CIHR Strategic Master’s Awards (SMA) – Application instructions

Before beginning

Applicants and their supervisor must make sure they have the following:

• a ResearchNet account
• a CIHR PIN
• a Canadian Common CV account (applicants only)

Applicants and their supervisor should have only one ResearchNet account each. If ResearchNet was accessed in the past, do not register for a new account.

General application process

This document provides general instructions, but does not necessarily represent an exhaustive list of all information required to complete an application.

• Applications must be prepared, finalized and submitted by applicants using ResearchNet in either official languages.
• Applicants must preview all components of their application to ensure its completeness.
• Any information that is not required or exceeds the page/character limits will be removed from the application prior to the review without notification.
• Applications must be submitted prior to the deadline posted on ResearchNet.
• CIHR cannot legally accept an application until the Consent and Submit task is completed on ResearchNet.
• Information provided in your application package must be self-contained. Links to external websites or documents hosted on a drive should not be included in the application.
• No changes or updates can be made to an application after they have been submitted either before or after the deadline.
• All attachments must be in PDF format (unprotected), cannot exceed 30 MB per document, and must adhere to the Acceptable Application Formats and PDF Attachments guidelines.
• Failure to comply with these requirements can negatively impact the status and evaluation of your application in a competition.

For technical help or for additional information, contact us Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
1-888-603-4178
613-954-1968

Tasks required for completing a CIHR Strategic Master’s Award (SMA) application

1. Complete the Canadian Common CV
2. Complete the ResearchNet application
   1. Identify Participants
   2. Enter Proposal Information
   3. Attach Other Application Materials
   4. Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools
   5. Print/Upload Signature Pages
   6. Preview
   7. Consent and Submit

A. Complete the Canadian Common CV

Nominated Principal Applicants must choose the CIHR Academic CV template. To produce a Common CV:

1. Go to the CCV website and "Login".
2. Under CV, select Funding, then select CIHR and the appropriate CV type CIHR Academic from the dropdowns. Then click Load.
3. Enter all the relevant and necessary data and click on Done. A validation will automatically be performed and errors, if any, will be displayed. The validation rules are specific to CIHR and the selected CV type.
4. Review the CCV data online via a preview of the PDF.
5. When satisfied, click on Submit.
6. Record the confirmation number that is displayed with the status message (which can also be found under the History tab and on the first page of the CCV PDF).
7. Enter the recorded confirmation number under the Identify Participants section on ResearchNet.
8. If changes are required to the CCV for the application, applicants must repeat the steps above and record the new confirmation number.

Note: During peak periods, there can be a delay for the validation of the CCV confirmation number by ResearchNet. It is highly recommended that applicants enter their CCV confirmation number in their application well in advance of the competition deadline.

Important CCV information required for completing a CIHR Strategic Master’s Award (SMA) application

In addition to the instructions in the CCV, here are additional instructions, specific to this funding opportunity, for sections that align with the evaluation criteria. It provides important information to reviewers for the adjudication of each application. Do not feel obligated to complete every CCV field. The numerous fields are meant to capture information from different fields of research and for various funding opportunities.

1. Section "Education", sub-section "Degrees"

   • Every degree (Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate) must be recorded in the CCV whether they are complete or in progress. In addition, the following information must be entered in the applicant's CCV for eligibility purposes:
     • Degree Type
     • Degree Name
     • Specialization
     • Organization
     • Degree Status
     • Degree Start Date (YYYY/MM)
     • Degree Received Date or Degree Expected Date (YYYY/MM)
     • Supervisor(s) (if applicable)

     Note: Applicants who have transferred to their doctoral program without completing their Master's studies and/or are pursuing a joint doctoral program should record their studies as per below:

