Agriculture Funding Consortium: 2025-2026 Research and Innovation Program

Eligibility

Applicants

The applicant and the project team may be comprised of qualified researchers from the following types of organizations:

• Provincial governments and their public agencies;
• Federal government and federal crown corporations;
• Non-profit research institutions;
• Academic institutions, including universities, colleges, and technical schools;
• Industry associations serving the agriculture, food and beverage industry;
• Existing or prospective companies and supply chain partners that can increase the value and sales of Alberta products; and/or
• Other research institutions, firms or enterprises approved by the members of the AFC.

Activities

Please consult the research priorities of each funding consortium member. Applicants are encouraged to contact funding organizations they consider relevant to their proposed project for feedback prior to submission of the LOI.

Funding from Other Sources (cash and in-kind)

Applicants are encouraged to obtain funding from other sources to supplement the contribution of AFC members. Applicants must be transparent about additional funding requested or obtained. Contributors can be government or industry.

Summary

The Agriculture Funding Consortium (AFC) is a voluntary body that has no legal standing and is comprised of a number of organizations, each of which is responsible for establishing its own research and innovation priorities and investment mandate.

The purpose of the AFC is a collaborative one-window approach to coordinate the application, review and funding process for proposed agriculture and food research and innovation projects and stimulate private/public sector participation in Alberta’s agriculture and the food industry.

Webinar: February 21, 2025, 8:30 a.m. (MT), register here

Program Resources

• Research & Innovation Guidelines
• Research Priorities for 2025-2026
• FAQs
• AFC contact: info@fundingconsortium.ca

Submission Process

There is a two-stage process consisting of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and Full Proposal, which is by invitation only. Both stages of this competition will be part of the Research Management System (RMS), and approvals will be obtained electronically. Research Funding Application Approvals (RFAA) forms are not required as approvals are collected electronically in RMS.

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)

The LOI, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record, must be submitted to RSO by March 27, 2025 at 12:00 pm. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

Once you have received RSO approval, you must submit the LOI using the Agriculture Research Grant Organizer (ARGO) online portal by April 1, 2025.

2. Full Proposal (by invitation only)

The Full Proposal, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Application record,* must be submitted to RSO by July 18, 2025 at 12:00 pm. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines.

*Creation of a new Pre-Award/Application record in RMS is not necessary. You can automatically generate an Application record from the existing LOI record by changing the status of the LOI record to 'Invited to full application' (under Save & Progress).

Once you have received RSO approval, you must submit the Full Proposal using the Agriculture Research Grant Organizer (ARGO) online portal by July 23, 2025.

Overhead

May be an eligible expense. Check with individual consortium members. RDAR allows 15%.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

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.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

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.

RESOURCES 

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research: 

Support with the development of your grant application is available 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. 

Support for Knowledge Engagement: 

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, and responsible research assessment (DORA) is available through the Knowledge to Impact Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca. For more information, please visit the KI team webpage. 

Support for Research Data Management: 

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca OR research.data@ucalgary.libanswers.com. 

Support for EDI in Research: 

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice. Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information. 

Support for Research Security: 

The Research Security Division is available to assist researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the new policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC). Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.  

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with RSO units, the more help we can be! 

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application (do not create a new Application record if you have an existing LOI record for the same competition)