New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Exploration 2025

Eligibility

*FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ENTRY UPDATED 2025-05-30*

Participants

Proposals must be submitted by research teams with at least two individuals. In addition to a nominated principal investigator (NPI), the team must include either a co-principal investigator (co-PI) or a co-applicant. Teams may include one co-PI and any number of co-applicants and/or collaborators.

• Individuals can participate in only one application of the NFRF Exploration grants stream at a time as an NPI, or co-PI, or co-applicant. If an NPI, co-PI, or co-applicant also had such a role on a previous Exploration grant-funded project, their final report for the previous project must be submitted and approved at least one month before the full application deadline for the present Exploration competition.

Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI)

• The NPI must be an independent researcher at their primary affiliation. The primary affiliation must be with a Canadian institution currently holding full institutional eligibility with one of the agencies (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR).
• Individuals who are full- or part-time students, postdoctoral fellows, or research associates are not eligible to apply as NPIs, regardless of whether they also meet the definition of an independent researcher.

Co-Principal Investigator (co-PI)

• The co-PI must be an independent researcher.
• May be affiliated with a Canadian or international organization, but must not be affiliated with a federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government department or a for-profit organization.
• Students, postdoctoral fellows and research associates are not eligible to participate as co-PIs.

Co-Applicant

• If the co-applicant is a researcher or professor, they must be an independent researcher.
• Co-applicants may be affiliated with a Canadian or international organization, but must not be affiliated with a federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government department or a for-profit organization.
• Students, postdoctoral fellows and research associates are not eligible to participate as co-applicants.

Collaborator

• Any individual who will contribute to the project is eligible to be a collaborator.
• May include individuals affiliated with a federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government department or a for-profit organization. They may also be affiliated with a Canadian or international organization.
• Any individual whose contributions to the project will be supervised by the NPI, co-PI, co-applicant and/or another collaborator cannot be considered a collaborator.

Subject Matter (Fit to Program)

• Exploration grants support projects that are high risk, high reward and interdisciplinary. They may involve disciplines, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas eligible for funding across the three agencies. Eligible projects include those with specific short-to-medium-term objectives, as well as discrete phases in longer-range research programs.
• To meet the minimum requirement to be considered interdisciplinary, a proposed research project must combine elements from at least two different disciplines (as defined by a group-level classification based on the Canadian Research and Development Classification). Projects that integrate two disciplines with a long and established tradition of working together (e.g., biology and chemistry or psychology and education) may satisfy the above requirement but not meet the expectations of the program.
• Applications for projects that are the same or similar, in whole or in part, to ones that have been submitted to or funded by other federal research granting agency programs should not be submitted to the NFRF program.
• Applications for projects the same as or similar to projects that have been unsuccessful in receiving funding from other agency programs may be submitted to the NFRF program in cases where the lack of success is due to the high-risk and/or interdisciplinary nature of the project, rather than limited funds in a highly competitive pool.
• Applications for funding the same or very similar research cannot be simultaneously submitted to two different funding opportunities, including to funding opportunities at different agencies.

Summary

The goal of the Exploration stream is to inspire high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research. Exploration grants support research that pushes boundaries into exciting new areas. Researchers are encouraged to think “outside of the box” and undertake research that would defy current paradigms; brings disciplines together in unexpected ways and from bold, innovative perspectives; and has the potential to be disruptive or deliver game-changing impacts.

Exploration stream grants support projects that:

• bring disciplines together beyond traditional disciplinary or common interdisciplinary approaches;
• propose to explore something new, which might fail; and
• have the potential for significant impact.

Exploration grants support research with a range of impacts—economic, scientific, artistic, cultural, social, technological, environmental or health-related. This list is not exhaustive; other types of impacts are also recognized. Diversity of perspectives is important, and the fund encourages research proposals led from any discipline, from those in the social sciences and humanities, to health, the natural sciences and engineering.

Webinars

(a) UCalgary-led

• Research Services will hold an information session via Zoom on June 26, 2025, 2:00-3:15 p.m. Please register to attend.
• EDI: Research Services held a session regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations for NFRF. Links to the recording and slide deck are provided in the Program Resources below.

