The Interplay between Participatory Health Research and Implementation Research: Canadian Research Funding Perspectives

Table 2

Evaluation criteria pertaining to the intervention and engagement approaches in CIHR-funding initiatives on implementation research. Table 2 features excerpts from implementation research-focused initiatives led by/involving CIHR. The evaluation criteria relate to the what (intervention) and related context(s) and how (research and community engagement approach), and they are used to assess the proposals. Criteria related to the research and community engagement approach signal how the funding opportunity was designed to ensure relevance and to try to mitigate harm or unintended consequences (i.e., culturally appropriate, collaboratively developed, and acceptable to communities; community-informed interventions; gender and equity considerations).

Funding initiative	Evaluation criteria
	Description of the intervention and related context(s)	Research and community engagement approach
CIHR Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples Implementation Research Teams (component 2)	Addresses contextual factors (e.g., social, political, physical, and cultural), community engagement, and partnership processes thought to affect intervention implementation and scalability.	Governance plan for community engagement is well described, collaboratively developed with communities, culturally appropriate, and feasible; Evidence that the proposed intervention is adaptable to different contexts, developed by and/or acceptable to communities, and potentially scalable; Adaptation plans include community-informed intervention enhancements critical to improving effectiveness and scalability
Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (lung disease call) (multiple funders)	Intervention relevant to the sociopolitical, cultural, legislative, and economic contexts of the study settings.	Inequities and equity gaps including gender taken into account in implementation strategy design (GACD, lung diseases)
Innovating for Maternal and Child Health (MCH)—Implementation Research Teams (no longer publicly available) (CIHR, International Development Research Centre (lead) & Global Affairs Canada)	Research relevant to countries’ priorities.	Research driven by needs of communities, health care providers, program implementers, and policymakers
	Interventions to be studied demonstrate consideration for potential for scale-up to improve MCH.	Gender equality and equity considerations embedded throughout IR process; Buy-in from decision-makers and other relevant stakeholders within/outside health sector
HIV Implementation Science—Component 1	Research questions, design, and methods are appropriate to assess interventions and heterogeneity of communities.	Feasible and appropriate plan for developing/extending relationships with communities; Plan to collaborate with decision-makers and community partners to identify interventions and assess adaptation and contextual factors with relevance to implementation and scale-up