How to Start Using ResearchNet for Federal Research Funding in Canada

ResearchNet is the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) application system, and starting in the wrong federal system wastes the whole application. ResearchNet, the NSERC Research Portal, the NSERC on-line system, and the forms SSHRC points applicants to are different systems with different accounts, different identifiers, and different submission routes. This guide covers ResearchNet only, for CIHR funding opportunities. It does not describe Research Portal steps, on-line system forms, or SSHRC form steps, and anything in it that sounds like a numbered NSERC form or a Research Portal eligibility profile belongs to another system and should be treated as a warning sign, not a step to follow.

The verified description of ResearchNet is narrower than the premise often repeated about it. The research administrators' instructions for the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) program state that ResearchNet provides a single point of entry for applicants and institutions, with the Electronic Approval Tool on ResearchNet used to manage applications and submit applications to CIHR. The Acceptable Application Formats and PDF Attachments page states the coverage rule: all of CIHR's programs are now submitted electronically through ResearchNet unless otherwise stated in the funding opportunity. The broader one-stop-shop wording in the original premise was not found on any current official page, so it is not repeated here as a CIHR claim. What is verified is the single point of entry wording, the unless-otherwise-stated rule, and the funding-opportunity check that follows from both. No claim is made in this guide that ResearchNet covers all three granting agencies or all programs: the funding opportunity pages list CIHR as the Funding Organization, partnered opportunities name partners without changing that listing, and the Undergraduate Student Research Awards example in section 1 shows a ResearchNet listing that routes elsewhere.

1. Confirm the funding opportunity runs through ResearchNet before creating anything

Work from the funding opportunity on ResearchNet, not from a university checklist or a program name. Open the opportunity and check two things: the Funding Organization field, and the How to Apply section. On every funding opportunity page, the Funding Organization is the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The How to Apply section then states the route for that competition, including whether the process has one step or two, such as Registration and Full Application, or a Letter of Intent and Full Application, and which CV format and questionnaire wording apply. If the How to Apply section names another system, follow it: the listing being on ResearchNet does not override the instruction inside the listing.

The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) funding opportunity on ResearchNet is the case that proves the check. Its Funding Organization is CIHR, its Important Dates table lists application deadlines for Summer 2026, Fall 2026, and Winter 2027 terms, and its How to Apply section states that applicants must complete and submit an application using NSERC's online system, select the Canadian institution where they wish to hold the award through that system, and consult the instructions for completing a USRA application, form 202. An applicant who assumed ResearchNet because the opportunity appeared on ResearchNet would have built the application in the wrong place. The same caution applies to partnered opportunities in the other direction. A Team Grant opportunity names CIHR as Funding Organization and NSERC as a partner, states that NSERC's funding will be provided as an Alliance grant, and still requires a CIHR PIN and the Tri-Agency Self-identification Questionnaire for participants, with the application completed in ResearchNet. Partnership changes who funds part of the work; it does not change the submission system named in the funding opportunity.

For SSHRC, the distinction is what the SSHRC page does not say. The How to apply page gives general instructions for SSHRC grant and scholarship funding opportunities: determine whether the research falls under SSHRC's mandate, select the funding opportunity, read its description, review the application instructions in the Apply column of the description overview once the opportunity is open, and click on the appropriate application forms in the same Apply section. ResearchNet, a CIHR PIN, and ResearchNet tasks appear nowhere on that page. This guide therefore makes no claim about the name or steps of SSHRC's form system, and a reader with a SSHRC opportunity should follow the instructions and forms in that opportunity's Apply section rather than any step in this guide. Row 974 in the backlog covers SSHRC web forms separately; nothing in this guide duplicates it.

Treat the funding opportunity as the finding aid that can change between competitions. The Grants – Application Guidelines warn that the document provides general guidelines and does not necessarily contain all information required to complete an application, that the details specific to the funding opportunity in ResearchNet must also be read, and that the tasks shown in ResearchNet for the funding opportunity are the only tasks required for it. Check the opportunity again in the competition year, including its Important Dates, Funds Available, Eligibility, and How to Apply sections, before creating an application.

