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.
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
UBCO Proposal Development Workshop: October 5, 2023. RSVP by email to nishat.tasnim@ubc.ca
JUN 2023 CFI-JELF | OCT 2023 CFI-JELF | FEB 2024 CFI-JELF | |
NOI Deadline (internal-UBCO) | 23-Jan-2023 | 5-Jun-2023 | 5-Oct-2023 |
Submission for Review and Feedback (UBCO) (recommended) | 29-Mar-2023 | 11-Aug-2023 | 22-Nov-2023 |
Internal Review and Selection Deadline (IPO) | 26-Apr-2023 | 25-Aug-2023 | 4-Jan-2023 |
Draft BCKDF Step 1 Application Internal Review Deadline | 24-May-2023 | 29-Sept-2023 | 25-Jan-2024 |
Final CFI Application Deadline (internal-UBC) |
12-Jun-2023 | 12-Oct-2023 | 9-Feb-2024 |
CFI Deadline (external) | 15-Jun-2023 | 16-Oct-2023 | 15-Feb-2024 |
Final BCKDF Step 1 Application Deadline (internal-UBC) | 12-July-2023 | 24-Oct-2023 | 26-Feb-2024 |
Final BCKDF Step 1 Application Deadline (external) | 15-July-2023 | 16-Nov-2023 | 15-Mar-2024 |
*All deadlines are due at 12:00pm. Dates may change, please contact Nishat Tasnim to confirm.
Contact
Nishat Tasnim
Institutional Programs Officer, Strategic Initiatives and Operations
250-681-4133 Ext. 79451 | ADM006
nishat.tasnim@ubc.ca
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.
Program Details
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
CFI’s permanent funding model permits Innovation Fund competitions at regular intervals of 24 to 30 months.
In anticipation of this program launch, the Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation (VPRI) is developing a plan to support the development of competitive IF proposals at UBCO.
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) will work in collaboration with the Institutional Programs Office to advise research teams on the development of competitive IF proposals.
Key Dates
The CFI has released a tentative timeline for the 2025 Innovation Fund competition. Dates are subject to change.
- CFI issues call for proposals: Spring 2024
- Deadline to submit notices of intent: October 2024
- Deadline to submit proposals: February 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