Launched in 2018 in response to the legalization of cannabis for non-medical use, the CIHR Integrated Cannabis Research Strategy (ICRS) supports research and knowledge mobilization to provide essential knowledge about the use of cannabis, both medical and non-medical, its health and safety effects, and the behavioural, social, cultural, ethical and economic implications of legalization both nationally and across jurisdictions. As part of a renewed ICRS, the current funding opportunity will create the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium (CCBHC) to respond to several urgent priorities and knowledge gaps identified in the Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act Report tabled in Parliament in March 2024.

To better understand the impact of cannabis exposures and regular, heavy or high-potency cannabis use on population health, Canada requires a consortium of cannabis and brain health cohorts to measure cannabis use and the impact on brain health across the lifespan, and to provide the mechanism to facilitate data harmonization, data pooling, and data access across provinces and territories. The current funding opportunity brings about the opportunity to leverage existing research infrastructure and expertise in Canada to create an integrated data collection and clinical trials infrastructure that will be accessible to all Canadian researchers to investigate key questions about cannabis harms and benefits to the population across the lifespan.

Consortium Structure and Application Requirements

The Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium (CCBHC) will be created through a sequential three-step process:

1. The Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium (CCBHC) funding opportunity (current funding opportunity),
2. Consortium workshop with funded recipients to support the development of proposals for step 3,
3. Creation of a:
   1. Coordination and Data Platform (future funding, more information will be provided at the Consortium workshop) within the funded CCBHC teams, to support coordination, data harmonization and access, as well as governance for the Consortium; and,
   2. Knowledge Mobilization Platform (future funding, more information will be provided at the Consortium workshop) within the funded CCBHC teams, to support knowledge mobilization and partner engagement activities of the Consortium.

Population-Based Cohort Studies (Current Funding Opportunity)

The current funding opportunity will support up to ten linked population-based cohort studies to address pressing issues on cannabis use and associated impacts on brain health from a lifespan perspective. Each funded team must contribute at least one additional cannabis-focused research study that capitalizes on the research infrastructure, assessment framework and/or database provided by the CCBHC. Research studies should address one of the priority areas: (a) interventions to reduce cannabis-related harms; (b) controlled trials of cannabis for medical purposes; (c) populations with rare, and/or clinically, complex contexts; (d) scaling of novel cannabis-related measurement methods; (e) parallel pre-clinical cannabis/cannabinoid studies; and (f) Indigenous Peoples' health and cannabis.

Please refer to the Health Canada webpage for information on the requirements of conducting research with cannabis, including clinical trials.

Applicants are required to ensure equitable access of diverse researchers, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, and persons with lived or living experience (PWLLE) to opportunities available within the research team that will be established with program funding. This includes ensuring the research environment is supportive and any systemic barriers are addressed effectively and swiftly (see the Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research for guidance and examples of systemic barriers).

Applicants are expected to adopt data management best practices to enable reproducible science and to enable successful sharing across the Consortium (e.g., the FAIR principles – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). See Additional Information section for more details.

Research Areas

This funding opportunity will support harmonized projects that:

1. generate/expand a population-based cohort study that can address pressing issues on cannabis use and brain health from a lifespan perspective,
   AND
2. conduct a cannabis research study/studies addressing a key priority area, described below.

Population-based cohort study

Applications must include a population-based cohort study to address pressing issues on cannabis use and brain health from a lifespan perspective. Applicants must contribute to the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium, an accelerated longitudinal study, by contributing data to a collaborative study whose goal is to pool data on over 3000 participants recruited from sites across Canada. Each application must significantly contribute to a brain health cohort in the following ways:

1. Generate or expand, and conduct cannabis research on a population-based cohort where the design must be sensitive to assessment of cannabis exposure (quantity, frequency, potency, etc.) and brain health within at least one of six age groups (0-10, 11-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 80+) but should also have the potential to harmonize measures across all six age groups.
2. Applications can focus on one age group across multiple regions or data collection sites, or multiple age groups within a region/population/site, but applications must include at least two data collection sites or age groups to reduce site confounds.
3. Assessments should include, at minimum, measures of personal and family medical history, cognitive functioning and brain health measures (e.g., brain imaging), mental health, lifetime and current cannabis use, as well as other substance use, psychosocial functioning, general well-being and demographic information relevant to the Canadian population and each age group.
4. Studies should include at least one year follow-up on relevant brain and cannabis use outcomes.
5. If applying to the Indigenous Peoples' Health and cannabis research area below the population-based cohort must primarily engage and recruit cohort participants who identify as First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit. This pool will help to develop culturally appropriate, trauma-informed assessment framework(s), with Indigenous partners, that can be used across the larger consortium and harmonized with assessments used at other sites.
   1. This cohort can either collect data at independent sites better positioned to engage Indigenous People, or can collaborate with other successful applicants to engage Indigenous People across all sites.
   2. Using a distinctions-based approach, ideally, 300 participants who identify as First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit will be assessed on detailed and multi-dimensional brain and mental health measures, but variations on this criterion could be scientifically justified.