2. Set up one account, a CIHR PIN, and sign-in that works on deadline day

Every person who participates needs their own setup, and the applicant's setup has three parts that must be finished before drafting: the ResearchNet account, the CIHR PIN, and the CV. The Register with CIHR page states each requirement plainly. A ResearchNet account is required to apply for CIHR funding opportunities, and there should be only one account per person. To register, go to ResearchNet, select Register from the Sign-in box on the right hand side of the page, fill in and submit the on-line form, and the account is created immediately. If an account already exists, do not register for a new one. Supervisors need accounts too: the CGRS D instructions require applicants and their supervisor to each have a ResearchNet account and a CIHR PIN, with only one ResearchNet account each, and participants added to an application must have validated PINs before their part of the application can proceed.

The CIHR PIN is a separate identifier inside the account, and it is the step most likely to be left too late. A CIHR PIN is required to apply for CIHR funding opportunities. After creating a ResearchNet account, either register for a PIN or validate an existing five- or six-digit PIN from before the ResearchNet account was created. Log in, select your name at the top right of the screen, select Register for a CIHR PIN or Validate a CIHR PIN from the drop-down menu, and complete and submit the on-line form. PIN requests are processed Monday to Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (ET), with a confirmation email carrying the PIN expected within 24 business hours; after 24 business hours without one, call 1-888-603-4178 or email support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. A PIN registered through ResearchNet is automatically validated in the account once activated. The PIN can be found at any time by logging in, selecting the account name, and selecting Account Settings. If the name drop-down shows only Account Settings, a valid PIN is already in place. Participants added by a Nominated Principal Applicant follow the same validation route from their own accounts: the guidelines note that if a participant's PIN has not been validated, the participant must log in, select their name, and select Validate your CIHR PIN. Build the PIN wait into the schedule at the start, not in deadline week, and confirm every participant's PIN is validated before the application is assembled.

Signing in to ResearchNet means email, password, and a code, every time. The multi-factor authentication in ResearchNet page sets out five steps: sign in with email and password; receive a prompt for a verification code sent to the email address linked to the account; check the inbox for a message from NoReply-NePasRepondre@cihr-irsc.gc.ca, checking the junk folder if it is not visible; enter the code and click Verify code; and arrive at the ResearchNet home page. The code expires after 10 minutes, and an expired code requires returning to the home page and signing in again. There is no option to receive the code by text message, no trusted-device or remember-me feature, and multi-factor authentication cannot be disabled and cannot be skipped. Every sign-in requires it, and a session that times out after 60 minutes of inactivity requires re-authentication. The page suggests keeping the linked email easily accessible, including by phone, so a code can be retrieved without delay, and refreshing the session every 50 to 55 minutes or performing a simple action such as clicking through the system or saving can reset the session timer. The email address linked to the account can be changed from ResearchNet Account Settings under the name menu, by modifying the email address field, entering and confirming the password, and submitting; future correspondence then goes to the updated address. No GCKey or Sign-In Partner route is stated on any ResearchNet page, so this guide states none: sign in with the email and password for the ResearchNet account, plus the emailed code.

Keep the My CIHR Profile current alongside the account. Funding opportunity pages state that participants should regularly review and update the My CIHR Profile, including confirming the correct Primary Affiliation is linked, and that the Primary Affiliation field matters for eligibility assessments and Research Support Fund calculations where applicable. The profile is reached by clicking the account name at the top right of the ResearchNet screen. An affiliation that is wrong or stale can therefore surface as an eligibility problem rather than a typing error, and it is cheaper to fix before the application is built than after it is submitted.

3. Complete the self-identification questionnaire under both wordings

Complete the questionnaire through the ResearchNet account before the application is submitted, and expect the name on the screen to differ from the name on another CIHR page. Both wordings are carried in this guide because the official pages use both, and picking one silently would describe the other inaccurately. The Register with CIHR page calls it the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Self-identification Questionnaire, states completion is mandatory for CIHR application participants at the full application stage and for Peer Review Committee members at the review of Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest stage, and strongly recommends completing it immediately through the ResearchNet account since it must be completed by all participants before the application can be submitted, with no need to wait for a competition. Funding opportunity pages on ResearchNet instead list completing the Tri-Agency Self-identification Questionnaire among the requirements for all participants except Collaborators. One opportunity adds a privacy notice that calls completion required for an application to be considered and for reviewer participation, while also stating the information is provided voluntarily, can be changed before submission, and can be answered with I prefer not to answer for aspects of identity the respondent does not wish to provide.

