824 7.3%
Research Program - Team Grant $22,075,517 5.4%
Research Program - General $13,113,105 3.2%
Research Program - KT $12,211,833 3.0%
Capacity & Training Grant $10,585,220 2.6%
Other $2,606,138 0.6%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $473,630 0.1%
Salary Awards
Salary Award - General $19,235,130 4.7%
Salary Award - Mid-Career $8,212,500 2.0%
Salary Award - New Investigator $4,286,000 1.1%
Salary Award - Clinician Scientist $3,205,990 0.8%
Training Awards
Training Award - Fellowship $7,324,147 1.8%
Training Award - Doctoral $6,899,267 1.7%
Training Award - Masters $1,560,666 0.4%
Training Award - General $1,023,227 0.3%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $150,742,200 37.0%
Managing for Quality and Safety $60,505,350 14.9%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $39,013,124 9.6%
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $36,790,054 9.0%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $27,665,904 6.8%
Patient-Centered Care $24,343,393 6.0%
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science $23,009,160 5.7%
Governance and Accountability $12,356,395 3.0%
Health Human Resources $10,786,442 2.7%
Health Information (e-health) $7,162,665 1.8%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
University Health Network $40,161,406 106
McMaster University $39,501,992 173
University of Toronto $35,131,173 171
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences $30,488,968 8
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre $27,949,357 87
University of Waterloo $27,680,048 58
Cancer Care Ontario $27,472,806 20
St. Michael's Hospital $20,197,084 60
University of Ottawa $16,006,267 70
The Ottawa Hospital $15,325,619 49
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health $14,850,767 10
University of Western Ontario $13,478,165 55
Hospital for Sick Children $12,051,223 52
Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre $12,000,000 1
Echo: Improving Women's Health In Ontario $9,097,669 1
Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation $9,000,000 1
Ontario Mental Health Foundation $8,972,184 2
Queen's University $7,991,366 47
Bruyere Continuing Care $4,885,977 12
London Health Sciences Centre $3,549,654 23
York University $3,152,315 28
Ontario Stroke Network $2,935,500 2
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care $2,915,825 9
Women's College Hospital $2,745,769 12
Lakehead University $2,067,683 8
University of Guelph $1,524,381 12
Rainbow Health Ontario $1,465,400 1
Ryerson University $1,402,978 12
Kingston General Hospital $1,145,061 3
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario $1,100,000 1
Hamilton Health Sciences Centre $1,099,629 9
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario $1,091,446 10
Providence Healthcare $931,878 4
Laurentian University $914,750 4
Mount Sinai Hospital $811,922 8
University of Windsor $671,104 4
Wilfrid Laurier University $531,641 7
Privacy Analytics Inc. $499,600 1
Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction $443,480 1
Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario $329,524 4
University of Ontario Institute of Technology $325,394 2
Addictions Ontario $322,600 1
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital $262,854 3
Institute for Work & Health $251,513 4
Trent University $216,956 2
Ontario Ministry of Community & Social Services $200,000 1
Health Sciences North $184,997 1
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton $184,235 2
Carleton University $183,002 3
Ontario Tobacco Research Unit $169,770 2
Jean Tweed Centre $153,000 1
Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre $150,000 1
Grand River Hospital $144,729 1
Saint Elizabeth Health Care $119,250 1
Hotel Dieu Hospital Kingston $113,040 1
Brock University $81,666 5
Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres $75,000 1
Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario $51,120 1
Windsor Regional Hospital $39,533 1
Private Consultant $25,000 1
Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion $24,900 1
Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada $19,955 1

Quebec

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *.

