ARCHIVED - Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Report

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Minister's Message

I am honoured to present the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Report on Plans and Priorities for the fiscal year 2012-2013.

As a country, we are facing a wide range of health challenges, from the growing number of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease to health disparities among Aboriginal Peoples. By investing in health research, we can uncover the evidence we need to address these challenges. That is why the Government of Canada remains committed to supporting Canada's health researchers and research institutions. With CIHR's collaboration and expertise, we are helping ensure a healthy future for all Canadians.

This year marks the fourth year of the implementation of Health Research Roadmap, CIHR's strategic plan. The vision outlined in Roadmap is helping CIHR invest in world-class research, focus on health and health-systems priorities, translate research findings into health and economic benefits, and strive for excellence. In line with these priorities, I recently announced Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) – a first for the country. This new strategy will put patients first by ensuring that research evidence directly improves patient care. As part of this strategy, the Government of Canada and CIHR will work together to support research focused on strengthening health care. SPOR is just one of the ways the Government of Canada is seeking to accelerate the uptake of health-care innovation.

In 2011-2012, CIHR underwent an International Review, conducted by a blue-ribbon panel of health research experts and leaders from around the globe. The review panel commended CIHR for the progress it has achieved on many fronts and identified a few areas for future improvement. Most of these have been identified in Roadmap and the organization has already made progress in addressing them. In August 2011, CIHR's Governing Council publicly released a response and action plan to address the review panel's recommendations.  

In 2012-2013, CIHR will continue to refine its vision for the future of health research. I applaud CIHR for the work it is doing on behalf of Canadians.

Section I: Organizational Overview

Raison d'être

Responsibilities

CIHR was designed to respond to the evolving needs for health research, and this is reflected in the difference of its mandate from that of its predecessor, the Medical Research Council of Canada. CIHR's mandate seeks to transform health research in Canada by:

• funding both investigator-initiated research as well as research on targeted priority areas;
• building research capacity in under-developed areas and training the next generation of health researchers; and
• focusing on knowledge translation that facilitates the application of the results of research and their transformation into new policies, practices, procedures, products and services.

CIHR integrates research through a unique interdisciplinary structure made up of 13 "virtual" institutes. These institutes are not "bricks-and-mortar" buildings but communities of experts. Each Institute supports a broad spectrum of research in its topic area: biomedical; clinical; health systems and services; and the social, cultural and environmental factors that affect the health of populations. Institutes form national research networks linking researchers, funders and knowledge users across Canada to work on priority areas.

CIHR reports through the Minister of Health and plays a key role in the Health Portfolio, the focal point for the Government of Canada's health-related activities. As Canada's health research funding agency, CIHR makes an essential contribution to the Minister of Health's overall responsibilities by funding the research and knowledge translation needed to inform the evolution of Canadian health policy and regulation; and, by taking an advisory role on research and innovation issues. This is achieved through an extensive and growing set of linkages with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, providing decision-makers with access to high quality and timely health research knowledge.

CIHR works closely with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the two Granting Councils of the Industry portfolio, to share information and co-ordinate efforts, harmonize practices, avoid duplication and foster multi-disciplinary research. The three organizations (referred to as "Tri-Council") also try to make it easier for researchers and others to interact with them, by providing single-window through the implementation of common policies, practices and approaches whenever possible.

CIHR's Governing Council (GC) sets the strategic directions and evaluates performance, supported by six sub-committees. Leadership on research, knowledge translation and funding for research is provided by the Science Council (SC) and leadership on corporate policy and management is provided by the Executive Management Committee (EMC).

Strategic Outcome(s) and Program Activity Architecture

CIHR's Program Activity Architecture (PAA), approved by Treasury Board in May 2009, is shown in Figure 1 below. The PAA consists of one Strategic Outcome and five Program Activities that support the Strategic Outcome. The performance information presented in Section II is organized according to this PAA structure.

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Organizational Priorities

In 2009, CIHR's Governing Council approved CIHR's second Strategic Plan (2009-2014), The Health Research Roadmap: Creating innovative research for better health and health care. This Strategic Plan is the product of widespread consultations with members of the health research community, careful assessment of Canada's strengths and weaknesses, and on-going deliberation about what CIHR would like to achieve by 2014. Roadmap sets out a vision comprised of four strategic directions aligned with CIHR's corporate, business and operational priorities.

In 2010, CIHR developed a rolling, CIHR Three-Year Implementation Plan and Progress Report for Roadmap. This plan highlights the activities CIHR will undertake over the next three years in order to achieve the strategic directions outlined in Roadmap. A refresh of this implementation plan was published in 2011 and is scheduled to occur on an annual basis to assess how well CIHR is moving towards its strategic goals and priorities. CIHR will also be conducting regular updates to review the progress made on short-term activities and deliverables.