   • Record the Master's and/or any joint studies distinctively by indicating "In Progress" as the degree status. Record the doctoral studies distinctively by indicating "In Progress" as the degree status and by responding "Yes" to the question "Transferred to PhD without completing Masters?".
2. Section "Recognitions"
   • Indicate any recognition received, including honors, distinctions, prizes, awards (competitive or not, monetary or not, declined … etc.).
     • In the Recognition Name field (limited to 250 characters, including spaces), enter from which channel the recognition was obtained (competitive process or not), and from which source (Federal, Provincial, Non-Profit organizations…etc.).
     • If the recognition was declined, it should also be indicated.
3. Section "Employment"
   • Applicants must list any previous or current employment. If there are none, leave this section blank.
4. Section "Employment", Sub-Section "Leaves of Absence and Impact on Research"
   • Applicants must explain any gaps in the chronology of their experience.
     • Applicants should describe any special considerations that have had an effect on their performance or productivity.
     • Applicants should include any considerations that may have resulted in delays in disseminating their research results, such as health problems, family responsibilities, disabilities, trauma and/or loss, pandemic impact or other circumstances, for example, the time necessary to complete a monograph, file a patent, or commercialize an industrial process or product; and for health professionals, engagement in post-degree non-research related clinical training (residency, etc.).
     • Applicants must provide specific dates for their interruptions, including exact start and end dates.
     • applicants are not required to justify circumstances when noting considerations related to personal identity considerations. Should an applicant choose to include this information, it will be reviewed by selection committee members.
     • If there are none, leave this section blank.
5. Section "Research Funding History"
   • This section should only include research funding entries whereby the applicant was formally recorded as co-applicant, co-investigator, co-knowledge user, collaborator, decision maker, policy maker, principal applicant, principal investigator or principal knowledge user.
     • The information in this section should not duplicate information included elsewhere in the CCV (e.g. awards such as Master's awards or any other type of federal or non-federal awards should be listed in Recognitions and not in this section).
     • If there are none, leave this section blank.
6. Section "Activities"
   • The activities and contributions defined in this section should include both academic and non-academic achievements, and their relevance and impacts.
     • Only entries with dates within the past 5 years may be submitted.
     • If there are none, leave this section blank.
7. Section "Contributions"

   • In line with DORA, applicants can highlight a broad range of contributions and impacts. For further guidance consult the Applicant resource: How to highlight your research contributions and impacts.

     Note: Do not repeat entries from a sub-section to another. If there are none, leave it blank.

     • Presentations:
       • Conference poster presentations should be listed under Presentations. If the abstract was published in a conference journal, it should be listed under the sub-section entitled Conference Publications found under the Publications section.
       • Only entries with dates within the past 5 years may be submitted.
     • Publications:
       • Only include publications that have been accepted or are in press.
       • Do not include publications in preparation or submitted (unless available in a recognized scientific public archive).
       • Theses should be included under sub-section Dissertations.
       • Only entries with dates within the past 5 years may be submitted.
     • Intellectual Property:
       • This section should include details for patents and intellectual property rights for technology transfer, products and services.
       • Descriptions might include the title, patents or intellectual property rights number and date, country(ies) of issue, the name of the inventors, as well as relevance or impact of the stated item.
       • Do not include publications in this section.
       • No entry limits.

B. Complete the ResearchNet application

1. Identify participants

1. Identify a Nominated Principal Applicant and a Primary Supervisor. You must identify this individual in the role of Primary Supervisor under this task, or else, the task will remain incomplete.
   • If the applicant is a Protected Person, under Citizenship select Other and specify the home country in the drop-down.
     • IMPORTANT: If the applicant select Other and is not a Protected Person, the application will be deemed ineligible and will be removed.
2. This subtask collects information on the applicant and Primary Supervisor:
   • CIHR PIN;
   • CCV confirmation number (applicants only);
   • Contact information which will serve CIHR to communicate with applicants and supervisors if needed.

Special Circumstances – Optional (Maximum 1 page)

• Applicants are invited to provide contextual factors that affected the progress in their research or dissemination of results. Examples include health problems, family responsibilities, disabilities, trauma and/or loss, pandemic impact or other circumstances, for example, the time necessary to complete a monograph, file a patent, or commercialize an industrial process or product; and for health professionals, engagement in post-degree non-research related clinical training or activities (residency, etc.). Applicant should include the start and end dates; the impact areas; and the reason(s) for or a brief explanation of the absence.
• Applicants may explain any gaps in the chronology of their experience. However, applicants are not required to justify circumstances when noting considerations related to personal identity considerations. Should applicants choose to include this information, it will be reviewed by selection committee members.

Proof of citizenship or permanent residence – Mandatory (Maximum 1 page)

The applicant must attach their valid proof of Canadian Citizenship, Permanent Resident or Protected Person document. The following are the acceptable forms of proof:

• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship;
• Birth certificate/ copy of an act issued by the proper provincial government authority;
• Valid passport;
• Permanent Resident Card;
• Form IMM 1000;
• Form IMM 5292;
• Form IMM 5688;
• Letter received indicating a positive decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board;
• Verification of Status (VOS) document with positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) decision from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada;  
• Temporary Resident Permit if the applicant is a Protected Temporary Resident.

2. Enter proposal information

This section collects information related to the research project of applicants.

Title

CIHR will identify the research project using the project title. For this reason, applicants cannot edit their title once the application is submitted.

Lay title

Provide a title for the project that is in a language clear to the general public. Lay titles are used by CIHR to inform the public and Parliament about the valuable research supported through public funds.

Lay abstract

Describe the project in a way that is accessible to a lay audience. Indicate how the proposed research can improve personal health, the health of populations and/or the health delivery system. This information is used by CIHR to inform the public and Parliament about the valuable research supported through public funds.

