The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced a partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Rx&D Health Research Foundation (HRF) to foster innovation in healthcare delivery.

"We are pleased to support research that will inform how to best deliver healthcare in our country," said Minister Aglukkaq. "The projects to be funded will be innovative, linked to current health priorities, take into consideration patients input, and be rapidly applied to the Canadian health care system."

Applicants will be required to demonstrate how their research includes both healthcare decision makers and patients as active partners. This approach will help improve health care delivery.

"HRF is proud to partner with CIHR to support research that will make a difference in how patients are cared for in Canada," said Dr. Philippe Couillard, Chair of the HRF Board of Directors. "The innovative projects to be funded will position research as close to patient values as possible to improve sustainability and patient satisfaction."

Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR, added "Researchers must demonstrate how their projects can strengthen our healthcare system. By bringing patients together with researchers and decision-makers, research results will translate into meaningful improvements in healthcare delivery for Canadians."

The new initiative will be launched in June 2012 and successful teams will receive up to three years of funding starting in 2013. The selection of projects will include a CIHR competitive merit review process.

The CIHR-HRF research program is part of Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, a national initiative to ensure better translation of research findings into clinical practice. Minister Aglukkaq announced the strategy last August - and it will result in better alignment of research efforts with patients needs.

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