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
Strategic Direction #1 Invest in world-class research excellence	On-going	1.1 Health Knowledge 1.2 Health Researchers
Description
Why is this a priority? CIHR supports world class research excellence to build the knowledge base and expertise necessary to improve both the Canadian health care system and the health of Canadians. By selecting, supporting, and sustaining Canadian research excellence that meets the highest international scientific standards CIHR positions Canada's health researchers to achieve results and inspire a new generation of researchers. Plans for meeting the priority Continued investment in excellence by supporting the best ideas and brightest minds. Provide capacity to attract and retain the best researchers, break professional and sectoral barriers in health research and prepare young researchers for various labour markets. Enable more students to gain research experience in science while undertaking advanced studies in Canada. CIHR will continue the development and implementation of two significant reforms to improve our ability to achieve this priority efficiently and effectively: The Peer Review Reform will support a sustainable peer review system that: can evaluate all applications with the same degree of rigour and fairness irrespective of research area or methodology; can adapt as research evolves; makes optimal use of our peers; and has a process of selecting the best reviewers. The Open Suite of Programs Reform will better capture excellence; support innovative/breakthrough research; improve the sustainability of the long-term research enterprise; and better integrate new talent. Excellence in health research is also defined by the ability to be creative and develop innovative approaches and solutions to health challenges. CIHR will continue to foster international and interdisciplinary collaboration to support innovations in health research.

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
Strategic Direction #2 Address health and health system research priorities	On-going	1.4 Health and Health Services Advances
Description
Why is this a priority? Through strategic investments, CIHR supports targeted research to address challenges facing Canadians and the health care system. Plans for meeting the priority Canada must carefully select its investments to both capitalize on its areas of strength, and address gaps in key research areas and communities. CIHR will continue work to improve the focus, coherence and impact of its strategic investments. CIHR will design and launch initiatives and strategies to address health and health system challenges in Canada and worldwide such as Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR).

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
Strategic Direction #3 Accelerate the capture of health and economic benefits of health research	On-going	1.3 Health Research Commercialization 1.4 Health and Health Services Advances
Description
Why is this a priority? Canadians reap the socio-economic benefits of health research when breakthroughs in health knowledge are applied to the development of health policies, practices, procedures, products, and services. Research evidence must be accessible and relevant in order to inform practice or policy. Plans for meeting the priority CIHR, through its knowledge translation strategy, will continue to facilitate collaboration between knowledge users, industry, health care professionals, policy makers and the research community to translate health research into health policies, practices, procedures, products and services that will benefit the health of Canadians. CIHR will continue to promote the dissemination and application of new knowledge to ensure research can be used to improve health and health services; and, facilitate the commercialization of research for economic benefits to Canada.

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
Strategic Direction #4 Achieve organizational excellence, foster ethics and demonstrate impact	On-going	1.5 Internal Services
Description
Why is this a priority? CIHR is committed to demonstrating its accountability and to providing the very best services to its clients and stakeholders. CIHR strives continually to strengthen its operations and programming while fostering a dedicated, well-informed workforce. Plans for meeting the priority CIHR will ensure that our multi-year investment strategy is supported by sound financial and risk management practices, including clear accountabilities, timely financial and performance reporting and sufficient operating resources. Through innovative program reforms and technology-based solutions, CIHR will continue to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of its program delivery systems and reduce complexity for stakeholders. CIHR will work with NSERC and SSHRC to develop harmonized policies that facilitate access to the results of publicly funded research.

Risk Analysis

CIHR understands the importance of risk management and has integrated risk management considerations into its strategic and operational planning, business processes and decision-making. The approved Risk Management Framework establishes how CIHR identifies, assesses and mitigates risk. The framework also provides a governance model that promotes the accountability for risk management as well as defining the on-going review and updating process for existing and potential risks to the organization.

On a continuous basis, CIHR monitors and assesses both identified and potential risks. Throughout the year all risk owners are required to provide CIHR's Chief Risk Officer (CRO) with updates to their risk mitigation strategies in order to ensure their overall strategy and implementation target dates are reasonable and meet the needs of the organization.

Finally, in order to satisfy the governance and accountability requirements of the Risk Management Framework, both Governing Council and the Audit Committee receive regular reports on the issues relating to risk management as well as information on any material changes to the Corporate Risk Profile from the CRO.

The current Corporate Risk Profile contains sixteen risks of which 5 are classified as high. The five high risks are described below:

Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Health Research Roadmap Implementation
There is a risk that CIHR is unable to fully deliver on the strategic directions outlined in the Health Research Roadmap in the defined timeframe. This includes risks that: internal and external stakeholders do not understand or support the proposed changes, and/or operational requirements and competing priorities prevent resources from focusing on the implementation.

To mitigate this risk, CIHR developed a three-year rolling plan for Health Research Roadmap Implementation. The plan will ensure alignment with Roadmap of operational activities including internal and external stakeholder engagement.

