Canada Foundation for Innovation: Innovation Fund 2027

Eligibility

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Innovation Fund 2027 (IF) will support team projects with researchers at one or more Canadian post-secondary institutions with funding for research infrastructure. This notice relates to University of Calgary’s internal Notice of Intent (iNOI) process; see details below.

iNOIs are required both for projects led by UCalgary researchers and projects led by researchers at another institution where UCalgary is requested to contribute CFI "envelope."

NOTE: In recent IF competitions the CFI permitted up to two project co-leaders, with one researcher designated as the team’s administrative leader; the home faculty of that researcher will be the administering faculty, responsible for submitting internal Notice of Intent materials.

Summary

This call for an internal Notice of Intent will reference Innovation Fund 2025 program parameters as a guideline, and may be updated following the CFI’s Innovation Fund 2027 draft call for proposals, expected in spring 2026.

For reference, the objectives of the 2025 Innovation Fund were to: 

• Enable internationally competitive research or technology development through the equitable participation of expert team members;
• Enhance and optimize the capacity of institutions and research communities to conduct the proposed research or technology development program(s) over the useful life of the infrastructure; and
• Generate benefits for Canadians.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Institutional Envelope: Each eligible institution will be assigned a maximum amount of available CFI funding based on its average share of tri-agency funding. The University of Calgary’s envelope will be known when the CFI issues its draft Call for Proposals, expected spring 2026. 

Internal Selection Process: The University of Calgary is carrying out an internal selection process to strategically manage its institutional envelope and to ensure the projects submitted to the CFI are well-positioned for success. The internal selection process will be initiated by the submission of an internal Notice of Intent (iNOI) (templates attached) and will include vetting by the faculties, consultation with campus partners, Associate Deans’ (Research) Council and Deans’ Council, review and recommendation by SUPPORT and decision by the Vice-President (Research).

The proposals selected to move forward will demonstrate: 

• Alignment with the CFI’s anticipated Innovation Fund objectives and Alberta Technology and Innovation Research Infrastructure Objectives;
• Feasibility of implementation (i.e., indication that the team and project are well-positioned to undertake the research activities in keeping with the anticipated IF 2027 funding timeline, reflecting consultation with Facilities, IT, and other resources as appropriate);
• Demonstrate appropriate maturity and offer the best potential for transformative impact; it isnexpected that projects will be finalized promptly and completed within a reasonable time frame.
• Alignment with department, institute, faculty and/or University of Calgary strategic research strengths and strategic priorities.

Those interested in the Innovation Fund opportunity and planning to submit an internal Notice of Intent should notify Research Services by emailing ipd@ucalgary.ca.

iNOI information session: UCalgary will offer an internal information session for prospective applicants and other interested parties January 7, 2026, 1:30 – 3:00 pm; see details in the Additional Information section below.

Timeline

1. Internal CFI IF information session (see Additional Information section below for details on how to register)

• Q&A and discussion to follow 

         Date:     January 7, 2026 1:30 – 3:00 pm

2. iNOI preparation

• PI/team prepare internal Notice of Intent (iNOI) – see attached templates.
  • Consult with Facilities and other support services to assist in identifying needs and costs; see “tips” document attached
• PI/team submit draft iNOI to Associate Dean (Research)

            Deadline:            To be determined by Faculty; contact your ADR(s)

3. iNOI submission

• ADR office submits iNOI to Research Services at IPD@ucalgary.ca. No RMS entry is required. 

             Deadline:            By March 16, 2026

4. iNOI review and selection

• Internal review and decision by the Vice-President (Research) regarding which projects will move forward in the competition

              Dates:   March – April 2026 (TBC)

5. Application development – for projects approved to move forward and allocated envelope

• Teams (with support from faculties, Research Services, and partners) develop NOI and full application for submission to the CFI 

               Timeline:             May 2026 - February 2027

• Application for matching provincial funding – details and timeline TBD

6. Funding decision

• CFI Board decision 

                Timeline:             Expected November 2027

Faculty ADRs are asked to submit the following iNOI materials for all approved projects to ipd@ucalgary.ca by March 16, 2026:

☐ Faculty letter of support from lead (administering) applicant faculty

☐ Additional faculty letters of support, if applicable

☐ Initial consultation with and assessment by Facilities

• Contact Leanne Junnila: email lejunnil@ucalgary.ca; phone (403) 220-8256

☐ iNOI template Section 1, with all fields complete (select the correct form – UCalgary-led or other institution-led)

☐ iNOI Section 2 - as an attachment (adhering to page limits for each section, with headers/headings)

☐ Budget template as an Excel document

Specific application process information for the subsequent phases for the 2027 Innovation Fund competition will be distributed to those teams selected to move forward in the competition.

Overhead

not applicable

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: : No Research Management System (RMS) record is required for internal Notices of Intent.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: N/A

Late submissions: Late submissions will not be accepted.

Research Services will host an information session regarding the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) 2027 Innovation Fund on Wednesday, January 7 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm; there will be time for Q&A and group discussion following a brief overview of the Innovation Fund. Email ipd@ucalgary.ca by 8:00 am on January 7 to register and receive a link to the Zoom session by email. All teams intending to submit an iNOI should plan on attending or sending representatives to attend the session. The session will be recorded and made available on the Research Services Office Outreach Sessions page for those who are unable to join in person.

RESOURCES

iNOI templates: choose the correct iNOI template (use only one)

• Where a UCalgary researcher will be the lead applicant, use UCalgary-led iNOI IF template
• Where an application will be led by a researcher at a different university, but UCalgary researcher(s) will participate AND UCalgary will be asked to contribute CFI "envelope," use other-led iNOI IF template

iNOI Budget Template

iNOI tips and checklist

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.

For assistance in identifying international partners and more, contact International Research & Innovation at UCIresearch@ucalgary.ca.