Canada First Research Excellence Fund—2022 Competition: Application Instructions

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The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) is a tri-agency initiative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). It is administered by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), which is housed within SSHRC.

These instructions are to be used in conjunction with the information in the 2022 CFREF funding opportunity.

Institutions are expected to follow all presentation instructions specified below to allow reviewers to provide a fair and balanced assessment of the application. The program will undertake an administrative review of all materials in order to verify that submissions meet the program's eligibility requirements and application guidelines. Submissions that do not meet requirements will be withdrawn from the competition.

Applicants may choose one of the official languages (English or French) in which to submit documents and information. Any accompanying documents should also be submitted in the same language to assist with the peer review process. An additional 20% of space has been allocated to page limits for documents submitted in French.

The deadline to submit the application is 9:00 p.m. (eastern) on August 31, 2022. No deadline extensions will be permitted.

All applicants will be contacted when the results are available.

Questions concerning the application process can be sent to cfref-apogee@chairs-chaires.gc.ca.

If you are experiencing technical problems (e.g., difficulty viewing or downloading electronic forms), contact: websupport@chairs-chaires.gc.ca.

On this page

• Using the Convergence Portal to prepare and submit an application
• Application adjudication
• Required information
• Contact information

Using the Convergence Portal to prepare and submit an application

You must complete the application using the Convergence Portal. The portal is supported only on the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. The portal may appear to function in other browsers, but technical problems can occur, such as information being improperly captured in the system without the user being aware. Use of an unsupported browser is strongly discouraged: TIPS will not be responsible for any technical issues caused by this.

Follow the instructions provided in the Convergence Portal to complete and submit your application. When you are ready to submit, review your application to ensure that it is complete. From the “Finalize Application” section in the Convergence Portal, follow the prompts to submit the application. After you accept the terms and conditions, the status of your submission will change to “Received by Agency”. No changes can be made at that point.

Roles and invitations

All relevant information from the letter of intent (LOI) will be prepopulated into the full application. Additional delegates/partner institutions may be added at this stage and information updated for existing roles, if needed.

Different people may take part in preparing the application in Convergence. The Senior Official (SO) is the designated institutional representative who has the authority to sign off on the application submission (for example, the provost or the vice-president, Research, depending on the institution). Only one SO can be named. The SO has both read and write privileges in the Convergence Portal.

The Delegate(s) are the designated employees at the institution who have a role in the CFREF application process. You can name as many delegates as you need. Delegates have both read and write privileges in the Convergence Portal.

TIPS will communicate with institutions to identify the SO and delegates for this program. Once identified, the proposed SO and delegates will receive an email with instructions to access the portal.

As well, the SO will name the CFREF grant’s partner institutions in a specific module in Convergence (see below for a description of this module and the definition of partner institutions). These partner institutions, once invited, will receive an email from the Convergence Portal granting them read-only access to the Convergence Portal. The SO can identify partner institution representatives as delegates if they want them to have read/write access to the Convergence Portal. Note that partner institutions do not need read/write privileges in Convergence to participate in the production of supporting documents.

Application adjudication

Applications will be adjudicated by a multidisciplinary review panel and by the selection board against the following criteria:

• Criterion 1. Scientific merit and demonstrated capacity to lead on an international scale
• Criterion 2. Strategic relevance to Canada
• Criterion 3. Quality of implementation plans

External expert reviews will be sought as part of the review process for applications. External expert reviewers will only assess Criteria 1 and 2. The multidisciplinary review panel will confirm the assessments of the external reviewers on Criteria 1 and 2, and assess Criterion 3.

All applications will be held to the same standards of world-leading research excellence.

Applications must meet a minimum rating of “Fully Satisfies” for all three criteria. An application with a scientific strategy that differs significantly from the contents of the LOI (with respect to the area of research and its alignment with the science, technology and innovation (ST&I) priority research areas ) will not be accepted. The multidisciplinary review panel will re-confirm the application still aligns with the science, technology and innovation (ST&I) priority research areas at the application adjudication stage. Applications will be withdrawn if they do not align.

Each application will be considered a holistic package and will be adjudicated accordingly. Applications must demonstrate that the institution has the capacity for global leadership, is capable of being among the top 1-5% of centres of academic excellence globally, and can sustain world leadership in the proposed area(s). The program’s objective is not to develop capacity where there is emerging potential. The proposed initiatives must have integrated the inclusion of partners and strong knowledge mobilization throughout the application. By doing so, institutions will further demonstrate the sustainability of their initiatives.

