Tri-Agency Research Funding Eligibility at RDP

Red Deer Polytechnic has received CIHR Eligibility and renewed SSHRC and NSERC Eligibility following a rigorous application process.

CIHR is the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is part of the Tri-Council (also known as the Tri-Agency) together with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The Tri-Councils are the three Canadian Government research funding agencies and hold Canadian post-secondary research to the highest standard of quality and accountability.

The ability to hold grants across the three Federal Councils is key to RDP’s vision of expanding the scope and impact of RDP’s research in central Alberta and beyond.

As a Polytechnic, RDP’s Applied Research Centres and faculty engage in research across all disciplines that positively impacts community and industry partners, our region, and beyond. Tri-Agency Eligibility permits RDP to actively pursue and hold grants in areas such as science, engineering, health, and social sciences.  This will continue to support RDP’s pillars in Advanced Manufacturing, Health and Clinical Psychology, Social Innovation, and Energy and Environmental Sciences.

CIHR Eligibility increases RDP’s ability to pursue greater funding in health research. As an established leader in applied research within NSERC’s and SSHRC’s mandates, CIHR expands RDP’s grant eligibility across health disciplines and clinical Psychology.

Each of the Tri-Agency organizations are listed below, with links to their funding opportunities.

CIHR: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is Canada's federal funding agency for health research. CIHR collaborates with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve health and strengthen the healthcare system. Areas of funding include:

• Biomedical
• Clinical
• Health Systems Services
• Social, Cultural, Environmental, and Population Health
  • Some Psychology research topics fall under CIHR’s mandate rather than SSHRC’s or NSERC’s mandate.

NSERC: The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) funds visionaries, explorers and innovators who are searching for scientific and technical breakthroughs that will benefit Canada. 

• NSERC also administers the CCSIF Grant.

SSHRC: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports research and training in the humanities and social sciences.

• SSHRC has a large list of eligible disciplines. Please check with the Research Commons or Division of Applied Research to evaluate eligibility.
• RDP currently holds a SSHRC Institutional Grant that funds the SSHRC Internal Grants program.