Canada First Research Excellence Fund – 2022 Competition Letter of Intent Instructions

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On this page

• Using the Convergence Portal to prepare and submit a letter of intent to apply
• Letter of intent adjudication
• Required information
• Contact information

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Using the Convergence Portal to prepare and submit a letter of intent

You must complete the LOI 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.

Follow the instructions provided in the Convergence Portal to complete and submit your LOI. When you are ready to submit, review your LOI to ensure that it is complete. From the “Finalize Application” section in the Convergence Portal, follow the prompts to submit the LOI. 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

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 LOI 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 SO assigns the role of Delegate(s), who 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 senior official 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’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 then receive an email from the Convergence platform 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.

Letter of intent adjudication

Letters of intent (LOIs) will be adjudicated through peer review against selected sub-criteria within each criterion:

• Criterion 1. Scientific merit and demonstrated capacity to lead on an international scale (5 sub-criteria)
• Criterion 2. Strategic relevance to Canada (1 sub-criterion); and
• Criterion 3. Quality of implementation plan (2 sub-criteria).

Each LOI will be adjudicated by a multidisciplinary review panel. 

All proposals will be held to the same standards of world-leading research excellence. LOIs must meet a minimum rating of “Fully Satisfies” for criteria 1 and 3; and for criterion 2, rate as a “yes” on the alignment with the Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation (ST&I) priorities for the CFREF and Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) programs. The alignment with the ST&I priorities is mandatory; any LOI deemed not to align with the priorities will not be invited to submit a full proposal.

You may wish to consult the funding opportunity description, Instructions to Reviewers and the Definition of Ratings prior to drafting the LOI, to better understand the evaluation criteria and how the LOI will be assessed. As well, you may wish to consult the funding opportunity for information on Stage 2, the full application stage.

Required information

The following information is required to complete an LOI:

1. Application details
2. Invite partner institutions
3. Partner institutions
4. Partners
5. Core personnel
6. Fields of research
7. Keywords
8. Summary of the implementation plan
9. Summary of the scientific strategy
10. Proposed budget
11. Suggested reviewers and reviewer exclusions

Supporting documents

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

1. Research program proposal (12 pages in English, 14.4 pages in French)
2. Research program proposal references (no page limit)
3. Budget table
4. Equity, diversity and inclusion plan (3 pages in English, 3.6 pages in French)
5. Letters of support from partner institutions (2 pages per letter in English, 2.4 pages per letter in French)
6. Core personnel biosketches (20 pages total in English, 24 pages total in French)
7. Previously funded CFREF initiatives, if applicable (2 pages in English, 2.4 pages in French)
8. Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation research priority areas

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, and company and trade names.

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

*Canadian academic institutions include universities, colleges and polytechnics. Research hospitals can be included as partners in section 4 below.

In this module, list the CFREF’s partner institutions. 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 LOI in Convergence. 

3. Partner institutions

The names of the 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 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

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 whether the partner is “secured” or “potential”.  A secured partner is one that has committed to making a cash 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. A potential partner is one that is expected to commit to making a cash or in-kind contribution to the initiative in future. 

5. Core personnel

Core personnel refers to individuals who hold key administrative and scientific leadership roles in the success of either the implementation plan (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.

Input the names of up to 10 core personnel members in the module (these are called “collaborators” in the module). For each individual, a biosketch will need to be prepared and submitted as a supporting document (see Section F below). 

6. 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 primary fields of research from different groups (disciplines). You may add up to a maximum of three secondary fields of research directly related to the project (for a maximum total of five fields of research).

7. Keywords

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

8. Summary of the implementation plan

Provide a summary (maximum 2,500 characters ) describing the institution’s overall plan, relative to the CFREF, 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.

9. 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 and the nature of high-level activities to be funded. This summary will be used in the LOI adjudication process, for the recruitment of reviewers for the application stage, and for publicity and program communications purposes.

