Operating Grant: Aging in the Community (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 a 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 mobilization).
      OR
   2. an individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental, not-for-profit organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge mobilization mandate
      OR
   3. an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research and/or knowledge mobilization mandate.
2. The NPA must have their substantive role in Canada for the duration of the requested grant term.
3. The NPA must solidify an applicant level partnership with a community-based organization that serves older persons and is currently delivering the program and/or social innovation that will be evaluated. The NPA cannot be employed by this organization.
4. The applicant team must include the following individuals:
   1. A knowledge user (KU). The knowledge-user must be an employee, or a volunteer with, the applicant partner organization, and actively involved in the program and/or social innovation being evaluated. Note: for this funding opportunity, teams cannot include a Principal Knowledge User (PKU). Restricting the KU from holding the PKU role helps ensure that the evaluation is conducted in an independent and unbiased manner and remains free from any real or perceived conflict of interest.
   2. A Person with Lived and Living Expertise (PWLLE) as a Knowledge-User (KU), and has or is participating in the program and/or social innovation being evaluated.
5. Any research involving Indigenous Health Research must have an NPA who self-identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or provides evidence of meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples, or both (see "How to Apply" for more details).
6. An applicant can only submit one application as an NPA but can participate in any number of applications in other applicant roles.
7. The NPA must have successfully completed one of the sex- and gender-based analysis training modules available online through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and have submitted a Certificate of Completion (see "How to Apply" for more details).
   1. Organizations as Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA): For organizations applying as the NPA, a representative of the organization must complete the training module on the organization's behalf.
8. 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.
9. If the Institution Paid is not on the List of CIHR Eligible Institutions, they are encouraged to contact the Contact Centre, in advance, to enquire about the authorization process and timelines.

Summary

Purpose

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to evaluate established community-based programs and/or social innovations that support aging in the community, with the aim of generating co-created and actionable evidence to strengthen community health systems and enhance the health span and overall well-being of older persons living in the community.

Research Areas

All projects must evaluate an established community-based program and/or social innovation serving older community-dwelling persons.

Established community-based programs and/or social innovations are those which are currently being implemented in community settings, have demonstrated feasibility and utilization, and are beyond the pilot or proof-of concept stage

Community-based program and/or social innovation areas of focus in the general funding pool may include, but are not limited to:

• Social connectedness
• Housing (e.g., innovative housing models, unhoused, social housing, accessible housing)
• Intergenerational activities
• Caregiver support and respite
• Prevention, risk reduction, and health promotion
• Cultural participation
• Transportation and mobility
• Food security and nutrition
• Health and social care navigation
• Transitions from hospital to community
• Digital literacy and technology

Funding Exclusions
This funding opportunity will only consider applications proposing evaluations of established community-based programs and/or social innovations.

Applications will be deemed not relevant if the program and/or social innovation:

• remains at the pilot or proof-of-concept stage, or evaluations at new or expanded sites;
• cannot demonstrate feasibility or utilization with supporting data; or
• is planned to end (sunset) prior to January 31, 2029.

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 September 3, 2026. 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 September 9, 2026.

NOTE: This funding opportunity uses the tri-agency CV (TCV). For opportunities requiring the Tri-Agency CV, a Research Contributions attachment, or a Most Significant Contributions statement, applicants can refer to the Narrative CV Support webpage. 

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