News

The Kidney Foundation of Canada is excited to announce it is joining the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Institute of Infection and Immunity in the Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI) Early Career Transition Award. This funding opportunity is now open with an application deadline of early May 2023.

“The first launch of the CIHR REDI award addresses the impact of racism and gender inequality on early career researchers, with the aim to make a meaningful difference in the lives and careers of researchers facing systemic barriers,” said Leanne Stalker, National Director of Research for The Kidney Foundation of Canada. “This aligns with The Kidney Foundation’s strategic focus on capacity building and equity of access in kidney research."
The Kidney Health Funding Pool, which will launch soon, will support one application developing their research program directly related to all aspects of kidney function and diseases of the kidney and urinary tract. Funding of $660,000 is available to fund one (1) award in this pool; this award will be jointly funded by CIHR with The Kidney Foundation of Canada.

Research can be from across the four pillars (biomedical, clinical, health systems, population health). Multidisciplinary and collaborative plans are also encouraged. This includes but is not limited to plans focusing on:

• Understanding development, risk, prevention, treatment, management, care or cure for all aspects of kidney function and diseases of the kidney and urinary tract;
• Improvement of health systems and services with the goal of improving efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system through changes to practice and policy related to kidney disease;
• Population and public health research with the goal of improving the kidney health of populations living in Canada through increased understanding of ways in which social, cultural, environmental, occupational and economic factors determine health status.

Successful awardees in this pool will also be eligible for enrolment in the curriculum component of the KRESCENT program (Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training Program). To learn more about KRESCENT, contact National Director of Research Leanne Stalker.

According to CIHR: The REDI award aims to support the transition of post-doctoral researchers, clinical fellows and research associates from specific underrepresented groups to faculty positions in academic, health system and research institutions in Canada. Its first round is open to racialized women and Black people. We know these are not the only groups who face barriers in transitioning to an academic position and we will focus on additional groups in future rounds of the award.

CIHR also acknowledges that conversations about self-identification and terminology continue to evolve, and they aim to take feedback about this funding opportunity and eligibility criteria into consideration for future iterations.

• Learn more about the REDI grants

If you have any questions, please contact: support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca or leanne.stalker@kidney.ca