Competition

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

CSA Group is pleased to announce the launch of the Explore Research Program, a new forward-looking research effort designed to support projects that help Canada anticipate and address emerging challenges. As part of this launch, we are accepting proposals for two high-priority research initiatives:

• Protecting Canada’s Freshwater

• Securing Canada’s Communications Future

One or both of these topics may be of interest to researchers at your institution. We encourage you to share with relevant researchers and to advertise these where you would highlight similar opportunities.

We welcome proposals from any discipline, including engineering, computer science, social sciences, policy, public health, environmental sciences, and more. CSA group will aim to fund projects from different disciplines because complex problems require cross-disciplinary solutions, but individual proposals are welcome to come from a single field.

Funded researchers will not only advance their own projects, but also join a virtual cohort, gaining opportunities to collaborate, exchange insights, and build a collective body of knowledge.

These shared insights can help identify emerging priorities and guide practical responses to Canada’s evolving challenges. Through CSA Group’s standards ecosystem and knowledge mobilization channels, researchers can contribute to guidance, uptake, and real-world implementation across government, industry, and community sectors.

Key Details:

• Funding per project: up to $150,000 over two years

• Deadline to apply: June 1, 2026

• Information sessions:

  • Monday, April 20th @ 3 pm EDT (register here)

  • Thursday, April 23rd @ 12 pm EDT (register here)

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.