Institution paid

Indicate the Canadian institution that will administer the funds. Consult the CIHR Application Administration Guide for more information. Without exception, CIHR Strategic Master's Awards (SMA) are tenable only at CIHR eligible Canadian institutions.

Certification requirements

If the application is selected for funding, the necessary certification requirements must be met in accordance with policies on ethical conduct of research:

• Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions
• CIHR Funding Policies

CIHR must review proposed projects against the requirements of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). To this end, please indicate whether any phase of the proposed research will take place on "federal lands" as defined under IAA, which includes land owned by the Government of Canada, including reserves created under the Indian Act?

Applicants to this funding opportunity are exempt and should answer No.

In order to carry out the proposed research in this application, is an exemption from Health Canada under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act required?

Applicants to this funding opportunity are exempt and should answer No.

Does this application propose research involving Indigenous Peoples?

Indicate if the application proposes research involving Indigenous Peoples. This information will be used for statistical purposes only.

Applicants, whose proposed research will involve First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, must ensure to work and engage with Indigenous communities in a meaningful and culturally safe way.

The research project summary should reflect that the applicant and the supervisor are aware of and referring to relevant principles and protocols established for this kind of research, such as, following the Principles of OCAP® (i.e., ownership, control, access and possession/protection), the CARE principals (alongside FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) or other principles of Indigenous self-governance as appropriate.

Please, also consult Ethics of Health Research Involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis People.

Are sex (biological) and/or gender (socio-cultural) considerations taken into account in this study?

Indicate if sex (biological) and/or gender (socio-cultural) are taken or not into account in this study (from its design to the analysis of the research findings). Please consult these resources on how to integrate sex and gender into research (limit of 2000 characters, including spaces).

If not considered, explain why sex and/or gender are not applicable to your research proposal.

Period of support requested

Indicate the period of support required. Note: The CIHR Strategic Master's Award’s duration is one (1) year.

Proposed start date

Indicate the date for which funding for the research project/program would begin. Funding start date must be within proposed start dates specified under the Conditions of Funding of the funding opportunity although project/program may have already started.

Percentage of time spent on different activities

Indicate the percentage of time to be spent on different activities. Applicants are expected to spend at least 75% of their time in the proposed research training (Research + Course work) throughout the duration of the graduate studies.

Summary of the research project is written by

Select all option(s) that applies.

Language in which proposal is written

Select the appropriate language.

Descriptors

Provide keywords that describe the research project, the techniques and the methodologies it will employ, as well as the areas of interest.

Areas of research

Select the areas of research that best describe the proposal from the list provided.

Classification

Select the classifications that best describe the proposal from the list provided.

Themes

Select a primary theme classification. Indicate additional theme classifications only if the substance of the application significantly overlaps more than one theme. Consult the definition of the four CIHR Themes on the CIHR website for more information.

Suggested Institutes

Select a primary CIHR Institute whose research mandate is related to the application's research area(s) and objective(s). Additional Institutes should only be selected if the substance of the application significantly overlaps with the research mandate of more than one Institute.

Attachments

Note: Information provided must be self-contained. Hyperlinks, including links to documents hosted on a Google drive (or other similar drives), must not be included in any attachments within the application. Reviewers will not be accessing any content hosted on such drives or linked outside the application. However, Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) to reference publications are permitted.

Research project summary

Sections 1 and 2 below must be uploaded as a single document (unprotected) not to exceed 30 MB.

For each of the distinct sections below: maximum of 1 page for applications in English and maximum of 1.5 pages for applications in French - See important Note. Pages in excess of the number permitted will be removed with no further notification to the Nominated Principal Applicant.

Section 1: Outline of proposed research

• Provide a detailed and specific description of the proposed research project for the period during the term of the award in general scientific language.
• Provide background information to position the proposed research within the context of current knowledge in the field.
• State the objectives, hypothesis and outline the experimental and/or theoretical approach to be taken (citing literature pertinent to the proposal) and the methods and procedures to be used.
• State the significance of the proposed research to a field or fields in the health sciences.
• If the degree program does not involve a thesis, a major research paper/essay or a major research project, clearly outline the research component of the degree.
• If the applicant has not decided on a specific project, it is necessary to provide a detailed description of a proposed research project.

Section 2: Bibliography and citations

• Provide a bibliography that includes citations for all works referenced in the proposed research. These citations should be in a format used by the primary discipline of the proposed research. Citations must be clear and complete, to allow reviewers to easily locate the sources.
• Ideas and text belonging to others must be properly referenced.
• Include all relevant information in the outline.
• Do not refer reviewers to URLs or other publications for supplemental information.

