Institutional Funding

Our Institutional Programs team manages major federal, provincial and regional research awards, including the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), PacifiCan and the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program.

Canada Foundation for Innovation

Since its creation in 1997, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has ensured Canadian researchers have the cutting-edge labs, facilities and equipment they need to push the frontiers of knowledge in all disciplines.

John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)

The John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) is a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) program designed to help universities attract and retain the best researchers at a time of intense international competition in priority areas as identified in the university’s Strategic Research Plan. It allows UBC to acquire infrastructure for their UBC Okanagan research faculty to undertake cutting-edge research and create competitive packages of research support for infrastructure, direct research costs and operating funds.

Program Details

APPLICATION PROCESS

Information on UBC-wide procedures is available on the Applying for CFI Funding page on the Institutional Programs website. A detailed description of the UBC Okanagan CFI Application Instructions & Deadlines (for UBC Okanagan applicants) is available below.

One month following the submission to CFI, a matching funds application must be submitted to the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF). A full BCKDF Step 1 proposal is part of the internal adjudication and selection of proposals. Refer to the BCKDF website for guidelines and application forms.

EVALUATION

Proposals are vetted internally and only strong proposals are selected for submission to CFI. As internal screening is rigorous, applicants are encouraged to prepare well-developed applications.

APPLY

• IPO Notice of Intent (online form; CWL login required)
• UBCO Equipment Pre-Purchase
• CFI Policy and Program Terms
• JELF Guidelines
• BCKDF Guidelines and Forms

Key Dates

Contact

Nishat Tasnim
Institutional Programs Officer
250-681-4133 Ext. 79451 | ADM006
nishat.tasnim@ubc.ca

Innovation Fund

CFI’s Innovation Fund program is a large-scale, team infrastructure grants program within CFI that requires a minimum request of $1 million. The fund provides continued investments in infrastructure across the full spectrum of research, from fundamental to applied, and also supports technology development.

New for 2025 Innovation Fund: Researchers with private-sector partners and/or whose work advances a sensitive technology research area will be required to submit additional research-security documentation at the time of application. See CFI’s Guidelines on Research Security for more information. For support at UBCO, contact melanie.fenton@ubc.ca or contact UBC’s Research Security team for further assistance.

Program Details

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The 2025 Innovation Fund competition is divided into three streams:

• Stream 1: Leading edge of exploration and knowledge generation (open)
• Stream 2: Leading edge of exploration and knowledge generation in the social sciences, humanities and arts
• Stream 3: Renewal and upgrade of core facilities

CFI Call for Innovation Fund Proposals

INTERNAL PROCESS

In order to support the development of strong applications for UBC-wide selection, the Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation (VPRI) works in collaboration with the Institutional Programs Office to advise research teams on the development of competitive IF proposals.

Information on UBC-wide procedures is available on the 2025 Innovation Fund page.

Key Dates

For internal timelines and submission procedures, please contact Pierre Rondier.

• CFI issues draft call for proposals: April 18, 2024
• Deadline to submit feedback on the draft call for proposals: May 17, 2024
• CFI issues call for proposals: June 6, 2024
• Deadline to submit notices of intent: October 2, 2024
• Deadline to submit proposals: February 4, 2025
• Decision by CFI Board of Directors: November 2025

Contact

Pierre Rondier
Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Operations
250-807-9438 | ADM006I
pierre.rondier@ubc.ca