CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH

Their core work

CIHR is Canada's federal funding agency for health research, responsible for funding and shaping the national health research agenda. Within H2020, CIHR participates exclusively in ERA-NET Cofund and Joint Programming Initiatives, aligning Canadian research funding with European priorities in areas like rare diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and cancer. Their role is to co-fund transnational research calls, enabling Canadian research teams to collaborate with European partners on shared health challenges. They are not a research performer but a strategic funding coordinator that opens the door for Canadian-European research partnerships.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014–2018), CIHR focused on foundational alignment activities — joining ERA-NETs in ageing, rare diseases, nutrition, and antimicrobial resistance, plus early engagement with gender equality in research funding. From 2019 onward, their participation shifted toward deeper programmatic integration: the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD) with its emphasis on FAIR data and patient empowerment, sustained JPND neurodegenerative disease funding, cancer research (TRANSCAN-3), and international gender-STI dialogues beyond the ERA. The trajectory shows CIHR moving from initial alignment and coordination toward substantive co-funding of disease-specific translational research programmes.

CIHR is deepening its commitment to transnational disease-focused research co-funding, particularly in rare diseases, cancer, and AMR — expect continued engagement in successor programmes under Horizon Europe.

How they like to work

CIHR participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a national funding agency joining European-led initiatives. With 241 unique partners across 47 countries, they operate within very large consortia typical of ERA-NETs and Joint Programming Initiatives, where dozens of national funding bodies coordinate together. This makes them a gateway partner: including CIHR in a consortium signals access to Canadian health research funding streams and Canadian research teams.

CIHR's network spans 241 partners across 47 countries, reflecting the broad membership of ERA-NETs and JPIs rather than bilateral relationships. Their connections are strongest with European national funding agencies, research councils, and ministries — the typical membership of joint programming initiatives.

What sets them apart

CIHR is the only Canadian national health research funder consistently embedded in European ERA-NETs and JPIs — making them the primary bridge between Canadian and European health research ecosystems. For consortium builders, including CIHR means access to Canadian co-funding for transnational calls, which effectively extends a project's financial and geographic reach beyond Europe. Their participation signals that a research area has been validated as a shared priority across both continents.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EJP RD
  Largest and most comprehensive project in CIHR's portfolio — a European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases integrating FAIR data, patient empowerment, and public-private partnerships across dozens of countries.
• JPIAMR-ACTION
  One of their most recent projects (2021–2027), focused on antimicrobial resistance transmission interventions — a global health priority with growing policy urgency.
• GENDER STI
  Extends gender equality work beyond ERA into bilateral EU–third country STI dialogues, positioning CIHR at the intersection of research policy and international cooperation.