(b) NFRF-led

• NOI: NFRF held an informational webinar for NOIs on May 22, 2025.
• Application (upcoming): NFRF will hold an informational webinar for full application on September 9, 2025. See the NFRF Exploration program page for more information.

Optional Research Services Test Your Concept (TYC)

• Applicants may participate in sessions (May 27 – June 12, TBD) and pitch their ideas to SUPPORT, comprising experts and UCalgary researchers who have experience with NFRF, to receive construction feedback
  • Register by May 16, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. via email to ipd@ucalgary.ca 

Program Resources

• NFRF Exploration NOI Webinar
  • Recording (English)
  • Slide Deck (English)
  • Recording (French)
  • Slide Deck (French)
• NFRF Exploration NOI Guide
• NFRF Exploration Application Guide
• NFRF Exploration Evaluation Matrices
• NFRF Exploration Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• EDI Plans for NFRF, presented by the UCalgary EDI in Research Team (May 2025) - link to recording and slide deck

SUBMISSION PROCESS

This is a two-stage process consisting of Notice of Intent (NOI) and Full Application. Both stages will be part of the Research Management System (RMS), and approvals will be obtained electronically.

**NEW -- An RMS record will be required at the NOI stage.**

Notice of Intent (NOI)

Step 1A: NFRF NOI Submission

The NOI is mandatory and unadjudicated. Most of the NOI content cannot be revised following submission to the funding agency. It is important that the NOI accurately reflects the project intent and alignment with competition criteria.

1. Complete the NOI in the Convergence Portal.
2. Once the NOI is completed (including all Participant info), go to the “Finalize Application” section and follow the prompts to submit your application by the Research Services (RSO) internal deadline of August 12, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. (status will change to Received by Administrator)

Step 1B: RMS Record  *NEW*

1. NOIs must be submitted to Research Services (RSO) for institutional approval and mandatory administrative review through the Research Management System (RMS) by August 12, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
2. Complete a Pre-Award/Letters of Intent 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 RSO internal deadline.
3. Upon review and approval, the RSO will submit the NOI to NFRF.

Full Application

As an optional service, Research Services (RSO) offers detailed application reviews. If you would like a detailed review, the RSO must receive the RMS record (faculty-level approvals complete) and application submission in the Convergence Portal by October 7, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.

Step 2A: NFRF Application Submission

1. Complete your application in the Convergence Portal.
2. Once the application is complete (including all participant info), go to the “Finalize Application” section and follow the prompts to submit your application. Your application will be sent to Research Services (RSO), and the status will change to Received by Administrator. Please ensure your application is final and complete. The RSO will not review drafts, and, once received, your application may be submitted to NFRF without further notice. The final internal deadline for submission is October 14, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.

Step 2B: RMS Record

1. Applications must be submitted to Research Services (RSO) for institutional approval and mandatory administrative review through the Research Management System (RMS) by October 14, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
2. There is no need to create an entirely new Pre-Award/Application record in RMS. Continue with the same RMS number by updating the status of the Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record from Step 1B to 'Invited for full application' (under Save & Progress). The system will generate a Pre-Award/Application record.
3. Complete the 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 RSO internal deadline.
4. Upon review and approval, the RSO will submit the application to NFRF.

NOTE:

• Your application will not be considered submitted and will not be reviewed until both the application is submitted in Convergence (a paper copy is not required) and the RMS Approvals have been received.
• The final deadline of 9:00 a.m. on October 14 is a hard deadline. The three-day deadline ensures that Research Services is able to complete a basic review of the application and secure institutional signature in a timely fashion.

Overhead

25%
NFRF Exploration permits 25% of the value of the direct costs of research to be allocated to indirect costs. Indirect costs funding must be used only to pay for eligible expenses as outlined on the Research Support Fund website. The indirect costs component of each NFRF award is included in the award value; it is not in addition to it. That is, the maximum grant amount is $125,000 per year

• maximum direct costs = $100,000 per year
• maximum indirect costs = $25,000 per year

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

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.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS, 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