Since 2013, the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) has supported research and innovation that addresses barriers within the fields of donation and transplantation, with the ultimate goal of advancing long-term health outcomes and quality of life for Canadian transplant patients.
Through strategic partnerships with several key partners across Canada, the CDTRP has sustained a commitment to research and development within the transplant scientific community through the continued launch of the CDTRP Research Innovation Grant Competitions. This collaborative effort between the CDTRP and our partners is intended to seed new and innovative pilot projects in the transplant and donation field.
Apply here
Download terms of reference
Past recipients
Since 2013, the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) has supported research and innovation that addresses barriers within the fields of donation and transplantation, with the ultimate goal of advancing long-term health outcomes and quality of life for Canadian transplant patients.
Through strategic partnerships with several key partners across Canada, the CDTRP has sustained a commitment to research and development within the transplant scientific community through the continued launch of the CDTRP Research Innovation Grant Competitions. This collaborative effort between the CDTRP and our partners is intended to seed new and innovative pilot projects in the transplant and donation field.
Apply here
Download terms of reference
Past recipients

For the 2024 competition, the CDTRP is proud to partner with the following organizations to provide funding to support a total of 9 grants of $30,000 CAD each:

The Principal Applicant must:
  • Be an independent researcher working at a Canadian University or research institution.
  • Be a Canadian resident and conduct the research at a Canadian institution (study subjects may be enrolled from other countries).
  • Agree to integrate their study within the CDTRP structure if funded and agree to become a participating CDTRP Investigator.
  • Patient, family and donors (PFD) partners involved in the project are expected to join the CDTRP Patient, Family, and Donor Partnership Platform.
  • All stages of research career are eligible for funding, but CDTRP wants to give priority to Early Career Researchers (in the first five years of their academic appointment).
  • Postdoctoral research trainees are invited to apply with their supervisor or director as co-principal applicants.
  • Agree to sign a Research Grant Acceptance Form with the CDTRP.
  • Agree to provide progress reports, including publication plan, to the CDTRP in dissemination of study results.
  • Agree to publish their work on behalf of the CDTRP and list the CDTRP as an author affiliation.
  • Agree to acknowledge the CDTRP and relevant partner funding on any related publications arising from the study.
  • If successful, agree to have their application shared in confidence with the relevant funding partner for internal documentation and auditing purposes.
  • Agree that any partner funder may disclose the amount and nature of the grant publicly on its website and in connection with any other public disclosure of payments/funding to healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations.
  • Investigators who receive CDTRP ATI/Paladin Research Innovation Grants are expected to become members of the ATI if they are not members at the time of application.

Eligible Research Proposals

In 2024, the research proposals being considered will be those that address CDTRP’s mission, which is to drive advances in Canadian donation and transplantation research and mobilize knowledge so that every wish to donate is fulfilled and transplantation is transformed from a treatment to a lasting and sustainable cure.

This funding is intended to support new/pilot projects that have not been previously funded and where this funding could help the researcher become competitive for large/national level grant funding. The research proposal must align with one of the 5 Themes of the CDTRP. All Innovation Grant applicants are required to outline how their research addresses a patient priority. Applicants must outline the significance, feasibility, and integration of PFD in their project.

The proposed application should describe a ‘stand alone’ project. The grant is not meant to complete funding for larger projects. The study must be completed within 18 months of receipt of funding; no renewals will be considered and extensions beyond 18 months will be considered under exceptional circumstances only.


Non-eligible Research Proposals

The following types of proposals will not be eligible:

  • Proposals for projects that have received funding from another source, including government or industry sponsors, will not be eligible to receive a CDTRP Research Innovation Grant unless said funding is shown by the applicant to be directed to a portion of the overall project/research that is separate and distinguishable from the portion to which the proposal relates.
  • Proposal budgets more than $30,000 CAD will not be considered unless there are confirmed leveraged funds from another source.
  • Proposals for pharmaceutical product development (including studies on non-approved indications for drugs) and/or product comparison, or product promotion will not be considered.
  • Successful applicants from the 2023 CDTRP Research Innovation Grant competition will not be considered for this competition. Applicants may submit multiple unique applications to the CDTRP Research Innovation Grant competition; however, only one award can be accepted from the CDTRP Research Innovation Grant competition per year.
  • Investigators who have final project reports outstanding from CDTRP at the application deadline will not be eligible to receive a CDTRP funded grants.
  • Investigators who have final project reports outstanding from any TRFBC competition at the application deadline will not be eligible to receive the TRFBC funded grants.
  • Investigators who have final project reports outstanding from any KFOC competition at the application deadline will not be eligible to receive the KFOC funded grants.
  • Grant funds may not be used for clinical training.

