CFI is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. Its mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.
The infrastructure funded by the CFI includes state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories, equipment, computer hardware, software, and databases necessary to conduct leading-edge research. The funding provided is to acquire research infrastructure and to support their ongoing operation and maintenance.
CFI offers a suite of funding opportunities:
Innovation Fund (IF)
CFI-IF provides continued investments in infrastructure, across the full spectrum of research, from the most fundamental to applied through to technology development. The Innovation Fund (IF) supports a broad range of research programs, including those in natural, social and health sciences, engineering, humanities and the arts, as well as interdisciplinary research. Projects funded through the CFI-IF will help Canada remain at the forefront of exploration and knowledge generation while making meaningful contributions to generating social, health, environmental and economic benefits and addressing global challenges.
Upcoming Competition: CFI – IF 2025
Researchers interested in applying to the upcoming IF 2025 competition with McGill as the lead institution or with McGill as a partner institution must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) by November 1, 2023.
To complete the EOI Form, please download the EOI here before filling it out, complete Part I only, and submit it to eoi.researchinfrastructure [at] mcgill.ca.
Timeline:
| Action item | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Expression of Interest (EOI) submission | Nov. 01, 2023 |
|
Submission of:
|
Feb. 28, 2024 |
| CFI Notice of Intent submission | Oct. 2024 (anticipated) |
| CFI Full Application submission | Feb. 2025 (anticipated) |
If you have questions, please contact maryam.ebrahimi [at] mcgill.ca (Maryam Ebrahimi), Senior Advisor, Research Development, Office of Vice-President (Research and Innovation).
Information Session
The Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) is inviting McGill researchers to attend an information session that will provide an overview of the Innovation Fund program and McGill's internal process and timelines. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
The session will be hosted on Zoom and moderated by julien.gibon [at] mcgill.ca (Julien Gibon), Senior Advisor, Research Development. Please register here for one of the following information sessions before Monday, October 16, 2023, 11:59 p.m.
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, October 18, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. |
| Friday, October 20, 2023 | 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)
CFI-JELF serves the infrastructure needs of individual researchers or groups of up to three researchers where there is a need to share infrastructure for research in related fields or to take advantage of complementary skills. It is not intended to serve the infrastructure needs of larger groups, centres, departments, or institutions.
Major Science Initiatives Fund (MSI)
CFI-MSI provides multi-year support toward the operating and maintenance (O&M) needs of unique national research facilities owned by one or more CFI-eligible institutions.
Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF)
CFI-BRIF supports the bioscience infrastructure needs of postsecondary institutions and research hospitals by providing high-performance tools, innovative research spaces and biocontainment facilities.
The CFI typically funds up to 40% of a project’s infrastructure costs. Quebec universities request matching funding from the Government of Quebec (MEI) via the program de soutien aux organismes de recherche et d’innovation-volet 3 (PSOv3). The Government of Quebec (MEI) co-finances up to a maximum of 40% of the eligible costs of a project or a portion of a research infrastructure project carried out in the province and, exceptionally, of a project or a portion of a project carried out outside Quebec. The remaining 20% of funds is usually provided through in-kind contributions from vendors or other sources.
CFI projects are institutional initiatives where McGill researchers are offered (via Faculty of VPRI decision) the opportunity and are allowed through an internal McGill review process, to apply.
