Researchers
Engage in Applied Research: collaborate, innovate, and impact your community!
At 911±¬ÁÏÍø, research is open to both staff and faculty. If you have a project idea, we encourage you to contact the Applied Research office. We can assist you in identifying potential funding opportunities and community partners.
Already have a project in mind? Submit your research proposal to the Applied Research Department.
What funding opportunities are there at 911±¬ÁÏÍø?
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports research and training in the sciences and engineering.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports research and training in the social sciences and humanities.
911±¬ÁÏÍø Funding Opportunities The College has internal funding sources, including grants in aid and research assistant funding, to support research being carried out at 911±¬ÁÏÍø.
Please note: the funding opportunities listed here represent ongoing or recurring ones (annually or quarterly).
We strongly recommend checking the deadline on the Tri-Council website prior to considering to submit an application.
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Questions about Applied Research at 911±¬ÁÏÍø?
Research Ethics Board
The Research Ethics Board (REB) reviews and monitors research involving human participants.
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Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
College and Community Innovation Program (CCI)
The Tri-Agency (an umbrella term for a variety of grant opportunities) is one of the largest vehicles for funding applied research at colleges (including polytechnics and CEGEPs) across Canada. It strengthens research links and collaborations between Canadian colleges and other colleges, universities and/or partner organizations from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors that have a common goal of creating economic, social, health and/or environmental benefits for Canada. The funding that the CCI program provides to applied research and development projects makes it easier for the partner organizations to collaborate and access the wealth of resources Canada’s innovative college system has to offer. The CCI program:
- Provides partner organizations access to the unique knowledge, expertise, and capabilities available at Canadian colleges and universities.
- Trains college students in essential technical skills required by organizations in the private, public, or not-for-profit sectors.
- Provides economic, environmental, health and/or social benefits to the partner organization(s) and to Canada.
- Allows a wide range of collaborations among colleges, universities and/or partner organizations.
Applied Research and Development grants support research and development projects led by college researchers in partnership with private, public, or not-for-profit organizations while encouraging collaboration with universities and/or other colleges. This opportunity trains students in essential technical skills and develops and strengthens research links and collaborations among different institutions and/or partners that have a common goal of creating economic, social and/or environmental benefits while contributing to the research ecosystem continuum.
Funding: Up to $150,000 per year, over 1 to 3 years.
Application Deadline: applications can be submitted at any time.
CCSIF grants support colleges conducting multidisciplinary research and collaborating on projects with community partner organizations. They should foster community innovation by connecting the talent, facilities and capabilities of Canada’s colleges and polytechnics with the research needs of community organizations. CCSIF proposals should facilitate collaborative and innovative research that brings together researchers, students, and partners to address challenges in community innovation in the social sciences, humanities, health sciences, natural sciences and engineering research fields.
CCSIF grants enable colleges to increase their capacity to work with communities, with the goal of developing partnerships that foster community innovation in areas such as the integration of vulnerable populations, community development, education and training, climate change, environmental degradation, and health and well-being.
Although curriculum development may be included in the proposal, it must not be the project's primary objective. Proposals must include a research component and/or address research challenges in community innovation.
A maximum of five applications can be submitted per college to each competition in any research area covered by the Tri-Agency, but a different principal investigator should lead each proposal.
Funding: Up to $120,000 per year, over 1 to 3 years.
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024.
The objective of Idea to Innovation (I2I) grants is to accelerate the pre-competitive development of promising technology originating from the university and college sector, and to promote its transfer to a new or established Canadian company. I2I grants provide funding to college and university faculty members to support research and development projects with recognized technology transfer potential. This is achieved through defined phases by providing crucial assistance in the early stages of technology validation and market connection. There are four distinct funding options, characterized by the maturity of the technology or the involvement of an early-stage investment entity or industrial partner.
Eligible research and development activities include:
- Refining and implementing designs
- Verifying application
- Conducting field studies
- Preparing demonstrations
- Building prototypes
- Performing beta trials
Funding: Varies by activity.