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities McGill University*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
  • RUIS McGill University
    • McGill University Health Centre*
    • Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC)
    • Montreal Jewish General Hospital*
    • Institut Lady Davis de recherches médicales de l'Hôpital général juif
    • Douglas Mental Health University Institute*
    • CSSS de Rouyn-Noranda*
    • CSSS de Gatineau*
University of Montreal*
  • Conduct, Use
  • RUIS University of Montreal
    • Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)*
    • Centre de recherche du CHUM
    • Hôpital Sainte-Justine*
    • Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal*
    • Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal *
    • Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal*
    • Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal*
    • Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine*
    • Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont*
    • Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal*
    • Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de- Montréal (IRGLM)*
    • Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal*
    • Institut de recherche en santé publique (IRSPUM) - formerly known as GRIS
Laval University *
  • Conduct, Use
  • RUIS University of Laval
    • Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec*
    • Centre de recherche du CHA*
    • Hôtel-Dieu de Levis*
    • Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec*
    • Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec
    • Centre hospitalier regional de Rimouski*
Sherbrooke University*
  • Conduct, Use
  • RUIS University of Sherbrooke
    • Charles - LeMoyne Hospital*
    • Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke*
    • CSSS-IUGS*
    • CSSS de Chicoutimi*
Université du Québec à Montréal*
  • Conduct, Use
Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)*
  • Conduct, Use
Université du Québec a Trois-Rivières*
  • Conduct, Use
École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP)*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
Concordia University*
  • Conduct, Use
École Polytechnique de Montréal*
  • Conduct, Use
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue*
  • Conduct, Use
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)*
  • Conduct, Use
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority Quebec Research Centres*
  • Conduct, Use
Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain (CRIR)*
  • Conduct, Use
Public Agencies and Government Centres de santé et de services sociaux Québec*
  • Fund, Use
Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
    • IPCDC
Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé*
  • Fund
Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST)
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS)
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Ministry of Health and Social Services
  • Fund, Use

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $160,877,599
# NPIs 509
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 953
# Projects 826
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé $91,598,713 56.9%
CIHR $50,248,490 31.2%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $5,706,827 3.5%
Canadian Cancer Society $5,574,064 3.5%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $2,672,553 1.7%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $2,260,975 1.4%
Canada Research Chair $1,500,000 0.9%
Alzheimer Society of Canada $555,994 0.3%
Foundation for Innovation $321,392 0.2%
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance $264,684 0.2%
Parkinson Society Canada $98,908 0.1%
Canadian Diabetes Association $75,000 0.0%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Centres & Networks $45,457,027 28.3%
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $32,081,525 19.9%
Research Program - General $24,546,183 15.3%
Research Program - KT $8,727,084 5.4%
Research Program - Team Grant $7,336,201 4.6%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $2,993,945 1.9%
Research Program - RCT $554,148 0.3%
Other $516,611 0.3%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $70,000 0.0%
Salary Awards
Salary Award - General $18,815,867 11.7%
Salary Award - Clinician Scientist $5,613,991 3.5%
Salary Award - New Investigator $2,098,575 1.3%
Salary Award - Mid-Career $1,962,500 1.2%
Training Awards
Training Award - Doctoral $4,881,469 3.0%
Training Award - Fellowship $2,271,339 1.40%
Training Award - Masters $1,929,489 1.2%
Training Award - General $1,021,645 0.6%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $47,131,525 29.3%
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $25,107,217 15.6%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $16,738,299 10.4%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $14,898,691 9.3%
Managing for Quality and Safety $11,504,050 7.2%
Patient-Centered Care $11,204,239 7.0%
Governance and Accountability $8,133,414 5.1%
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science $6,896,538 4.3%
Drug Policy $3,768,985 2.3%
Health Information (e-health) $3,155,537 2.0%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
McGill University $23,884,772 178
Université de Montréal $23,506,079 122
Quebec multi-centre research networks $19,520,435 13
Université Laval $16,498,610 95
McGill University Health Centre $10,416,512 51
Université de Sherbrooke $9,993,116 63
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) $8,764,079 41
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Québec $6,727,139 11
Jewish General Hospital $4,881,969 45
Hôpital Sainte-Justine $4,421,880 30
Centres de santé et de services sociaux du Québec $4,149,080 15
Douglas Mental Health University Institute $4,103,288 20
Hôpital Charles LeMoyne $3,526,854 10
Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal $3,027,032 11
Centre de recherche du CHA $1,781,611 7
Institut de cardiologie de Montréal $1,619,799 4
Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal $1,508,119 7
Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal $1,504,091 7
Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke $1,441,434 2
Université du Québec à Montréal $1,171,371 12
Université du Québec en Outaouais $1,089,141 6
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières $790,016 7
École nationale d'administration publique $687,405 3
Concordia University $674,214 11
École Polytechnique de Montréal $539,499 2
Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine $537,154 5
Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont $483,993 7
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal $481,256 5
Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain (CRIR) $461,265 8
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue $420,311 4
CSSS-IUGS $409,077 7
Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal $345,593 4
Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec $300,231 2
CSSS de Chicoutimi $270,155 1
Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis $270,000 1
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) $257,590 3
Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec $118,698 1
Institute national de santé publique $98,308 1
Centre hospitalier régional de Rimouski $90,561 1
CSSS de Rouyn-Noranda $49,567 1
CSSS de Gatineau $33,797 1
Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé $22,500 1

