Competition

* Unless explicitly noted, all times indicated for deadlines are for the appropriate NL timezone (NST or NDT)

The Canada Excellence Research Chairs program is funded by the three federal research funding agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). It offers eligible Canadian, degree-granting institutions an opportunity to recruit the top tier of world-class researchers in the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) priorities for the CERC program. The objectives of the CERC program are to:

• strengthen Canada’s ability to attract the world’s top researchers, in order to be at the leading edge of breakthroughs in ST&I priority areas expected to generate social and economic benefits for Canadians;

• help Canada build a critical mass of expertise in ST&I priority areas identified by the Government of Canada;

• create a competitive environment to help Canadian institutions, in their pursuit of excellence in their research, attract a cadre of world-leading researchers; and

• contribute to branding Canada as a location of choice for world-leading research, science and technology development, alongside other federal programs with similar objectives.

Memorial is currently seeking proposals for areas of research from its academic units as a first step towards initiating external CERC nominee searches for the 2026 CERC competition.

CERC’s ST&I priorities

Academic units are invited to submit CERC proposals from a broad range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities; natural sciences and engineering; and health and related sciences, and must explain how the proposed CERC research program will advance one or more of the following challenge areas:

• Healthy People and Populations: Enhancing the health and wellness of Canadians across all life stages.

• Innovative and Resilient Communities: Creating vibrant communities that are affordable, inclusive, healthy, clean and secure.

• Sustainable Food Systems: Maximizing Canada’s agri-food potential to support economic growth and secure, equitable access to food.

• Clean, Sustainable and Prosperous Canada: Fighting climate change, promoting a resilient ecosystem and protecting Canada’s environment while harnessing the potential of our natural resources to advance net-zero and adaptation goals to support a resilient, sustainable economy, and high quality of life.

• Technologically Advanced Canada: Advancing transformative and enabling technologies that will support a technologically advanced economy and society.

Memorial’s Research Priorities

In support of the CERC’s ST&I priorities, Memorial has identified the following six institutional research priorities for the 2026 CERC competition based on our existing strengths and in keeping with our Research Strategy 2023-28:

• AI, quantum

• Critical Minerals

• Cybersecurity

• Democracy

• Health

• Ocean Security/Defense.

Submissions for this internal Call must propose a CERC research program that aligns with one or more of the six identified institutional research priorities. Please note that in keeping with the goals of Memorial’s Research Strategy 2023-28, joint proposals from Faculties / Schools will be considered.

Deadlines

All proposals are to be submitted via email to RIS (ris@mun.ca), and must be received by 4:30 pm on June 25, 2025. Results of this competition will be announced not later than July 9, 2025. All proposals received will be assessed by an internal Selection Committee whose members will be drawn from Memorial’s campuses, and chaired by the Vice-President (Research). For those proposals selected, units will work with Memorial’s Research Initiatives & Services (RIS) to search for an external CERC nominee.

If selected to proceed with the external recruitment of a CERC nominee, all unit searches must abide by the CERC’s requirements. Once the nominee has been identified, the unit and the CERC nominee will work with RIS to complete the application that will be submitted to the CERC’s March 18, 2026 deadline. Please note that nominees only become Chairholders once their application has been successfully awarded by the CERC Program.

Registration deadline: January 21, 2026, 9:00 p.m. (eastern)

Application deadline: March 18, 2026, 9:00 p.m. (eastern)

Two award values: $1 million per year; or $500,000 per year. Includes indirect costs up to 25% of the total direct costs of research (not including compensation and relocation costs of the Chairholder)

Duration: 8 years

Competition budget: Approximately $157 million

Internal Memorial Process:  This competition involves a Memorial institutional internal adjudication or nomination process prior to submission to the external agency or sponsor. This process first requires Departmental and HSS Faculty approval and endorsement. See HSS submission procedures below.

Faculty of HSS Submission Procedures (mandatory): This opportunity must be submitted for Departmental and HSS Faculty approvals prior to proceeding for institutional adjudication and submission. To obtain Departmental and HSS Faculty approvals, please email a complete application package to an HSS Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca), by the internal HSS deadline listed below.

In accordance with University-wide approval protocols a complete application package includes a final copy of the application, the internal, Memorial signature pageI, as well as all supporting documentation including support for cash and in-kind commitments and/or letters of support as required. HSS cannot guarantee completion of an administrative review for application files that are incomplete and/or are submitted after the HSS deadline. For more detailed submission instructions and information, please consult the HSS Research Support Services website.

If you plan to apply to this competition or other research funding opportunities (as either PI or CI), e-mail an HSS Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050), to notify the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of your intent to apply. E-mailing the intent to apply as early as possible will help to facilitate an efficient review. A Grants Facilitator can answer any questions you may have about internal or external submission procedures and may also be able to help with proposal development.

• VPR Memo for 2026 CERC Call for Proposals_May 14 2025.pdf