Knowledge Translation
Given CIHR's lack of direct control of all the factors that influence the uptake and use of research, there is a risk that CIHR may not be able to fully achieve the knowledge translation (KT) component of its mandate and improve the health of Canadians through health research.

To mitigate this risk, CIHR has developed KT strategies for all CIHR institutes and initiatives. CIHR has also established a core suite of KT programs and will monitor progress on KT activities and outcomes.

Results Management and Monitoring
Performance reporting and evaluation are time-consuming, costly, and at times burdensome to target audiences. There is a risk that CIHR will be unable to adequately and efficiently evaluate and report on its performance as well as the results of funded research, which could compromise our ability to be accountable to Canadians.

To mitigate this risk, CIHR will refresh its performance measurement frameworks and activities at all levels (programs, initiatives, and operations). This will improve CIHR's ability to track and monitor performance outcomes related to research and operational activities. Currently underway are IT systems revisions to ensure appropriate data architecture is in place to support information and reporting plans, and the development and implementation of data quality and monitoring standards.

Institute Organizational Model
Due to the Institute virtual organizational model, there is a risk of disruptions and corporate memory loss during transitions that may compromise the Institutes' ability to achieve planned outcomes or their mandate in support of CIHR's strategic objectives.

To mitigate this risk, management has implemented an Institute Transition Plan and renewal schedule. In addition, an on-going process has been established to assess the performance of Institute Scientific Directors.

Budgeting
There is a risk that CIHR funds are not appropriately allocated to support the achievement of its strategic outcome; that CIHR's planned staffing, project and programming activities exceed available funding resulting in key planned activities and initiatives not being realized; and that funding via an annual appropriation may make it difficult for CIHR to plan and resource longer term activities and strategies, which in turn may limit CIHR's ability to initiate new programs that are required to achieve impact.

To mitigate this risk, CIHR has established an integrated operational planning process and a vacancy management process. CIHR will also continue to track and monitor performance outcomes related to research and operational support activities.

Planning Summary

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
$977.9	$976.8	$976.5

Human Resources (FTEs)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
418	418	418

Strategic Outcome: A world-class health research enterprise that creates, disseminates and applies new knowledge across all areas of health research

Performance Indicators	Targets
Canadian ranking in health research intensity compared to international levels.	Maintain or increase international ranking.
Canadian number and share of world health research papers.	Maintain or increase share.
Number of citations of Canadian health research papers compared to international levels.	Maintain or increase international ranking.
Researchers per thousand workforce compared to international levels.	Maintain or increase international ranking.
Changes in health practices, programs or policies informed by CIHR-funded research.	Evidence that the work of CIHR funded researchers resulted in long-term impacts.
Diversity of research supported (by theme and Institute).	Maintain diversity of funding and increase funding in priority areas.

Planning Summary Table
($ millions)

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2011-12	Planned Spending			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
1.1 Health Knowledge	$454.8	$451.0	$458.5	$462.4	Healthy Canadians
1.2 Health Researchers	$204.1	$195.0	$189.8	$187.7
1.3 Health Research Commercialization	$55.2	$42.0	$45.0	$46.5
1.4 Health and Health Services Advances	$264.5	$260.9	$254.5	$250.9
Total Planned Spending	$978.6	$948.9	$947.8	$947.5

CIHR's decrease in planned spending from 2011-12 to 2012-13 is primarily due to the sunsetting of several programs in 2011-12. The planned reductions pertain to programs such as the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research ($10.2 million), the Canada Graduate Scholarships, as funding announced in Budget 2009 to temporarily expand the program ended in 2011-12 ($7.0 million), the Isotope Supply Initiative ($4.9 million), the Influenza Research Network Initiative ($3.6 million), the Networks of Centres of Excellence ($2.5 million) as well as for the Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence ($1.7 million).

Planning Summary Table
($ millions)

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2011-12	Planned Spending
		2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Internal Services	$31.2	$29.0	$29.0	$29.0

Including the Internal Services, CIHR's planned spending totals $1,009.8 million in 2011-12. Spending then decreases to $977.9 million in 2012-13 but remains consistent thereafter at $976.8 million.

Expenditure Profile

Departmental Spending Trend

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CIHR's actual spending increased from $969.4 million in 2008-09 to reach $1,026.9 million in 2010-11. Forecast spending decreased to $1,009.8 million in 2011-12 and remains consistent at approximately $976.8 million thereafter.

The variations in departmental spending described above are mainly due to several on-going increases to CIHR's Base Budget announced in Federal Budgets over this period coupled with targeted increases for such programs as the National Anti-Drug Strategy (NADS), the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN), and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships.

More recently, these increases have been offset by the full implementation, in 2011-12, of the results of the 2008 Strategic Review and the resulting wind-down of two of its programs: the Open Team Grant and the Intellectual Property Management programs as well as the sunsetting of several programs or initiatives as noted in the previous section.

Estimates by Vote

For information on our organizational votes and/or statutory expenditures, please see the 2012-2013 Main Estimates publication.

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