* Represents networks that span multiple organizations within Quebec

New Brunswick

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities University of New Brunswick*
  • Conduct, Use, Educate
St. Thomas University*
  • Conduct, Use
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority Horizon Health Network
  • Conduct, Use
    • Saint John Regional Hospital*
Public Agencies and Government New Brunswick Health
  • Fund, Use
New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC)
  • Use, Support
New Brunswick Health Research Foundation
  • Fund, Use

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $5,513,743
# NPIs 28
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 34
# Projects 29
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
New Brunswick Health Research Foundation $3,370,737 61.1%
CIHR $1,608,690 29.2%
Foundation for Innovation $354,492 6.4%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $117,009 2.1%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $51,565 0.9%
Canadian Cancer Society $11,250 0.2%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research Program - KT $2,438,614 44.2%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $1,418,313 25.7%
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $812,468 14.7%
Research Program - General $51,565 0.9%
Training Awards
Training Award - Fellowship $522,500 9.5%
Training Award - Doctoral $200,700 3.6%
Training Award - Masters $58,333 1.1%
Training Award - General $11,250 0.2%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $1,724,375 31.3%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $984,950 17.9%
Centres, networks and infrastructure-related $964,312 17.5%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $936,103 17.0%
Governance and Accountability $384,211 7.0%
Health Information (e-health) $247,500 4.5%
Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases $117,009 2.1%
Managing for Quality and Safety $62,700 1.1%
Patient-Centered Care $59,583 1.1%
Health Human Resources $33,000 0.6%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
University of New Brunswick $5,130,169 24
Saint John Regional Hospital $193,574 3
St. Thomas University $190,000 2

Nova Scotia

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities Dalhousie University*
  • Conduct, Use, Support
    • Community Health & Epidemiology
    • Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre (AHPRC)
    • Population Health Research Unit
Mount Saint Vincent University*
  • Conduct, Use
Saint Mary's University*
  • Conduct, Use
Acadia University*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
St. Francis Xavier University*
  • Conduct, Use
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority IWK Health Centre*
  • Conduct, Use
Capital District Health Authority*
  • Conduct, Use, Support
    • Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
    • Capital Health - Research Methods Unit
    • Cancer Care Nova Scotia
Public Agencies and Government Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF)
  • Fund, Use

