Island Health’s research grant program aims to encourage new researchers, support current research, and raise awareness about research and knowledge translation across Island Health.
Funding Opportunities
- Patient-Oriented Research (POR) Team Assist Awards (Open)
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The Patient-Oriented Research (POR) Team Assist Awards are designed to bring people together to co-develop research projects that matter to patients and support improvements across the health system. Funding for the Team Assist Awards is provided by the BC SUPPORT Unit.
These awards aim to:
- reduce barriers to meaningful engagement;
- strengthen future POR proposals; and
- ensure that patient voices shape the research process from the start.
By fostering collaboration across disciplines and centering patient priorities, the Team Assist Awards support more inclusive, impactful research across the Island Health region.
Priority Projects
- Priority will be given to projects aligned with Island Health’s strategic priorities such as improving access to care, addressing Indigenous-specific racism, and promoting wellness across the region.
Eligibility
- Teams must include people with lived experience AND include (or plan to engage with) Island Health clinicians or decision-makers.
- Projects must address patient-identified priorities.
- Projects must not already have received funding from another source.
Eligible Costs
- Eligible expenses include honoraria for patient partners, refreshments or space rentals for engagement events.
Timeline
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from August 2025 to February 2026, with monthly review of submitted applications.
How to Apply
- Read the full guidelines and application instructions.
- View the online application form.
Questions
- Applicants are encouraged to connect early: email researchfacilitation@islandhealth.ca to discuss ideas and access free research navigation, patient engagement, and knowledge translation services.
- 2024-2025 Health Research BC Health Equity Grants (closed)
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These grants aim to funds research teams and projects that:
- Aim to advance health equity and eliminate health disparities by improving outcomes or access to health care and services for equity-deserving groups.
- Align with Island Health’s priorities and goals to improve care and services in our communities and achieve our vision of “Excellent health and care for everyone, everywhere, every time.”
- Engage people in research to gain experience, foster strong teams, and increase competitiveness for future funding opportunities.
View a list of funded projects.
Funding for this competition was generously provided by Health Research BC.
- 2024-2025 KPMG Foundation Research Seed Grants (closed)
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OBJECTIVES
These grants aim to funds research teams and projects that:
- Align with Island Health’s priorities and goals to improve care and services in our communities, and achieve our vision of “Excellent health and care for everyone, everywhere, every time.”
- Engage people in research to gain experience, foster strong teams, and increase competitiveness for future funding opportunities.
View a list of funded projects.
Funding for this competition has been generously provided by the Victoria Hospitals Foundation through support from the KPMG Foundation.
- Evidence-into-Practice Awards (closed)
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This annual competition aims to celebrate and promote knowledge translation initiatives that successfully move evidence into practice at Island Health, and to inspire new ones by showcasing their successes and lessons learned. The competition opens in mid-August.
Recent Winners
Congratulations to the recent winners of our internal granting competitions! For a complete list of past awards, please email research@islandhealth.ca.
- Evidence-into-Practice Awards
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2024 Competition
Gold Award
Jae Yon Jones, Reimagining Long-Term Care: the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics Initiative
Silver Award
Marie-Noelle Trottier-Boucher, Inpatient Pediatric Asthma Pathway
Bronze Award
Zoe Light, Mental Health Standards for Schizophrenia
2023 Competition
Gold Award
Dr. Paul Winston, Cryoneurolysis for children and adults with pediatric onset of neurologic disability: Improving function and mobility & reducing dependence and pain
Silver Award
Lina Alsakran, Cowichan's Enhanced Palliative Services
Bronze Award
Palliative Outreach Resource Team, Using Evidence to Guide Practice in Palliative and End-of-Life Care for People who Experience Homelessness and other Structural Inequities
2022 Competition
Gold Award
Alison Ritchie, Laurel Steed, and Kyle Hillman (Occupational Therapists, Comox Valley Geriatric Specialty Services Team) - "The Effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy in the Comox Valley"
Silver Award
Tamara Young (Clinical Nurse Educator, Simulation) - "Code Blue Extravaganza"
Bronze Award
Lina Al-Sakran (Evaluation Consultant) and Donna Jouan-Tapp (Project Director, Cowichan Health and Care Plan) - “Outreach Services for Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Cowichan."
- Catalyst Awards
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2022 Competition
- Drs. Michael Chen (Medical Biochemistry) and David Goodlett (UVic), "Rapid pathogen identification using lipidomics in ventilated patients with pneumonia."
- Drs. Markus Sikkel (Cardiology) and Joshua Giles (UVic), "Prevention of Prometheus-Like Punishment: First in Human Use of a Converter to Downgrade Implantable Defibrillators to Pacemakers in the Elderly and Frail."