10. 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, broken down by source of funds:

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

See the information in Supporting Document C for more guidance on preparing the budget. 

11. Suggested reviewers and reviewer exclusions

Provide a list of up to 20 suggested reviewers who may be contacted to review the proposal at the full application stage. Teams 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 racialized 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. At least 10 must be from outside Canada. At least five must be from the private sector.

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 g.) must be uploaded to Convergence as PDF files. The program will undertake an internal review of all materials at the letter of intent and full application stages in order to verify that applications meet the program's eligibility requirements and application guidelines. Applications that do not meet requirements will 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 personally 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. Research program proposal

Use the research proposal template to complete the research program proposal. The completed proposal must be a maximum of 12 pages if written in English or 14.4 pages if written in French, including tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and illustrations. References are to be input in a separate document (see B below), for which there is no page limit. Ensure you use language than can be understood by a multidisciplinary review panel.

Proposal Headings and Sub-Headings

Heading 1: Overview of Proposed Scientific Strategy

This section should briefly outline the proposed scientific strategy and describe the high-level research initiative. The overview should provide the context and basis for where the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions are assessed, based on their current position and existing strengths/capacity. The proposed scientific strategy will not be adjudicated at the LOI stage, but will help adjudicators to assess whether the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions have the strengths/capacity to successfully implement the proposed scientific strategy.

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

Heading 2: Current Position and Existing Strengths/Capacity

This section must describe the institution’s and, if applicable, partner institution’s existing strengths/capacity, international position and reputation in the priority area. Address the following elements:

Sub-Headings:

1. 2.1 Level of excellence of the existing research. Demonstrate that the existing research underpinning the proposed initiative is world-leading, as evidenced by the institution’s and, if applicable, partner institutions’ degree of commitment to foster and enhance the proposed area over time and how this scientific strategy fits within confirmed strategic priorities of the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions. For example:
   • institutional investments in the research area over the past seven years, such as the trend in the number of current faculty positions, Canada Excellence Research Chairs, Canada Research Chairs, prestigious industrial and endowed chairs and other similar positions devoted to this research area. Provide a table of relevant trends in number of faculty and Chair positions in this research area and the appropriate comparison data for other research areas of comparable size at the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions as well as averages for the institutions as a whole. Provide concrete data and comparison data to demonstrate the extent to which excellence in this area has been developed as a clear priority; and
   • internal research support from the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions (in particular, competitively allocated and externally reviewed).

   Explain how your institution’s and, if applicable, partner institution’s demonstrated priority and commitment to this area compares with that of competing research centres globally (postsecondary or other) and with the support that these competitors have access to (i.e., government priority funding; private sector commitments to a specific geography, etc.).

   Describe how your institution’s and, if applicable, partner institution’s level of research excellence in this area compares to others on a global scale, particularly the best in the field, and your institution’s unique advantages and complementary strengths.

2. 2.2 Quality of the institution’s and, if applicable, partner institutions’ interdisciplinary research in the proposed areas
   • key researchers involved in the research area(s): identify their sub-areas of focus, their most important research contributions and any highly prestigious international prizes/awards;
   • Describe the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed approach. Explain who at the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions will bring the different disciplinary perspectives to the project and how they will be integrated;
   • significant research issues in this area where researchers at the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions have provided insights, contributions and advances in the last five years, situating your comments in a global context;
   • current involvement in major national and international partnerships and collaborations in this research area, including role of key researchers and institutions; and
   • evidence of international leadership in the area, using indicators such as, for example, comparative citation data on institutional publications in the research area where bibliometrics are appropriate (not all research areas) and research contributions (please see section on DORA below) and/or patents (in particular those that are being used), creation of novel products and processes, spin-off companies, mobilization of research results by policy-makers, etc.

