Competition

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

Expected call information only. Further details will be disseminated once CFI publishes the call and RIS determines internal process and deadlines; this entry will then be updated.

Beginning in 2024, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) revised its Innovation Fund (IF) competitions so that they now occur every two years. With the most recent IF competition having been called in 2024, the next IF Call is set for 2026.

As per the timeline table below, CFI is expecting to officially launch its Call for Proposals in June 2026, with a January 2027 proposal submission date. The overall structure of the 2027 IF competition will remain similar to the 2025 IF competition such that CFI will keep the same three streams (i.e., Open stream; Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA), and; Core Facilities), and continue offering the option to submit one SSHA proposal outside of the institutional envelope. As the budget for the 2027 competition will be $325 million compared to $425 million for the 2025 competition, institutional envelopes for the 2027 competition will be smaller. Memorial is not expected to have confirmation of its institutional allocation until Summer 2026.

For CFI’s 2027 IF Call, Memorial will release an internal Call, requesting the submission of an Expression of Interest (EOI) from prospective applicants. As was done for the 2025 IF competition, all received EOIs will be reviewed by a Selection Committee, and those EOIs selected will be developed and submitted to CFI for their 2027 IF deadline.

If you have any questions about this funding opportunity, please contact RIS at ris@mun.ca.

In addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, this Intent to Apply (EOI/LOI/NOI) 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. If invited to full application, HSS and RIS reviews will again be mandatory.

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.