Notice of upcoming funding opportunity: Emerging Learning Health System in Perinatal Mental Health

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the Emerging Learning Health System in Perinatal Mental Health.

This funding opportunity is led by the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction.

Overview

This funding opportunity will support the development of a national learning health system (LHS) in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH).

The LHS approach integrates research, data, and knowledge for continuous improvement in care to help ensure that the most effective treatments are consistently updated and implemented equitably across Canada. PMH has seen significant research and service delivery investment/advancement locally and regionally in recent years but lacks dedicated funding support for the establishment of an integrated network who can apply lessons learned across jurisdictions and advance the distinct service and research activities into a true LHS. With a critical mass of established centres and programs across the country, the community is ready to apply to implement a pan-Canadian network.

The objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

  • Develop a national LHS that integrates research, practice, and care across jurisdictions to strengthen the implementation of evidence-based practices for PMH.
  • Enhance equitable and timely access to specialized mental health services for PMH to improve the quality of life for affected individuals and to better reach underserved populations.
  • Facilitate multi-site, multidisciplinary research and knowledge mobilization collaborations to generate and disseminate evidence for new treatment options and early intervention/prevention strategies, while also refining and improving existing treatments and models of care for PMH.
  • Develop and implement quality indicators for service delivery, access, and outcomes of care for continuous improvement in the field of PMH.

PMH has a strong focus on people with lived/living experience (PWLLE) and families/caregivers; the network will be expected to involve PWLLE in all aspects of the research. Furthermore, applications to the funding opportunity will be expected to incorporate concrete equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in all aspects of the proposal, including the populations impacted, the needs/barriers, and the benefits/risks entailed in engagement. Given that the PMH LHS will operate across jurisdictions, cross-jurisdictional collaborations will be strongly encouraged.

Anticipated Timelines

These timelines are estimates and subject to change

  • Launch: Spring 2025
  • Application Deadline (Registration or Expression of Interest dates may be used): Fall 2025
  • Funding Start Date: Winter 2026

The official CIHR funding opportunity will be posted on ResearchNet in the coming weeks.

For a full list of CIHR funding opportunities, please visit ResearchNet.

Contact Information

For general inquiries please contact:

CIHR Contact Centre
Telephone: 613-954-1968
Toll Free: 1-888-603-4178
Email: support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is anticipatory only and does not represent an official funding commitment by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Accordingly, the information, contained herein may differ from the official funding opportunity that will be published on ResearchNet.

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