CIHR Industry Partnered Research
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Scored mainly on your track record and who is on your team. 18 lead with that.
- Has a stated policy on using AI to write your application. Only 21 say anything about it.
- Publishes the score sheet reviewers actually use. Only 30 do.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
CIHR's dedicated industry-partnered programs have been sunset or are no longer actively accepting applications. The current pathway for businesses is to partner with an academic health researcher who leads a CIHR Project Grant application, with the business contributing cash or in-kind support. Businesses cannot apply to CIHR directly — funds flow to academic institutions. The Project Grant success rate is approximately 14%.
Eligibility Requirements
- Health-related company or organization seeking to partner with an academic health researcher
- The application is led by a researcher or knowledge user affiliated with a Canadian university or its affiliated hospitals, research institutes and health non-profits, or by an Indigenous non-governmental organization with a research or knowledge translation mandate; businesses take part as partners
- Company provides cash or in-kind contributions to the research partnership
- Research focus is in health sciences, biotechnology, or medical devices
- Company has a genuine health research challenge that would benefit from academic collaboration
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Varies
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Deadline
- Restructured — CHRP sunset April 2022; active pathway is CIHR Project Grant with industry partner
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Difficult — significant preparation needed
Very high competition — highly selective
Very complex — extensive preparation required
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipA business cannot apply to CIHR directly -- you must partner with an academic researcher at a Canadian university or research hospital who leads the application. Start by connecting with researchers through your local university's technology transfer office or industry liaison office. The new National Security RAF requirement (since Fall 2023) adds complexity and processing time -- start early and work closely with the institution's research office. Given the ~15% success rate and 23.5% budget cuts applied to all funded grants, many funded researchers are actively seeking industry partners to supplement their projects. Position your company as a knowledge user or application partner who brings real-world validation and co-funding to strengthen the application.
Rejection Pitfalls 9
- Business attempts to apply directly -- CIHR Project Grants are led by researchers at Canadian universities and affiliated institutions, not by companies
- Industry partner owns >5% of the company employing the researcher (conflict of interest rule)
- Partner letter missing or lacks specific cash/in-kind commitment details
Success Profile
The typical successful applicant is NOT a business -- it is a health sciences researcher (MD, PhD) at a Canadian university or research hospital. Success profile for a BUSINESS seeking to participate: health-tech, biotech, or medical device company with a defined R&D challenge that benefits from academic expertise; pre-existing relationship with a researcher at a Canadian institution; capacity to commit 75%+ cash contributions as a project partner; clear path from research outcomes to commercial application; willing to engage in 3-5 year research timelines.
How CIHR Industry Partnered Research judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.
6 of the sources
- Project Grant Program cihr-irsc.gc.ca
- ResearchNet funding opportunity: Project Grant, Fall 2026 and… researchnet-recherchenet.ca
- Project Grant: Application Instructions cihr-irsc.gc.ca
- Project Grant: Registration Instructions cihr-irsc.gc.ca
- Project Grant Program: Application Process cihr-irsc.gc.ca
- Project Grant Program: Review Process cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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What CIHR Industry Partnered Research favours
Clearly describe each applicant's role and link it to project objectives◦
“The roles and responsibilities of each applicant should be clearly described, and linked to the objectives of the project.”
The form
Company staff and CV
- 1Applicant Profile CV (knowledge users and non-academics)short answer · 3 pagesno limit
Commercialization proposal
- 2Research proposal structure for the Commercialization (CMZ) committeewritten answer · 10 pagesno limit
All research proposals submitted to the Commercialization panel must be structured according to the three main headings below.
Research security screening
- Task 3Task 3: Identify Sensitive Technology Research Areasyes/no + writtenno limit
Will the proposed research activities, supported by this grant, advance any of the listed sensitive technology research areas?
Partner identification and budget
- Task 5Task 5: Identify application partners (optional)tableno limit
- 5Signed letter of support from each contributing partnershort answerno limit
- Task 6Complete the Partner Budget Details Subtask (optional)table · 900 characters
Risk Assessment Form
- Section 2RAF Section 2: Know Your Partner Organizationselectionno limit
- Section 3RAF Section 3: Risk Identificationwritten answer · 4,800 characters
- Section 4RAF Section 4: Risk Mitigation Planwritten answer · 5,400 characters
- Section 5RAF Section 5: Additional Requirementscheckboxno limit
Letters of collaboration
- 11Letters of collaboration (optional)short answer · 5 pagesno limit
bar = length the funder allows, from its stated limits
Judged against
CIHR Industry Partnered Research publishes its score sheet. in Premium
- 1
Is the idea creative and likely to matter?
Show them Open with the health problem the company has seen and say what new knowledge or use the project will produce.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- Criterion 1 – Concept
- Significance and Impact of the Research
- 2
Are the methods good enough to deliver?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Do these people and this institution deliver?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
Is the commercialization plan credible and funded?
What to show, and the funder’s 9 criteria behind it in Premium
11 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“Note: Any additional pages over the above-mentioned limit will be removed with no further notification to the Nominated Principal Applicant.”
“Hyperlinks, including links to documents hosted on a Google drive (or other similar drives) must not be included in any attachments within your application.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 8 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
5 more rules that can reject you · 12 more criteria · 9 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
You
NPA's substantive role stays in Canada
The NPA must have their substantive role in Canada for the duration of the requested grant term.
No pay for independent-researcher-eligible applicants
Co-Applicants and Collaborators can be paid for their services from the grant as long as they are not considered an independent researcher eligible to apply for CIHR funding.
Your organisation
Institution authorized to administer CIHR funds
The Institution Paid must be authorized to administer CIHR funds before the funding can be released.
AI use “Applicants using generative artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) in the preparation of grant applications should refer to the Tri-agency guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in the development and review of research grant proposals.”
2 things this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Total available~$800M across Fall 2026, Spring 2027
The total amount available for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Project Grant competitions is $~800M
Partner contributionsCash and/or in-kind contributions
Partnership contributions can be a combination of cash and/or in-kind contributions.
No partner capNo upper limit on partner contributions
There is no upper limit on partner contributions to a project.
Your shareNo formal requirement; partners may be expected
The Project Grant program has no formal requirements for partnering; however, depending on the nature of the research proposal, a commitment from interested or engaged knowledge user(s) or other partners may be reasonably expected by peer reviewers.
What it pays for · 2
- Reasonable expenses related to knowledge translation, networking, commercialization (including patent costs specific to the IP) and community-based research are eligible.
- Co-Applicants and Collaborators can be paid for their services from the grant as long as they are not considered an independent researcher eligible to apply for CIHR funding.
What it does not pay for · 1
- CIHR grant funds may be used to cover only the direct costs of research (materials and supplies, services, travel for research activities, etc.) and may not be used for indirect costs.
From application to money
- Register2027-02-03Register by 2027-02-03 for application
- Submit application2027-03-03Submit application by 2027-03-03
- Notice of Decision2027-07-21Notice of Decision 2027-07-21
- Funding starts2027-10-01Funding starts 2027-10-01
- Final reportFinal Report on ResearchNet
In the funder’s words · 5
- Register
- A Registration must be submitted to be eligible to submit a full application.
- Submit application
- It is important to be aware of your internal institutional deadline.
- Notice of Decision
- Peer review committees rate the application and issue the Notice of Recommendation.
- Funding starts
- The grant term begins and the Institution Paid administers the funds.
- Final report
- An electronic Final Report can be filled in on ResearchNet as the research progresses.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win CIHR Industry Partnered Research
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 9 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 13-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 6-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 13
Eligible Expenses 10
- Salaries and stipends for research personnel (postdocs, research associates, technicians)
- Graduate student stipends and tuition
- Equipment purchases ($10K+ requires quotes; $25K+ requires competitive quotes)
- Materials, supplies, and consumables for research
- Travel costs related to the research project
- Knowledge translation and dissemination activities
- Animal care and use costs
- Clinical trial costs (patient recruitment, data management)
- Publication and open access charges
- Professional services (statistical analysis, specialized testing)
Ineligible Expenses 6
- Business's own internal product development costs (these go through SR&ED or IRAP)
- Construction, renovation, or infrastructure costs
- Institutional overhead beyond what CIHR allows
- Entertainment, hospitality, or promotional costs
- Costs incurred before the grant start date
- Expenses not directly related to the funded research project
Deadline Notes
CIHR runs two Project Grant competitions per year (Spring and Fall). The Fall 2026 competition closed on September 9, 2026 (decisions January 28, 2027). The next is the Spring 2027 competition: registration deadline February 3, 2027, application deadline March 3, 2027, anticipated Notice of Decision July 21, 2027, funding from October 1, 2027. The lead researcher must submit a registration before the full application. The Fall 2025 competition results were announced in January 2026 (421 grants funded). There is no separate 'industry-partnered' competition anymore -- businesses participate through the standard Project Grant stream by partnering with an academic researcher. The Partnering for Impact Catalyst Grant (up to $125K) had an October 2025 deadline. Strategic funding opportunities with industry relevance are launched throughout the year -- monitor cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/51605.html for announcements.
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskLow for the business partner (since the business does not receive CIHR funds). CIHR can withhold or recover funds from the academic institution for misuse, failure to report, or breach of grant conditions. The business's financial risk is limited to its own contributed cash/in-kind investments.
How CIHR Industry Partnered Research Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIHR Industry Partnered Research | Varies | Hard | Advance Payment | Restructured — CHRP... |
| NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program | $100,000–$500,000 | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| Mitacs Accelerate | $15,000 per internship unit | Easy | Advance Payment | Ongoing |
| Genome Canada | Up to $10 million | Hard | Reimbursement | Ongoing |
| Digital Technology Supercluster | Up to $5 million | Hard | Reimbursement | Open — Call for... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about CIHR Industry Partnered Research