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $20,416,196
# NPIs 184
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 466
# Projects 242
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
CIHR $9,376,296 45.9%
Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation $7,241,467 35.5%
Canadian Cancer Society $1,342,110 6.6%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $1,040,176 5.1%
Canada Research Chair $500,000 2.4%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $493,730 2.4%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $149,662 0.7%
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $145,635 0.7%
Alzheimer Society of Canada $127,120 0.6%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $10,851,774 53.2%
Capacity & Training Grant $2,155,766 10.6%
Research Program - KT $2,115,193 10.4%
Research Program - General $689,150 3.4%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $493,730 2.4%
Research Program - Team Grant $408,145 2.0%
Other $136,980 0.7%
Meeting, Dissemination & Planning Grants $20,000 0.1%
Salary Awards
Salary Award - Mid-Career $500,000 2.4%
Salary Award - New Investigator $300,000 1.5%
Salary Award - General $149,662 0.7%
Training Awards
Training Award - Doctoral $1,321,663 6.5%
Training Award - Masters $1,050,132 5.1%
Training Award - Fellowship $214,000 1.0%
Training Award - General $10,000 0.0%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $4,404,309 21.6%
Health Human Resources $3,002,552 14.7%
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $2,642,163 12.9%
Patient-Centered Care $2,606,477 12.8%
Managing for Quality and Safety $2,490,531 12.2%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $1,746,036 8.6%
Health Information (e-health) $943,772 4.6%
Governance and Accountability $795,702 3.9%
Health Care Financing and Funding/ Health Economics $579,876 2.8%
Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases $493,730 2.4%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
Dalhousie University $12,584,221 185
IWK Health Centre $3,900,070 18
Capital District Health Authority $1,314,181 11
Mount Saint Vincent University $811,504 10
Saint Mary's University $791,433 8
Acadia University $627,747 4
St. Francis Xavier University $387,040 6

Newfoundland & Labrador

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities Memorial University of Newfoundland*
  • Fund, Conduct, Use, Educate
    • Newfoundland & Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (NLCAHR)
Hospital/Health Region or Health Authority Eastern Health*
  • Conduct, Use
Public Agencies and Government Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and Community Services
  • Fund, Use
Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information (NLCHI)
  • Conduct, Support

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received – NL $2,760,499
# NPIs 45
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 105
# Projects 60
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
NLCAHR $1,214,825 44.0%
CIHR $1,183,998 42.9%
Cystic Fibrosis Canada $248,260 9.0%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $82,939 3.0%
Foundation for Innovation $30,477 1.1%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research Program - Operating/Program/Project Grants $1,469,774 53.2%
Equipment & Infrastructure Grant $278,737 10.1%
Research Program - KT $191,064 6.9%
Centres & Networks $124,985 4.5%
Other $85,939 3.1%
Training Awards
Training Award - Masters $233,500 8.5%
Training Award - Fellowship $196,500 7.1%
Training Award - Doctoral $180,000 6.5%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $847,739 30.7%
Patient-Centered Care $661,622 24.0%
Primary and Community-Based Healthcare $287,000 10.4%
Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases $273,034 9.9%
Managing for Quality and Safety $149,523 5.4%
Health Human Resources $149,500 5.4%
Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science $124,985 4.5%
Health Information (e-health) $106,477 3.9%
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $77,620 2.8%
Governance and Accountability $63,000 2.3%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
Memorial University $2,429,300 57
Eastern Health $248,260 2
Private Consultant $82,939 1

Prince Edward Island

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research in this jurisdiction. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a *

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities University of PEI*
  • Conduct, Use, Train/Educate
    • UPEI Centre for Health and Biotech Management Research
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority Health PEI
  • Use
Public Agencies and Government Department of Health and Wellness
  • Fund

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received – PEI $163,500
# NPIs 3
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 10
# Projects 3
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
CIHR $163,500 100.0%
4. Funding by Funding Type
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Research program – operating/program/project $163,500 100.0%
5. Top Research Themes
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $80,000 48.9%
Health Information (e-health) $62,500 38.2%
Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases $21,000 12.8%
6. Provincial Research Activity Organizations
Organization Total Funding Received Number of Projects
University of Prince Edward Island $163,500 3

National, Territories, & International

Summary Overview

The following outlines the organizations involved in health services and policy research at the national and international levels. International organizations that received HSPR funding from a Canadian organization are captured here. Organizations identified by the funding data as a host organization (recipient of funding) are denoted with a * This section is shorter than the others as some of the analyses did not align for this view of activity.

National

1. Organizational Overview
Organization Category Names Primary Function(s) and Organizational Details
Universities Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)
  • Fund, Conduct
Hospital/ Health Region or Health Authority none
Public Agencies and Government Public Health Agency of Canada
  • Fund, Conduct, Use, Support
Health Council of Canada (HCC)
  • Use
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH)
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Health Canada
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
  • Conduct, Use, Support
Statistics Canada
  • Conduct, Use, Support
Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI)*
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Institutes of Health Research – (CIHR)*
  • Fund, Use, Support
    • Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) though all Institutes fund HSPR to some extent
Assembly of First Nations*
  • Use, Conduct
Mental Health Commission of Canada*
  • Use
National Indian & Inuit Community Health Representatives Organization*
  • Conduct, Use
Canada Health Infoway
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC)
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
  • Use
Yukon Health and Social Services*
  • Conduct, Use
Non-Governmental Organizations Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS)
  • Use
Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada*
  • Use, Support
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
  • Conduct, Use
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI)
  • Fund (as CHSRF), Conduct, Use
Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
  • Fund, Support
Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control (CC-ARCC)
  • Fund, Conduct, Use
ALS Society of Canada
  • Fund, Use
Alzheimer Society of Canada
  • Fund, Use
Asthma Society Canada (AS)
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF)
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Cancer Society
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Diabetes Association
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA)
  • Use
Canadian Liver Foundation (CLF)
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Lung Association
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
  • Fund, Use
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC)
  • Fund, Use
Cystic Fibrosis Canada
  • Fund, Use
Heart & Stroke Foundation (HSF)
  • Fund, Use
The Kidney Foundation of Canada
  • Fund, Use
The Foundation Fighting Blindness Canada
  • Fund, Use
Huntington Society of Canada (HSC)
  • Fund, Use
Kidney Cancer Canada (KCC)
  • Fund, Use
Lymphoma Canada
  • Fund, Use
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MSSC)
  • Fund, Use
Muscular Dystrophy Canada
  • Fund, Use
Osteoporosis Canada
  • Fund, Use
Ovarian Cancer Canada
  • Fund, Use
Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC)
  • Fund, Use
The Canadian Continence Foundation (TCCF)
  • Fund, Use
Patients' Association of Canada (PAC)
  • Fund, Use
Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA)
  • Fund, Use
Arthritis Research Centre of Canada
  • Conduct, Use
Other Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR)*
  • Use, Support

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of the activity in this jurisdiction based on the asset map data.

2. Jurisdictional Profile
These are organizations that operate at a national level and not specifically within a single jurisdiction.
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received $3,353,158
# NPIs 11
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 22
# Projects 14

Yukon Territory

Funding Organization Total Funding Received Funding Type Funding Theme Number of Projects
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation $32,250 Research Program - operating/ project/program Patient-Centered Care 1

International

Health Services and Policy Research Activity

The following is an overview of international activity based on the asset map data. Many funders do support international research, but that is typically done one of two ways, neither of which are represented within this report:

  1. The funding flows to a researcher based at a Canadian institution who then carries out the research internationally or flows money from Canada to investigators in the other country
  2. Parallel funding occurs – e.g., CIHR and a funder from another country co-fund a project, and CIHR’s dollars go to the Canadian investigators and the other funder’s dollars go to the researchers in their country, and then the two collaborate. This also happens for global health research.
2. Jurisdictional Profile
The following data outlines funding that was provided to host organizations that are located outside Canada.
Element Value Over 5 Years
Total Funding Received by International Organizations $1,196,839
# NPIs 22
# Co-Investigators/ Collaborators 2
# Projects 24
3. Funding by Funding Organization over 5 years
The following organizations funded projects hosted by an international organization in the time period from 2007–2012.
Funder Value Over 5 Years Percent
Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé $904,811 75.6%
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement $123,668 10.3%
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada $93,600 7.8%
Ontario Institute of Cancer Research $44,000 3.7%
Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions $30,760 2.6%
4. Funding by Funding Type
The following represents the types of funding grants that have been received by International organizations over the past 5 years.
Funding Type Value Over 5 Years Percent
Other $65,200 5.4%
Salary Awards
Salary Award - General $58,468 4.9%
Training Awards
Training Award - General $497,975 41.6%
Training Award – Masters $225,912 18.9%
Training Award – Doctoral $201,683 16.9%
Training Award – Fellowship $147,600 12.3%
5. Top Research Themes
International organizations performed research in the following research themes over the past 5 years.
Research Theme Value Over 5 Years Percent
Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services $359,383 30.0%
Managing for Quality and Safety $336,300 28.1%
Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum $281,209 23.5%
Patient-Centered Care $69,915 5.8%
Health Care Financing and Funding/ Health Economics $68,468 5.7%
Health Human Resources $47,964 4.0%
Emerging Technology and Drugs (Technology Assessment) $33,600 2.8%
6. International Research Activity Organizations
The following international organizations received funding for projects from Canadian funding organizations between 2007–2012.
Organization Total Funding Received Funding Organization(s) Number of Projects
NY University $152,529 Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé 1
University of Southern California $134,621 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
University of Adelaide $95,798 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions $86,745 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 3
London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine $78,646 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
University of Newcastle $68,468 Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions
2
LWM Group $65,200 Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement 1
Columbia University $64,348 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
Harvard University $53,750 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé

Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
2
University of Netherlands $49,155 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
Maastricht University $47,964 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
University of Sydney $45,000 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
Massachusetts General Hospital $45,000 Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé 1
University of New South Wales $44,000 Ontario Institute of Cancer Research 1
University of California, Berkeley $40,000 Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada 1
Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine $33,750 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
Geneva University Hospital $33,750 Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 1
John Radcliffe Hospital $33,600 Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada 1
University of Oxford $20,760 Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions 1
University of Minnesota $3,756 Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé 1

Appendix C: Funding Data Overview

The following organizations provided yearly data and has been included in the trend analysis from 2008/9 through 2011/12). Where indicated, less than 4 years were provided:

  • Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
  • Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions
  • Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation
  • Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé
  • New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (2009–2012)
  • Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
  • The Arthritis Society
  • Alzheimer Society of Canada
  • Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) – data provided by POGO
  • Cystic Fibrosis Canada

The following organizations were excluded from the trend analysis because they did not provide yearly figures or the data was too complex to break out into component years.

  • Cancer organizations (data provided by CCRA)
  • Newfoundland & Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
  • Manitoba Health Research Council
  • Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
  • Canadian Foundation for Innovation & Canada Research Chairs (web based data)
  • Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
  • Canadian Diabetes Association
  • Parkinson Society Canada
  • Any data captured through key informant validation sessions

Appendix D: Research Themes & Funding Type

Theme areas were identified based on those that persisted throughout all three Listening for Direction11 exercises (it was determined that theme areas that were identified in the 2001, 2004 and 2007 iterations of Listening for Direction – a national consultation on health services and policy issues that commenced in 2001 and ended in 2007 - were a reasonable basis for classifying investment over the period of the present report) and IHSPR’s priority research areas. An additional category called “Centre, network and infrastructure-related” was used to capture funds that flowed to large data centres and networks/centres lacking a domain focus. This category also included travel and journalism awards that could not be assigned to domain-related categories.

  1. Primary and Community-Based Healthcare
  2. Access to Appropriate Care across the Continuum
  3. Governance and Accountability
  4. Health Information (e-health)
  5. Drug Policy
  6. Health Care Financing and Funding/Health Economics
  7. Managing for Quality and Safety
  8. Change Management/Scaling up Innovation
  9. Health Human Resources
  10. Patient-Centered Care
  11. Emerging Technology and Drugs (technology assessment)
  12. Linking Population and Public Health with Health Services*
  13. Knowledge Translation/ Implementation Science*
  14. Health Information: Use of Administrative Databases*
  15. Centres, networks and infrastructure-related

* Denotes new research theme developed during the initial review and classification process.

