In February 2024, CFI announced that for the first time, institutions will be able to submit one proposal in a social sciences, humanities, and/or arts (SSHA) primary field outside of their institutional envelope to the national 2025 Innovation Fund (IF) competition. In response, the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International) (OVPRI) is launching the Carleton University internal process to develop and select the SSHA proposal.
NOTE: as the full call for proposals for the CFI 2025 IF competition is still pending, this process is subject to change at any time.
About the Innovation Fund
The Innovation Fund (IF) provides continued investments in infrastructure, across the full spectrum of research, from the most fundamental, to applied, through to technology development. Projects funded through the 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.
IF Objectives
- Enable internationally competitive research or technology development through the equitable participation of expert team members.
- Enhance and optimize the capacity of institutions and research communities to conduct the proposed research or technology development program(s) over the useful life of the infrastructure.
- Lead to social, health, environmental and/or economic benefits for Canadians.
Eligibility
Aligned with CFI objectives and criteria, Carleton University will allocate its CFI IF SSHA-primary proposal competitively based on:
- internationally-leading research;
- composition and expertise of the team, including
- track record of the team in generating globally significant contributions to knowledge and/or generating impact beyond the academy;
- evidence of international recognition of the team’s leadership; and
- integration of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations.
- request for necessary and appropriate infrastructure, which leverages
- previous investments by Carleton University, and
- existing and sufficient operating funding held by the research team to support direct costs of proposed research;
- well-defined plan to transfer the results of the research program(s) that will lead to benefits for Canadians.
For more information on eligibility guidelines, please refer to CFI’s Policy and program guide.
Competition Budget
While the 2025 IF competition has not yet been launched, total project costs must usually exceed $1 million to be considered for this competition, with CFI supporting up to 40 percent of a project’s total eligible project costs. Any included renovation and/or construction costs are required to enable the installation/operation of the requested equipment, or be essential to the research design.
For the 2025 call, each CFI-eligible institution will be able to submit one proposal outside of its institutional envelope in a SSHA primary field. This internal process will select Carleton’s SSHA-primary proposal.
Internal process
OVPRI manages a robust selection process that includes opportunities for feedback and iterative improvement of ideas and proposals.* This is a 2-step process:
- Submission of an internal Expression of Interest (EOI) by April 2, 2024**
- Submission of mandatory internal proposal due to OVPRI by June 3, 2024
An expert panel appointed by the VPRI will review internal proposals against CFI assessment criteria and make recommendations. Final decisions will be made by the VPRI in consultation with the Deans. Feedback from the panel will be provided to all applicants (successful and unsuccessful).
Information Sessions
The Carleton Office for Research Initiatives and Services (CORIS) is hosting virtual information sessions, specifically for researchers and teams interested in the SSHA stream of the CFI IF.
The information session will cover the same content, but be offered twice, at separate times. Please register for the time most convenient to you.
- Wednesday, March 13th 10:00AM – 11:30AM
- Tuesday, March 19th 1:30PM – 3:00PM
Click HERE for the slide deck of the information sessions.
Click HERE for a list of frequently asked questions regarding the information sessions.
Click HERE for a Zoom recording of the information sessions.
Zoom recording password: #!8xY5z+
Additional notes
* OVPRI is not able to provide space allocations for selected CFI IF projects. Potential applicants should engage directly with their associated Faculties to determine availability of appropriate research space.
**Carleton Faculties may have earlier internal deadlines to review your EOI, discuss your project, and get the necessary Faculty endorsement. Please check with your Faculty Research Facilitator and/or Associate Dean Research for more information.
Please Contact Kyla Reid for any questions.
How to apply
Expression of Interest Stage
- Download the Internal Expression of Interest form and complete it.
- Email your completed EOI to coris@carleton.ca (subject line: SSHA CFI IF 2025 EOI) no later than 4:30 p.m. (EDT) on April 2, 2024.
Internal Proposal Stage
- Download the Internal Proposal Instructions and complete the requirements.
- Email your completed internal proposal coris@carleton.ca (subject line: SSHA CFI IF 2025 Proposal) no later than 4:30 p.m. (EDT) on June 3, 2024.