As a federal agency, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is responsible for demonstrating to Canadians the exceptional value and importance of health research. That support, in turn, can translate to increased levels of funding, which means more support for you, your researchers and trainees.

Together, We Can Demonstrate the Exceptional Value and Importance of Health Research to Canadians

CIHR Public Affairs - We're Here to Help!

CIHR Public Affairs is here to help researchers, institutions and funding partners promote health research. We have extensive experience in the areas of media relations, government relations, strategic communications, writing and editing and event planning and coordination.

We can help you:

• communicate with the public, media or specialized audiences;
• review and provide revised content and design of promotional materials and speeches related to CIHR-funded research; and
• post your materials on the CIHR website.

We can work with you to promote CIHR-funded research through:

• funding announcements;
• announcements of research developments and results; and
• other communications initiatives, including speeches, awards, media interviews, conferences, publications and advertising.

In return, we ask that CIHR be acknowledged as a funder in your communications activities.

Roles and Responsibilities

We all benefit when we work together and share our resources, without duplicating efforts needlessly.

CIHR Public Affairs has specific roles and responsibilities for communications. Other responsibilities belong to principal investigators, institutions, and partners. By each playing our different roles, we can make all of our communications efforts successful.

CIHR Public Affairs

• Coordinate announcements at the national and regional levels.
• Liaise with the Office of the Minister of Health to secure a federal spokesperson (essential for funding announcements).
• Develop media and promotional materials such as news releases, backgrounders and speeches for funding announcements and solicit input from funding partners, researchers and institutions involved.
• Work with researchers, institutions and funding partners to either develop or provide input to media and promotional materials on exciting research developments or results.
• Assist whenever possible in promoting stories to the media, posting or linking relevant Web material and providing access to lists of relevant experts or spokespeople.

Principal Investigators

• Notify your institution's communications or public affairs unit of your success once informed of CIHR funding decisions.
• For funding announcements, you may be asked to review communications material and act as spokesperson at events.
• Inform CIHR whenever research developments or discoveries will be published and work with CIHR and your institution to promote the findings.
• Coordinate with your institution to share health research success stories with CIHR and send CIHR a copy of publications, media coverage, advertising or other promotional material.
• Submit photos of yourself and research team members to CIHR Public Affairs for use in promotional materials such as displays at conferences, in corporate publications or on the CIHR website. All photos should be 5 x 7 in., colour and in JPEG or TIF format, that is at least 300 dpi. Head and shoulders shot should be taken against a white background.

Research Institutions (Communications or Public Affairs Department)

• Provide input to CIHR communications materials for funding announcements, assist with event planning, coordination and logistics, secure spokespeople from the institution and help with media relations and media monitoring.
• Inform CIHR if CIHR-funded research developments or discoveries are to be published and work in conjunction with researchers and all relevant funding partners, including CIHR, to promote the findings.
• Share health research success stories with CIHR and send a copy of publications, media coverage, advertising or other promotional material.
• Invite CIHR to provide a federal representative at events, conferences or other public activities promoting health research.
• Give credit to CIHR for funding your researchers' work.
• Provide a link to the CIHR website (www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca) on both your website and any relevant print or electronic materials, including news releases, e-mail and newsletters.

Funding Partners (Communications or Public Affairs Department)

• Work with CIHR to develop funding announcement promotional materials such as news releases, backgrounders and speeches.
• When informed of research developments or results, work with researchers, institutions and CIHR to establish roles and responsibilities and either develop or provide input to media and promotional materials.
• Inform CIHR of relevant health research success stories.
• Assist whenever possible in pitching stories/ideas to media, securing a spokesperson from your organization to speak with media and attend events and posting or linking relevant Web material.
• Provide a link to the CIHR website (www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca) on both your website and any relevant print or electronic materials, including news releases, e-mail and newsletters.

How to Recognize CIHR's Support

Making CIHR's support visible helps to build support for increased funding for health research and enhances CIHR's transparency and accountability for public funds. We ask that you recognize CIHR's support in the following ways:

• acknowledge financial support in all forms of communications (e.g., news releases, presentations, research reports and other publications, correspondence, news conference, advertising and other such materials);
• ensure acknowledgement of CIHR funding is prominent (i.e., first paragraph of a news release);
• include a quote from a CIHR official in materials destined for the media or general public;
• include the CIHR logo and standard description in media materials, presentations, publications, websites, advertising and promotional material; and
• respect the integrity of CIHR program and research team names as defined in the application for funding.

How to Reach Us:
CIHR Public Affairs
613-941-4563
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca