Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit (OSSU) EMPOWER Awards X 2026

Sponsor

Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit (OSSU)

Description

Do you have a completed Ontario-based patient-oriented research project? Does your project require additional funding for knowledge translation and dissemination? If yes…consider applying for EMPOWER (Engaging Multi-stakeholders for Patient Oriented-research Wider Effects and Reach End of Grant Knowledge Mobilization Projects)!

Ontario is home to a wealth of high-quality patient-oriented research, with research teams meaningfully partnering with patients, families, caregivers and communities to deliver rigor, relevance and results from their patient-oriented research project. For these patient oriented research findings to enter the evidence chain for changing health policy, practice and health outcomes, there is often a need to support end-of-grant knowledge mobilization activities to build the relationships and push the results to those who can use them to effect real impact and change for Ontario. This includes the extent to which patient-oriented research findings will be transferrable and scalable to support Ontario’s response to health system and public health challenges (e.g., to practice, programs and/or policy contexts). 

End-of-grant knowledge mobilization covers any activity aimed at disseminating or applying the results and/or recommendations of a completed research project. Outputs at the end-of-grant stage include a focus on knowledge-users and community dissemination. The goals of end-of-grant activities include raising awareness of the research in the original project and promoting action in moving the research forward to practice and policy. Funding is explicitly designed to extend the results and recommendations of the original project and research question to help to support Ontario’s response to health system and public health challenges (e.g., to practice, programs and/or policy contexts) in real world environments with input from the individuals of whom the research impacts.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this funding opportunity, the following criteria must be met: 

Principal Applicant 

• OSSU is inviting submissions from qualified research teams;
• The recipient of funding is associated with a CIHR-eligible institution to which OSSU funds can be flowed (as per CIHR’s TAGFA);
• The recipient of funding has not held an EMPOWER Project (previously EMPOWER Award) on the same project, within the last 3 years. 

Original POR Project

• Applicants must have completed a patient-oriented research (POR) project or initiative, defined as a research or quality improvement study/initiative that demonstrates a commitment to enhancing patient, caregiver and/or community outcomes;
• The original POR project has taken place in Ontario;
• The original POR project must have been completed within the two years preceding the start of EMPOWER Project funding (e.g., for the 2027 funding cycle, the POR project must have been completed between February 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026);
• The original POR project demonstrates meaningful patient partnership (e.g. patients/caregivers/community members are engaged as part of the research team);
• The original POR project was NOT funded by the Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit as part of its IMPACT Award demonstration Project;
• The core research question/hypothesis results have the potential to impact the health of Ontarians and the Ontario health system.

EMPOWER Proposal

• The proposed knowledge mobilization team incorporates patient partnership (i.e. patients/caregivers/community partners are part of the research team);
• Clear justification for adding any new team member to the proposal (e.g. change in partner availability or new patient partner has specific knowledge mobilization expertise);
• Applicants clearly demonstrate that additional funding is needed to prepare materials and disseminate knowledge products resulting from the research.

Prize

OSSU will allocate up to $25,000 for a one-year period for up to six projects. We encourage candidates at all career stages to apply.

Monetary support for the OSSU EMPOWER Project is NOT meant to supplement research activity funding or to conduct further research based on the original patient-oriented research project. Funds are to prepare materials and disseminate knowledge products resulting from the original research. In the submission guidelines and workplan, if OSSU and the review committee feel that the proposal is addressing a new research question, it has the auspices to triage the proposal from the competition.

How to Apply

Proposals are to be submitted electronically to OSSU via email to ossu@ossu.ca. The document templates may be accessed on the OSSU EMPOWER Awards website.

Please also submit a copy of the full nomination and an OR-5 to research.services@uoguelph.ca by the external deadline.

For More Information

For more information, please contact kkariyap@uoguelph.ca or ossu@ossu.ca. Please also see the OSSU EMPOWER Awards website and the OSSU EMPOWER Projects X Guidelines.