CIHR – Catalyst Grant: NWHRI: Innovation Fund – Biomedical Discovery Grants

Funder’s website

The funder’s website can be found HERE.

Funding Value and Duration

$150,000 for up to one (1) year.

Overview

The purpose of the National Women’s Health Research Initiative, a joint initiative between CIHR and Women and Gender Equality Canada announced as part of the 2021 federal budget, is to advance a coordinated research program that addresses under-researched and high-priority areas of women’s health. The National Women’s Health Research Initiative will help to ensure new evidence improves women’s, girls’, and gender-diverse people’s care and health outcomes.

The  Initiative is composed of two funding streams:

1) Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition and;

2) the Innovation Fund

a. one-year Biomedical Discovery Grants (OPEN now).

b. three year operating grants (to be launched later in 2023) to support two areas of women’s health: 1) translational research in healthcare diagnostics, therapeutics, and devices; and 2) healthcare implementation research to remove barriers to accessing healthcare.

For more information, please click HERE

The overarching vision of this Biomedical Discovery Grant funding opportunity is to support “high risk, high reward” research in high-priority areas of women’s health research. This funding opportunity will support basic science and/or other types of preclinical studies that have the potential to make significant advancements in women’s health. Projects are expected to involve cells, tissues, body parts, and/or biomarkers. Studies focused on female technology (Femtech) are also eligible.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity encourages projects in specific areas that have been chronically underfunded and under-researched. These areas include, but are not limited to:

• Diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis
• Early detection of ovarian cancer
• Early self-detection of breast cancer
• Treatment for gynecologic conditions, including fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome and/or pelvic floor dysfunction
• Treatment for perimenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal symptoms in cases where hormone therapy may not be suitable or desired
• Development of non-hormonal female contraceptives
• Gender-affirming hormone therapies

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are:

• To promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion–informed, cutting-edge, creative and outside the box research that has the potential to challenge, overturn or create new paradigms in high-priority areas of women’s health.
• To test highly innovative ideas and obtain the results necessary to catalyze new research or commercialization efforts that could subsequently be funded by larger grants.