Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) - Funding Programs

We envision a health research system that advances equity by removing barriers to participation; promotes diversity by recognizing the underserved and underrepresented; and enables inclusion by supporting cultural change that allows for meaningful involvement.

To that end, we have created commitments to EDI, building on our existing work, to guide us in addressing systemic racism and other forms of bias and discrimination in the health research system.

EDI-related program improvements

We have implemented policy, program, and process improvements to reduce barriers and facilitate greater diversity among Health Research BC funding applicants and award recipients, including:

• Unconscious bias training for all our peer reviewers
• Revised application evaluation criteria to help peer reviewers mitigate potential biases in their assessments
• Actively reinforcing fair, equitable and consistent application review throughout the peer review process
• Signing the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) to demonstrate our broader commitment to fair and equitable assessment of research outputs
• Increasing Research Trainee award stipends to support research talent development
• Commissioning an evaluation of our Scholar and Research Trainee programs which included evidence-based recommendations to foster greater inclusion and diversity in health research
• Launching an Indigenous health research peer review panel 
• Implementing changes to support applicants who have had career interruptions due to life events or personal circumstances (parental, medical, care-giving, and bereavement leaves), and who apply later in their eligibility windows
• Removing the eligibility window for the Research Trainee Program and now following the requirements set by the host institution to streamline the application process and reduce applicant workload
• Regular proactive dialogue with research-intensive universities in BC who are underrepresented among Health Research BC funding applications and award recipients, to support successful applications from diverse institutions across the province.

Self-identification form

We collect demographic information through a self-identification form from all participants in the funding application process — applicants, co-applicants, research users, trainee supervisors, and the health research experts who review applications. This helps us identify EDI barriers and opportunities for improvement within our funding programs.

The self-identification form invites participants to share details about their gender and sexual identity, age, Indigenous identity, racialized/visible minority identity, population group, and disability status.

Our approach aligns with the Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Self-Identification Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Self-Identification Questionnaire, facilitating national comparisons and contributing to a deeper understanding of diversity in BC and Canada’s research system.