Intersectoral Collaborative Program for Brain-Heart Research

• Information Webinar: February 17, 2026
• Letter of Intent Deadline: March 29, 2026
• Collaboration & Co-Production Workshop: April 17, 2026
• Full Application Deadline: June 24, 2026
• Competition Results: September 2026
• Funding Start: October 1, 2026

The purpose of the ICP is to foster global leadership by advancing interdisciplinary, high-impact brain-heart research, co-produced with patients, communities, and other knowledge users. The BHI ICP will advance priorities in brain-heart research and accelerate interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration for rapid and sustainable impact - from bench to bedside to community – and back. Through the ICP, the BHI community will implement mission-driven research programs that integrate diverse scientific expertise – from basic and clinical sciences to social and natural sciences – lived experiences and diverse knowledge systems to generate equitable, innovative and sustainable improvements in brain-heart health, health systems and care. 

The objectives of the ICP are to: 

• support interdisciplinary research programs that address high-priority gaps in knowledge directly relevant to one or more BHI scientific Pillars. 
• catalyze collaboration among researchers and knowledge users (e.g., patients, Indigenous communities, health professionals, policy makers, industry) within and well beyond BHI institutional partners and members of the Ottawa Academic Health Network. 
• foster research excellence through co-production and incorporation of all BHI cross-cutting enablers: Indigenous engagement, IDEAS (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and social justice), co-production & knowledge mobilization, commercialization, patient engagement, training & mentoring, and open science. 
• Advance learning health systems where data, research, and practice intersect to  accelerate impact towards BHI long-term outcomes.

In the context of the BHI and ICP, a research program:

• is comprised of two or more conceptually cohesive, coordinated and integrated research projects conducted to advance a common goal.
• is co-developed and implemented by an interdisciplinary group of researchers and knowledge users, including patient partners, guided by co-production principles throughout the research lifecycle. 

The scientific Pillars to be advanced through ICP research programs are described in the updated BHI scientific strategy:  

• Pillar 1: Pre-Clinical Research & Translational Validation
• Pillar 2: Precision Medicine
• Pillar 3: Risk Prevention
• Pillar 4: Community Health & Models of Care

Research programs that integrate more than one scientific Pillar are eligible and encouraged. 

• The total BHI funding available for the ICP is $16 million over 4 years (April 2026 – March 2030). 
• At the letter of intent (LOI) stage, teams can request up to $10,000 to support the co-production of the full application through interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration. 
  • Up to $140,000 is available to support up to 14 teams at the LOI stage (April – Sept 2026). 
• At the full application stage, teams are expected to request BHI funding the range of $1 to 4 million over 3.5 years. 
  • BHI intends to fund at least 1 research program per Pillar.
• At the time of full application, teams must demonstrate that substantive partnerships are in place that will leverage the BHI investment and amplify the impact of the program. Partners are defined as institutions providing cash and/or in-kind contributions to the proposed ICP research program. Combined partner contributions must total at least 20% of the total funding requested from BHI (i.e., for every $100,000 requested from BHI, the team must secure a minimum of a $20,000 commitment from partners (cash and/or in-kind). Funding secured through other competitive research funding programs or other federal funding sources will not be considered as partner contributions. BHI will host a Collaboration and Co-Production workshop and offer additional supports to applicant teams in identifying relevant partners. 

The applicant team must include at least two Academic applicants and meet the following requirements:

• Principal Applicant (Academic): will act as the overall lead for the research program. Must be a BHI Core Academic Member eligible to hold tri-council research funding.
• Co-Principal Applicant (Academic): will play a leadership role in one or more projects within the research program. Must be a BHI Core Academic Member that represents a different research discipline than the Principal Applicant (as defined by a group-level classification in the Canadian Research and Development Classification) and be based in a different BHI partner institution (i.e., uOttawa, uOttawa affiliated research institutes, McGill University, MUHC RI, University of Saskatchewan).
• Principal Applicant and/or Co-Principal Applicant (Academic) from an Ottawa-based partner institution (i.e., uOttawa or one of its affiliated research institutes). 
• Principal Applicant, Co-Principal Applicant and/or Co-Applicant (Academic) that is an early career researcher. 
• Principal Applicant, Co-Principal Applicants and/or Co-Applicants (Academic) whose primary research disciplines cover the mandate of at least two federal research councils (i.e., Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council). 