Application Deadline: January 8, April 2, June 25, and September 16, 2024.
The Synergy Awards for Innovation were launched in 1995 by NSERC to recognize partnerships in natural sciences and engineering research and development between universities and Canadian industry. In recognition of an evolving research environment, the Synergy Awards for Innovation now also reward research partnerships taking place with colleges and research partnerships beyond those with industrial partners. Since their inception, the Synergy Awards for Innovation have honoured the most outstanding achievements of these collaborations. By working together, award-winning partner organizations and post-secondary institutions have proven that effective partnerships and innovation are the foundation of achievement. Their success has enriched the academic and research programs within Canadian post-secondary institutions while providing concrete benefits to Canadians.
The Synergy Awards for Innovation are intended to showcase innovation and the benefits of uniting strengths to make the most of Canadian ingenuity.
College Partnerships
These involve a partnership between one or more eligible Canadian colleges and one or more non-academic partner organizations. The highlighted research partnership can be across the spectrum of natural and social sciences, engineering, humanities, or health.
Partnerships involving both eligible Canadian colleges and universities, and one or more partnering organizations, are eligible. The partnership should be presented under the category (University partnerships or College partnership) corresponding to the nominee’s affiliation.
Funding:
Nomination Deadline: December 14, 2023, 8 pm (ET)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Research Partnerships
SSHRC’s Research Partnerships program realizes the potential for social sciences and humanities research to influence, benefit and impact within and beyond post-secondary institutions, by supporting research and related activities and tools that facilitate the co-creating and exchanging of research knowledge while supporting the next generation of scholars.
The program objectives are to:
- Strengthen knowledge and understanding by leveraging perspectives from across multiple disciplines and sectors.
- Support collaboration among post-secondary institutions, and between post-secondary institutions and organizations from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, to co-create knowledge and increase use of research outputs.
- Mobilize research knowledge, within academia and other sectors, that can lead to intellectual, cultural, social, and economic outputs and outcomes.
- Increase the accessibility and use of research knowledge within and beyond the post-secondary sector.
- Support a high-quality training experience for students and/or postdoctoral researchers.
Please see the : individual and institutional.
For Formal Partnerships
Partnership Engage Grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that will inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported through Partnership Engage Grants are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. In addressing an organization-specific need, challenge and/or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and post-secondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise, and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.
Funding: $7,000 to $25,000 for one year.
Application deadline: June 15, September 15, December 15, and March 15 (8 p.m. Eastern).
Partnership Development Grants are expected to respond to the objectives of the Research Partnerships program. These grants provide support over one to three years to teams/partnerships, led by a project director, to:
- Develop research and/or related activities in the social sciences and humanities—these can include knowledge mobilization and the meaningful involvement of students and emerging scholars—by fostering new partnerships with existing and/or potential partners; or
- Design and test new partnership approaches for research and/or related activities that can result in best practices or models—these can either be adapted by others or have the potential to be scaled up to a regional, national, or international level.
Partnership funding is intended for formal partnerships between postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types.
The quality of training, mentoring and employability plans for students and emerging scholars will be evaluated as an important part of the proposed initiative.
Funding: $75,000 to $200,000 over 1 to 3 years
Application Deadline: November 15, 2023 (8 pm Eastern)
Partnership Grants are expected to respond to the objectives of the Research partnerships program. These grants provide support for new and existing formal partnerships over four to seven years to advance research, research training and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities. This is done through mutual co-operation and sharing of intellectual leadership, as well as through resources as shown by cash and/or in-kind contributions.
Partnership Grants are intended for large teams of postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types that work in formal collaboration.
The quality of training, mentoring and employability plans for students and emerging scholars will be evaluated as an important part of the proposed initiative.
Funding:
Stage 1: up to $20,000
Stage 2: up to $2.5 million (by invitation only)
Application Deadline: February 10, 2024 (8 pm Eastern)