For the 2024 competition, the CDTRP is proud to partner with the following organizations to provide funding to support a total of 9 grants of $30,000 CAD each:


The total value of the competition is $270,000, enough to support 9 grants of $30,000 CAD each (pending availability of partner funding).

Of the $270,000, we will support grants in the following strategic areas:

  • 1 grant of $30,000 CAD to support new research that aligns with the CDTRP’s mission and with one of the 5 Themes. This will be provided through the CDTRP Research Innovation Grant competition over an 18-month performance period with funding provided by Takeda Canada.
  • 2 grants of $30,000 CAD each to support new and innovative research primarily focused on adult and/or pediatric solid organ transplantation and donation that aligns with the CDTRP’s mission and with one of the 5 Themes. Projects must include a patient, family, donor (PFD) engagement component in their design, detailing how PFD partners will be meaningful engaged in the research as a team member. Projects with a secondary focus on hematopoietic cell transplant must clearly outline how the intended research relates to solid organ donation or transplant research in order to be considered for this award. Please contact newlife@trfbc.org with any questions related to the above requirements. The Principal Applicant must hold the rank of assistant professor or higher and be based in British Columbia. The study can involve additional co-researchers, other sites and patients from across the country, provided the majority of research is conducted in British Columbia. The Transplant Research Foundation of BC/CDTRP Venture Grants will be funded by the Transplant Research Foundation of British Columbia over an 18-month performance period.
  • 2 grants of $30,000 CAD each to support new research related to kidney donation and/or transplantation that aligns with the CDTRP’s mission and with one of the 5 Themes. These projects can fall under any of the four research pillars of the KFOC (biomedical, clinical, health systems, & population health). The Kidney Foundation of Canada encourages research projects which include lived-experience expertise on the application team, although this is not mandatory. KFOC will require Foundation specific financial and scientific reporting, for any questions, please reach out to marquis@kidney.ca. Please note that KFOC will only approve one, 6 month no cost grant extension under exceptional circumstances. The CDTRP KFOC Research Innovation Grants will be funded by The Kidney Foundation of Canada over an 18-month performance period.
  • The Alberta Transplant Institute (ATI) in partnership with Paladin Labs Inc. will provide 1 additional grant of $30,000 CAD each to the top ranked unfunded Alberta-based researchers through the CDTRP ATI/Paladin Research Innovation Grant competition over an 18-month performance period.
  • The London Health Sciences Center will provide 1 additional grant of $30,000 CAD to the top ranked unfunded LHSC researcher through the CDTRP LHSC Research Innovation Grant competition over an 18-month performance period.
  • The Université de Montréal will provide 2 additional grants of $30,000 CAD to the top ranked unfunded UdeM researcher through the CDTRP UdeM Research Innovation Grant competition over an 18-month performance period.

Each grant will be awarded to the successful applicant(s) via the Primary Applicant’s institution.

Research Proposal and Figures/Tables:
  • The research proposal should be novel, previously unpublished and not exceed 3 pages (not including references), with a maximum of 3 additional pages for figures or tables.
  • Suggested headings include 1) Statement of Objective(s), 2) Recent relevant research by applicant, 3) Brief review of literature and background information, 4) Hypothesis(es), 5) Design and Methodology, 6) Analysis of Data, 7) Anticipated Timeline, and 8) Impact, Future research plans and Knowledge Translation.

In addition to the 3-page proposal, the application must include:

  • The contact information requested in the application form, including the optional EDI questions. This page will be removed from your application prior to review.
  • The names of individuals that should NOT review your application, with justification.
  • A half-page summary of the research proposal that highlights how the research proposal helps achieve the CDTRP’s mission, which is to drive advances in Canadian donation and transplantation research and mobilize knowledge so that every wish to donate is fulfilled and transplantation is transformed from a treatment to a lasting and sustainable cure. This summary will be used by the CDTRP and shared with funding partners to assess the relevance of the application to the scope of the competition. (max ½ page)
  • A lay abstract (max 250 words) that can be used to explain the proposal to PFD reviewers and the general public and that could be posted publicly if funded. This abstract should be free of jargon, technical or undefined scientific terms, and written in a manner that is easily understood by someone without prior knowledge of the subject. To help you with the lay abstract, you can use these tools: Hemingway & Health Research BC.
  • References (no page limit)
  • A one page description of the budget and justification. Note that PFD remuneration is an eligible expense and should be included if you have PFD partners on your project.
  • A separate description of how the proposal will integrate within a specific Theme of the CDTRP (max ½ page).
  • An explanation of how sex, as a biological variable, gender, as a socio-cultural factor, and diversity are taken into account in the research design, methods, analysis and interpretation, and/or dissemination of findings, or explain why they are not relevant / feasible within the scope of the project. For guidance and resources on how to integrate sex and gender into research, please consult the CIHR website. (max ½ page).
  • Engaging patients, families, and donors in CDTRP support research is a core value for our Network. As outlined in CDTRP’s PFD Terms of Reference, patient engagement requires meaningful and active collaboration between researchers and PFDs in governance, priority setting, conducting research, and knowledge translation.

