Competition

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

MEOPAR (Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network) is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that supports research, training, and communication related to the ocean through funding programs.  The goal of the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Awards is to provide individual research grants to support early career investigators in establishing independent research programs. The research project must align with MEOPAR’s Science Strategy 2025-2030 and must have a clear impact for communities, environment, science, etc.  The ECR Awards are a unique opportunity for early career researchers to contribute to and participate in MEOPAR’s broad interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral research effort, thereby growing and extending their network of collaborators and partner interactions. MEOPAR recognizes the need for support of early career researchers (researcher within ten years of receiving their highest academic diploma and within five years of the date of their first independent research-related appointment) to maximize their considerable potential.

MEOPAR webinars for this opportunity:

4 December 2025 at 1pm EST/10am PST (English)

11 December 2025 at 1pm EST/10am PST (French)

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.