Cannabis Research Study

Applications must also propose at least one cannabis research study in one of the following priority areas (note that multisite designs are encouraged) particularly in relation to the health research gaps highlighted in Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act. As far as possible, cannabis and brain measures and design features must overlap significantly with those of the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium cohort but can include other clinically relevant measures and design features.

1. Interventions to reduce cannabis-related harms;
   1. Studies could include trials of an intervention or policy to reduce cannabis use or treat cannabis use disorder at the individual or population level or focus on inter-jurisdictional differences in cannabis policy and their impact on cannabis-related behaviours and harms to brain health.
   2. Studies should include one year follow-up of intervention outcomes.
2. Controlled trials of cannabis for medical purposes;
   1. Studies could include novel case-control, randomized, or adaptive randomized trials of cannabis or cannabinoids to reduce symptoms of a medically diagnosed condition. Mental or brain health outcomes must be recorded as a primary or secondary outcome.
   2. Studies should include one year follow-up of intervention outcomes.
3. Studies that focus on better understanding drivers and/or consequences of short and long-term cannabis use and their relationship to brain health and in particular in populations with rare, and/or complex clinical, contexts;
   1. Studies sampling from unique populations identified as using cannabis including but not limited to those with rare, or complex clinical, and/or psychosocial contexts that are relevant to cannabis and brain health. Examples include individuals treated/screened for accidental poisonings, cannabis-induced first-episode psychosis, very early onset or chronic cannabis use or dependence, chronic high-potency cannabis use, medically authorised use of cannabis, or those who regularly engage with illicit cannabis, or who use cannabis products to manage mental health, neurologic or pain conditions.
4. Scaling of existing and/or novel cannabis-related measurement methods across multiple sites;
   1. Studies that introduce, validate and scale innovation with respect to measurement of cannabis-related attitudes, exposure, intoxication, metabolism, impairment, potency, or impacts on brain health; or
   2. Studies that validate and scale biomarkers of cannabis-related harm, recovery, or relapse; or,
   3. Studies that inform and validate a standard dose/unit of THC across cannabis products, age groups, and jurisdictions.
   4. Pharmacological studies focusing on the acute effects of cannabis in humans, particularly studies that will inform our understanding of the harm profiles of high potency products.
5. Parallel pre-clinical cannabis/cannabinoid studies investigating biological mechanism or targets for interventions.
   1. Pre-clinical studies (in vivo, in vitro pharmacological studies of different compounds, doses, drug combinations) on parallel brain processes measured in the normative sample or clinical samples that will answer key questions about causality that could not otherwise be conducted in human participants (e.g., acute or chronic cannabis-related gene expression in the brain).
   2. Studies must describe the translational relevance of the findings.
6. Indigenous Peoples' health and cannabis
   1. Projects should address some of the health research gaps highlighted in Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act relevant to Indigenous communities, such as Indigenous data sovereignty and ownership, capacity building, impacts and effects of cannabis legalization on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, and efforts to redress health inequities related to disproportionate levels of negative health outcomes.

Role and Contributions of Applicant Partners:

CIHR recognizes that a broad range of partners may be relevant to this opportunity and it is expected that applicant(s) describe the role of all applicant partners and how/if they will contribute to research and research related activities. Any consideration of risk and/or conflict of interest should also be explained, as appropriate.

