Internal Funding
The Offices of the Vice-President and Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation sponsor several internal funding programs designed to support the university’s strategic goals.
Our research facilitation team can assist UBC Okanagan researchers in identifying additional internal and external funding opportunities.
Send your questions and applications to vprawards.ubco@ubc.ca.
The Aspire program supplements the one-time start-up funding provided by Faculties to new professorial recruits. Over 90 start-up funding packages have been offered since the program was launched in 2017, resulting in the successful recruitment of top scholars to UBC Okanagan. Funding for the Aspire program is provided from the central budget and from the Excellence Fund.
The Aspire program has two goals: to ensure that UBCO can offer competitive start-up packages to recruitment candidates and to provide new faculty with the resources required to develop a robust research career at UBC Okanagan.
Key Dates:
- Application deadline: No later than 30 days after an offer letter is signed
- Funding start: First day of UBCO employment
Apply:
The Campus as a Living Lab program is a unique initiative aimed at partnering researchers with campus operations staff to help design and implement innovative solutions to on-campus challenges. Between two and three projects that show impact in one of four priority areas—climate action, resilient systems, sustainable places and communities, and health and wellbeing—will be selected for up to $50,000 in funding.
Project leads must include at least one UBC Okanagan faculty member and one UBC Okanagan operational staff member.
Key Dates:
- Notice of intent (NOI) deadline: October 10, 2024 (11:59 p.m.)
- Full application deadline: November 27, 2024 (11:59 p.m.)
- Funding start: March 1, 2025
Apply:
Campus as a Living Lab Program Terms
Campus as a Living Lab Application Form *Used for the NOI and full application stage
Campus as a Living Lab Activity Template
Campus as a Living Lab Budget Template
The City of Kelowna and UBC Okanagan established the Partnership Fund in 2022. The two organizations share a commitment to innovation and excellence, and a vision of the Central Okanagan as a vibrant, progressive and sustainable region.
This partnership seeks to leverage UBCO’s demonstrated excellence in applied research to maximize the City’s strengths in the areas of service delivery, planning and infrastructure development. Both partners, UBCO and the City of Kelowna, recognize that efforts to combine resources and talents in the pursuit of shared objectives will provide significant benefit to the Central Okanagan.
KEY DATES:
Successful applicants of the Partnership Fund have been selected and are in the process of implementing their proposed projects. UBCO looks forward to continuing to build on the strong partnership with the City of Kelowna and sharing future opportunities.
Apply:
If you are looking to collaborate with the City of Kelowna, please reach out to our Partnership Development Specialist Amanda Sheehan.
UBC Collaborative Research Mobility Awards (CRMA) are designed to support research collaboration between UBC researchers in Vancouver and the Okanagan to:
- initiate new or strengthen existing research partnerships;
- enable access to unique infrastructure/core facilities at each location or to hold research meetings;
- support travel, per diems, and accommodations for UBC researchers
Key Dates:
A total funding envelope of $100,000 is available for this one-year funding cycle.
There are two application deadlines each year. Approximately $50,000 is available at each of these deadlines. Applications will open approximately six weeks prior to each deadline.
APPLY:
This program has two intakes each year in May and November. Visit the website for full details, including deadlines, criteria and information sessions:
The CRET program supports the acquisition, development, repairs, replacement or creation of critical research infrastructure at UBC Okanagan. Through this program, we aim to improve the range and quality of our research infrastructure, keep pace with technology and provide opportunities for student research training.
Applications may request between $2,500 and $100,000 to support specific research activities and projects that require critical equipment not currently available on campus. We encourage faculty in all research or knowledge-creation fields to apply.
KEY DATES:
- NOI deadline: November 25, 2024
- Application deadline: January 17, 2025 (11:59 p.m.)
- Funding start: mid-March, 2025
APPLY:
2025 CRET Program Terms
Research Project Information Form (RPIF)
Submit your NOI and application through the UBCO VPRI Research & Innovation Apply with your CWL.
Important update: the Office of the VPRI has made the decision to pause the Eminence Program. At this time, we are not accepting new funding applications.
The Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation established the Eminence competition to support the development of Research Excellence Clusters at UBC Okanagan.
These clusters are interdisciplinary teams of researchers focused on addressing key challenges facing society.
Successful clusters leverage existing strengths to transcend traditional boundaries. They are aligned with the strategic plans of the units, faculties, campus and university.
The Eminence Program funds each cluster for three years. The cluster lead(s) must be UBCO faculty, but clusters may involve UBC researchers from both our Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, in addition to collaborators from other institutional, industry and community partners.
This initial investment is designed to catalyze research and knowledge creation initiatives at UBC Okanagan and to attract further external opportunities, such as partnerships, grants, trainee support programs, corporate sponsorship, NGO collaborations, etc.
Key Dates:
This program is not accepting applications at this time.
Launched in 2024, UBC’s Peter Wall Legacy Awards program is valued at approximately $4 million annually and is open to researchers of all disciplines.
