Competition

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

WEBINAR: Applicants are invited to attend a virtual information session to learn more about applying for funding under the Contributions Program:

• English session: Monday, January 19, 2026 (1:30 p.m., ET)

• French session: Monday, January 19, 2026 (2:30 p.m., ET)

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has launched its 2026-2027 Contributions Program funding cycle with a call for proposals under the theme “Achievement unlocked: protecting privacy while online gaming.”

Gaming is an integral part of the entertainment landscape with nearly half of Canadian adults and 70% of Canadian teens regularly playing games online. To learn more about the privacy implications of gaming on individuals, the OPC is seeking proposals for projects that will advance knowledge related to the collection and use of personal data in the online gaming sphere.

The objectives of the Program are:

1. To capitalize on existing research capacity in academic, not-for-profit and other sectors to generate new knowledge and support the development of expertise in selected areas of privacy and data protection.

2. To increase awareness and understanding among individuals and organizations of their privacy rights and obligations.

The budget for the OPC’s Contributions Program is $500,000 annually. We are making the entire amount available as part of the present call for applications. We will award up to $100,000 to any single project and a maximum of $200,000 per recipient organization. See Section 2 below for more information on the theme for this year’s call.

The 2026-2027 Applicant’s Guide includes details about how to apply.

In addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, this opportunity must also be submitted for Departmental, HSS Faculty, and Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) institutional reviews and approvals via Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP). In order to facilitate the HSS Faculty’s administrative review, please ensure "Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)" and “Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)” are added as "Team Members" on your RP file. 

In accordance with University-wide approval protocols, all tabs of the RP file must be completed, the completed application must be uploaded to the “Attachments” tab, all supporting documentation including support for cash and in-kind commitments and/or letters of support must also be uploaded, and “Submit” must be pressed prior to the HSS internal deadline listed below. 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.