Operating Grant: Data Analysis Using Existing CDN Databases and Cohorts (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:
   • An Early Career Researcher (ECR) or a Mid-Career Researcher (MCR) 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);
     OR
   • An individual affiliated with an Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research or knowledge translation mandate;
     OR
   • An Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada with a research or knowledge translation mandate.
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. If the Institution Paid is not on the List of CIHR Eligible Institutions, they are encouraged to contact the CIHR Contact Centre, in advance, to enquire about the authorization process and timelines.
4. The NPA must submit a letter or other supporting document from the data custodian indicating the applicants have obtained permission to access the data.
5. 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 submit a Certificate of Completion (see How to Apply). Please select and complete the training module most applicable to your research project. Organizations as NPAs: For organizations applying as the NPA, a representative of the organization must complete the training module on the organization's behalf.
6. Any research involving Indigenous Peoples, including those applying to the Indigenous Health pool must include at least one applicant (NPA or PA) 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).
7. For applications applying to the Equity-Denied Groups pool, at least one member of the research team in an applicant or knowledge user role (i.e. Principal Applicant, Co-Applicant, Principal Knowledge User, Knowledge User) must provide evidence of meaningful involvement with that group (see How to Apply).
8. An applicant can only submit one application as an NPA but can participate in any number of applications in other applicant roles.

Summary

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support projects that use data from existing Canadian-based cohorts, databases, cohort catalogues, and data platforms, to advance knowledge in human development, child and/or youth health with the goal to improve patient, population, and system outcomes.

Research Areas

In addition to funding projects that align with the overall purpose of this funding opportunity, separate funding pools will support projects relevant to both the overall purpose and the following priority research areas:

• Equity-Denied Groups: This funding pool will support research aligned with the objectives of this funding opportunity that focuses on human development, child and youth health in equity-denied groups. Equity-denied groups include, but are not limited to, women/girls, persons with disabilities, racialized people and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
• Cancer: This funding pool will support research aligned with the objectives of this funding opportunity that applies artificial intelligence methodologies to accelerate advancements in cancer research.
• Genetics: This funding pool will support research aligned with the objectives of this funding opportunity that focuses on any aspect of genetics, basic biochemistry and cell biology related to health and disease, including the translation of knowledge into health policy and practice, and the societal implications of genetic discoveries.
• Indigenous Health: This funding pool will support distinctions-based research aligned with the objectives of this funding opportunity that focuses on First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis peoples.
• Musculoskeletal Health: This funding pool will support research aligned with the objectives of this funding opportunity that focuses on one or more of the following domains: joints, muscles, connective tissues, bones, skin, oral and craniofacial region, and physical activity.
• Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction: This funding pool will support research aligned with the objectives of this funding opportunity that examines brain health impacts of digital products.
• Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes: This funding pool will support research that aligns with the objectives of this funding opportunity and in which the objectives and aims are determined to be largely and directly relevant to the INMD mandate.

Overhead

N/A

Pre-application deadlines

Pre-application program deadline

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:

Registration due directly to CIHR via ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on September 2, 2026. No RMS needed for this step.

Full application, plus approvals in RMS, will be required by RSO by noon on September 17, 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 and submit in ResearchNet by 6:00PM Calgary time on September 22, 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 Knowledge to Impact TCV guide. 

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