Arthur Child Innovation Catalyst Grants 2026

Eligibility

• Principal Applicants (PA) must be located in Calgary and have an affiliation with the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute and/or the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
• Researchers may serve as PA on only one proposal and may be a team member on one additional proposal.
• Researchers may participate as team members on a maximum of two proposals.

Summary

The Innovation Catalyst Grant program supports high-risk/high-reward ideas in precision oncology. This funding opportunity aims to facilitate development of innovative diagnostics and therapeutics, including those with commercial potential, and foster new teams to tackle complex challenges.

Proposals are expected to focus on precision oncology interventions and/or their clinical- or population-level implementation. Proposals can be exploratory or proof-of-concept, aimed at pursuing a novel line of inquiry, filling knowledge gaps, generating preliminary data, or testing new concepts or approaches. This competition is particularly focused on funding research that may not typically receive support from traditional sources. A goal of this competition is to position investigators for success in future external funding competitions.

Please refer to the Innovation Catalyst Grant program page for full details and application guidelines.

Submission Process

Notice of Intent (NOI)

Research Services review and RMS approval are not required at this stage.

Full Application

1. Applications must be submitted to Research Services (RSO) for institutional approval and mandatory administrative review through the Research Management System (RMS) by October 27, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.
2. Complete a Pre-award/Application record in RMS and 'Submit for approvals' (under Save & Progress) in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline.
3. Upon review and approval, the PI may submit the application to the funding sponsor.

Overhead

Pre-application deadlines

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

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