Membership Benefits

Members of the SPOR Evidence Alliance (hereafter, the Alliance) will have access to the following benefits:

Access to a broad network of researchers across Canada with advanced expertise in the areas of knowledge synthesis, clinical practice guidelines development, knowledge translation, and patient-oriented research across various disciplines
Opportunity for Canada-wide collaboration on various projects, grant applications and funding opportunities
Opportunity to participate in one of six committees and provide leadership on the governance and strategic direction of the Alliance
Participate in various capacity-building initiatives and have exclusive access to online courses and training material
Opportunity for knowledge users, trainees, and patient partners to gain practical research experience through involvement in research projects
Access to mentorship and practicum opportunities offered by the Alliance partner organizations and members
Opportunity to participate in the yearly Seed Grant competitions to support the conception of projects by trainees and junior researchers

Application Process

Individuals may apply to join the Alliance if they fall under one of the four membership types defined below:

Knowledge user: An individual who is likely to use research findings to make informed decisions about health policies, programs and/or practices (e.g. clinical practice guideline producers, policy-makers, professional organizations, and healthcare managers).
Patient partner: A patient partner can include patients (an individual with a health condition), patient family members (e.g. parent, spouse, adult child, or other close family members of a patient not capable of decision-making), family caregivers (family, relative, friend, or neighbour providing unpaid assistance to someone with a health condition/limitation), and citizens at large.
Researcher: An individual who is autonomous regarding their research activities and has an academic or research appointment (e.g. Scientist, Professor).
Trainee: A graduate student or post-doctoral fellow who is developing their research skills and works under the formal supervision of an independent researcher. Trainees must also be working under or mentored by a researcher who is a current member of the Alliance to apply.

The following information must be included with the application form:

Full Curriculum Vitae (CV), including publication list (required for Researcher and Trainee applicants) or a Resume outlining relevant experience (required for Patient Partner and Knowledge User applicants)
A 1-page letter of motivation describing what you hope to gain from and bring to the Alliance (e.g. area of research expertise, etc.)
If you were referred by a current Alliance member, a letter of support (mandatory for Trainee applicants) from the referring Alliance member will strengthen your application.