Refer to the feedback you received on your LOI to prepare your application. The multidisciplinary review panel will also have access to this feedback in their evaluation material. To better understand the evaluation criteria and how the application will be assessed, consult the funding opportunity description, Guidelines to Reviewers at the LOI and application stages, and the Definition of Ratings at the LOI and application stage.

Required information

The following information is required to complete an application.

All relevant information from the letter of intent (LOI) will be prepopulated into the full application and can be updated if needed.

1. Application details
2. Invite partner institutions
3. Partner institutions
4. Partners
5. Collaborators
6. Core personnel
7. Socioeconomic objectives
8. Science, technology and innovation research priority areas
9. Fields of research
10. Alignment with federal research funding agencies
11. Keywords
12. Summary of the implementation plans
13. Summary of the scientific strategy
14. Proposed budget
15. Additional suggested reviewers and reviewer exclusions

Supporting documents

The following supporting documents must be uploaded to Convergence as PDF files.

1. Changes from the LOI (2 pages in English, 2.4 pages in French)
2. Implementation plans – Part A (15 pages in English, 18 pages in French)
3. Performance management plan – Part A
4. Scientific strategy – Part B (30 pages in English, 36 pages in French)
5. References (no page limit)
6. Budget table
7. Budget justification (20 pages in English, 24 pages in French)
8. Letters of support from partner institutions (2 pages per letter in English, 2.4 pages in French)
9. Letters of support from partners (2 pages per letter in English, 2.4 pages in French)
10. Letters of support from collaborators (2 pages per letter in English, 2.4 pages in French)
11. Core personnel biosketches (20 pages total in English, 24 pages total in French)

1. Application details

Application title: Provide a short and descriptive title that can be used for publication purposes. You can use common abbreviations (e.g., DNA), but avoid uncommon or discipline-specific abbreviations, company and trade names.

Language of the application: Indicate which official language will be used for the application.

2. Invite partner institutions

Partner institutions refer only to the limited number of eligible Canadian institutions* that have a strategic, significant and meaningful role to play in the implementation of the CFREF initiative. Their involvement as a partner institution must strengthen the proposal and contribute to the overall leadership. Partner institutions are expected to make significant investments to the CFREF initiative

In this module, list the CFREF’s partner institutions and indicate the type and amounts of contributions (cash and/or in-kind). Those invited will receive an email with the sign-up steps, including being required to sign off on the Terms and Conditions for the application process (just as the lead institution does). The status of your invitations will display in the module. The names of those invited that have successfully signed-up will be displayed in the Partner institutions module (see below). They will have read-only access to the application in Convergence.

3. Partner institutions

The names of partner institutions invited in the preceding module will appear in the “Partner Institutions” module. This information is required by TIPS to ensure potential reviewers are not in a conflict of interest with either the lead institution or any participating partner institutions.

4. Partners

A partner refers to any kind of institution or organization, based in Canada or internationally, that will make cash and/or in-kind contributions to support the CFREF initiative. Partners include:

• Academic institutions, including universities, colleges, polytechnics and institutes
• Other research organizations (including research hospitals)
• Private sector organizations
• Public sector organizations
• Philanthropic/not-for-profit organizations

In this module, list the CFREF’s partners. For each partner, you must indicate in which country the partner is located, what type of institution it is, and the type and amounts of contributions (cash and/or in-kind). A partner is one that has committed to making a cash and/or in-kind contribution to the initiative, which does not imply that either a formal agreement or memorandum of understanding need to be in place by the time of submission of the LOI or full application.

5. Collaborators

A collaborator refers to an individual (from academia or from other sectors) who plays an active role in the research and research-related activities of the CFREF initiative, but is not involved in leading research related to the CFREF initiative as a PI, or in its administration and management (i.e. not from the lead or partner institutions). A federal government employee who is formally affiliated with a Canadian academic institution as an adjunct professor is eligible to be a collaborator. In cases where students registered at the academic institution and formally supervised by the adjunct professor will be participating in the research project, the adjunct professor is eligible to receive CFREF funds. In such cases, the use of funds is limited to salaries or stipends and student travel costs.

In this module, list the CFREF’s collaborators. For each collaborator, you must indicate in which country they are located, the name of their institution, and the type of institution. If applicable, indicate the type and amounts of contributions (cash and/or in-kind).

