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Source verified July 23, 2026
CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health
Operating support for early career health researchers
Latest source updateLast Update: July 18, 2026Latest change: The 2026 CIHR Early Career Researchers funding opportunity now shows additional dates and application instructions, including notice of decision and funding start dates plus tri-agency CV guidance.View change
Latest source update
Last Update: July 18, 2026
Latest change: The 2026 CIHR Early Career Researchers funding opportunity now shows additional dates and application instructions, including notice of decision and funding start dates plus tri-agency CV guidance.
CIHR ECR Funding Opportunity Updated
The 2026 opportunity now shows additional timeline details: the anticipated notice of decision is April 27, 2027, and the funding start date is April 1, 2027. The registration deadline remains September 15, 2026, and the application deadline remains October 20, 2026. The application instructions also now include tri-agency CV guidance, stating that applicants must use and attach the tri-agency CV for this funding opportunity. The program description further adds more detailed research-area and equity framing for the funding pools and review expectations.
Funding available
$ 150,000
Deadline
Open continuously
Location
Quebec, Canada
Overview
Operating Grant: ECRs in Human Development, Child and Youth Health (2026) supports early career researchers in Canada with up to $50,000 per year for three years to build research capacity in human development and child and youth health. It funds research, knowledge mobilization, public materials, community engagement, and accessibility support.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Increase social or community impact
- Conduct research and development activities
- Strengthen organizational capacity
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Quebec
Legal structures
- Non-profit
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Youth (<40)
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- Research
- Children and Youth Organizations
Target groups
- Children & youth
- Young adults
- Indigenous peoples
- Minority groups
Revenue structures
- All structures
Scope
- All dimensions
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Independent research in human development, child and youth health.
- Research across the four CIHR pillars: biomedical; clinical; health services; and social, cultural, environmental, and population health.
- Distinctions-based research focused on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and/or communities.
- Research focused on human development, child and youth health in equity-denied groups.
- Research focused on child (0-12 years old) mental and brain health, or research whose objectives and aims are largely and directly relevant to the INMD mandate.
Documents Needed
- Certificate of Completion for the sex- and gender-based analysis training module.
- tri-agency CV.
- Summary of Research Proposal.
- Relevance Form.
- Research Proposal.
Official resources
Program guide
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Early career researchers.
- Early career researchers affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution or affiliated institution, including hospitals, research institutes, and other non-profit organizations with a mandate for health research and/or knowledge translation.
Who is not eligible
- Applicants who want to submit more than one application to this competition as the Nominated Principal Applicant.
Eligible expenses
- Translation and preparation of information or material intended for public consumption, including website content, information pamphlets, guidelines, promotional material, and event-related material.
- Expenditures that respect the culture and traditions of Indigenous Peoples when needed for the meaningful conduct of research, including community mobilization and engagement, culturally relevant promotional items, cash reimbursements, and contracts or consultant fees for Indigenous Elders, community members, and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers.
- Costs associated with engaging diverse communities relevant to the research or knowledge mobilization plan.
- Accessibility support(s) necessary for the NPA to carry out the project and engage with persons with disabilities, where those supports are not standard services of the employer institution.
Selection criteria
- Research Approach: clarity of the research question, feasibility of the research approach, design and methods, anticipated difficulties, and plans to manage them.
- Originality of the Proposal: potential for new knowledge and originality of the hypotheses, questions, methods, or applications.
- Applicant: qualifications, training, experience, productivity, independence, and relevant expertise.
- Impact of the Research: significance of the need or gap addressed, potential contribution to health or health services and products, and the dissemination and exchange plan.
- Quality of the Research Environment: availability and accessibility of personnel, facilities, infrastructure, and support for career development.
How to apply
- The application process is comprised of two steps: Registration and Full Application.
- Complete the Registration by following the Specific Instructions and submit it to remain eligible for the Full Application.
- In Registration, list all participants, complete the Overview, Details and Descriptors sections, and submit the Summary of Research Proposal.
- In the Full Application, list all participants, upload the NPA tri-agency CV, and attach the Research Proposal.
- If applying to a research area, select one funding pool and complete the Relevance Form.
Processing and Agreement
- CIHR performs a relevance review using the Summary of Research Proposal and the Relevance Form, and applications not deemed relevant are withdrawn from the competition.
- Peer review is conducted in accordance with the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
- Applications relevant to each pool are funded top down in order of ranking, and remaining applications are pooled together and funded in rank order.
- If a pool is undersubscribed or lacks fundable applications, funds may be rolled into the general competition pool, and a lottery or randomized process may be used to fund the last application(s) when there is more than one application with the same score.
- The names of successfully funded applicants will be published on the CIHR website, and the Nominated Principal Applicant is responsible for an electronic Final Report available on ResearchNet at the beginning of the grant funding period.
Additional information
- Competition 202610EHC.
- Sponsored by the CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, in partnership with the CIHR Institutes of Indigenous Peoples Health, Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, and Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health Program
What is the CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health?
Operating Grant: ECRs in Human Development, Child and Youth Health (2026) supports early career researchers in Canada with up to $50,000 per year for three years to build research capacity in human development and child and youth health. It funds research, knowledge mobilization, public materials, community engagement, and accessibility support.
How much funding can be received?
CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health Funds up to $150,000 of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health program?
To be eligible for the CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health program, you must:
The Nominated Principal Applicant must be an early career researcher affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution or affiliated institution.
The NPA must have at least 50% protected time for research and a substantive role in Canada.
The NPA must submit a Certificate of Completion for the required sex- and gender-based analysis training module.
What expenses are eligible under CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health?
Independent research in human development, child and youth health.
Research across the four CIHR pillars: biomedical; clinical; health services; and social, cultural, environmental, and population health.
Distinctions-based research focused on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and/or communities.
Research focused on human development, child and youth health in equity-denied groups.
Research focused on child (0-12 years old) mental and brain health, or research whose objectives and aims are largely and directly relevant to the INMD mandate.
Who can I contact for more information about the CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health?
You can contact Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) by email at IHDCYH-IDSEA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
Where is the CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health available?
The CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health program is available the province of Quebec.
Is the CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health a grant, loan, or tax credit?
CIHR Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health is a Grant and Funding