   This section should describe the interdisciplinary research strength of the faculty as a whole, and not just the strength of individual key researchers. List the relevant contributors, their areas of expertise (in brackets next to name or in one line), and speak to the complementarity and how the mix lends itself to tackling the broad research questions of the program of research as well as achieving impactful results that will be of benefit to Canada. Provide aggregate (e.g., department-wide) and multi-individual bibliometric data (such as Science Watch ranking of an institution in a given field).

   The tri-agencies have signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). This reaffirms their commitment to excellence in research evaluation and the importance of knowledge mobilization. DORA is a global initiative to support the development and promotion of best practices in the assessment of scholarly research. When providing evidence of international leadership in the proposed area of research, please consider a variety of research contributions, both traditional academic publications and other kinds of services and relevant experience. Research contributions can include, but are not limited to:

   • refereed contributions, such as:
     • books, monographs, book chapters, articles in scholarly refereed journals, conference proceedings, etc.; or
     • papers presented at scholarly meetings or conferences, articles in professional or trade journals, etc.;
   • non-refereed contributions, such as book reviews, published reviews, research reports, policy papers, public lectures, etc.;
   • forthcoming (submitted, revised and submitted, accepted, or in-press) contributions;
   • creative outputs (to be evaluated according to established disciplinary standards, as well as creative and/or artistic merit), such as exhibitions, performances, publications, presentations, and film, video and audio recordings; and
   • other contributions to research and advancing knowledge to non-academic audiences (e.g., general public, policy-makers, private sector, not-for-profit organizations, etc.).

   Note: Information in this section should be complementary to the biosketches provided. It should not duplicate information.

3. 2.3 Quality of the institution’s relevant research facilities. Indicate the quality of the institution’s and, if applicable, partner institutions’ relevant research facilities, as evidenced by, for example:
   • institutional investment in the research facilities related to this area over the past five years (e.g., investments in space, infrastructure, labs, libraries, databases, data repositories, etc.; overhead; special administrative support);
   • recruitment of researchers and trainees that is based primarily on access to these facilities;
   • quality and suitability of current relevant research facilities (unique, leading-edge);
   • use by researchers from other national and international research groups; and
   • competitive / peer-reviewed allocation of access to these facilities.
4. 2.4 Quality of the opportunities and environments for research training. Indicate the quality of the opportunities and environments for research training as evidenced by the following, for example:
   • institutional investments in training in the research area over the past five years, such as new graduate and undergraduate programs and courses, and innovative initiatives for enriched training environments (e.g., multidisciplinary, technician training, etc.), such as mobility and hosting of trainees to experience other research groups (public and private) and facilities (national, international and remote access where applicable). To be cited, these initiatives should extend beyond cultural exchanges, study abroad or standard co-op placements. They should involve high value-added training that set trainees apart in their area, such as: joint degrees, integrated modules of curriculum with partners, summer/winter graduate schools, unique facilities and know-how, joint supervision with world-leading groups, etc.;
   • data on research trainees enrolled and graduated per year for five years (split by masters, PhD, postdoctoral) in the research area, including information on highly prestigious student scholarships and awards offered by the institution and, if applicable, partner institutions, or held by trainees recruited to the institution(s); and
   • data on placement of graduates (including employment) and recruitment of trainees both to and from other world-leading research centres and groups (public and private).
5. 2.5 Quality of the partnerships among Canadian institutions

   Although the CFREF program does not require institutions applying in a similar field of research to submit a single proposal, strategic partnership and collaboration are strongly encouraged at every stage of the application.

   • Describe the significant and meaningful role that will be played by the partner institutions in the governance, implementation, strategy and overall vision of the initiative.
   • Describe how partnerships with other eligible institutions in shared areas of excellence will promote collaboration and networking in the Government of Canada’s ST&I priority areas for the CFREF and CERC program.
   • Applications that do not propose any partnerships will need to provide a justification in this section.

Criterion 2. Strategic relevance to Canada

Heading 3: Alignment of the proposed initiative with the Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation priority research areas

• Describe how the proposed initiative will contribute to advancing the Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation priority areas and/or areas of focus.
• Describe the extent to which there is alignment with provincial and territorial priorities.
• Explain what other Canadian groups and organizations (all sectors) are active in this research area, the focus of those activities, and how your institutional initiative will relate to those activities.

