New Frontiers in Research Fund – 2022 Horizon Global Platform

Eligibility

ACTUAL REGISTRATION AND APPLICATION DEADLINES are based on Horizon Europe notification dates (see details under Submission Process). Contact Research Services ASAP once intent to register is confirmed, at ipd@ucalgary.ca.

NFRF has extended its timeline for the 2022 Horizon Global Platform Competition (NFRFG-2022), which supports Canadian Researchers who are partners on research and innovation actions on eligible calls under Horizon Europe Pillar II (Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness).

Canadian researchers named on an application to an eligible Horizon Europe call can apply to this funding opportunity. If more than one eligible Canadian researcher is named on the same Horizon Europe-funded project, they may each apply to this funding opportunity as a nominated principal investigator (NPI) or they may submit a single application together.

To be eligible to apply the Canadian researcher (or research team) must be an integral part of the larger Horizon Europe research team that was awarded a grant; as such, the lead (Nominated Principal Investigator) and/or the University of Calgary must be a signing partner on the Consortium Agreement for the Horizon Europe project.

An individual may only apply for funding from a single opportunity across the agencies for the same Horizon Europe project. An application may not be submitted to this funding opportunity if one has been submitted to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) Alliance International opportunity for the same project.

See NFRF’s competition page for additional eligibility details.

Summary

The objective of the New Frontiers in Research Fund’s (NFRF) International stream is to support international research collaborations and position Canada and Canadian researchers as strategic partners at the international level, including funding Canadian researchers’ participation on international research projects supported by major global platforms. For Horizon Global Platform 2022, NFRF will invest $40 million over two years to fund Canadian researchers who are partners on successful projects funded through eligible calls under Pillar II (Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness) of the Horizon Europe competition. The list of eligible calls has been expanded and applications are now being accepted for projects funded through any Research and Innovation call under Pillar II with a deadline before December 31, 2023.

The duration of the grant must not exceed the duration of the Horizon Europe grant. For applicants to a Horizon Europe call with a deadline between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, only one year of funding is available.

Funds should be used primarily to support research activities and travel, and not for the acquisition of major infrastructure. It is expected that Horizon Europe grant funds will also be used to support the involvement of Canadian participants, insomuch as the costs are eligible.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Please contact ipd@ucalgary.ca as soon as you determine you plan to submit a Registration; this will allow Research Services staff to support necessary steps and identify application deadlines associated with your specific Registration and full application.

As the full application will run through RMS, we encourage applicants to view the step sheets available at the RMS Training page. For training or technical support, you can contact RMS at: rms@ucalgary.ca and 403.210.9309.

Institutional and agency milestones are listed here, with a brief overview of the two application stages (including institutional requirements and instructions).

Registration

Registration is a mandatory step in the application process and will be used by the funding agency for administrative purposes only. Canadian participants on eligible Horizon Europe calls must submit their registration form within one week of the Horizon Europe deadline for their call.

1. Applicants must complete the Registration and submit to RSO using the Convergence Portal, following the accompanying registration instructions, by 9:00 am at least two business days prior to the 2022 Horizon Global Platform competition registration deadline. Notify RSO of submission by emailing ipd@ucalgary.ca. This allows Research Services to complete a required eligibility review prior to submission to the funder.   

• In the Convergence Portal, select Funding Opportunity “New Frontiers in Research Fund - Global” – Registration stage. (Do NOT select “New Frontiers in Research Fund – International”; this is a different funding opportunity.)

2. RSO will review and submit the registration to NFRF in the Convergence Portal by the agency deadline date.

No RMS entry is required at the Registration stage.

Full Application

Following Registration, teams must then submit a full application to NFRF within two weeks of when results from the Horizon Europe are communicated to the project team.

3. Applicants must complete the full application and submit to RSO using the Convergence Portal, following the accompanying application instructions, by 9:00 am at least two business days prior to the 2022 Horizon Global Platform competition application deadline.
4. Create a Pre-Award/Application record in the UCalgary RMS online system. Please use the “New Frontiers in Research Fund – Horizon Global 2022” funding opportunity, and be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

• Approvals must be obtained in the Research Management System (RMS) by 9:00 am at least two business days prior to the 2022 Horizon Global Platform competition application deadline. 

5. RSO will review and submit the application to NFRF in the Convergence Portal by the agency deadline date.

Your application will not be considered submitted and will not be reviewed until the application is submitted in the Convergence Portal, you notify Research Services of this submission at ipd@ucalgary.ca, and all approvals have been obtained in RMS.

RESOURCES

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research:

Support with the development of your grant application is available internally through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST). Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

DOCUMENTS

NFRF’s Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research

SSHRC’s Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grant Applications

2022 Horizon Global Platform – FAQs

NFRF 2022 Horizon Global Platform webinar 2022-08-16 recording

Webinar_Horizon_Global__2022_Bilingual

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Informational webinars for this competition were held on August 16, 2022. For links to the recording and for the presentation slide deck, please see the Resources section.

For UCalgary researchers participating on applications elsewhere: If you have been asked by the submitting institutions to confirm we are aware of your involvement, please create a Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (follow the instructions under Full Application below). Provided there are no special requirements, Research Services will not ask for any supporting documentation. Once all approvals are obtained in RMS, our office will email research services staff at the lead institution to confirm.

Selection criteria

It is not the intent of the 2022 Horizon Global Platform program to re-evaluate submissions for scientific merit, as this will already have been accomplished through the Horizon Europe review process. Research conducted in Canada and led by Canadian researchers is, however, expected to have integrated equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the research design (previously referred to as GBA+ in NFRF competitions), and to undertake activities related to Indigenous research according to SSHRC’s Indigenous Research Statement of Principles and guidelines, where appropriate. NFRF may ask for additional information from applicants regarding proposed research, to ensure it conforms to these expectations.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate full applications:

• Equity, diversity and inclusion in research practice (EDI-RP) and support of Early Career Researchers (ECR) (pass/fail)
  • Applicants must clearly demonstrate their commitment to EDI in their research practice, including among students, postdoctoral fellows, co-PIs, co-applicants and/or collaborators, as applicable. They must explain what actions they will take, the outcomes expected, and the assessment planned for each of the following three key areas:
    • team composition and recruitment processes;
    • training and development opportunities; and
    • inclusion.
  • Actions taken are expected to remove barriers and provide opportunities for the meaningful integration of individuals from all groups, including the four designated groups (women, Indigenous Peoples, members of visible minorities, and persons with disabilities). Consideration of other identities, such as LGBTQ2+, is also appropriate.
  • The focus is on the team’s commitment to EDI-RP, not on the team’s EDI profile

Note: see EDI resource links in Documents section

• High reward (pass/fail)
  • The benefits to Canada, in terms of project outcomes and increasing recognition of Canadian expertise and talent on a world stage.
• Feasibility (pass/fail)
  • Will consider the budget justification, as well as EDI in research design (EDI-RD), where appropriate. The budget should be limited to research-related expenses for the Canadian participants, and demonstrate leveraging of the Horizon Europe project budget for the Canadian team (support of students and postdoctoral fellows, participation in meetings, access to infrastructure, travel, etc.)

Each application will be assessed by the internal review panel. Applications must pass all three criteria to be deemed fundable. A recommendation as to which applications should be funded, conditional upon confirmation of funding through Horizon Europe, will go to the steering committee.