6. Core personnel

Core personnel refers to individuals who hold key administrative and scientific leadership roles in the success of either the implementation plans (e.g., university administrator, head of centre or institute) or the scientific strategy (e.g., scientific director, lead researcher of any of the key research directions or areas that are the focus of the proposal). Core personnel may come from the lead institution and/or partner institutions. Should an individual who is not from either the lead or partner institutions be included due to a unique and necessary skillset or other factors that can’t be found within the partnering institutions, a clear rationale should be provided. This individual’s institution should be made aware of the proposed commitment of their researcher.

Input the names of up to 10 core personnel members (these are called “collaborators” in the module). The final list of key individuals may vary slightly from that provided with the LOI submission; however, the maximum remains 10. Biosketches must be added as supporting documents (see supporting document k. below). These may be the same biosketches submitted at the LOI stage, updated versions of those biosketches, or new biosketches. Biosketches that have not changed since the LOI stage must still be resubmitted at the application stage.

Institutions are expected to consider EDI best practices when planning the core personnel’s composition. When selecting personnel, they are expected to consider a diverse pool and not disadvantage people from underrepresented groups, including members of the four designated groups as defined by the Employment Equity Act (women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized minorities).

Institutions must not include any personal information about members of the core personnel in the EDI section; the focus is on the core personnel’s commitment to EDI, not its EDI profile.

Please refer to the New Frontiers in Research Fund’s Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research when considering the research team and its environment.

7. Socioeconomic objectives

The Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) was jointly developed by the federal research granting agencies, along with the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Statistics Canada. The Convergence Portal contains Socioeconomic Objective (SEO) - CRDC 2020 Version 1.0. If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback, please email R&D-Classification@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca.

You must provide at least one (1) primary socioeconomic objective. You may add up to three (3) socioeconomic objectives.

8. Science, technology and innovation research priority areas

Only initiatives that are aligned with the Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation (ST&I) priority research areas for the CFREF and CERC programs may be funded. This competition will use a challenge-driven approach to priority areas. This approach reinforces the expectations of CFREF initiatives grants: to use an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach inclusive of all research disciplines, including the social sciences and humanities; to establish significant and meaningful partnerships and collaborations with Canadian and international entities (academic, public, private, not-for-profit, philanthropic); and to promote knowledge translation, mobilization and commercialization.

Each proposal must focus on one area of institutional research excellence and align with one or more of the Government of Canada’s ST&I priority challenge areas. Areas of focus have been identified under each challenge area. You must select at least one (1) challenge. There is no limit to the number of challenges or areas of focus you can select.

Select the challenge(s) and all relevant areas of focus in the module.

9. Fields of research

Select the fields of research from the Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) codes that relate to the proposed research. You must provide at least two (2) primary fields of research from different groups (disciplines). You may add up to three (3) secondary fields of research directly related to the project (for a maximum total of five (5) fields of research).

10. Alignment with federal research funding agencies

The proposed initiative must align with one or more of the three federal funding agencies’ mandates but does not have to align with the mandates of all three agencies. Provide an estimate for assigning the percentage of total funding requested (for both Parts A and B) across the three federal research funding agencies, based on applicability of the agency mandates and the research areas proposed. Refer to information on agency mandates to help with this estimate. The percentages assigned to each federal funding agency should reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed initiative.

11. Keywords

List between five (5) and 10 keywords to describe the proposed research program.

12. Summary of the implementation plans

Provide a summary (maximum 2,500 characters) describing the institution’s overall plan, relative to the CFREF initiative, to achieve global excellence and leadership in research in areas of strategic relevance for Canada. This summary may be used for publicity and program communications purposes.

13. Summary of the scientific strategy

Provide a summary (maximum 2,500 characters describing the scientific strategy that will enable the institution to excel globally in this research area and create long-term economic advantages for Canada. Outline the main elements of the proposed research initiative, including the knowledge mobilization strategy and the nature of high-level activities to be funded. This summary will be used in the adjudication process, for the recruitment of reviewers for the application stage, and for publicity and program communications purposes.

14. Proposed budget

CFREF grants are awarded for a period of seven years, with funds disbursed over the duration of the grant based on a payment schedule established by the program.

In the module, input the information requested regarding the initiative’s total direct and indirect costs for both the implementation plans and the scientific strategy, broken down by source of funds:

• CFREF grant (cash only)
• Contributions from the lead institutions (cash and/or in-kind)
• Contributions from the partner institution(s) (cash and/or in-kind)
• Contributions from partners (cash and/or in-kind)

See the information in supporting document f. for more guidance on preparing the budget.

15. Additional suggested reviewers and reviewer exclusions

In the LOI, the institution suggested up to 20 potential reviewers to review the proposal at the full application stage. In this module, the applicant may propose up to five (5) additional reviewers. Applicants are encouraged to suggest a diverse list of potential reviewers with appropriate expertise to review and comment on the proposal. Suggested names should be: Canadian and international, and from academic and research institutions, not-for-profit and philanthropic organizations, private sector enterprises and the public sector; and should include individuals from the four designated groups (women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and members of visible minorities). These individuals should have the required expertise to review and comment on the proposal, and should not be in a conflict of interest with any member of the team as defined by the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of the Federal Research Funding Organizations.

You must include reviewers who:

• are not from your own institution or the partner institutions;
• are not in a conflict of interest with the core personnel from your own or partner institutions;
• can provide an independent assessment of your application; and
• are capable of reviewing your application in the language in which it is written.

In a separate module, you are asked to provide the names of individuals who you think cannot provide an objective review of your application and to add comments specifying the reason for their exclusion.

TIPS reserves the right to make the final selection of reviewers.

Supporting documents

The following supporting documents (a. through k.) must be uploaded to Convergence as PDF files. The program will undertake an internal review of all materials in order to verify that submissions meet the program's eligibility requirements and application guidelines. Applications that do not meet requirements may be withdrawn from the competition.

• Page limits for both official languages must be respected.
• Any acronyms and abbreviations must be explained.
• Pages must be 8 1/2” x 11" (216 mm x 279 mm).
• All text must be in black, using the 11-point Arial font; condensed fonts will not be accepted.
• Text must be single-spaced, with no more than six lines of type per inch.
• All page margins must be set at a minimum of 3/4” (1.87 cm).
• No personal identifying information should be included in the headers and/or footers (e.g., name, PIN, institution, etc.).
• Either single- or double-column presentation of text, graphs and illustrations is acceptable.

a. Changes from the LOI

In this module, indicate if the proposal has changed between the LOI stage and the present application. If it has, you will be asked to describe the changes. The document must be a maximum of 2 pages if written in English or 2.4 pages if written in French.

b. Implementation plans—Part A

Use the implementation plans template to complete the implementation plans. The completed plans must be a maximum of 15 pages if written in English or 18 pages if written in French, including tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and illustrations. The intended audience for the plans is the multidisciplinary panel.

In Part A, institutions must describe in detail how the grant will achieve the institution’s stated strategy and objectives, in line with the ambitious goals of the CFREF program. The description of implementation plans will be used in the adjudication process to assess the strategic and institutional aspects of the proposal. Part A will be used to assess elements of criterion 3 of the full application review.

Suggested headings

Heading 1: Vision and commitment

Include:

• a description of the institution’s vision and how it will promote collaboration and knowledge transfer with partners from all sectors (academia, public, private, industry and not-for-profit) to increase uptake of research results for the benefit of all Canadians;
• the process by which this vision was arrived at and adopted by the institution; and
• a statement indicating the institution’s willingness to hire and/or commit dedicated internal resources to achieve the CFREF initiative’s objectives (e.g. individuals with exceptional skills in: project management, research communication, partnership creation, knowledge mobilization, etc.), as well as indicating its willingness and commitment to support the initiative.

Heading 2: Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy

CFREF-funded initiatives are expected to demonstrate exceptional leadership in contributing to transforming their research discipline and Canada’s research ecosystem to help it become equitable, diverse and inclusive. Institutions are required to take active and rigorous measures to prevent the systemic barriers that may result in individuals from underrepresented groups receiving unequal access to, or being excluded from participating in, the opportunities provided by the initiative.

Describe the strategy that will be used in the first 12 months of the initiative to develop a comprehensive and innovative EDI action plan that will demonstrate exceptional leadership in EDI and contribute to transforming the research discipline. The strategy should minimally address:

• who will be accountable for developing the plan;
• how its development will be informed by experts in EDI, evidence (e.g., data) and best practices in equity;
• how partners can be leveraged;
• what specific steps will be taken during the 12-month timeframe to identify inequities or potential inequities faced by individuals from underrepresented groups: racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, women, persons with disabilities and individuals from LGBTQ2+ communities, in both the initiative and the research discipline to help inform the measures in the plan;
• how the potential barriers to accessing the career and training benefits derived from the opportunities associated with the initiative to individuals from underrepresented groups will be mitigated;
• how the development will include the participation/engagement of the individuals and communities it seeks to benefit and takes steps to mitigate potential unintended harm to these communities;
• how it will include an intersectional approach that considers intersections and interdependencies of the different lived experiences of and barriers faced by individuals;
• how it will recognize faculty members and highly qualified personnel who contribute their time, expertise and lived experience to help to develop the plan (i.e., mitigate the equity tax); and
• how it will ensure that the plan includes performance measures, indicators, targets and a monitoring and course-correction process.

All funded CFREF initiatives will be required to develop an initiative-specific EDI action plan within the 12 months following the grant start date. This EDI action plan will be assessed by TIPS either administratively or by expert reviewers.

Heading 3: Implementation plan

Recipients are required to manage all funds using a robust and transparent process. The principles of responsible stewardship, public accountability and EDI must be respected in all stages of the process.

Provide a plan that describes:

• the planned governance for the CFREF initiative (e.g. Strategic Board, Scientific Committee, External Advisory Board, Training Committee, Knowledge Mobilization Committee, etc.); how the institution will ensure that interdisciplinarity and intersectorality are reflected; how the institution will ensure an active participation of people from underrepresented groups and early career researchers, and more specifically, how partners will be actively involved in the governance of the initiative;
• how the institution will use the grant and why;
• a planned high-level budget for Part A (more at the strategic level than detailed descriptions that will be given in supporting documents e and f) ;
• how the institution will make decisions regarding the allocation of the grant, including how the principles of responsible stewardship of funds, public accountability and transparency, conflict of interest and the mitigation of bias will be implemented; and
• the respective roles to be played by senior management, governance committees, partners, etc.

Heading 4: Risk and mitigation plan

Provide a risk assessment and management plan outlining the major risks that could affect progress or the achievement of the stated objectives of the initiative, as well as mitigation measures that will be put in place.

Heading 5: Sustainability plan

Provide a detailed sustainability plan demonstrating how leveraged and supporting funds will ensure the momentum of the research program is maintained after the grant period has concluded.

c. Performance management plan—Part A

Use the performance management plan (PMP) template to complete the PMP.

The PMP should include baseline data for each indicator tied to an expected outcome or impact, as well as targets to be achieved at the various milestones of the strategy (at a minimum, targets should be identified for the midpoint and the end of the grant). For each indicator, the source of the data should be provided. Performance plans should also describe the processes used to monitor performance over the course of the grant and to make course corrections as necessary. Performance measurement plans are expected to include performance indicators and metrics in relation to factors such as (but not limited to):

• evidence of global research excellence;
• ability to attract and retain the best and brightest talent;
• ability to mobilize knowledge for the benefit of society and the economy;
• contributions to national strategic priorities; and
• any other aspect that is relevant to the institutional strategy.

d. Scientific strategy—Part B

Use the scientific strategy template to complete the scientific strategy proposal. The completed strategy must be a maximum of 30 pages if written in English or 36 pages if written in French, including tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and illustrations. References are to be input in a separate document (see supporting document e. below), for which there is no page limit. The intended audience for the scientific strategy is experts in the research areas.

The LOI provided information to assess the institution’s and, if applicable, partner institutions' existing scientific capacity in the proposed research area (part of criterion 1), and to assess the alignment of the proposed research area(s) of focus with the federal ST&I research priority areas for the CERC and CFREF programs (part of criterion 2). As the LOI will be made available to reviewers as background information and context, references can therefore be made to items presented in the LOI. Should applicants have pertinent updates since the LOI regarding the institution’s current position and its existing strengths and capacity, they may indicate these briefly in their Changes from the LOI supporting document (document a.).

The scientific strategy will be used in the adjudication process to assess elements related to criterion 1 and criterion 2 that were not assessed in the LOI.

Suggested headings and sub-headings

Heading 1: Overview of proposed scientific strategy, including knowledge mobilization

This section should briefly outline the proposed scientific strategy, including knowledge mobilization, and describe the high-level research initiative, which could include:

• a high-level research program that sets out ambitious and new milestones for the proposed research area, covering the duration of the grant; and
• a high-level description of how the institution will use funds allocated to this area of research strength for Part B (more at the strategic level than detailed descriptions that will be given in supporting documents f and g).

Criterion 1. Scientific merit and demonstrated capacity to lead on an international scale

Heading 2: Originality and positioning of the proposed research

Applicants invited to submit an application are encouraged to engage with applicants in similar areas to explore opportunities for strategic partnerships and collaborations that will support the CFREF initiative. This element will be taken into consideration in the adjudication of the applications.

