Other: Planning and Dissemination Grants – ICS (Winter 2026)

Eligibility

For an application to be eligible, all the requirements stated below must be met:

1. The Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) must be one of the following:

   1. An independent researcher or knowledge user, affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation;
      OR
   2. A researcher or scholar working in a municipal, provincial or territorial government in Canada where the activity which forms the subject matter of the funding is not being funded by specific programs of those municipal, provincial or territorial governments;
      OR
   3. A trainee registered at a Canadian post-secondary institution and/or its affiliated institutions (including hospitals, research institutes and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation);
      OR
   4. An individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge translation mandate;
      OR
   5. A Canadian non-governmental, not-for-profit organization (including community or charitable organizations).

   If an organization or institution is uncertain about its eligibility for funding through this funding opportunity, it is encouraged to seek clarification from the CIHR Contact Centre.

2. The NPA must have their substantive role in Canada for the duration of the requested grant term.
3. The Institution Paid receives and administers the funds on behalf of the NPA and therefore must be authorized by CIHR before the funds can be released.
4. The NPA must have successfully completed one of the sex- and gender-based analysis online training modules through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and submit a Certificate of Completion (see How to Apply section). Please select and complete the training module most applicable to your planning or dissemination event or activity. Other applicants are encouraged to complete a training module; however, this is not a mandatory eligibility requirement. For additional information on sex, gender and health research, applicants are encouraged to review the “How to integrate sex and gender in research” page on the CIHR website.
5. Any applications involving Indigenous Peoples must include an applicant who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or provides evidence of having meaningful and culturally-safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples and must submit a one (1) page attachment describing how they meet this requirement. (see How to Apply section).
6. For all sponsor funding where funds are reserved for Early Career Researchers (ECR), the NPI must be an ECR by the funding start date and must provide a confirmation of this status at the time of the application. Please see the How to Apply section for further instructions.
7. Activities/events starting or taking place before the funding start date are not eligible for funding through this opportunity. Only activities/events starting or taking place within the effective dates of the grant (April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027) will be eligible.
8. Applicants are not eligible to apply for additional funding for an activity or event that has been previously funded by CIHR.
9. Multiple applications for the same activity or event submitted by either the same, or different Nominated Principal Applicant are not allowable. In such cases, the first application submitted through ResearchNet will be considered and reviewed. Any subsequent applications will automatically be withdrawn.
10. Budget amount requested to be funded from CIHR must not surpass the maximum amount available for a single grant for the funding pool that the NPA is applying to.

Summary

The Planning and Dissemination Grants are intended to provide support for planning and/or dissemination activities (either virtual or in-person) consistent with the mandate of CIHR and relevant to CIHR Institutes and Initiatives.

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to support:

• planning activities, partnership development and to increase understanding of the health research landscape that will contribute to the advancement of research consistent with the mandate of CIHR; and
• dissemination events and activities that focus on the communication of health research evidence to the appropriate researcher or knowledge user audiences, tailoring the message and medium as appropriate.
   

Note: This funding opportunity is not intended to support the direct cost of research (e.g., pilot projects, feasibility studies or operating grants), principal and co-investigator salaries or research equipment. Primary research or primary data collection will not be supported through this funding opportunity. Any activity that may be perceived as such should be justified (e.g., surveying individuals for the purpose of the project). Coverage of salaries of research assistants working directly on the proposed planning and/or dissemination activities/events is allowed.

Research Areas

Each of the participating Institutes and Initiatives has tailored this funding opportunity to meet the needs of their respective communities. Please see the Sponsor Description section of this funding opportunity for details on relevant areas specific to each participating Institute or Initiative.

Overhead

n/a

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Submission Process:

Full application, plus approvals in RMS, will be required by RSO by noon on November 7, 2025. Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in enough time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the internal RSO deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines.

Do not submit through ResearchNet until RSO's signature has been granted!! 

Once institutional signature has been obtained, a copy of the CIHR signature page will be available via the RMS record, under Documents. Upload the CIHR signature page and routing slip in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task in ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on November 13, 2025.

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application