Only initiatives aligned with the Government of Canada’s ST&I research priority areas for the CFREF and CERC programs will be invited to submit a full proposal.

b. Research program proposal references

Provide the references for your research proposal using the references template. There is no page limit for this supporting document. 

c. Budget table

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

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

Institutions awarded a CFREF grant are expected to invest their own resources and to leverage those of partners to support the initiative. In terms of such contributions, only incremental commitments subject to the grant being awarded should be included. Existing and ongoing commitments (e.g., existing faculty salary, existing lab space) should be described in the presentation of the institution’s current strengths and capacity. Do not include funds from SSHRC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, any tri-agency program or the Canada Foundation for Innovation (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 and/or Part B as long as the threshold of 25% of the total grant amount is maintained.

d. Equity, diversity and inclusion plan

Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are embedded as foundational principles in the CFREF’s  objectives, expected outcomes and application and reporting requirements. For the program to achieve its objectives and outcomes based on research excellence, the participation and contributions of students, trainees, personnel and researchers from underrepresented groups is required. Underrepresented groups include, but are not limited to, racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women and individuals from LGBTQ2S+ communities.

Institutions must have an EDI action plan, specific to their proposed CFREF initiative, that supports institutional and program expectations. This includes planning for the active participation of early-career researchers (ECRs) throughout the CFREF initiative. Supporting ECRs is a tri-agency priority, as it enhances Canada’s position as a world leader in building talent and strengthening the research ecosystem. It is expected that CFREF initiatives will implement measures to specifically support ECRs.  EDI plans should also include the development of innovative training plans for the highly qualified personnel necessary to support the diversification of skills among research teams.

Criterion 3. Quality of implementation plan

Using the EDI plan template, prepare an outline (maximum 3 pages in English; 3.6 pages in French) of the approach to develop an EDI plan for the initiative. This outline must include: 

• an overview of systemic barriers to equitable access for individuals from underrepresented groups in the proposed research areas that persist, and examples of bold and innovative strategies to address them within the initiative; and
• a strategy for establishing and maintaining a diverse research team, including ECRs, and providing an inclusive and safe environment.

e. 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 SO, who will compile them into a single PDF file. The SO then uploads this PDF to Convergence. 

f. Core personnel biosketches

Each of the up to 10 individuals listed in the “Core personnel” module mentioned above must complete a biosketch (maximum 2 pages in English; 2.4 pages in French). The information will assist adjudicators with assessing the existing faculty research strengths and its leadership in relation to the research objectives proposed.

Use the biosketch template to provide information, as relevant to the proposal, for each of the headings in the template. 

• Name of core personnel member.
• Anticipated role in proposal.
• 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 may 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 may be changed to ‘Most Significant Achievements’ and used 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 them into a single PDF file. The SO then uploads this PDF to Convergence. 

g. Previously funded CFREF initiatives, if applicable

This section is mandatory for past/current CFREF grant holders as the lead institution. 

Use the template for listing previously funded CFREF initiatives to prepare a document (maximum 2 pages in English; 2.4 pages in French) that provides evidence of what has been accomplished and that the institution has achieved world-class recognition and continues to be a global leader in the supported research area(s). In particular, you will need to:

• demonstrate how you successfully implemented the recommendations from the results of the midterm review for your past/current grant, as evidence of progress and success;
• demonstrate the success and impact of your previous initiative, and demonstrate how it achieved its international leadership position; and
• demonstrate that the current application addresses a new challenge that is not the direct continuation of the previous CFREF, setting ambitious and transformative goals which are at the heart of the CFREF program objectives.

h. Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation research priority area

Only initiatives that are aligned with the Government of Canada’s 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 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.

Use the ST&I priorities template to identify challenge area(s) and areas of focus.

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