The Health Research Foundation (HRF) is pleased to launch the 2026 Health System Solutions Grant Program to support bold, applied research that improves how patients access and benefit from innovative medicines in Canada.
Too often, patients face system barriers such as delays, fragmented care pathways, and inconsistent referral processes that prevent them from getting the treatment they need, when they need it. The HRF seeks projects that don’t just identify problems, but develop, test, and implement practical, scalable solutions that improve care coordination, health system performance, and patient outcomes.
The 2026 competition is focused on the HRF’s two applied research pillars:
Pillar 1: Health System Factors Affecting Real-World Use and Outcomes
Focuses on how care pathways, referral processes, system capacity, data, and implementation readiness influence access to and outcomes from innovative medicines.
Projects under this pillar must specifically address the priority research area Improving the Patient Journey Through Care Pathways, Referral, and Coordination: research that generates new insights into how health systems can better identify patients, streamline care journeys, integrate services, and support the adoption and effective use of innovative medicines.
Pillar 2: Improving the Coherence and Performance of Review and Reimbursement
Focuses on how health technology assessment (HTA), pricing, reimbursement, and funding processes interact, and how system fragmentation, delays, and inefficiencies affect patient access and health system performance.
Key Dates:
- Call launch: June 24, 2026
- Letter of Intent (LOI) application deadline: July 22, 2026
- Full application deadline (by invitation): September 16, 2026
- Funding decisions: October 20, 2026
For more information, including the full call for proposals, applicant guide, and application materials, please visit the HRF webpage.
