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Internal Call for Proposals CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund – 2022 Competition

*Please notify raluca.dubrowski@ontariotechu.ca if you are interested in applying. See program guidelines and attached resources for more information*

CFI Allocation:

Ontario Tech’s CFI allocation for the upcoming 2022 competition is $288,000 (CFI portion only representing a maximum of 40% total project value). While CFI does not specify a minimum, applications requesting at least $75,000 in CFI funds are encouraged (minimum total project $187,500).

Timeline:  
  • April 25, 2022: Deadline for internal applications 
  • May 2022: Internal selection committee meeting 
  • June 2022: Notification of Results 
  • October 15, 2022: external CFI deadline for successful internal applicants
Apply:  

Refer to the attached guidelines and internal application forms.

CFI Description & Internal Process

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) enables researchers to undertake cutting-edge research by providing them with the foundational research infrastructure required to be or become leaders in their field. In turn, this enables institutions to remain internationally competitive in areas of research and technology development, aligned with their strategic priorities. JELF is an allocation-based fund whereby CFI predetermines the maximum amount of funding for which each eligible university may apply. 

The CFI JELF is a matching program, providing funding up to a maximum of 40 percent of total eligible infrastructure costs. The remainder must be provided by eligible partners. Typically this includes a combination of provincial funds (Ontario Research Fund), vendor discounts and/or non-Tri-Agency funds.

Example funding scheme:

  • 40% requested from the CFI
  • 40% requested from the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) Program
  • 20% vendor deep discounts beyond the best educational price, industry, start-up funding, other non Tri-council funding (Note: CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, and CRC are not eligible match) 

The Vice-President Research and Innovation (VPRI) has launched an internal competition to select applicants for the upcoming October 2022 CFI competition. In order to support research excellence and ensure fairness and transparency in the distribution of CFI funds, applications will be reviewed by an internal selection committee appointed by the VPRI. The committee will review the internal applications and make recommendations to the VPRI to determine which project(s) will be put forward to the external CFI JELF competition in October. Decisions of the VPRI are final and cannot be appealed. 

Applicant Eligibility

Ontario Tech full time faculty members with tenured or tenure-track positions in all disciplines are invited to submit an application. Applicants have to secure the required 20% matching funds in order to apply. 

Exclusions: Individuals may not apply to this round if:

  1. a) they have been awarded CFI funds in the past two years (2020-2021);
  2. b) they are part of a CFI JELF application currently under review (as project leader or co-applicant); or
  3. c) they are project lead or co-lead on a 2023 CFI Innovation Fund application currently in progress. 

The JELF is intended to serve the infrastructure needs of individual faculty, or groups of faculty members where there is a need to share infrastructure. A maximum of three applicants can be listed on the JELF application. The applicant(s) must be a recognized leader or have demonstrated the potential for excellence in the proposed research field and must be engaged in or embarking upon innovative and internationally competitive research/technology development. When more than one candidate is listed, the justification of the need for the infrastructure be articulated for each candidate. Priority will be given to applications for infrastructure that will be shared by a small group of researchers or used in a core facility. Applicants are encouraged to include early career researchers in their project teams. 

Eligible Infrastructure Projects:

An eligible project involves the acquisition or development of research infrastructure to increase research capacity, allowing the pursuit of innovative research. Refer to the CFI Internal Guidelines for full details of eligible infrastructure costs. 

Infrastructure to support teaching is not eligible. 

Attached Resources:
 Questions?

Contact raluca.dubrowski@ontariotechu.ca