The applicant team must include at least two Knowledge Users and meet the following requirements: 

• Principal Knowledge User: embedded as a co-lead, with defined responsibilities and shared decision making regarding the design and implementation of the research program. 
• Knowledge User embedded in each project within the research program. One individual may be identified as the knowledge user for more than one project within the program, if appropriate. 
• Principal Knowledge User and/or Knowledge User who identifies as a patient partner. 

BHI funding programs are integral to advancing the BHI IDEAS strategy. As such, research programs supported by the ICP are expected to expand the diversity of voices leading, co-leading, engaged in, and benefiting from brain-heart research to include Indigenous people and equity-deserving groups, including racialized individuals; African, Caribbean and Black individuals; persons with disabilities; women; and individuals from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Teams are encouraged to: 

• include Indigenous researchers and/or researchers from under-represented groups as Principal Applicant, Co-Principal Applicants and/or Co-Applicants (Academic).
• include Knowledge Users and partners that represent Indigenous people and under-represented groups.
• take deliberate actions towards inclusive recruitment of diverse study participants. 

Applicants to the ICP should be aware of and consider how they could utilize the BHI Transformational Platforms, which represent core facilities across uOttawa and affiliated research institutes. 

All expenses must adhere to the CFREF Administration Guide. Applicants should review the Guide prior to developing their application and budget. Eligible expenses are limited to direct costs of research only. 

Funding available at the Letter of Intent stage (up to $10,000 per team) is intended to support the co-production of full applications by academics and knowledge users, including patients. Relevant costs include items such as: 

• travel costs associated with participation in the ICP Collaboration and Co-production Workshop, in-person team meetings to support collaborative development of applications, consultation with communities and other interest holders, and similar activities. 
• compensation for patient and/or other knowledge user expertise and time spent on application development (see BHI compensation guidance). 

At the full application stage, relevant costs include items such as: 

• travel costs and other expenses to develop and grow the research collaborations within the applicant team.
• compensation for patient and/or other knowledge user expertise and time spent on implementation of the research program (see BHI compensation guidance). 
• salaries and nondiscretionary benefits of (non-academic) members of the research team (e.g., students at all levels, postdoctoral researchers, research associates, technicians, administrators). 
• materials, supplies and other expenses related to research and knowledge mobilization activities (as per the CFREF Administration Guide, only small equipment (valued at $300,000 or less) may be purchased with CFREF funds). 

Letters of Intent

Administrative Review: 

Letters of Intent submitted by the deadline will be reviewed to confirm completeness and eligibility. LOIs submitted after the deadline or that do not meet eligibility requirements will be withdrawn from the competition. 

It is expected that Principal and Co-Principal Investigators will be Core Academic Members in advance of the LOI deadline. Some exceptions may be made with advance notification to the BHI secretariat: [email protected]. 

Cross-Cutter Review: 

Eligible LOIs will be reviewed by Cross-Cutter Leads and/or staff who will assess the degree to which the proposed co-production approach and research program align with relevant cross-cutter principles and best practices that define BHI’s model of research excellence. Applicants will be provided with written feedback for consideration as they move forward with the development of their full application.