Provide information and insights on originality and positioning of the proposed research vis-à-vis existing national and international capacity, including:

• originality of the research directions and the combined disciplines and expertise;
• how and why this research will set the institution apart;
• the institution’s global research leadership in the research area, as evidenced by, for example:
• listing those national and international institutions/centres that are comparable and/or key contenders as leaders on an international scale in the research area;
• indicating what comparative advantages and disadvantages your institution has and will have in this research area in relation to global competitors (provide evidence to support statements); and
• describing the institution’s and, if applicable, partner institutions’ strategy and approach to research collaborations and to recruitment as, for example, a means to complement the institution’s comparative advantages/disadvantages relative to global competitors.
• If institutions pursuing very similar research areas do not submit a single application, they must provide a justification explaining why a single application is not feasible.

Heading 3: Potential for the proposed research to provide breakthrough impact on a global scale

Provide insights and evidence of the expected contributions and impacts on the research area(s):

• outline the future directions in research and development that will be enabled by the initiative;
• describe the current state of the research area your institution and, if applicable, partner institutions are proposing, and how this initiative has the potential to lead to transformative or paradigm-shifting research activities and results;
• provide a description of the proposed research program’s expected impacts at a global level; and
• identify, as much as possible, the measurable research outcomes and breakthrough impacts expected during and after the seven years of the grant and link them to the knowledge mobilization strategy.

Heading 4: Potential for the institution to demonstrate global research leadership in the proposed area(s)

Describe how the institution plans to build on its current strengths and provide evidence of the potential for this to enhance/consolidate its leadership position in the research area(s).

Provide a high-level description of how the institution will use funds to enhance its position in this priority research area of focus to ensure prominent leadership. This information shouldn’t duplicate content from the Budget Justification. Provide the following:

• describe how future plans for commitment of internal resources will enable the institution to achieve its objectives and those of the CFREF program, explaining to what extent these plans are incremental relative to the current state described above regarding existing strengths;
• outline talent-management and succession plans over time for any key leadership in the area(s) of research;
• indicate the space, infrastructure, research facilities and other support the institution will secure/provide; and
• outline the expectations for the initiative in training students and researchers, considering competencies and demand for highly qualified personnel in the research area(s) and related sectors.

Indicate how the institution will seek to position itself in an enhanced leadership position in the research area(s) over five to seven years, including:

• the role of the initiative within the institution, group and/or centre in relation to existing faculty within the institution;
• how the current and any new faculty recruited in this research area are critical to the development of Canadian research in this area, in the context of international knowledge and activities; and
• the role of this scientific strategy nationally and internationally.

Heading 5: Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the research design

Provide:

• a description of how the institution will consider and implement EDI (i.e., GBA+/SGBA+) within (as relevant) the research questions, design, methodology, data collection, analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of results; and
• a description of how the inclusion of Indigenous research that is co-created and co-led by and with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples—as lead investigators, students, trainees, partners and collaborators—and recognition of Indigenous ways of knowing will be part of the initiative, and how the research will extend knowledge in the field that is significant for Indigenous Peoples and communities.

Criterion 2. Strategic relevance to Canada

Heading 6: Potential for the proposed research to create long-term economic advantages

Describe the potential benefits to Canada of the strategy proposed. Be as concrete and specific as possible:

• Indicate how the initiative will improve Canada’s research capacity. Describe the extent to which a critical mass would be built in the area, the competitive advantage that would be developed, how Canada’s reputation as a magnet for talent and centre of research excellence would be strengthened.
• Explain how the proposed scientific strategy will, as appropriate:
  • improve Canada’s social, cultural and economic prosperity and resilience;
  • improve the health and quality of life of Canadians; and
  • result in economic advantages (e.g., knowledge transfer to industry; a culture of innovation being developed in business; wealth generation from commercialization; etc.).
• Describe how the strategy will improve Canada’s position and influence in the world.
• Indicate any other economic advantages to Canada.
• Discuss the longer-term potential deriving from this strategy, such as: plans to sustain the momentum created by the grant and to capitalize on the advantages provided by the seven-year funding; and plans to extend the reach of the institutional activities in the research area(s), during and after the grant’s tenure. Be as concrete as possible in describing your plans, including any targets for growth and long-term funding prospects. Where possible, provide firm financial commitments (salaries, infrastructure, etc.).