The practical course follows from both wordings together: open the questionnaire in the ResearchNet account early, complete it under the instructions shown there and in the funding opportunity, and use I prefer not to answer where that option is offered rather than leaving questions blank. Do not assume the questionnaire is optional because one passage calls the information voluntary, and do not assume every question demands a substantive answer because another passage calls completion mandatory. Where the funding opportunity's privacy notice states that selected responses are shared to determine eligibility for designated funding, read that notice before answering, since the consequence of an answer differs between an open competition and a competition targeting a specific population. The questionnaire is a participant-level step, not an application task to be completed once by the Nominated Principal Applicant on everyone's behalf: the Register page states it must be completed by all participants before the application can be submitted, so confirm each participant has completed it rather than assuming the application task list will catch the gap.

4. Choose the CV format the funding opportunity names, and link it correctly

The CV decision comes before drafting, because the wrong format, a mismatched email, or a late submission can each block an otherwise complete application. The Grants – Application Guidelines require a CV as one of the three Before you begin items, alongside the ResearchNet account and CIHR PIN, and list the formats as a Canadian Common CV (CCV), an applicant profile CV for non-academic, Indigenous organizations and/or international applicants when applicable, or a tri-agency CV, subject to the specific requirements in the funding opportunity. The Register with CIHR page states who must provide one: all participants, including principal applicants and co-applicants, must submit a CV except Collaborators. Canadian academic applicants must submit either a CIHR Biosketch CV using the CCV or a tri-agency CV depending on the funding opportunity. Knowledge users, non-academic applicants, Indigenous organizations, and international applicants may submit a CIHR Biosketch CV, an applicant profile CV, or a tri-agency CV depending on the funding opportunity. The guidelines warn that failing to provide the correct CV format for a given role or participant type may negatively impact evaluation. No eligibility test, funding value, or award duration is stated in this guide, because the official pages point those questions to the funding opportunity; the same discipline applies here: the CV format is read from the funding opportunity for the competition, not from a previous year's application.

The CCV route uses a separate system and a confirmation number. Log in to the CCV system, go to the CV menu and select Funding, select CIHR in the Funding Source field and the CV type for the role, and click Load. Enter data in each required section and click Done, with validation performed automatically and errors displayed in the relevant sections. Preview the CV as a PDF, read it for changes needed before submission, and click Submit when satisfied. A CCV confirmation number is generated in the status message and at the top of the CV PDF; record it, because it is needed to link the CV to the application in ResearchNet under the Identify Participants task. Before submitting a CCV, validate the CIHR PIN in the CCV account: select the PIN/System Account button, and if the PIN appears click the pencil and then Validate, or if no PIN appears select CIHR as the agency, add the PIN number, and click Validate. For the CGRS D program specifically, the Nominated Principal Applicant must choose the CIHR Academic CV template, select CIHR and CIHR Academic from the drop-downs, and enter the confirmation number under Identify Participants; the instructions list common errors as using the wrong CCV template and an email address in the CCV that does not match the email address in ResearchNet. If a CCV is changed after linking, repeat the CCV steps, generate a new confirmation number, and update the number in ResearchNet before submitting. Participants can preview their CCVs in ResearchNet from the Tasks page. During peak periods there can be a delay between submitting the CV and ResearchNet validating it, and both the guidelines and the Register page repeat the recommendation to complete and submit the CV well in advance of the deadline.

The tri-agency CV and applicant profile CV routes upload a document instead of linking a number. Download the DOCX tri-agency CV template, complete it following the tri-agency CV instructions and CIHR's formatting guidelines for attachments, and upload it in ResearchNet in the Identify Participants task by clicking the Attachments subtask, selecting Curriculum Vitae as the Document Type, and selecting the file. The applicant profile CV follows the same upload route, and each profile CV should include 5 to 10 expertise keywords plus a summary of education, current and past affiliations, and employment or research experience with dates, and any other information pertinent to the role. The transition wording is preserved rather than smoothed over: a current funding opportunity notice states the opportunity uses the tri-agency CV, describes it as a narrative-style CV that lets applicants capture career trajectories and context for contributions, and warns that as the transition proceeds the system may continue to display references to the CCV, with all participants to follow the tri-agency CV instructions as specified in the funding opportunity and to complete and attach the tri-agency CV. Where the funding opportunity carries that notice, follow its tri-agency instructions even where a screen still says CCV, and where it names the CCV, follow the confirmation-number route above. The choice is the funding opportunity's, not the applicant's preference and not the label on the button.

