FCRF New Research Collaboration Program 2026

Eligibility

• The FCRF is open to all fields of research.
• Applications must be for joint projects between a French institution (all universities, grandes écoles, research institutes and organizations are eligible) and one of the 23 Canadian universities that are members of the FCRF.
• Both the Canadian and French PIs must hold tenure or have a tenure-track appointment.
• The FCRF only funds new collaborations, and researchers who apply must never have worked together before.
• It is essential that researchers include students and young researchers in their work teams.
  • young researcher: refers to master’s and doctoral students; post-doctoral fellows may be considered as young researchers provided the team also includes students

Each university is limited to five (5) applications per competition (see Submission Process below for details).

Summary

Since 2000, the France-Canada Research Fund (FCRF) has provided financial support to the New Research Collaboration Program, which promotes partnerships between researchers in France and Canada. The 2026 call for proposals is open to any research fields and incentivizes interdisciplinarity. The funds, which will be granted to around 15 projects in 2026, are up to CA$8,000 to CA$15,000 according to the needs provided in the application. Those funds will be managed by the Canadian university to which the project is attached and will be available for two years. 90% of the allocated funds are aimed at financing researchers and students’ mobility.

FCRF funds are primarily intended to finance the mobility of researchers, including young researchers. As such, travel expenses such as flights, accommodation and meals are eligible. Costs should be balanced to give students a chance to travel too. The cost of equipment or materials required for the project, for example, are eligible. However, it is recommended that you do not include more than 10% of the total budget in the “other” category.

Program Resources

• New Research Collaboration Program 2026 Guidelines
• New Research Collaboration Program 2026 Application Form

Submission Process

Pre-selection at Member Universities

In accordance with the FCRF application procedure, the University of Calgary will first complete the pre-selection evaluation step. An internal selection committee will be formed for this purpose, if needed.

1. No later than October 15, 2025: Register your intent to submit an application by sending an email to Katie Cupello, Senior Specialist, Strategic Research Grants (katie.cupello@ucalgary.ca). In your email, please specify:
   1. your name, faculty, and department;
   2. name and affiliation of the French researcher; and
   3. the project title.
2. Complete the New Research Collaboration Program 2026 Application Form in cooperation with your French counterpart.
   1. The correct name for the UCalgary research unit signature box is Tiago Lier, Director, Grants, Awards and Ethics, Research Services, University of Calgary.
   2. If possible, please have the French institution sign the application form before submission to Research Services.
3. No later than November 14, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.: Applications must be submitted to Research Services through the Research Management System (RMS).
   1. Complete a Pre-Award/Application record in RMS and “Submit for academic approvals” (Under Save & Progress) in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the deadline.
      1. The completed application form, including the short research CVs, must be attached to the RMS record as a single PDF.

Up to five (5) applications will be pre-selected and sent to the French Embassy in Canada for the national evaluation. It is the responsibility of the Research Services Office to forward the selected applications to the embassy for the national deadline in December 2025.

Overhead

Not applicable. The FCRF does not allow indirect costs.

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.

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

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management 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.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, 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 and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

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

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.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application