Health Research Training Platforms

As the pandemic has shown, Canada relies on its scientists to help us respond to and recover from health emergencies and uncover the scientific evidence we need to tackle other health challenges. That is why it is critical that we invest in the next generation of Canada’s health researchers.

As the pandemic has shown, Canada relies on its scientists to help us respond to and recover from health emergencies and uncover the scientific evidence we need to tackle other health challenges. That is why it is critical that we invest in the next generation of Canada’s health researchers.

To support the health research leaders of tomorrow, the Government of Canada and its partners are investing $31.1M over six years to support 13 new Health Research Training Platforms (HRTP), a pilot program that will embed early career researchers and trainees in collaborative health research teams with the goal of increasing their career prospects and building Canadian health research capacity. The funding as well as in-kind support is being provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the B.C. Women’s Health Foundation, Egale Canada, Mitacs, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Through HRTP, participants will conduct research while receiving extensive mentorship and training that goes beyond what standard research training programs usually offer, covering academic, science policy, and professional development skills, such as grant writing, project management, science communication, interdisciplinary research, open science, and knowledge mobilization, among other areas. Participants will also be trained in the science of conducting diverse and inclusive research, such as respecting Indigenous Ways of Knowing, incorporating sex- and gender-based considerations in research and recognizing unconscious bias.

This investment helps fill a gap in the career development opportunities available to trainees and early career researchers. Participants will develop skills that will increase their employability and set them up for success in careers that span academia and beyond. As a pilot program, CIHR plans to take the lessons learned into consideration for future enhancements to its capacity development activities.