5. Work the tasks in ResearchNet, in the order the opportunity shows them

Open the funding opportunity in ResearchNet and work the tasks listed for it, in one of the official languages, following the on-screen instructions. The general list in the Grants – Application Guidelines has thirteen tasks, and the guidelines state plainly that some tasks presented there may not be required for all applications. The list is: Identify Participants; Enter Proposal Information; Identify Sensitive Technology Research Areas, if applicable; Complete Summary of Research Proposal; Enter Budget Information; Attach Other Application Materials; Identify Application Partners; Complete Peer Review Administration Information; Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools; Print/Upload Signature Pages; Preview; Manage Access, optional; and Consent and Submit. Some competitions add an earlier phase. A Registration phase, a Letter of Intent phase, or an Expression of Interest phase may precede the full application, and a registration must be submitted to be eligible to submit a full application where the opportunity is structured that way. In the funding opportunity example, CVs are not required at the Registration stage, a research proposal is not required at that stage, and the Nominated Principal Applicant must remain unchanged between the Registration and Full Application phases while other participants can be added, removed, or change roles. The guidelines state the same Nominated Principal Applicant rule across phases generally. Do not change the Nominated Principal Applicant between phases, do not attach a full proposal where the phase asks only for a summary, and do not treat a task shown for one opportunity as required for another.

Identify Participants is the foundation task, and errors there propagate. It collects information on all participants, and eligibility for each participant is judged against the funding opportunity's eligibility criteria and the CIHR Application Administration Guide. The Nominated Principal Applicant adds participants by clicking Add Participants. Each participant other than a Collaborator needs a validated CIHR PIN and the CV format for their role, with the CCV confirmation number or uploaded CV entered under this task. The Most Significant Contributions subtask captures up to five contributions judged most significant and relevant to the application for the Nominated Principal Applicant and all other participants except Collaborators, drawing on a broad range of contributions such as publications, reports, books, guidelines, datasets, code, tools, training and mentorship, community engagement, standards, software, and commercialized products, with the role in the research clearly indicated and the significance, relevance, and impact made clear. For CGRS D applications, Identify Participants must include at minimum a Nominated Principal Applicant and a Primary Supervisor, or the task remains Incomplete, and the task also collects citizenship, institution, faculty, department, and degrees held, with the instruction not to check PhD but to check Other and enter pursuing PhD.

Enter Proposal Information collects the project itself. Provide a title, a lay title in language clear to members of the general public, and a lay abstract in language accessible to a lay audience describing how the research can improve personal health, population health, or the health delivery system; CIHR uses lay titles and abstracts to inform the public and Parliament about research supported with public funds. The title identifies the proposal to CIHR and cannot be edited once submitted. Enter the Institution Paid, the institution that will administer the funds, and check certification requirements for human stem cells, human subjects, animals, and biohazards, the Impact Assessment Act review, whether the application includes a clinical trial or a randomized controlled trial, any Health Canada exemption needed under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, whether the research involves Indigenous Peoples, and whether sex and gender considerations are taken into account, with a description of how they will be considered or why they are not applicable within a 2,000-character limit. Add descriptors, areas of research, classifications, themes with one primary theme, and suggested Institutes with one primary Institute whose mandate relates to the research area and objectives. The research proposal attachment itself sits under this task in the guidelines: provide a clear, concise description responding to the evaluation criteria and the How to Apply section, observe the page limit for the opportunity, and place references, tables, charts, figures, and photographs in the Research Proposal Appendix task, since reviewers are under no obligation to read the appendix and the proposal must stand alone.