Relevance & Quality Review: 

Eligible LOIs will be peer reviewed by a review committee composed of researchers, knowledge users, and partners. LOIs will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

1. Relevance 
   • The extent to which the research program addresses interconnected brain-heart conditions and the priorities of one or more BHI scientific Pillar. 
2. Research Approach
   • The extent to which the rationale and goal for the program are clear 
   • Extent to which there is coherence and clear rationale for the individual research projects coming together into a coordinated research program
   • Quality of the co-production approach the team will use to develop the full application and demonstration of integration of Indigenous engagement, patient engagement, IDEAS, and open science as relevant
   • Evidence the applicant team has the demonstrated leadership and required expertise across academic and knowledge user team members 
3. Potential for impact
   • Evidence the research program will have tangible value for knowledge users, particularly those participating in the research program 
   • Evidence the research program will have measurable impact relevant to the BHI long-term outcomes

Upon completion of the LOI review, selected applicants will be invited to submit full applications. To build the highest quality research programs and foster collaboration across the BHI network, some applicants may be advised to combine their efforts with another applicant team. A maximum of 14 LOIs will be invited to submit full applications, with an expectation of at least one full application per scientific Pillar (contingent on submission high quality LOIs). Consideration will also be given to factors such as institutional representation, target populations, etc. in the final selection of LOIs invited to move forward to full application. 

Full Applications

Details on requirements, review criteria and decision process for full applications will be provided to applicants invited to submit full applications. 

All principal applicants will be notified by email of the results of the LOI review process. 

All applicant teams submitting an LOI should plan to participate in the Collaboration and Co-Production Workshop on April 17, 2026. Each applicant team invited to submit a full application will be required to send 2 to 3 representatives (at least 1 academic and 1 knowledge user) to the Workshop. The Workshop is intended to be an in-person event. Some accommodation will be made for virtual participation if key team members are unable to attend in-person. The Workshop will be open to partners, knowledge users, academic researchers and other members of the BHI network with an expressed interest in being involved in research programs supported by the ICP. Travel costs associated with this event can be covered by the 10K co-production support (to be submitted with LOI budget).

Additional conditions of funding will apply to successful teams at the full application stage including: 

• Before the release of funds, principal applicants must complete the training requirements for core academic members. 
• Principal knowledge users must complete the training requirements associated with the core partner membership category within three months of the start date of the project. 
• Principal applicants, principal knowledge users and co-applicants are required to complete the BHI self-identification survey (Count Me In). 
• Trainees supported through BHI grants are required to complete core training.
• Teams must acknowledge the support they receive from the BHI in publications, presentations and other research outputs from their BHI-funded program. 
• Teams must provide an annual report and financial statement (Form 300). Successive years of funding will be based on satisfactory progress and appropriate incorporation of cross-cutting enablers. Funding may be withheld for future years if spending or progress on the research program is delayed. Teams will also be required to submit an end of grant report at the end of the funding period. 
• Teams are required to make their data available to the BHI network, and more broadly as appropriate, through the ARCHIMEDES platform. In exceptional circumstances, teams can justify why ARCHIMEDES is not an appropriate platform for their data management and sharing needs.

Prior to preparing an LOI, applicants are highly encouraged to discuss their proposed research program with the Lead/Co-Lead of the most relevant BHI Pillar to ensure it is aligned with the BHI Scientific Strategy and will contribute to high-priority areas of brain-heart research. Please contact the leads as early as possible: see BHI scientific strategy.

Applicants are expected to inform the appropriate leadership within their research institution that they intend to submit an LOI to this program (see Partner Information)

Applicants must complete the online form (including attachments) by March 29, 2026 at 23:59 Eastern Time. NOTE: If the applicant team exceeds the number of Co-Principal, Co-Applicant or Knowledge Users that can be entered into RedCap, please send a table of additional team members by email to: [email protected]. References are not required at LOI stage but can be included within the Overview of the Research Program if desired. 

Submit your letter of intent here.

Applicants are encouraged to review the cross-cutter resources available on the BHI website as their LOIs are developed.

