Call for projects Canada - The microbiome in human health and diseases

Eligibility

Applicants for this award must hold an MD, PhD, and/or equivalent degree (e.g., MBChB, MBBS, DO).

Applicants must be full-time faculty or equivalent position at an institution in Canada by the start date of this award.

Applicants must classify as 'early career' according to the following criteria:

MD (or equivalent) applicants are considered 'early career' if no more than seven years have elapsed following the completion of clinical training (GI fellowship or its equivalent) and the start date of this award
PhD (or equivalent) applicants are considered 'early career' if no more than seven years have elapsed following the conferment of the PhD degree and the start date of this award.
An appropriately documented leave of absence, such as parental or medical leave, will not be counted toward the above seven-year eliigibility criteria.
Applicants performing any type of research (basic, translational, clinical) relevant to microbiota are strongly encouraged to apply.

We comply with EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) principles and we encourage people from all ethnics, races minorities to apply.

The grant is intended as a seeding or bridging grant, to help investigators initiate a project to become independent.

Summary

The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation 2026 National Research Grant (Canada) supports research examining the role of the microbiome in human health and disease. The program welcomes basic, translational, and clinical research projects relevant to microbiota, with translational animal model studies specifically encouraged. The award is intended to provide seed or bridge funding that helps investigators generate preliminary data and advance their research programs toward greater independence.

The competition is targeted to early-career researchers based at Canadian institutions. Eligible applicants must hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent degree and have a full-time faculty or equivalent appointment in Canada by the start of the award. Applicants must generally be within seven years of completing their clinical training (for MDs) or receiving their PhD (for PhDs), with allowances made for documented parental or medical leaves. Researchers conducting microbiome-related research across any discipline or methodological approach are encouraged to apply

Overhead

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.

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 Application