HRJ Medical Research to Improve Health in Populations Experiencing Poverty 2026

Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements

Principal Investigators (PIs) must be affiliated with a Qualified Donee in Canada, as recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency. This includes post-secondary institutions, some research hospitals, and other charitable organizations. 

Applicants are expected to establish a limited number of significant and meaningful partnerships and collaborations to support the project. These may include academic, public, private, and nonprofit organizations. These partnerships should seek to expand the capability of the primary institution, leverage expertise and skills, and increase the capacity for knowledge mobilization to support the uptake, scalability, and impact of the work.

Institutions should participate in projects only when their involvement strengthens the initiative or enhances overall leadership. The strategic value of the partnership and the partner’s contribution should be clearly defined through a concrete role in the project’s implementation.

Partnerships with Alberta-based organizations are an asset, but not required.

Populations of Interest

This funding opportunity is intended to support projects focused on medically complex individuals experiencing poverty who are typically under-represented in research studies. Eligible populations include maternal/infant, child, youth, and adult groups. While the research may ultimately benefit geriatric populations, they are not the focus of this call, and proposals centred on this group will not be considered.

Summary

Funding Priority

In the first year of this initiative, we are inviting applications for clinical research projects that aim to expand the use of proven or emerging treatments and technologies into new areas of care for vulnerable, medically complex populations. Aligning with Pillar 2 (Clinical Research) of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, proposals should emphasize rigorous, applied investigations designed to optimize therapeutic interventions, evaluate clinical effectiveness, and generate actionable evidence to improve patient outcomes. Projects must include clear methodologies, measurable endpoints, and strategies for knowledge translation to ensure feasibility, scalability, and impact within real-world healthcare settings. Interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusion of patient and caregiver perspectives are expected components of competitive applications.

Cross-cutting themes that proposals may address include:

• Trauma as a root cause of morbidity in physical health, mental health, and substance use disorders
• Improving health in comorbid and/or trimorbid populations
• Gender-responsive approaches to care
• Enabling technologies such as medical devices or Artificial Intelligence

Areas of potential research could include, but are not limited to:

• Evaluating or improving the effectiveness of emerging medications or therapies for physical and mental health problems common among the target population
• Evaluating or improving the effectiveness of existing medications for promising off-label uses in these groups
• Testing or titrating existing medications for use with vulnerable children and youth
• Evaluating or improving the effectiveness of existing or emerging therapies for mental health and/or substance use disorders in medically complex populations

Overhead

25% 

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

Expression of Interest (EOI)

Submission Process 

There is a three-stage process consisting of an Expression of Interest (EOI), Letter of Intent (LOI), and Full Application (by invitation only). The LOI and Full Application stages of this competition will be part of the Research Management System (RMS), and approvals will be obtained electronically. Research Funding Application Approvals (RFAA) forms are not required as approvals are collected electronically in RMS. 

1. Expression of Interest (EOI)

Potential applicants submit a one-page summary of their project, including the name and affiliation of the PI; a plain-language description of the project
objectives; the population for whom the project is most relevant; and a list of potential co-investigators and project partners. Additional co-investigators
and project partners may be added at the LOI stage.

EOIs should be sent via email to: medicalresearch@hrjconsulting.com by Nov 21, 2025. All potential applicants who submit an EOI are eligible to continue to the LOI stage.

2. Letter of Intent (LOI) 

The LOI, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record, must be submitted to RSO by Jan 7, 2026 at 12:00 pm. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

Once you have received RSO approval, you must submit the LOI by via email to: medicalresearch@hrjconsulting.com by Jan 12, 2026 at 5:00 pm. 

3. Full Application (by invitation only) 

Please do not create a new Pre-Award/Application record in RMS. Continue with the same RMS number by updating the status of the Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record to 'Invited for full application' (under Save & Progress). The system will generate a Pre-Award/Application record, and you can proceed as usual. 

The Full Application, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS), must be submitted to RSO by Jun 29, 2026 at 12:00 pm. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

Do not submit to the agency until RSO's approval has been granted in RMS. Once this institutional approval has been obtained, the Principal Investigator will receive an automated message from RMS to their @ucalgary email address. You can then proceed with submitting your application by Jul 3, 2026. 

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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.

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 LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application