Tri-agency CV – Frequently asked questions

These questions and answers support applicants in using the tri-agency CV template. See the funding opportunity description for specific instructions for completing the tri-agency CV.

  • What is the tri-agency CV?

    The tri-agency CV is a narrative-style curriculum vitae with three sections: Personal statement, Most significant contributions and experiences, and Supervisory and mentorship activities. The tri-agency CV prioritizes written descriptions of an applicant's research contributions, allowing users to highlight a wide range of research outputs and describe their career trajectories in more detail. This format values societal research outcomes, such as influence on policy or mentorship, alongside more traditional research outputs like publications.

  • Why was the tri-agency CV created?

    Over the years, members of the research community noted issues with the Canadian Common CV's usability, particularly the burden of work it placed on applicants to complete and update their CV, the potential barriers to collaboration it created, and the unreliability of the system.

    The tri-agency CV was designed to be more inclusive of all applicant types, respond to usability needs, and reduce the administrative burden for applicants and reviewers.

    The tri-agency CV is also consistent with the three federal research funding agencies' commitment to a more inclusive, diverse and holistic approach to excellence in research funding as signatories to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

  • How was the tri-agency CV developed?

    The tri-agency CV was developed as a complement to the work underway on the Tri-agency grants management solution (TGMS), a project to modernize the agencies' grants management systems to better support applicants, administrators and reviewers. During TGMS journey-mapping exercises, users voiced support for a CV that would allow applicants to include a free-form, narrative personal statement, aligning with trends seen at other funding agencies like the United States' National Institutes of Health and the United Kingdom's UK Research and Innovation.

    Following extensive consultation with users, the tri-agency CV was piloted by the funding agencies in select funding opportunities. User feedback from these pilots was used to refine the tri-agency CV, and the CV will continue to be refined as needed based on feedback received. The tri-agency CV will serve as the CV component of the TGMS.

  • How does the tri-agency CV support excellence in research funding and responsible research assessment?

    The three federal research funding agencies are committed to excellence in research funding and responsible research assessment practices. An important part of that is recognizing a wide range of research outputs in the review process and ensuring applicants' work is assessed on its own merits.

    In alignment with DORA, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC want to ensure that peer reviewers look beyond the traditional indicators of productivity when assessing contributions and impacts. Peer reviewers are asked to avoid using metrics (e.g., number of publications and citations; size/number of research grants) in isolation, and to avoid using journal-based metrics (e.g., journal impact factors) as surrogate measures of quality and impact.

    The tri-agency CV allows applicants to capture relevant information, provide indicators of quality and impact, and provide context to their contributions in a narrative format to help peer reviewers assess their track record.

    For more guidance on assessing productivity in reviews, see Do's and Don'ts: Assessing Productivity in Reviews According to DORA.

  • When should I use the tri-agency CV?

    Applicants must use the tri-agency CV if specified in the funding opportunity description. See the funding opportunity description for specific instructions for completing the tri-agency CV.

  • How do I complete the tri-agency CV?

    To complete a tri-agency CV, see these specific instructions for CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC:

  • What is the page limit for the tri-agency CV?

    The completed tri-agency CV must not exceed five pages for a CV written in English, or six pages for a CV written in French. You can write as much as you need to for each section, as long as you do not exceed the page limit in total. Any pages over the total page limit will be removed with no further notification.

  • What are the formatting guidelines for the tri-agency CV?

    The tri-agency CV must follow the formatting requirements outlined by each of the funding agencies. If you do not meet the specified formatting requirements, your application may be declared ineligible.

    For more information on specific funding agency formatting guidelines, refer directly to their guidelines:

  • Can I update my tri-agency CV after submission, to include information that was not previously available?

    No. Modifications to submitted applications are not permitted after the application deadline date.

  • What can I do if my opportunities for training students have been limited because my institution does not have a graduate degree program?

    Specify this information in your tri-agency CV. You may also describe proactive strategies, other training or mentorship activities you have undertaken that have contributed to student training despite these challenges.

  • In the Supervisory and mentorship activities section of the tri-agency CV, what does "early career researchers" mean?

    See the definition of early career researchers adopted by the three agencies.

  • In the Personal statement section, what does "Lived and/or living experience(s)" mean?

    Lived and/or living experience refers to the personal knowledge gained through direct, first-hand involvement in events, rather than through assumptions based on second-hand information.

  • The instructions say my information in the tri-agency CV must be self-contained. What does this mean?

    To ensure your tri-agency CV is self-contained, you must include all necessary and relevant information so others can understand, evaluate and make decisions based on your tri-agency CV without needing to refer to other documents. It must stand alone and provide all relevant details to support clear and informed decision making.

  • Who can I contact if I have questions about the tri-agency CV?

    For answers to technical questions or questions related to specific funding opportunities, contact the applicable funding agency:

  • Who can I contact with questions about accessibility?

    For questions related to accessibility, see the webpage of the applicable funding agency or contact them directly:

Tri-agency CV appendix

  • What is the tri-agency CV appendix?

    The tri-agency CV appendix is a temporary addition to the tri-agency CV template while the agencies await the launch of the TGMS. The information collected in the appendix is required to mind the gap between information collated in other CV templates and information gathered in current systems. This section is only required for certain funding opportunities.

  • Do I need to complete the tri-agency CV appendix?

    Applicants should consult the funding opportunity details to determine if the tri-agency CV appendix is required and if so, which sections. The appendix section(s) do not count towards the total page limit.

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