These awards advance research excellence at UBC and will initially focus on scholarly activity and research in British Columbia relating to sustainability in the areas of urban development, water, energy, transportation infrastructure, environmental protection of oceans and waterfronts, and resource-intensive industry.
The program is structured as follows:
- Wall Fellowships valued at $1 million each, which will be awarded to two faculty members each year; and
- Wall Research Awards, which are available for individual and team projects from faculty members, as well as for graduate students.
APPLY:
Visit the website for full details, including deadlines, criteria and information sessions:
The Principal’s Research Chairs (PRC) program provides financial research support for UBC Okanagan faculty engaged in outstanding research or creative scholarship. UBCO PRCs are expected to be, or have the potential to be, leaders that will build and intensify the research ecosystem at UBCO.
The goal of the Principal’s Research Chairs program is to:
- Retain our top researchers
- Enable recruitment of outstanding new faculty
- Promote research intensification
- Generate international recognition of research achievements
Tier 1 PRCs (recognized leaders) receive an annual honorarium of $10,000 and annual research allowance of $25,000.
Tier 2 PRCs (emerging leaders) receive an annual honorarium of $7,500 and annual research allowance of $20,000.
Each PRC term is for five years.
Key Dates:
- Nomination deadline: May 1, 2024 (4:00 pm)
- Funding start:
- July 1, 2024 (for retention stream)
- No later than July 1, 2025 (for attraction stream)
SUBMISSION PROCESS:
Deans may submit multiple requests for Principal’s Research Chair allocations but are required to provide a ranked list to accompany the submitted application packages.
REVIEW PROCESS:
The Provost and Vice-President, Academic & Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation review nomination files and make recommendations to the Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for final approval.
Apply:
The Pritchard Graduate Student Grant Program provides stipends for UBC Okanagan graduate students undertaking health-related research projects with local clinical collaborators. The goal of the fund is to strengthen collaborative research activity between UBC Okanagan, the Interior Health Authority and BC Cancer (Kelowna).
Applications must include a UBCO faculty member and a clinical collaborator.
Key dates:
- Application deadline: June 18, 2024
- Funding start: September 1, 2024
APPLY:
Established in 2009, the Researcher of the Year awards celebrate excellence in research and creative scholarly activity at UBC Okanagan. The awards recognize faculty who have made highly significant contributions to knowledge, society, culture or innovation.
UBCO Faculties and Schools are welcome to nominate up to three individual faculty members in these award categories:
- Health
- Social Sciences and Humanities
- Natural Sciences and Engineering
For details on the nomination, application and selection process, see the Program Terms.
Key dateS:
- Call for nominations: October 1, 2024
- Nominations submitted to VPRI Office: December 3, 2024
- Nominations confirmed by VPRI Office: mid-December, 2024
- Full application: January 13, 2025
APPLY:
UBC Okanagan’s shared research platforms provide researchers, from both on and off campus, access to state-of-the-art equipment and expertise.
Launched in 2024, the Shared Research Platforms Fund (SRPF) supports the acquisition, development, repair, replacement, and/or creation of key core research instruments and technology, as well as state-of-the-art research services/analyses and training and education.
The fund helps further support UBC Okanagan’s five shared research platforms, ensuring they remain current, operational and outfitted with the latest in technology and equipment.
A total of $100,000 is available in the inaugural year.
Directors from each of UBCO’s five shared research platforms are welcome to apply:
- Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research (FiLTER)
- Plant Growth Facility
- Research Data Centre
- UBC Animal Care and Use Program
- UBC Survive and Thrive Applied Research (UBC STAR)
Key dates:
Applications are considered twice each year.
- Application deadlines: September 15 and January 15
- Recipient notification: October 15 and February 15
Apply:
Through the SSHRC Institutional Grant Fund (SIG), this award is designed to strengthen research excellence in the humanities and social sciences.
The “Explore” grant supports faculty who need seed funding to develop research projects or conduct pilot work. The “Exchange” grant supports sharing research results through funding knowledge mobilization activities as well as helping researchers attend or present research at conferences and similar venues.
KEY DATES:
- Application deadline: September 3, 2024 (4:00pm PT)
- Funding start: November 1, 2024
APPLY:
Through its annual budget, the Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation has allocated a limited amount of funding to provide financial assistance to the UBCO faculty research community, outside of the current internal funding opportunities.
Contingent on the level of funding, the VPRI may offer the following types of support:
- matching funds
- letters of support
- cost-sharing funds (events/conferences/workshops/seminars)
- other funding requests (to be individually considered)
Key Dates:
The PI must submit a Request for Support at least six weeks before the application deadline and/or date the funding is required.
Justification for abbreviated review period may be submitted with the request if the nature of the opportunity does not allow for a full six weeks’ notice.
aPPLY:
VPRI Request for Funding and Support – Terms
VPRI Request for Funding and Support – Application