Agreement extends reach of Canadian Common CV service

Ottawa, ON – The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Quebec’s three research funding agencies (Fonds de la recherche en sant du Qubec, Fonds qubcois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies, et Fonds qubcois de la recherche sur la socit et la culture – CANTOR) have signed an agreement to extend the reach of the Canadian Common CV for researchers across the spectrum of research including the natural, social and health sciences, engineering and the humanities.

The Common CV Network is a collaborative effort between Canadian research granting agencies and other organizations to create, offer and manage a Canadian Common CV (CCV) for researchers, students, and research organizations, under appropriate informed consent, privacy and security regulations.

The Common CV is designed to lighten the load on the research community when applying for funding through the collection of a common, standardized data-set needed from the funding agencies. This collaborative initiative will have long-range benefits for the entire research community by providing the foundation for other services and applications derived from CV information.

In signing the agreement, CANTOR, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC also committed to consulting over the next year with current subscribers, users and other stakeholders to develop a business plan for a system that supports simplicity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in the operation, management and governance of the Common CV Network for the benefit of researchers.

“In addition to the clear benefits to all the agencies participating in this initiative, the Common CV is designed to significantly reduce the administrative burden to researchers who apply for funding,” said Sylvie Dillard, president and CEO of Fonds qubcois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT) and representative of CANTOR, the organization that represents the three research funding agencies from Quebec. “Our organization is very pleased to take part in the Common CV Network which is a wonderful example of how research funding agencies from across Canada can work together to improve services to researchers for the benefit of researchers.”

“With the evolution in the CCV Network to the use of a common, standardized data-set, NSERC and SSHRC are very pleased that we will be able to maximize the benefits that can be derived from the CCV partnership. This will provide increased flexibility for institutions and allow the NSERC and SSHRC research communities to become users,” says Michel Cavallin, vice-president, common administrative services, NSERC and SSHRC.

The Common CV Network has 18 subscriber organizations including federal and provincial research agencies, health charities, and other organizations with research interests. Over 47,000 researchers and students are currently registered users of the system. A number of other organizations are currently finalizing their participation in the Network.

The network was established in 2002 by CANTOR and CIHR in response to the needs expressed by researchers to Canadian research funding agencies to reduce the administrative burden when applying for funding. With the increased number of funding agencies and funding programs in the last few years, there has been growing interest from the research community for a Canadian common CV standardized data-set.