CIHR Operating Grant : Evaluation and Implementation Science: Youth Mental Health – Registration

Well-being, Health and Biomedical Discovery

Deadlines

Academic Unit: Inquire with unit

Memorial Deadline: RIS Review not required for registration

External Deadline: Thursday 22nd, October 2026

Description

The current funding opportunity aims to support high-quality evaluation and/or implementation science research on youth mental health interventions, as they are being scaled through the YMHF, and through other initiatives, across the research-to-scale continuum in Canada. For evaluation research, the focus is on generating robust evidence on feasibility, efficacy, or effectiveness of evidence-informed interventions adapted for new contexts or with under-studied populations using rigorous methodological designs. For implementation science research, the focus is on interventions with established efficacy or effectiveness and are ready to be sustained, optimized or scaled out/up. This research will examine strategies to improve or maintain outcomes, while optimizing adoption, integration, scale-out/up, sustainability and equity across real-world environments.

Research teams will assess what is working well, what is not, and how evidence-based youth mental health interventions can be delivered, sustained and/or scaled across diverse Canadian real-world contexts^2,3. The aim of this funding opportunity is to generate evidence that can be mobilized to sustain or improve youth mental health services and their outcomes, as well as the systems that support their delivery in Canada. Funded research teams from this funding opportunity may be required to collaborate with the National Evidence Platform (simultaneous funding opportunity) to share knowledge generated as part of an evidence-producing model, and to support knowledge mobilization that will inform decision-making in youth mental health programming across Canada. Data collection, analysis and interpretation approaches must align with Tri-Council policies including consideration of ethics, data governance, and data quality.

To support evaluation and/or implementation science research on youth mental health interventions, collaborations are expected between implementation scientists and organizations delivering youth mental health interventions, including those supported by the YMHF. Each research team is expected to study the implementation of at least one real-world youth mental health intervention. To enable linkages between organizations implementing youth mental health interventions (applicant partner) with evaluation and implementation science research teams, a linkage process will be facilitated through the CIHR’s Linkage Tool. Independence between the evaluation and/or implementation science research and the organization delivering the interventions is encouraged. Any consideration of risk of bias and/or conflict of interest (COI) as appropriate must be disclosed and addressed (see How to Apply)

See ResearchNet for more information.

Funding Sources

Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)