Funding, News and Announcements

CFI has just released the draft Call for Proposals for its upcoming Innovation Fund (IF) competition.  CFI is accepting comments on the draft Call until Feb 12. The CFI IF will fund large-scale research infrastructure projects (i.e., research equipment and the space to accommodate it). A detailed pdf document from CFI is available here.

As in the past, Dalhousie will hold an internal competition to determine which applications should proceed.  Researchers are asked to submit a 4-5 page Expression of Interest (EOI) to their Deans for review.  Deans will be asked to rank order the Faculty’s EOIs and submit to the Vice-President Research office for senior admin review.

Please note, we are requesting that Dalhousie faculty members planning to have major participation in an application led by another institution to also complete an EOI.  We’re suggesting that a major partnership is one where the Dalhousie faculty member is requesting more than $500k from CFI.

For more information on the Expression of Interest requirements and deadline to submit to the Faculty office, please contact your Dean.

For more information on the CFI IF competition, please contact Nancy.Hayter@Dal.Ca or Shelley.Brown@Dal.Ca at Dalhousie Research Services.

NOTICE from CFI - 2017 Innovation Fund – Draft Call for Proposals

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is pleased to announce the draft Call for proposals for the 2017 Innovation Fund (IF) competition. The CFI will invest up to $425 million in infrastructure costs for funded projects in this competition.

The CFI challenges institutions to propose transformative infrastructure projects that will underpin cutting-edge, globally competitive research. Institutions should continue to be guided by their strategic research plans and establish priorities that build on their distinct advantages. Through the 2017 Innovation Fund, the CFI seeks to support promising and innovative research or technology development in areas where Canada currently is, or has the potential to be, competitive on the global stage. The CFI will support initiatives that allow institutions and their researchers to build on established capabilities to accelerate current research and technology development or to enhance emerging strategic priority areas.

Institutions are challenged to increase the competitiveness of the proposed research activities through collaboration with appropriate partners to plan, acquire, develop, operate and maintain infrastructure. Collaborations may be integrated into all facets of the proposed activities; for example, for the conduct of world-class research, the optimal use and sustainability of infrastructure, and knowledge or technology transfer that will generate socioeconomic benefits. The CFI therefore encourages institutions to propose institutional and multi-institutional initiatives that underpin productive research partnerships, enable institutions and their researchers to fully exploit the capabilities and capacity of the research infrastructure and facilities, and drive world-class research. In developing proposals, institutions are also encouraged to engage with potential end users of research or technology development to clearly define the potential benefits for Canadians.

The CFI welcomes your comments on this draft Call for Proposals until February 12, 2016. Please send your comments to 2017IF@innovation.ca.