Health Professional-Investigator Program
The Health Professional-Investigator Program supports BC researchers actively involved in patient care. The awards help physicians and allied health professionals start and develop new programs of research and make contributions to their fields.
2025 update
BC’s research talent needs are changing, and we’re adapting our funding programs in response. Starting fall 2025, we will lead provincial discussions to identify talent needs and gaps to inform future program decisions. While we do this work, the Health Professional-Investigator competition will pause. The Research Trainee Program will continue and launch in fall 2025.
Program details
Identifies and develops outstanding BC health researchers who are within six years of the start of their first institutional appointment as an independent investigator.
Helps researchers start and develop new programs of research.
Protects researchers’ time to conduct research, develop an independent research career, attract additional research funding, and train the next generation of researchers.
Guided by advice from Indigenous partners, award holders, peer reviewers and advisors, we are introducing a distinct peer review panel for Indigenous health applications to the 2025 competition. Applicants may choose a review by a panel with expertise in Indigenous health research who will review applications with a central focus on meaningful and culturally safe Indigenous-led research (see guidelines: Section 7, Indigenous Health Research and Section 13, Review Process).
Top-up funding from the BC SUPPORT Unit is available to recipients whose research involves meaningfully engaging Indigenous communities to support those engagement activities (see Section 7, Indigenous Health Research).
Applicants will no longer be able to include a Canadian Common CV in their application and instead will be asked a few new questions about supervision of trainees, career history, and experience leading or participating in funded research projects (see guidelines: Section 9, Assessment of Research Outputs)
The HP-I Program has two separate streams which are evaluated independently of one another: a physician stream and an allied health professional stream. Only one stream can be selected per application.
Eligibility
Applicants to both streams must:
- Be a clinician, health practitioner, and/or health care provider whose role requires clinical decision making.
- Hold a valid license to practice in BC and be a member in good standing of the appropriate regulatory college, or be a board-certified/board-eligible health professional and a member in good standing of the appropriate provincial/national certification body (BC Health Regulators).*
- Hold an appointment at a BC host institution that has a memorandum of understanding with Health Research BC that allows the applicant to apply for and hold research funding, engage in independent research activities, and publish their research results.
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Have confirmation from the department head (or equivalent) protecting a minimum of 50% of the applicant’s time for health research activities
* If your regulated health profession is not listed by BC Health Regulators, please contact hpi@healthresearchbc.ca to verify eligibility before proceeding with your application.
Partnered awards are available for this program!
Health Research BC’s partners may co-fund successful applications through this program to provide additional support. Indicate your interest when prompted in your application, or, if you missed this step, email the Partnerships team with your Application ID and preferred partner(s). The organizations below are interested in co-funding through this competition.
Past recipients
2024 HP-I award recipients
Congratulations to these exceptional BC-based health professionals who integrate patient care with research relevant to health and the health system, recognized as 2024 Health Professional-Investigators (HP-I) award recipients.
See recipients