Information for sponsors

The assessment provided by sponsors plays a crucial role in the review process. Since selection committees are generally multidisciplinary in nature, their members take this into account in their overall review and appraisal of applications, particularly when providing justifications or examples that support their evaluations and reflect their expectations for trainees in their research field.

When asked to provide a sponsor assessment

The following best practices and considerations should be taken into account when providing a sponsor assessment:

  • Be accurate, fair, clear and balanced.
  • Avoid being unduly personal (e.g., do not use the applicant's first name).
  • When referring to the applicant, use gender neutral pronouns or phrases. For example, use "they" or "the applicant," rather than "he" or "she".
  • Support your points by providing specific examples of accomplishments where possible.
  • consider using, where appropriate, superlative descriptors (e.g., superb, excellent, outstanding, confident, successful, ambitious, knowledgeable, intellectual) for all genders (e.g., women, men, transgender, two-spirit);and support them with evidence.
  • Do not include information related to ethnicity, age, hobbies, marital status, religion, etc.
  • Avoid revealing personal information about the applicant. Such information may be helpful only in explaining academic delays or interruptions and should be addressed with caution.

Limiting bias

Biases may manifest themselves in several ways and could be based on a school of thought, fundamental versus applied or translational research, areas of research or approaches (including emerging ones), size or reputation of a participating institution, age, cultural background, language, personal factors or gender of the applicant.

Sponsors are cautioned against using any inappropriate judgment of an application based on such factors and are asked to constantly guard against the possibility of implicit bias influencing their assessment or the review of the application by the peer review committee.

The use of inclusive language is encouraged (e.g. "the applicant" or "they" instead of "he/she"). Sponsor assessments should be free from words or sentences that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped or discriminatory language of particular people or groups, or their institution.

Use of inclusive language has been shown to decrease unconscious bias during the evaluation process. For more information, refer to the Canada Research Chairs guidelines for letter writers on Limiting Unconscious Bias.

Sponsor assessment writers should also refer to the tri-agency Bias in Peer Review training module as a guide for preventing unconscious bias in merit/peer review.

Request for a sponsor assessment

For programs using ResearchNet to request a sponsor assessment

Sponsors will receive a request via email from ResearchNet (application submission platform used for CIHR) with instructions on how to link to the assessment form. This email is automatically generated by ResearchNet, so be sure to check your spam/junk folder.

The email sent by ResearchNet will include a unique URL that allows you access to the sponsor form. You will not receive access to the application package; speak to the applicant to receive the information that you will need to complete this task.

If the email requesting assessment is misplaced, the applicant may generate another unique URL by deleting the contact information and re-sending the invitation. If the applicant resends the invitation, or deletes and re-invites you as a sponsor, this action will render all URLs contained in previously sent emails inactive.

Deadline for the sponsor assessment

For programs using ResearchNet to request assessment

The sponsor assessment must be submitted via ResearchNet no later than the assessment required deadline date displayed on the online sponsor assessment page.

Sponsors must complete all sections of the assessment online via ResearchNet. They will not be able to upload documents in ResearchNet or submit assessments off-line. Only once all sections (including the section requiring information about the sponsor) have been completed will the submit button be available.

For all programs

Please contact the applicant if you have any questions about the deadline. Applicants will not be able to submit their applications if the assessments are not received by their submission deadline (for programs using ResearchNet) or their application will be considered incomplete and removed from the competition (all other programs).

Sponsors should keep a copy of the assessment submitted.

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