MeSH terms that were used for a bibliometric analysis in the same theme areas as well as IHSPR’s descriptions of its five priority research areas were used as a guide for the classification of projects by theme area. IHSPR’s descriptions are available on its website. The MeSH terms are available upon request.

Funding Type Listing

The following is a listing of the funding types that were assigned to records after reviewing the program name and funding type fields submitted by the funding organizations. Where possible, the most detailed funding type was assigned, however if it was unclear, the ‘general subtype (e.g. training award – general) was assigned. For example, if a salary funding type was not assigned as new investigator etc., the funding type is assigned as salary award – general. This reflects the variation in the level of detail shared by data providers.

  • Research programs – General
  • Research programs – Operating/project/program grant
  • Research programs – Team grant
  • Research programs – KT grant
  • Research program – RCT
  • Centres & Networks
  • Training Award – General
  • Training Award – Masters
  • Training Award – Doctoral
  • Training Award – Fellowship
  • Salary Award – General
  • Salary Award – New investigator
  • Salary Award – Mid career
  • Salary Award – Senior
  • Salary Award – Clinician scientist
  • Capacity & training grant
  • Equipment & infrastructure grants
  • Meeting, planning & dissemination grants
  • Other

Appendix E: Universities with HSPR Training Centres

British Columbia

  • University of British Columbia
  • University of Victoria
  • Simon Fraser University
  • University of Northern British Columbia

Alberta

  • University of Alberta
  • University of Calgary

Saskatchewan

  • University of Saskatchewan
  • University of Regina

Manitoba

  • University of Manitoba

Ontario

  • McMaster University
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Ottawa
  • York University
  • Lakehead University
  • Laurentian University
  • Carleton University

Quebec

  • McGill University
  • Ecole nationale de l'administration publique (ENAP)

New Brunswick

  • University of New Brunswick

Newfoundland & Labrador

  • Memorial University of Newfoundland

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Garrido MV, Hansen J, Busse R. Mapping research on health systems in Europe: a bibliometric assessment. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2011 Jul;16 Suppl 2:27–37.

1

Footnote 2

CCRA Investment Reports - Annual Files and meeting with Kim Badovinac September 10, 2013

2

Footnote 3

Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada. Glossary of funding-related terms; [date unknown] [revised 2013 Jul 30; cited 2013 Oct 26].

3

Footnote 4

Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada. Listening for direction: a national consultation on health services and policy issues; [Feb 2008] [cited 2013 Oct 26].

4

Footnote 5

Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada. CIHR centres for research development corner - 2002 to 2010; [Oct 2013] [cited 2013 Dec 9].

5

Footnote 6

National Research Council (US) Committee to Study the National Needs for Biomedical, Behavioral, and Clinical Research Personnel. Research Training in the Biomedical, Behavioral, and Clinical Research Sciences. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011 Aug, Health Services Research.

6

Footnote 7

Walshe K, Davies HT. Health research, development and innovation in England from 1988 to 2013: from research production to knowledge mobilization. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2013 Oct;18 Suppl 3:1-12. doi: 10.1177/1355819613502011

7

Footnote 8

Dobrow M, Chafe R. Health services researchers working within healthcare organizations: the intriguing sound of three hands clapping. Healthcare Policy. 2008 Nov;4(2):37–45.

8

Footnote 9

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [Internet]. [place unknown]: Government of Canada. Capitalizing on big data: toward a policy framework for advancing digital scholarship in Canada [ PDF (719 KB) - external link ]; [Oct 2013] [cited 2013 Dec 22].

9

Footnote 10

El Emam K, Moher E. Privacy and anonymity challenges when collecting data for public health purposes. J Law Med Ethics. 2013 Mar;41 Suppl 1:37–41.

10

Footnote 11

Canadian Institutes of Health Research [Internet]. Ottawa (CA): Government of Canada. Internal assessment for 2012 international review: CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research; [date unknown] [revised 2011 Aug 2; cited 2013 Oct 26].

11

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