Heading 7: Ability of the proposed initiative to leverage additional resources and promote knowledge mobilization through partnerships

Provide evidence of the potential to leverage contributions from the private sector, international research institutions, public sector, academic and/or philanthropic organizations, both in Canada and abroad. Outline the institutional plan for leveraging additional resources during and after the tenure of the grant. Include the following information:

• Describe how the initiative will work with partners identified in sections 3 and 4, and strategically allocate leveraged funding; and
• demonstrate that the initiative will have the appropriate resources to enable world-leading research capacity.

Support your plan with the following information:

• Indicate past success (targets set and percentage met) in leveraging funds for the institution as a whole, and in the research area(s) in particular), including:
  • externally sponsored research (provide data on sponsored research revenue for the past five years);
  • funding acquired over the past five years from external partners for the capital costs of relevant CFI projects; and
  • endowed chairs and centres at your institution.
• Indicate prospective leveraging in the research area, including:
  • key partners who have expressed an interest in collaborating;
  • federal (e.g., tri-agency and CFI) and non-federal funding sources and programs that will be accessed for operating funds to build and strengthen the initiative (any funding from NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR [including tri-agency programs] and the CFI can be discussed here, but must not be included in the Proposed Use of Funds table in this Form as contributions from other sources);
  • other funding sources; and
  • overall expectations regarding leveraged funding for this scientific strategy.

Be as concrete as possible in your projections, indicating targets that the institution has set.

Heading 8: Potential for the research results to foster innovation

Provide information on the knowledge mobilization strategy—including plans for innovation and commercialization, expected contributions to public policy, etc.—to create or build on commercial endeavours, advance public policy or otherwise mobilize research discoveries. Outline how benefits will be realized and provide information on the institution’s track record. Provide the following information:

• Describe the plans to engage with knowledge users at all stages of the research, from formulation of research questions to design of research projects to transfer of results.
• Describe the plans that will create enriched opportunities for research trainees (undergraduates, graduates, postdoctoral fellows) and faculty to develop relevant research skills, as well as professional skills such as leadership, communication, collaboration and entrepreneurship.
• Describe the plan to hire and/or leverage existing dedicated staff specialized in knowledge translation for the initiative.
• Describe how different disciplinary and sectoral perspectives, methodologies and techniques will be integrated, and demonstrate that the team has the required expertise to execute the interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach. 
• Demonstrate how the interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach provides added value in addressing the research challenge, with a focus on knowledge mobilization, translation and commercialization.
• Identify the key audiences (firms, not-for-profits and governments) for the innovations and insights resulting from the research, and describe existing institutional partnerships and linkages with these audiences.
• Identify current challenges and barriers to, as well as opportunities for, enhancing the impact and use of research findings in the area(s). Please comment on factors specific to the area(s), and specific to this institution and its major partners. Discuss the institution’s plans to mitigate these challenges, overcome these barriers and seize these opportunities.
• Explain how the institution―and, if applicable, partner institutions―will facilitate linkages with users of the research outputs and outcomes.
• Provide information on your institution’s track record in knowledge translation, knowledge mobilization and/or technology transfer in the research area(s). Describe the structures and policies that exist to facilitate knowledge translation, knowledge mobilization and/or technology transfer, including commercialization, to audiences. Outline the institution’s intellectual property policy, and its application in this area.
• Describe plans to promote and facilitate mobilization, translation and commercialization of the research to support economic growth and social innovation. 

e. References

Provide the references for your application using this template. There is no page limit for this supporting document. Note that reviewers, committee members and selection board members are not required to consult the references.

f. Budget table

Prepare the budget for the initiative using the template provided. Indicate how funds will be used among the two categories of eligible expenses (direct and indirect costs) for the implementation plans and for the scientific strategy.

Examples of implementation plans activities include (but are not limited to) support for: co-ordination of the scientific strategy (if applicable); governance of the initiative; the development and implementation of an EDI plan; partnerships and collaborations; interdisciplinarity and intersectorality of the initiative; communications; knowledge mobilization, translation and commercialization; and contributions to an international initiative that extends beyond the scope of the scientific strategy. It is not mandatory to request grant funding for the implementation plans.

Institutions awarded a CFREF grant are expected to invest their own resources and to leverage those of partners to support the initiative: only incremental commitments subject to the grant being awarded should be included. Existing and on-going commitments (e.g., existing faculty salary, existing lab space) should have been described in the LOI presentation of the institution’s current strengths and capacity. Do not include funds from SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, any tri-agency program or the CFI.

Refer to the Canada First Research Excellence Fund Administration Guide for details on eligible costs under each expense category.