Engaging PFD partners, especially at the beginning of the project, will help direct research that focuses on patient priorities and improves patient outcomes. Note, CDTRP recognizes that the level of engagement will be different depending on the scope of your project and scientific design.


All Innovation Grant applicants are required to outline how their research addresses a patient priority and outline the significance, feasibility, and integration of PFD in their project.

All applications must answer the below questions (max 1 page).

  • Describe how this project supports patient, family, or donor priorities.
  • Describe how your research question and design consider the potential impact of PFD involvement.
  • Describe how you’ve actively engaged with PFD partners, thus far. If you have not engaged yet, describe the key roles and responsibilities you envision for PFD partners. If not applicable, state why.
  • Describe how your project has been strengthened with PFD involvement. If you have not engaged yet, describe how your project will benefit from PFD engagement. If not applicable, state why.

CDTRP’s PFD Partnership Platform Manager Manuel Escoto (mescoto@cdtrp.ca) would be pleased to provide support and feedback as you are developing your application.

In addition, you may reference the resources below when developing your plan.

Note: PFD remuneration ($50/hr) is an eligible grant expense. For more information on the CDTRP PFD platform, please visit our website: CDTRP PFD Partnership platform. All applications for TRFBC grants must include a PFD Engagement Plan that clearly outlines how PFD partner(s) are meaningful engaged in the research process as a team member.

  1. A copy of a CIHR BioSketch Common CV for the Principal Applicant.
  2. Optional: Applicants may also include letters of support and/or commitment from the Chair of the Department/Division indicating the level of institutional and/or university support.

The completed application must be submitted electronically (by using the link) no later than 11:59pm PST on March 26, 2024. The magnitude of the project should match the size of the award; the award is not intended to supplement a major grant; however, it is anticipated that this funding will be used to produce data to apply for large/national level grant funding.

Failing to comply with these requirements may negatively impact the evaluation of your application; it could lead to CDTRP withdrawing your application or reformatting it and removing any pages that exceed a page limit, without notifying you. Documentation received after the submission deadline will not be submitted for review. The applicant is responsible for ensuring completeness of the application and incomplete or unsigned applications will not be considered. Applicants must submit their application electronically using this link.

The applicant must use Calibri or Arial font, size 12 points or larger. Use at least 2 cm (3/4 inch) margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages. The section name and the name of the Principal Applicant should appear in the header.

Who can apply to the Innovation Grant competition?

The Principal Applicant need to be eligible to hold funds in a Canadian Institution. To accept the award, the Principal Applicant is to become a member.

Will the CDTRP write me a letter of support for my application?

A letter from the CDTRP is unnecessary: for this competition, we have the role of a funding agency.  

Can the funds from these grants be used to purchase equipment?

The Innovation Grant competition is a “research” grant and not an “equipment” grant, and so the application should really be focused on research activities and outcomes.  However, if you need new equipment to do the research, it is an allowable expense.  

Is there a limit on the number of co-applicants?

There is no limit for the number of co-applicants.

How can I integrate my project into the CDTRP?

Here are some ways to integrate a project into the CDTRP network: 

  • Register any trainees working on the project with the CDTRP Education and Training platform;
  • Connect with Manuel Escoto (mescoto@cdtrp.ca) ensure the patient engagement plan is strong and for support to identify patient partners;
  • Post plain language project outputs on the CDTRP Patient Portal;
  • Present your project at a CDTRP Theme Meeting – especially helpful if you are seeking collaborations with other Theme members.
How can I prepare my patient engagement plan?

Engaging patients, families, and donors (PFD) partners is a core value for CDTRP. As you prepare your Innovation Grant Application, use these resources to develop your PFD Engagement Plan.