The online LOI form will include the following sections: 

• Program details 
  • Title, keywords, relevant Pillar(s), plain language summary
• Applicants
  • Information on Principal Applicant, Co-Principal Applicant(s) (Academic), Co-Applicants (Academic), Principal Knowledge User and Knowledge Users
  • Description of the research team (300 words): relevant expertise/experience of each team member and their role in the research program; interdisciplinary nature and complementary knowledge and skills of team members; how IDEAS principles have been considered in team composition.
  • Note: changes to the applicant team are allowed between LOI and full application stages.
• Overview of the Research Program (1500 words):
  • Purpose of the research program and knowledge gaps it will address
  • Relevance to the BHI scientific strategy and research Pillars
  • Projects (2 or more) to be included within the research program including their anticipated methods and knowledge mobilization activities 
  • Description of approaches to collaboration and co-production across the research program and the incorporation of BHI cross-cutting enablers
• Plan to Co-Produce the Research Program (500 words): 
  • Describe how the full application will be co-produced with knowledge users, including patient partners, and academic researchers from different disciplines. 
• Budget (template provided)
  • If requesting up to $10,000 at the LOI stage to support co-production of the full application, provide a budget and justification for the funding requested, including any travel costs associated with the April 17 Collaboration & Co-Production Workshop.
  • Provide a high-level budget for the proposed research program, including a notional budget for each project
• Partners & collaborators:
  • List confirmed and anticipated (with some promise of potential commitment) partners in the research program that will make cash and/or in-kind contributions
  • List confirmed collaborators in the research program
  • Indicate uOttawa/OAHN core facilities required for the research program
  • Indicate if the applicant team will be requesting support to identify and/or develop partnerships for the research program and the nature of the requested support 

Collaborator: an individual (from academia or from other sectors) who plays an active role in the research but is not involved in leading the research project as an applicant or co-applicant and they are not involved as research personnel (i.e., trainee, technician, etc.). 

Co-production: A collaborative approach to planning and implementing health-care research where knowledge users are engaged as equal partners throughout the project alongside researchers using diverse strategies, including stakeholder engagement, co-production of research questions and study design, and partnering in dissemination/implementation.

Early-career researchers: Investigators within five years of their first independent research-related appointment at the time of application.

Interdisciplinary: Interdisciplinary collaborations integrate the knowledge, insights and methods of multiple disciplines to create unique perspectives and approaches. Experts come together early and contribute from within their respective discipline to create something unique that is greater than the sum of its parts. 

Knowledge users: People, including representatives of communities and organizations, who are likely to use research results to make informed decisions, or anybody who may benefit or be otherwise affected by research results. This can include, but is not limited to, patients, Indigenous leaders and communities, health professionals, community-based organizations, health charities, health system leaders, policymakers and private-sector organizations.

Partner: Institutions providing cash and/or in-kind contributions.

Patients: Individuals with lived experiences with a health issue, informal caregivers (including family and friends) and/or individuals that are at risk of or otherwise affected by brain–heart conditions.

Research program: In the context of the BHI and ICP, a research program is comprised of two or more conceptually related, coordinated and integrated research projects conducted to advance a common goal. It is co-developed and implemented by an interdisciplinary group of researchers and knowledge users, including patient partners, guided by co-production principles throughout the research lifecycle. 

The following institutions have committed to providing support to researchers from their institution participating in successful research programs funded through ICP.

Bruyère Health Researh Institute (BHRI)

BHRI contact to discuss ICP support:

Jason Joschko

[email protected] 

Additionally, BHRI will provide matched funding up to $10k/year for graduate studentship awards designated to an ICP program. Depending on requirements, BHRI may also be able to offer expertise in support of ICP programs.

