Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

The Innovation Fund 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 Innovation Fund 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.

Innovation Fund 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, Simon Fraser University will allocate its CFI envelope competitively based on:

• internationally competitive research or technology development;
• composition and expertise of the team;
• necessary and appropriate infrastructure that enhances existing capacity;
• well-defined plan to transfer the results of the research or technology development 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 total available fund and SFU's funding envelope have not yet been announced, total project costs for each proposal will likely be expected to be greater than $1 million to be considered for this competition.

For the 2023 call, CFI invested up to $400 million in research infrastructure funding, up to 40 percent of a project’s eligible infrastructure costs. It also offered up to $120 million for associated operating and maintenance costs through the Infrastructure Operating Fund. SFU's funding envelope for the 2023 competition was $22.4 million.

Internal process

The ISA manages a robust selection process that includes opportunities for critique and iterative improvement of ideas and proposals. This is a 3-step process with all forms submitted to ISA (cfi@sfu.ca):

• Submission of internal Expression of Interest (iEOI) by the deadline (December 11, 2023, extended from Dec 1) for all projects (SFU and non-SFU-led) requesting allocations from SFU’s envelope*
• Submission of internal Letter of Intent (iLOI)  and space assessment form due by the deadline (March 15, 2024) for preliminary ISA review and feedback
• Submission of revised internal Letter of Intent (iLOI) by the deadline (April 15, 2024)

*Note that some partner organizations may have different requirements, processes and timelines, including EOIs to be submitted earlier than the SFU deadline; please check specific institutional websites for more details.

An external expert panel will review revised iLOIs against CFI assessment criteria and make recommendations to the AVPR and VPRI. Feedback from the external panel will be provided to all applicants (successful and unsuccessful).

ISA hosted an information session on October 18 2023 about the anticipated 2025 call and SFU's internal process. All SFU faculty planning to participate in Innovation Fund proposals led by SFU or by another institution are encouraged to review the presentation. Please view the recording, download the slides, and review the Q&A summary. 

All teams that submit iEOIs will be invited to a Test Your Concept zoom session (January 2024) and an ISA-hosted workshop (February 2024) to help researchers develop their iLOIs. 

Timeline
All dates and forms will be updated as soon as they are available

• October 18, 2023: info session (recording, slides, Q&A Summary)
• [EXTENDED] December 11, 2023 December 1, 2023: internal EOI due to ISA (required)
• February 2024: Test Your Concept sessions (optional)
• February 15, 2024 (1:00-2:30PM): Internal Letter of Intent [iLOI] workshop; contact cfi@sfu.ca to register
• March 15, 2024: draft iLOI (includes: iLOI pdf form, iLOI spreadsheet, and all required attachments) and space assessment forms due for ISA preliminary review (required)
• April 15, 2024: revised iLOI due to ISA for internal expert and external panel review (required)
• Late Spring 2024: teams informed of internal decisions and cap allocation (following the anticipated CFI 2025 Call for Proposals, notification of SFU envelope)
• [October 2024, date TBD]: CFI NOI deadline
• [February 2025, date TBD]: CFI full application deadline

Agency Website: https://www.innovation.ca/apply-manage-awards/funding-opportunities/innovation-fund