Crohn's and Colitis Canada 2026 Grants-in-Aid of Research

Eligibility

Investigators who hold an academic appointment at a Canadian University in a Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, or other Graduate Faculty are eligible to apply to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada as principal investigators for grant support of their research.

The Principal Investigator’s proposed research must connect to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Promise. Principal Investigators must reside in Canada to apply for funding.

In any given year, a researcher may apply as a Principal Investigator on one GIA and a Co-Principal Investigator on another GIA grant application. Funding under other specific Crohn’s and Colitis Canada programs (for example, Innovations in IBD, GEM Project, or personnel award) do not restrict eligibility for GIAs.

To be eligible to receive funding for a GIA from Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, recipients must be members of the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada IBD Research Institute.

Summary

GIAs support research projects with a defined objective, conducted by an investigator working alone or in collaboration. GIAs support research projects related to IBD aligned with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Promise and strategic directions. There are several diseases and conditions that are associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (e.g., liver, intestinal cancer, arthritis, ophthalmologic manifestations) that can impact the lives of patients with IBD. Crohn’s and Colitis Canada will consider applications focusing on IBD-associated diseases and conditions. However, applicants submitting an application focused on IBD-associated diseases and conditions must provide a strong rationale for how their project aligns with the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Promise.

Please review Grant Guidelines here (to be updated when 2026 guidelines are released).

Submission Instructions:

NOI is non-competitive and no submission to Research Services required. Complete the abstract submission at Proposal Central by 3PM Mountain time on January 23, 2026.

For Full Application:

1. Complete Full Application on the Proposal Central system and download a preview copy as pdf
2. To initiate internal approvals, complete the Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/additional-resources/resea...), attach the pdf preview of your completed Application, and submit for approvals from your department head and/or faculty Associate Dean (Research). *Important: when submitting in RMS, please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services review deadline of 12:00pm on February 18, 2026.
3. Once these approvals are obtained, RMS will automatically forward the Application record to Research Services for institutional review and approval.
4. Research Services will review, provide feedback (by email) if necessary, and will provide the institutional approval. RSO will also provide the final institutional signature as "Dean of Faculty (or equivalent)" - please ensure that all other signatures are in place when submitting in RMS.
5. Full Applications, including any supplementary documentation, should be submitted to the agency via the portal on February 23, 2026 by 3:00PM Mountain Time

Overhead

Not applicable

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