The remaining content tasks each answer one question, and each is governed by the funding opportunity. Identify Sensitive Technology Research Areas asks whether the proposed research will aim to advance any listed sensitive technology research area; answering yes requires each researcher with a named role to complete an attestation form, combined by the Nominated Principal Applicant into one single PDF uploaded under the task, while answering no requires no attestation forms and no further steps under that policy. Complete Summary of Research Proposal asks for a summary that may be used for relevance review and for reviewers to assess their level of expertise. Enter Budget Information collects the budget in Canadian dollars, with financial assistance requested for each year, human resources estimates, employment history for personnel paid from the grant, and a full justification for all budget items; equipment and service contract quotations follow thresholds of at least one quotation for single items over $10,000 and up to $25,000, and for single items over $25,000 a letter from the Authorized Official at the Institution Paid attesting the equipment is not currently available plus at least two competitive quotes. Attach Other Application Materials collects support letters, participant tables, and similar material as the funding opportunity requires. Identify Application Partners collects partner details and partner letters for cash or in-kind contributions, with signed Partnership Details PDFs uploaded under the task. Complete Peer Review Administration Information collects suggested reviewers with appropriate expertise and reviewers to exclude with reasons, without suggesting reviewers in conflict of interest; CIHR reserves the right to make the final selection. Apply to Priority Announcements / Funding Pools requires selecting the funding pool title and relevant research area and saving, with a relevance description where a relevance form is required. None of these tasks has a value, page count, or deadline stated in this guide beyond what the guidelines and the opportunity state, because each varies by opportunity and the opportunity is the authority.

6. Prepare attachments to the CIHR standard, and line up sponsors early

Attachments fail on formatting more often than on content, and the standard is mechanical. The Acceptable Application Formats and PDF Attachments page states that file attachments created by the applicant must be uploaded in PDF format, that ResearchNet will not accept supplementary audio or video material, that documents must be in English or French, typed, and formatted as specified, and that the reason for the requirements is that all applicants have exactly the same amount of space to write their proposals. The formatting rules apply to all applicant-prepared attachments: a minimum of 12-point Times New Roman font in black type, no condensed fonts, superscript and subscript allowable, other fonts and sizes only for text in tables, charts, figures, graphs, and legends where legible at 100 percent; a minimum of single line spacing, no narrow line spacing; normal and standard character spacing, no condensed spacing; a minimum margin of 2 cm (0.79 inch) around all pages, with margins empty except for page numbers in the header or footer; page limitations observed, with additional pages not to be added unless specified; letter size only, 21.59 by 27.94 cm, white paper or background, with supporting documents photo-reduced if larger; and attachments uploaded in unprotected PDF format, with each attached document no larger than 30 MB. The combination of requirements results in a maximum of 49 lines of text per page. CIHR reserves the right to withdraw an application that does not meet these requirements, and the guidelines add that documents or attachments exceeding application limits will be removed before peer review, and that information in the application package must be self-contained, with no hyperlinks including links to documents hosted on a Google Drive or similar drive inside attachments, while Digital Object Identifiers for publications are permitted. Research proposals written in French are allowed additional pages, with the allowable length of research proposal or equivalent attachments increased by at least 20 percent and rounded to the closest half or full page. Follow the upload instructions inside ResearchNet for each document, and confirm the final PDF complies with the formatting requirements before submitting rather than assuming a word processor export preserved them.

Sponsors are the external dependency most likely to be discovered too late. The Information for sponsors page distinguishes programs using ResearchNet to request a sponsor assessment from all other programs. For programs using ResearchNet, sponsors receive a request by email from ResearchNet, described as the application submission platform used for CIHR, with instructions on how to link to the assessment form; the email is automatically generated, so the spam or junk folder should be checked. The email includes a unique URL giving access to the sponsor form, and the sponsor does not receive access to the application package, so the applicant must supply the information needed to complete the task. If the email is misplaced, the applicant can generate another unique URL by deleting the contact information and re-sending the invitation, which renders all URLs in previously sent emails inactive. The sponsor assessment must be submitted through ResearchNet no later than the assessment required deadline date displayed on the online sponsor assessment page. Sponsors must complete all sections online, cannot upload documents or submit assessments off-line, and the submit button becomes available only once all sections, including the sponsor information section, are complete. Applicants cannot submit their applications if the assessments are not received by their submission deadline for programs using ResearchNet. Contact sponsors well before the deadline, confirm the request email arrived, and check the assessment status in ResearchNet rather than assuming a verbal promise means the form is done. Reviewer work inside ResearchNet is not described step by step on any official page, beyond the questionnaire requirement for Peer Review Committee members and the peer review administration task for applicants, so no reviewer workflow is stated here; reviewers should follow the instructions and tasks shown in their own ResearchNet accounts.