Funds Available

CIHR and partner(s) financial contributions are subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR or partner(s) funding levels not be available or decrease due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR and partner(s) reserve the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $24,000,000, enough to fund approximately ten (10) grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount per grant is $800,000 per year for up to three (3) years, for a total of $2,400,000 per grant.
• Of this $24,000,000:
  • $14,400,000 is available to fund the top ranked applications in each of the 6 funding pools:
    • $2,400,000 is available to fund up to one (1) application in the Population-based cohort studies and interventions to reduce cannabis harms funding pool (a);
    • $2,400,000 is available to fund up to one (1) application in the Population-based cohort studies and controlled trials of cannabis for medical purposes funding pool (b);
    • $2,400,000 is available to fund up to one (1) application in the Population-based cohort studies and populations with rare, and/or complex clinical, contexts (c);
    • $2,400,000 is available to fund up to one (1) application in the Population-based cohort studies and novel cannabis-related measurement methods funding pool (d);
    • $2,400,000 is available to fund up to one (1) application in the Population-based cohort studies and pre-clinical cannabis/cannabinoid studies funding pool (e);
    • $2,400,000 is available to fund up to one (1) application in the Population-based cohort studies and Indigenous Peoples' health and cannabis pool (f).
  • $9,600,000 is available to fund remaining applications in the competition relevant to any of the pools above. If a pool is undersubscribed or lacks fundable applications, funds will be used for remaining applications. All remaining fundable applications will be pooled together and funded in rank order as far as funds will allow.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1️⃣ High Scientific Excellence & Rigorous Methodology (Most Important)

CIHR reviewers heavily weight methodological rigor, including:

Strong theoretical framework

Clear hypotheses or research questions

Robust study design

Adequate controls, power calculations, and statistics

Reproducibility & transparency practices

Clear milestones and contingency plans

Predictor: Methodological strength is the #1 determinant across all CIHR committees.

2️⃣ Strong Significance & Clear Health Impact for Canadians

CIHR prioritizes research that benefits:

The health of people living in Canada

Canadian healthcare systems and policies

Vulnerable or underserved populations

Chronic disease burdens in Canadian demographics

Predictor: Clear articulation of Canadian relevance dramatically improves scores.

3️⃣ Feasible, Focused, Achievable Objectives

Successful CIHR proposals:

Have 2–3 well-defined aims

Present realistic deliverables within the grant period

Include detailed methodologies for each aim

Avoid overambitious or unfocused scope

Demonstrate precise timeline and project management

Predictor: Feasibility + clarity of approach = high reviewer confidence.

4️⃣ Strong Investigator Track Record & Appropriate Team Expertise

Reviewers value:

Publications relevant to the field

Prior successful funding

Expertise aligned to each aim

Multi-disciplinary teams (clinicians, statisticians, biomedical scientists, policy experts)

For early-career investigators: mentorship, protected time, and institutional support

Predictor: A well-matched, credible team is essential.

5️⃣ Compelling Preliminary Data (especially for Project Grants)

Highly competitive CIHR proposals commonly include:

Pilot experiments or feasibility data

Retrospective analyses

Early mechanistic insights

Proof-of-concept findings

For high-risk or exploratory programs, strong rationale can substitute, but evidence is still preferred.

Predictor: Preliminary data significantly boosts chances.

6️⃣ Strong Integration of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

CIHR explicitly evaluates EDI in:

Team composition

Training environment

Research design (sex, gender, intersectionality, inclusive sampling)

Barriers to participation or recruitment

Engagement with under-represented or Indigenous populations

Predictor: Meaningful EDI integration is essential; weak EDI sections lower scores.

7️⃣ Clear Knowledge Translation (KT) & Dissemination Plan

CIHR places high value on:

How findings will reach clinicians, policymakers, communities, or the public

Realistic KT activities (briefs, publications, engagement, partnerships)

Integrated knowledge translation when applicable (co-design with stakeholders)

Predictor: Strong KT plan with defined stakeholders and products.

8️⃣ Alignment With CIHR Priority Areas (If Applying Under Strategic Calls)

High success when aligned with:

Indigenous health

Digital health & AI

Aging and dementia

Chronic disease (cancer, cardiovascular, neurological)

Rare disease

Implementation science

Mental health, substance use

Health system strengthening

Predictor: Direct strategic alignment increases competitiveness.

9️⃣ Access to Required Data, Cohorts, Facilities, or Patient Populations

CIHR reviewers look for feasibility evidence:

Confirmed clinical recruitment sites

Existing cohort or biobank access

Computational / lab infrastructure

Letters of support verifying data access

Agreements for collaboration or sharing

Predictor: Proven resource availability reduces perceived risk.

🔟 Well-Justified, Realistic Budget

Successful budgets:

Are lean and proportional to aims

Avoid unnecessary equipment or inflated salaries

Align with Canadian Tri-Council rules

Include justification for trainees, supplies, analyses

Predictor: A clear, efficient budget strengthens feasibility.

🚫 COMMON PITFALLS (Reasons CIHR Applications Fail)