CFI

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) supports research by investing in research infrastructure. 

CFI offers several different types of funding opportunities:

Applicants must receive approval to apply from the UTM OVPRI. Email a.pogoutse@utoronto.ca.

 

John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)

The JELF helps institutions recruit and retain outstanding researchers, acquire the tools that enable the innovative work of leading researchers, and offer highly competitive research support. The JELF is designed to serve the infrastructure needs of individual faculty or small groups of up to three faculty members where there is a need to share infrastructure. 

This is not an open competition. Larger divisions at the University have been pre-assigned a portion of the University's CFI allocation. JELF projects thus need to be approved by the researcher's division as these grants spend down the finite divisional allocations.

If your unit has permitted you to apply for a JELF, please contact the OVPRI as soon as possible. Keep in mind that other U of T divisions may have different JELF application processes. 

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates:

INTERNAL DEADLINES: October 2024 Round

  • CFI-JELF Draft Application (campus): September 9, 2024
  • CFI-JELF Final Application (campus/hospitals): October 7, 2024
  • My Research Application (MRA): October 7, 2024*
  • Sponsor Deadline for CFI-JELF: October 15, 2024
  • ORF-RI Draft Application & Geopolitical Risk Checklist (campus): November 18, 2024
  • ORF-RI Final Application & Geopolitical Risk Checklist (campus/hospitals): December 16, 2024

INTERNAL DEADLINES: February 2025 Round

  • CFI-JELF Draft Application: January 8, 2025
  • CFI-JELF Final Application and MRA: February 10, 2025*
  • Sponsor Deadline for CFI-JELF: February 18, 2025 (expected)
  • ORF-RI Draft Application & Geopolitical Risk Checklist (campus): March 17, 2025
  • ORF-RI Final Application & Geopolitical Risk Checklist (campus/hospitals): April 14, 2025

* Only one MRA is required for application to the CFI and ORF. Applicants are responsible for submitting the MRA and obtaining the necessary unit and divisional approvals prior to the MRA deadline, which is the date by which the MRA should reach Research Services.

 

Links

 

Innovation Fund

All teams that are approved to submit EOIs have been notified. If you are interested in applying for the CFI-IF in the future, please plan an application for the following round (TBA in 2025-2026).

For questions and inquiries, please contact a.pogoutse@utoronto.ca or shaun.young@utoronto.ca.

The Innovation Fund provides continued investments in infrastructure, across the full spectrum of research, from the most fundamental to applied through to technology development. Only projects with total costs over $1 million will be considered. The CFI-IF is an “institutional initiative”, meaning that the University determines which projects will go forward to the national level competition with an allocation from our CFI-determined “ask envelope.”

Funding formula for a project:
40% CFI funding + 40% ORF-RI funding + 20% raised by researchers from other sources

 

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates 

  • UTM EOI deadline: Friday, December 15, 2023, 5 pm
  • UofT EOI deadline: Submit to UTM OVPRI by June 8, 2024 
  • UofT pre-proposal deadline: Submit to UTM OVPRI by July 8, 2024
  • CFI Notice of Intent (NOI) deadline:  October 2, 2024
  • UTM Draft full proposal deadline: November 11, 2024
  • RSO Draft full proposal & Internal Review deadline: November 18, 2024
  • Internal full proposal deadline: January 23, 2025
  • CFI full proposal deadline: February 4, 2025
  • Internal draft ORF-LIF full proposal deadline: February 17, 2025
  • Internal ORF-LIF full proposal deadline: March 17, 2025
  • ORF-LIF full proposal deadline: March 24, 2025