7. Submit through Consent and Submit, and through the institution where the opportunity requires it

Submission is a task, not a button press at the end of drafting, and for many applications it runs through the institution first. In ResearchNet, preview all components using the Preview task, since an incomplete task blocks submission, then complete the Consent and Submit task: review the terms, respond to the consent questions, and click Submit to CIHR. The Grants – Application Guidelines state that CIHR cannot legally accept an application until the Consent and Submit task is completed, and that the CIHR deadline for receipt of all applications is 8:00 p.m. (ET). The signature pages must already be in place: print the signature page PDF from ResearchNet, obtain all required signatures, check the funding opportunity for its signature requirements, and scan and upload the signed pages including the routing slip in the Print/Upload Signature Pages task before submitting. For CGRS D applications, the instructions add program-specific signature rules that must not be applied to other programs: only supervisor signatures are required, printed names should always accompany signatures, no institutional signatures are required on the pages at the time of application, the signature page must be downloaded only after the required information has been entered, and the signed pages including the routing slip are scanned and uploaded as one unprotected PDF. For other opportunities, follow the signature requirements in the funding opportunity and the CIHR Application Administration Guide, and do not assume the CGRS D rule applies.

Where the funding opportunity routes through an institution, the institution's approval in ResearchNet is part of submission, not an optional courtesy. The CGRS D research administrators' page describes the mechanism that other CIHR opportunities using eApproval follow in the same tool: ResearchNet provides a single point of entry for applicants and institutions, and the Electronic Approval Tool on ResearchNet is used to manage applications and submit applications to CIHR. Research administrators must hold one of three roles to submit applications to CIHR: Access Administrator, Principal User, or Secondary User; otherwise they must liaise with the Access Administrator at their institution to submit through the eApproval process. The Access Administrator holds the highest level of permissions, with CIHR collecting the name of one contact person per institution for the role, and manages the access of principal users, with only one principal user per program per institution, plus secondary and read-only access. The Principal User manages access of secondary and read-only users, manages internal deadlines, and manages all applications including access, review, approval, and submission to the funding organization. The Secondary User manages all applications including access, review, and approval. The Read-Only User can view an applicant's full application once assigned by a principal user, can review assigned applications, and cannot return, approve, or submit an application. Once an application is reviewed and approved by the institution, it can be submitted electronically to CIHR on behalf of the applicant. Applicants can find detailed instructions on the eApproval process in the Electronic Approval tool: Applicant's Guide under the Enter Proposal Information task, Details subtask, according to the administrators' page. For CGRS D, the Institution Paid field determines which organization receives the application, a Canadian institution with a quota or CIHR, and applicants must select the institution from the drop-down menu to submit to an institution with a quota or manually type CIHR or the foreign institution in the Other field to submit directly to CIHR, depending on location of tenure. Submitting an application to CIHR using the Electronic Approval Tool is final and cannot be undone, according to the administrators' page, and CIHR will not accept modified or updated List of Applications forms or additional applications after the CGRS D deadline. The institution's internal deadline therefore comes first in practice: the administrators' page notes institutions setting and publishing internal deadlines in ResearchNet to allow time for review before the November 23 institutional deadline for that program, and applicants should get the internal deadline from their institution rather than working to the CIHR deadline alone.

After submission, the application is frozen and the record must be kept outside ResearchNet. The CGRS D instructions state that no changes or updates can be made to an application after it has been submitted to CIHR, either before or after the deadline. The guidelines state the same discipline from the applicant side: it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the application is complete before submission, over-limit material will be removed before peer review, and the package must be self-contained. Save a copy of the submitted application and attachments at submission time, since no correction window is described on the official pages and no retention period for ResearchNet applications was verified on the CIHR pages. Results timing, notification wording, and post-award steps are set in the funding opportunity and are not stated generally here: the funding opportunities show Anticipated Notice of Decision and Funding Start Date rows in their Important Dates tables, and those rows, read in the competition year, are the timetable to plan around. For technical difficulties or questions about CIHR-specific content on ResearchNet, contact the CIHR Contact Centre Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, at 613-954-1968, toll-free 1-888-603-4178, or support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca, and for the Doctoral program reach out at least 48 hours before the deadline. If a session times out, sign in again through multi-factor authentication and check that the last saved work is intact before continuing.