3. Attach Other Application Materials

Letters of Support – Mandatory – Upload under “Letters of Support”

• Attach two (2) letters of support using the template Assessment form [ PDF (226 KB) ] (maximum 2 pages per form). Note: Failure to use the provided template may negatively impact applications.
• The assessment forms should be completed by individuals who are familiar with the applicant’s research and/or other abilities that they can provide a meaningful commentary (for example, current or previous academic research supervisor, industrial supervisor, employment/volunteer supervisor, teacher or thesis advisor). These assessments will provide information to peer reviewers to assess applications and validate that they meet the evaluation criteria. Refer to Information for Sponsors and revise the best practices and considerations when providing assessment form.
• Applicants must contact proposed references to ensure they are willing to complete an assessment for them well in advance of the application deadline. It is applicant's responsibility to collect these assessments from their referees and upload them distinctively as part of their application prior to the deadline.

Other

Label documents below as indicated in bold when uploading them into ResearchNet

1. SMA - Program of Study Information – Mandatory (Maximum 1 page)
   • Applicants must retrieve this form from the CIHR website under Index of Funding Related Forms. Detailed instructions are indicated on the form.
   • The form must be signed by the Scholarship Liaison Officer (SLO) at the proposed institution.
2. Research Training Environment Support – Mandatory (Maximum 1 page)
   • Attach one (1) letter containing the signature from the proposed primary supervisor, outlining the space, facilities, funding, mentoring, training, collaborations, and personnel support that is available to the applicant:
     • It must demonstrate the commitment of the proposed primary supervisor and their institution to support the development of the applicant's research project (funding, facilities, equipment, etc.).
     • It must describe how they have the appropriate authority to supervise, and mentor the applicant and how the primary supervisor will foster an equitable and inclusive relationship for the applicant.
3. SGBA+ Certificate – Mandatory (Maximum 1 page)
   • Applicants must complete the appropriate CIHR interactive module on Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis (SGBA) and Health Research that applies to the research project.
     • The module should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.
     • The certificate is issued as a protected document; however, in order to attach the document to the application, you must download an unprotected PDF copy, either by a screenshot or by scanning the document.

Transcripts – Mandatory

Up-to-date official transcripts of the applicant's complete academic record are required. This includes all undergraduate and graduate studies, completed or ongoing. Instructions below must also be followed:

• One copy of the legend (reverse of each transcript) must be included.
• Transcript text must be horizontal. Original copies of any uploaded transcripts must be retained since they may be requested by CIHR for verification purposes at any point in the process.

• Transcripts printed from the applicant’s personal institution account are not accepted.

  Note 1: Up-to-date official transcripts are defined as transcripts issued by the Registrar's Office and dated or issued in most recent current term of the year of the application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered).

  Note 2: Certified true copies of official transcripts from the institution are accepted. A certified true copy is defined as a copy of the original document (or of the original translated document if official transcript is not in either English or French).

  Note 3: Applicants who are or were registered at an institution that does not provide transcripts must submit, in lieu of a transcript, a letter bearing the official institution seal/stamp or a letter signed by the Dean of Graduate Studies confirming the applicant's program of study, the applicant's registration status, the date of initial registration, the degree obtained or sought and the fact that the institution does not provide transcripts.

4. Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools

For the purpose of this Funding Opportunity, this task is mandatory.

For requirements on each Funding Pool available, applicants must carefully read the Description and Eligibility sections of the Funding Opportunity that relates to the current competition.

• Applicants must select at least one and up to three Pools, if this is addressed by their research proposal.
• Per selected Pool, a text box will appear to provide a justification describing how the project of work proposed will address the requirements stated in the Funding Opportunity. The information must be self-contained.
• Only selected Pool(s) at time of submission will be considered by CIHR.
• This form will be used to determine relevance (for each Funding Pool selected). Applicants for which applications are deemed non-relevant to any of the selected pools will be notified accordingly.

5. Print/upload Signature Pages

Download the signature page, which is found on ResearchNet under this task, and follow the instructions below, knowing that printed names should always accompany signatures:

• The Primary Supervisor signature is required.
• The signature of an individual with signing authority from the Institution Paid is required.
• Scan and upload all 3 pages of the document as one PDF (Unprotected) in the "Print/Upload Signature Pages" task in ResearchNet prior to submitting the application.

Note: As the application is submitted electronically in ResearchNet by the applicant, their signature is not required.

6. Preview

Applicants must review all components of the application. If a section is incomplete, the missing information must be provided to successfully submit the application.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the information provided is complete and that it conforms to the application requirements. ResearchNet does not validate the content of the uploaded document(s).

Note: Applicants cannot preview their CCV information through ResearchNet. They must verify the information directly on the CCV website.

7. Consent and Submit

It is highly recommended that applicants submit their application well ahead of the deadline. Applicants must:

• Review the terms listed and respond to the questions regarding consent in order to submit their application.
• Click Submit to send the application. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once their application has been submitted to CIHR.

Date modified:

2025-05-26