MSI Foundation Research Grant 2026

Eligibility

Principal Investigator (PI):

• Must be a early career researcher in Alberta with no more than five years of research experience.
• PIs who do not hold a regular university appointment should normally have a co-applicant with such an appointment.
• Preference will be given to PIs who do not already hold external salary awards for research or major research grants.
• Post-doctoral fellows and graduate students are not eligible.

Projects:

• Must focus on health services or population health research in Alberta. The description of these two research areas outlined by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) will be used. Please see the links from CIHR http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/13787.html and http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/13948.html. Studies that involve health investigators and populations beyond the cities of Edmonton and Calgary, including rural Alberta, are encouraged.
• Must involve a user of research as a co-applicant (e.g. health service or population health manager or decision maker, practitioner group).
• PIs are strongly encouraged to include people with lived experience on the research team.

Summary

The MSI Foundation is a research granting charitable organization which has supported more than 300 investigators over the past 54 years, many of whom have made significant contributions to health research in the province of Alberta. For the 2026 year, the Board of Trustees will continue to support novice or emerging investigators in the field of health services and population health research (similar to CIHR pillar 3 or 4). Projects also require a co-applicant who is a user of research. The Foundation is committing $300,000 to $350,000 per year to this initiative. The value of an award is up to $50,000.00 per year for a maximum of two years.

Program Resources

• Call for Letters of Intent (LOIs)
• LOI Guidelines
• LOI Form

Submission Process 

There is a two-stage process consisting of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and Full Application, which is by invitation only. Both stages of this competition will be part of the Research Management System (RMS), and approvals will be obtained electronically. Research Funding Application Approvals (RFAA) forms are not required as approvals are collected electronically in RMS. 

1. Letter of Intent (LOI) 

The LOI, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Letter of Intent record, must be submitted to RSO by October 28, 2025 at 12:00 pm. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

Once you have received RSO approval, you must submit the LOI by October 31, 2025. 

2. Full Application (by invitation only) 

Please do not create a 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 to 'Invited for full application' (under Save & Progress). The system will generate a Pre-Award/Application record, and you can proceed as usual. 

The Full Application, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS), must be submitted to RSO by February 25, 2026 at 12:00 pm. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. 

Do not submit to the agency until RSO's approval has been granted in RMS. Once this institutional approval has been obtained, the Principal Investigator will receive an automated message from RMS to their @ucalgary email address. You can then proceed with submitting your application by February 28, 2026. 

Overhead

Not applicable. The MSI Foundation does not permit overhead.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

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