The indirect costs of research are integrated into the CFREF program, which allows institutions to use up to 25% of the total grant to support eligible indirect costs of research. The amounts for indirect costs for Part A or Part B may exceed 25% of the total of the respective Part A and/or Part B as long as the threshold of 25% of the total grant amount is maintained.

g. Budget justification

A budget justification of a maximum of 20 pages if written in English or 24 pages if written in French must be prepared. A Budget justification template is provided. Graphs and tables are encouraged. In some exceptional cases (e.g., if many partners are involved), TIPS may accept longer budget justifications.

The budget justification should include:

• clarification of the timing of specific planned expenditures, e.g., if certain costs are expected to be defrayed at the beginning of the grant only;
• detailed descriptions of partners’ contributions (cash or in-kind), including the timing and duration of such contributions;
• clarification of whether internal resources to be committed are incremental to the current state; and
• if the lead institution plans to transfer a portion of the grant to partner institutions and/or other Canadian postsecondary institutions eligible to the CFREF program, a clear outline of the timelines for such transfers and the amounts to be transferred.

h. Letters of support from partner institutions

Each partner institution will submit letters of support (maximum 2 pages per letter in English; 2.4 pages per letter in French) to the institution who will compile them into a single PDF file. The SO or delegates then upload this PDF to Convergence.

A reminder that partner institutions refer only to the limited number of eligible Canadian institutions* that have a strategic, significant and meaningful role to play in implementing the CFREF initiative. Their involvement as a partner institution must strengthen the proposal and contribute to the overall leadership.

i. Letters of support from partners

Each partner will submit letters of support (maximum 2 pages per letter in English; 2.4 pages per letter in French) to the institutions, who will compile them into a single PDF file. The SO or delegates then upload this PDF to Convergence.

As stated above, a partner refers to any kind of institution or organization, based in Canada or internationally, that will make in-kind or cash contributions to support the CFREF initiative. Partners include:

• Academic institutions, including universities, colleges, polytechnics and institutes
• Other research organizations (including research hospitals)
• Private sector
• Public sector
• Philanthropic/not-for-profit

Letters of support from partners should provide an overview of:

• who the partner is;
• why they are interested in participating and what they expect to gain through the partnership; and
• what they are contributing to the partnership (cash and/or in-kind contributions).

j. Letters of support from collaborators

Collaborators may submit letters of support (maximum 2 pages per letter in English; 2.4 pages per letter in French) to the institutions, who will compile them into a single PDF file. The SO or delegates then upload this PDF to Convergence.

As stated above, a collaborator refers to an individual (from academia or from other sectors) who plays an active role in the research and research-related activities of the CFREF initiative, but is not involved in conducting research related to the CFREF initiative, or in its administration and management (i.e. not from the lead or partner institutions).

Letters of support from collaborators should provide an overview of:

• who the collaborator is;
• why they are interested in collaborating and what they expect to gain through the collaboration; and
• what they are contributing to the collaboration (cash and/or in-kind contributions), if applicable.

k. Core personnel biosketches

A biosketch of a maximum of 2 pages if written in English 2.4 pages if written in French must be uploaded for each of the up to 10 individuals listed in the Core personnel module mentioned above (maximum 10 individuals). These may be the same biosketches submitted at the LOI stage, updated versions of those biosketches, or new biosketches. The information will assist adjudicators to assess the existing faculty research strengths and its leadership in relation to the research objectives proposed. Biosketches that have not changed since the LOI stage must still be re-submitted at the application stage.

A biosketch template is provided. Include information, as relevant to the proposal, for each of the headings in the template.

• Name of core personnel member
• Anticipated role in proposal
• Keywords
• Education/training: Include only current and/or completed degree programs.
• Employment/affiliations: List current, primary position/appointment, place of employment (if at an academic institution, indicate if tenured or tenure-track, full-time or part-time), and other academic and professional work experience, including administrative appointments.
• Research funding: List sources of support currently held or applied for in the past four years. (This heading may not apply to administrators and can be removed.)
• Most significant contributions (up to five): List most significant contributions to research and/or practical applications. For each, briefly describe the significance in terms of influence on the target community and use by other researchers or end users. For collaborative contributions, briefly describe role. (For administrators, this heading can be modified to “Most significant achievements" for listing experience/accomplishments in leading large research initiatives.)

Each individual must submit the biosketch either to the SO or a delegate, who will compile all into a single PDF file. The SO then uploads this PDF to Convergence.

Contact information

If you have questions:

• about the application process, contact cfref-apogee@chairs-chaires.gc.ca
• about the Convergence Portal, contact websupport@convergence.gc.ca