Become a College Member

Members of the College of Reviewers (College) are recognized experts in their fields and are committed to the health research funding landscape. They bring a demonstrated track record of excellence and dedication to providing consistent, fair and high quality reviews affording a stable base for the peer review of all CIHR funding competitions.

If you are interested in becoming a Member of the College or would like to nominate a candidate for consideration, we encourage you to complete our online form. All candidates will be assessed as per the Membership Selection Criteria below and asked to complete a Reviewer Profile.

Membership selection criteria

  • Academics
    • Academic/professional appointment as an independent researcher; and at least one federally funded (or equivalent) peer reviewed grant as a Principal Investigator
    • Review experience:
      • Full Membership: participated in at least two peer review roles at CIHR or other recognized organization
      • Associate Membership: participated in less than two peer review roles at CIHR or other recognized organization
    • Knowledge and experience within CIHR's mandate

    Individuals that do not currently meet all of the Academic selection criteria for College Membership may be eligible for learning and capacity development programs. Please consult the Reviewer Pathway for details.

  • Indigenous Health Research

    Under development: Will be based on criteria and processes proposed by the Reference Group on Appropriate Review of Indigenous Research

    Appropriate peer review of Indigenous health research requires varied expertise from:

    • Elders, knowledge guardians and keepers;
    • Community-based Indigenous researchers working for and with their communities; and
    • Academic scholars - researchers engaged in Indigenous community health research.
  • Knowledge Users
    • Review experience: participated in at least two peer review roles at CIHR or other recognized organization
    • Knowledge and experience: knowledge and experience within CIHR’s mandate
    • Research/Professional experience: academic/professional appointment (as appropriate)
  • Patients and Caregivers

    Under development: Work is underway to develop College membership criteria for patients and caregivers to recognize their experience and the unique contributions they bring to peer review. In the meantime, we encourage you to express your interest in participating in CIHR peer review activities from a patient perspective.

Benefits of Membership

Participation in the College of Reviewers offers numerous benefits ranging from recognition programs, gaining insight into to the peer review process, learning about new research developments in your field, and engaging and networking with your peers. 

The Members-only availability tool allows individuals to log periods they are unavailable to participate in peer review activities to ensure predictable workloads, and members can enjoy access to learning programs and review quality tools to help strengthen reviews. In addition to peer review activities, members may also be offered opportunities to take on distinct advisory or mentorship roles.

The College continues to work closely with research institutions to bolster participation and recognition of its Members. To profile the service commitment of Members, CIHR publicly releases an online list of College Members and shares annual College Member Activity Reports with universities and institutions.

Membership roles and responsibilities

In order to ensure the highest standards of confidentiality, integrity and transparency in peer review are upheld, the College Member Roles and Responsibilities defines and clarifies expectations for members participating in peer review roles and activities on behalf of the College.

Membership Term and Renewal

College Member terms are three years in length, and existing terms can be viewed at any time by logging in to the College Profile on ResearchNet.

The College will reach out to Members with expiring terms to offer them an opportunity to renew their College Membership. Renewal requires the Member review and re-accept the College Membership Agreement on ResearchNet for each three-year term. If members do not consent by the date requested, the membership term will be ended. Individuals that do not renew their terms may reach out to the College to request that their membership be reinstated in the future.

At any time, Members may end their membership with the College. Prior to ending membership, individuals will be asked to fulfill any outstanding peer review commitments they have made (with the exception of extenuating circumstances).

For questions about existing or potential College membership, please contact us at college@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

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