CIHR Peer Review Process - Opportunity for Early Career Investigators

CIHR is pleased to announce the launch of an Observer program for early career investigators (ECIs) to participate as an observer in the peer review process of the Project Grant: Fall 2017 competition.

The role of the ECI
Selected ECIs will be invited to observe one of the 53 committee meetings taking place in Ottawa as part of the review process for the Project Grant competition. There will be one ECI per committee.  As observers, the ECIs will not participate in review discussions.

Important dates
The face-to-face meetings will be held in Ottawa between November 15 and December 14, 2017. Exact dates will be confirmed with each selected ECI once they are assigned to a committee. CIHR will cover the travel costs for the ECI to attend the committee meeting.

Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in this observer program, the ECI must be within 60 months of their first academic appointment, as of June 13, 2017.
Candidates who are submitting applications as Nominated Principal Applicant or Principal Applicant in the current Project Grant competition are eligible for this opportunity, but cannot observe the committee that is adjudicating their submission.

ECIs who participated in the observer program for the Project Grant: Fall 2016 competition are not eligible to participate in this year’s program.

Please note that participation in this program is not a prerequisite to becoming a reviewer in the future (nor is it a guarantee that an individual will meet the eligibility criteria to become a reviewer at a later date). Also note that this program will help to shape the formal peer review training and mentoring strategy within the College of Reviewers that will be released  in 2018. A survey will be issued to all participants at the end of this process to inform future launches or similar programs.

The deadline to submit an expression of interest is September 19, 2017.  Please see CIHR for full details on how to apply.