- Drs. Paul Winston (Rehabilitation and Transitions) and Ève Boissonnault, "Cryoneurolysis as drug free novel treatment of knee and shoulder pain impairing inpatient neuro-rehabilitation."
- Jessica Huston (MHSU) and Dr. Bruce Wallace (UVic), "Drug user knowledge & drug checking evidence: Knowledge synthesis actions to reduce overdose in Island Health."
- Drs. Michael Berger and John Kramer (UBC), "Understanding 'breakthrough' neuropathic pain episodes in peripheral neuropathy: A community study of patient and healthcare impacts."
Funding for this competition was made available through the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s Emerge Stronger campaign. This $10 million campaign provided $500,000 to fund research projects that support the provision and delivery of care in the South Island and/or Island-wide.
We are grateful to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation and their very generous donors for ongoing support of health research on Vancouver Island.
To learn more about these projects and others, or to donate, visit the Foundation's website.
- Seed Grants
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2024 Competitions
Health Research BC Health Equity Grants
- Building a Compassionate Community: A Patient-Oriented Approach for Persons Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying; Project Lead: Caroline Variath (Island Health and Vancouver Island University)
- Developing therapeutic groups using tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) in tertiary pediatric mental health; Project Leads: Sonya White, Ryan Wong, and Jennifer Harcus (Island Health)
- Enhancing equity in our communities: a community-engaged mixed-methods pilot of a 2SLGBTQIA+ Liaison Nurse role; Project Leads: Ingrid Handlovsky and Allie Slemon (University of Victoria); Chandra Berkan-Hozempa (Island Health)
- A Pharmacist's Role in a Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Clinic: Evaluating the Impact on Workflow and Patient Experience; Project Leads: Larry Leung (UBC) and Amy Tran (Island Health)
KPMG Foundation Research Seed Grants
- Methadone for painful Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy; Project Lead: Jessica Otte (Island Health)
- iROBOT: Implementing Real-time Operational dashBOards for Trauma care; Project Lead: Christopher Picard (Island Health)
- Image-based storytelling for Indigenous informed consent; Project Lead: Paul Winston (Island Health)
- An Online Tool for Parkinson Disease: Evaluating the Contribution to Care and Self-Advocacy; Project Leads: Larry Leung (UBC) and Amy Tran (Island Health)
2023 Competitions
Health Equity Grants
- Preventing seclusion for young adults in inpatient mental health; Allie Slemon (University of Victoria) and Tasha Mckelvey (Island Health)
- Integrating Mental Health and Substance Use Supports for Residents in Long-term Care; Amy Salmon (University of British Columbia) and Amanda Leddy (Island Health)
KPMG Foundation Research Seed Grants
- Safety Interventions: Are they helping healthcare workers feel safer? Frances Jorgensen (Royal Roads University) and Michael Morrison (Island Health)
- Recharging the Charge Nurse: developing the next generation of nurse leaders; Lenora Marcellus (University of Victoria) and Kent Soltys (Island Health)
- Catalyzing action to reduce preterm birth among Indigenous people in BC; Jennifer Murray (University of British Columbia) and Shannon Waters (Island Health)
- Improving quality of life and reducing pain for children with spasticity; Dr. Paul Winston
2022 Competition
- Lina Alsakran (Evaluation Consultant, Cowichan Health & Wellness Plan), "Understanding frailty in the Cowichan Valley: a patient-centered approach"
- Meara Brown (Speech Language Pathologist), "Laryngectomy Pre-Operative Patient Journey Mapping"
- Jennifer MacKenzie (MHSU Nurse Clinician), Andrea Mellor (UVic) and Cecelia Benoit (UVic), "Planting the Seeds for a Culturally-Centred Intervention for Indigenous Youth with Substance Use Challenges: Adapting the Native Wellness Assessment Tool to the Cowichan Valley"
- Dr. Katherine Blood (Medical Genetics) and Dr. Caitlin Chang (BC Children's), "Beyond Genomics: Assessing the Improvement in Diagnosis of Rare Diseases using Clinical Epigenomics in Canada (EpiSign-CAN) - Participating Centre."
- Dr. Elizabeth Plant (MHSU) and Professor Shannon Dames (VIU), "Combining Western and Indigenous Ways of Knowing in the Treatment of Depression and Substance Use Disorder: Piloting a Two-Eyed Seeing Approach in a Resilience-Focused Community of Practice Program."
- Dr. Samuel Brophy and Dr. Maxwell Moor-Smith, "Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Acute Back Pain in the Emergency Department."
Funding for this competition was made available through the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s Emerge Stronger campaign. This $10 million campaign provided $500,000 to fund research projects that support the provision and delivery of care in the South Island and/or Island-wide.
We are grateful to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation and their very generous donors for ongoing support of health research on Vancouver Island.
To learn more about these projects and others, or to donate, visit the Foundation's website.