Related guides:

• How to Start Using the Canadian Common CV for Research Funding in Canada — the separate CCV account, PIN validation inside the CCV, and how the confirmation number links the CV to an application
• How to Start Using the NSERC Research Portal in Canada — the separate NSERC system for Discovery Grants, Research Tools and Instruments, Subatomic Physics programs, and the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master's, included so the two systems are not confused
• How to Start Applying Through the NSERC On-line System in Canada — the numbered-form NSERC system, including the Undergraduate Student Research Awards route that a ResearchNet listing points to
• Business Grants and Funding Programs in Canada — the wider funding landscape by stage and province, for readers checking what else a project might draw on beyond a CIHR opportunity

Sources

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Register with CIHR — one ResearchNet account, Register from the Sign-in box, immediate account creation, CIHR PIN registration and validation, PIN processing times, CCV and tri-agency CV routes, and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Self-identification Questionnaire wording
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Grants – Application Guidelines — Before you begin requirements, the thirteen ResearchNet tasks, participant and Nominated Principal Applicant rules, budget and quotation thresholds, signature pages, Manage Access, Consent and Submit, and the 8:00 p.m. (ET) CIHR deadline
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Acceptable Application Formats and PDF Attachments — ResearchNet as the electronic submission route unless the funding opportunity states otherwise, PDF and formatting rules, 30 MB limit, French additional pages, and withdrawal for non-compliance
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Protecting CIHR systems and user privacy: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) in ResearchNet — email and password sign-in, emailed verification code, 10-minute expiry, no phone code, no remember-me feature, MFA at every sign-in, and the 60-minute session timeout
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) Program: Application instructions — account, PIN, and CCV requirements for applicants and supervisors, the October 19 direct deadline wording, no changes after submission, CGRS D task list, and signature page rules for that program
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Information and instructions for Research Administrators for managing the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) Program — ResearchNet as a single point of entry, eApproval roles and access privileges, submitting through eApproval, the Institution Paid field, and the November 23 institutional deadline
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Information for sponsors — ResearchNet sponsor assessment requests by email with a unique URL, no access to the application package, online-only completion, and submission blocked while an assessment is outstanding
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, ResearchNet funding opportunity: Early Career Researchers in Human Development, Child and Youth Health (2026) — Funding Organization listed as CIHR, Important Dates structure, tri-agency CV notice and transition wording, Tri-Agency Self-identification Questionnaire requirement, and Registration and Full Application phases
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, ResearchNet funding opportunity: Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) 2026-2027 — CIHR Funding Organization with an NSERC on-line system route in How to Apply, and the self-identification questionnaire privacy notice wording
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, How to apply — SSHRC general instructions directing applicants to instructions and forms in the Apply column, with no ResearchNet step stated, supporting the ResearchNet versus SSHRC distinction as verified
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Research Portal – Instructions — the Research Portal versus Online Services line and program list, supporting the ResearchNet versus Research Portal distinction as drawn in the companion guide

No application fee, eligibility test, funding value, award duration, reviewer step-by-step workflow, or ResearchNet application retention period is stated in this guide, because none was verified on an official page. Figures and claims not stated in this guide: the one-stop-shop premise wording, found only in dated non-official material and replaced with the verified single point of entry wording; competition-specific dates, amounts, and pool figures from individual funding opportunity pages, which change by competition and must be read on the opportunity; Project Grant registration and application dates from secondary sources; any GCKey or Sign-In Partner sign-in route, since ResearchNet pages state email, password, and emailed code only; and any claim that ResearchNet serves NSERC or SSHRC programs generally, since official pages list CIHR as the Funding Organization and partnered opportunities name partners without changing the submission system. Both self-identification questionnaire names are carried rather than reconciled, both CV transition wordings are carried rather than reconciled, and program-specific deadlines for the Doctoral program are labelled as Doctoral-program deadlines from the official pages, not general ResearchNet deadlines. Recheck the funding opportunity on ResearchNet in the competition year before applying, since the system route, CV format, tasks, and deadlines are set there.