L'Institut du Savoir Montfort (ISM)

ISM contact to discuss ICP support:

Marie-Andrée Imbeault, Director of Innovation

[email protected] 

Additionally, ISM has a number of resources within their institution that will be offered in-kind to all successful ICP teams, such as:

• Access to a secure data-for-decision-support lab for REB-approved researchers.
• Access to Montfort’s on-site clinical trials unit and the Aline Chrétien Health Hub day hospital for patient-based and biometric assessments.
• An innovation lab (in development) to enable collaboration with industry partners and piloting of tools within the hospital.
• Leadership in francophone health professional training and delivery of bilingual knowledge translation opportunities through hospital rounds, conferences, and community events.
• Coordination of OSSU’s francophone patient partner initiative to support meaningful francophone patient engagement in research.
• Hosting of the LangHealth/LangSanté research network to convene researchers, clinicians, and decision-makers around language as a social determinant of health.

McGill University

McGill contact to discuss ICP support:

Minodora (Dora) Iordan, Associate Director, Research Development

[email protected] 

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)

OHRI contact to discuss ICP support:

Rob Lajeunesse, Portfolio Manager, Research Grants and Funding

[email protected] 

Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC)

RI-MUHC contact to discuss ICP support:

Benoît Chambaron, Manager, Pre-Awards Office Manager

[email protected]

The Royal’s Institute for Mental Health Research (IMHR)

The University of Ottawa Brain & Mind Research Institute (uOBMRI)

UOBMRI contact to discuss ICP support:

Natasha Hollywood, Program Manager

n[email protected]

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI)

UOHI contact to discuss ICP support:

Michelle Campbell

[email protected]

UOHI is also open to providing ICP-funded researchers with access to institutional facilities as an in-kind contribution, including preferential or reduced pricing where applicable and with matching funds for student scholarships, fellowships and additional funding opportunities.

The University of Saskatchewan (USask)

USask contact to discuss ICP support:

Vera Kettnaker, Senior Strategic Research Navigator [email protected] 

Email Vera for assistance in finding USask researchers with specific expertise or specific attributes (ECR, NSERC/SSHRC/CIHR), she will be happy to make introductions and help to schedule meetings. She will also assist USask lead applicants with their LOIs and applications.

 Examples of University of Saskatchewan facilities and resources include:

• Canadian Light Source, the only synchrotron in Canada. Synchroton uses related to Health. Apply by February 25!
• Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)
• Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health Research
• Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research
• Western College of Veterinary Medicine

Several USask researchers are also involved in the Virtual Health Hub

Aside from CLS, applicant teams can obtain access to these facilities and resources by involving U Sask faculty members affiliated with the above entities in their proposal team.

Interested in applying or contributing to the ICP and looking for collaborators? We've created a tool to help you connect with researchers, patient partners, and knowledge users interested in brain-heart research collaboration. This tool makes it easy to:

• Share your expertise and/or interests in a 2-minute submission
• Browse a directory of potential collaborators by interest, role, and expertise
• Connect directly with researchers and knowledge users

Looking for additional collaborators or support for your ICP proposal? Click here to provide your information.

Looking to collaborate with others who are preparing a ICP proposal? Click here to browse potential collaborators.

Workshops on Patient Engagement in Preclinical and Clinical Research 

As you prepare to submit your Intersectoral Collaborative Program proposal, you are invited to join us for interactive workshops on patient-oriented research and patient engagement! These workshops are a collaboration of BHI’s Patient Engagement Cross-Cutter and the Office of Patient Engagement and Research Activities at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. 

We will be hosting 2 virtual workshops, one about engagement in preclinical research and one about clinical research. Each workshop will include a brief introduction to patient-oriented research terms, methodology and examples of how to engage with patient partners throughout the research cycle. Workshop participants will also undertake an optional interactive activity to workshop and strengthen their patient engagement plans for the upcoming Brain Heart Interconnectome Intersectoral Collaborative Program. 

Registration information:

March 23, 1-2:30 pm (EST), Preclinical workshop – Register Here

March 24, 1-2:30 pm (EST), Clinical workshop – Register Here

If you have any questions at all, please reach out to Andrea Smith, Specialist, Knowledge Mobilization and Patient Engagement, at [email protected]
 

Information Webinar Recording

Click here to watch our recording of the ICP information webinar held on February 17th 2026.