Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies (CRPPHE)
Partnership and collaborative work
Women RISE research initiative
On November 22, 2022, the recipients of the Women RISE research initiative were announced at the Canadian Conference on Global Health in Toronto. The 23 Women RISE research projects supported by Women RISE involve Canadian institutions in collaboration with decision-makers and institutions from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa.
ISE is a $24M initiative co-led by CIHR (through the Institute of Infection & Immunity, the CRPPHE, the Institute of Population & Public Health, and CIHR’s HIV/AIDS and STBBI (Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections) Research Initiative), as well as Canada’s International Development Research Centre, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Women RISE will fund research that investigates ways the COVID-19 experience can inform, improve, and safeguard women’s health and socioeconomic well-being against future health emergencies, including infectious pandemics, environmental disasters, or other large-scale acute events with actual or potential significant negative health impact or societal disruption.
Mpox (Monkeypox) Rapid Research Response funding opportunities
On August 3, 2022, the CRPPHE in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) launched the Monkeypox Rapid Research Response competition. On December 20, 2022, the results of this funding opportunity were announced in a joint news release from the Minister of Health and the Minister of International Development. An investment of $5.5M will support two research projects involving researchers from Canada, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two teams will study mpox transmission and evaluate vaccines and treatments used against the current outbreak and disseminate this knowledge to public health officials, policymakers, and high-risk communities.
Separately, in December 2022, the CRPPHE and the CIHR HIV/AIDS and STBBI Research Initiative launched an $11M funding opportunity to support research that will improve our understanding of the mpox virus and/or other orthopoxviruses and create greater research capacity and health system readiness for current and future zoonotic diseases. The results of this funding opportunity are expected in the Spring of 2023.
Post COVID-19 Condition Research funding
In recognition of the potential significant health, economic, and social burden of post COVID-19 condition (PCC), the CRPPHE launched a $20M funding opportunity in October 2022 to establish a Canadian Post COVID-19 Condition Research Network. It will provide a dedicated, coordinated and scalable platform: to research the biological, clinical, mental health, health systems, and population health impacts of PCC; to coordinate and collaborate with domestic and international stakeholders; and to strengthen Canada’s capacity to undertake and contribute to an evidence-based and equitable response to PCC. The results of this funding opportunity are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Support for the WHO-led research response to the 2022 Sudan Ebolavirus outbreak in Uganda
In November 2022, as part of a broader Government of Canada funding response, CIHR approved the transfer of $1.5M in funding to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in mobilizing a vaccine research response against Ebola disease caused by the Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV). Although the outbreak was officially declared to be over on January 11, 2023, CIHR is in discussions on how its funding can be used to continue supporting local and global preparedness for future outbreaks.
