Test your concept

Have an idea for a major funding competition, but don’t know where to start?

Test Your Concept (TYC) sessions are hosted by SUPPORT to assist researchers early in the development of a research proposal. TYCs are constructive sessions that give you an opportunity to pitch your idea to experts from across campus with no risk or commitment. Feedback will be provided at the end of your pitch to help guide your next steps. TYCs are open to any interested faculty members and are helpful for applications at any stage of the development process.

Benefits of pitching:

  1. Engage with members of SUPPORT to identify what could make your application stronger
  2. Environmental scan – get help to identify potential collaborators and existing research infrastructure in the campus community
  3. Gain insight into the feasibility of your project from the key servicing units at the university
  4. Guidance on how to proceed with your research proposal and identify potential funding opportunities

SUPPORT Committees include representatives from:

  • Associate Vice-President(s) Research
  • Facilities Development (FD)
  • Institutional Programs Division (IPD), Research Services 

Current Opportunity

TYCs are currently being planned for the following programs:

Contact ipd@ucalgary.ca to indicate interest in participating.

Next sessions

Spring 2025 sessions

- NFRF Transformation 2026

•    May 8: 8:30 – 10:30am
•    May 12: 11:00am – 1:00pm
•    May 14: 11:00am – 1:00pm

- NFRF Exploration 2025

•    June 2: 9:00am – 11:00am
•    June 9: 9:00am – 11:00am


- SSHRC Partnership Development Grants, Partnership Grants

•    June 4: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
•    June 5: 9:00am – 11:00am

How it works

Sign up for a session

Submit a preliminary project title to ipd@ucalgary.ca and indicate which session you would like to participate in. These sessions are first come, first served. You will receive an email confirmation with the session location and your assigned timeslot. All team members should attend the session.

If the project or a similar project has been presented at a previous session, the team should be prepared to explain what has changed since the prior iteration.

Submit a concept

Once your participation in a TYC session has been confirmed, a TYC template document will be provided by Research Services. You will be required to complete the TYC template, including a short summary  of the project, and submit to ipd@ucalgary.ca at least one week before your scheduled session. 

Pitch

You will have a limited amount of time (usually 5-10 minutes) to pitch your research project to the SUPPORT committee. Visuals are encouraged, however, the time limit will be strictly enforced to ensure ample time for discussion and feedback. Please prepare accordingly.

Feedback and discussion

You will be provided with a feedback summary from your session, but please come prepared to take your own notes during the discussion. Participants will also be added to the appropriate mailing list for future communications regarding pertinent competitions.