Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/03/2025 - 15/04/2025
12:00 am - 4:30 pm

New Frontiers in Research Fund –
2026 Transformation Stream

Notify ROADS of your intent to apply by March 10, 2025

Draft NFRF Notice of Intent Form due to ROADS by April 01, 2025

Final due to NFRF by April 15, 2025

 

NOI stage webinars English: Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern Time: JOIN LINK French: Thursday, March 11, 2025, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern Time: JOIN LINK

 

The Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) has launched the 2026 Transformation stream competition of the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Program. Complete competition information is available on the TIPS website, and the Convergence Portal is open.

 

The objective of the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Transformation stream is to support large-scale, Canadian-led interdisciplinary research projects that address a major challenge with the potential to realize real and lasting change. The challenge may be fundamental, leading to a scientific breakthrough, or applied, with a social, economic, environmental or health impact. Projects are expected to be world-leading, drawing on global research expertise, when relevant.

 

Transformation stream grants will support projects that:

1. tackle a well-defined problem or challenge;
2. propose a novel world-leading approach that is different from the current state-of-the-art approaches to the issue;
3. are interdisciplinary, bringing different perspectives to the defined problem; and
4. have the potential to be transformative, defined as the potential to create a significant and real change or impact—a noticeable leap or tangible breakthrough rather than an incremental advance.

 

In the NFRF program, the definition of “transformative” is linked to the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s proposed definition of convergence research, where “convergence research is increasingly seen as the way to solve pressing challenges.” It is aligned with the National Science Foundation’s definition of convergence research, focusing on research driven by a specific and compelling problem and deep integration across disciplines. It also has strong parallels to Horizon Europe in its reference to mission-oriented research and innovation with bold and concrete objectives to respond to societal challenges.

 

Subject matter

• Transformation grants support projects that propose a world-leading interdisciplinary approach with the potential to have a significant impact in addressing a well-defined challenge.
• Projects must be well-defined with specific objectives.
• Transformation grants are not intended to support a program of research, research centres, or research networks.
• Projects may involve any discipline, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas eligible for funding across the three federal research funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC). Projects should engage the full range of disciplines required to achieve the project goals.
• To meet the minimum requirement to be considered interdisciplinary, the proposed research project must include elements from at least two different disciplines (as defined by a group-level classification based on the Canadian Research and Development Classification codes). Projects that fall under the mandate of only one federal research funding agency are not eligible.
• Proposed projects may address fundamental or applied challenges.

 

Value and duration

Transformation grants are valued at between $2,000,000 and $4,000,000 per year, including 25% indirect costs for six years.

 

The minimum budget for the direct costs of the research project is $1,600,000 per year, and the maximum budget for direct costs is $3,200,000. Indirect costs are calculated as 25% of the direct costs of research. The indirect costs component of each NFRF award is included in the award value; it is not in addition to it.

 

Eligibility

• To reflect the expertise required to deliver on the ambitious and interdisciplinary nature of the project, proposals must be submitted by teams.
• Teams must include a Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI) and may include co-principal investigators (co-PIs), co-applicants and/or collaborators.
• Individuals who are not academic researchers are eligible for all roles except NPI.
• At the notice of intent to apply (NOI) stage, a minimum of five confirmed members (excluding collaborators) is required.
• Additional members can be added at each stage of the competition process and throughout the term of the grant.
• Individuals can participate as an NPI or co-PI in a single application.
• An individual’s status as an applicant or grantee of other NFRF competitions (Exploration or International) does not affect their eligibility for the Transformation stream.
• The NPI and team members can be from any discipline(s). The NPI should be the most appropriate Canadian researcher to lead an interdisciplinary project of this scale, which requires integration and coordination beyond usual disciplinary perspectives.
• Team members may be from any sector to ensure that all required sectors and disciplines are represented in the team and to provide an integrated interdisciplinary—and, if applicable, intersectoral—approach to the project.
• The focus should be on assembling a coherent team of experts to execute the project rather than on establishing a network.
• National, international, and cross-sector (private, public, or other) collaborations are encouraged, as needed that the most appropriate individuals and/or organizations are involved, and that team composition reflects best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• To support collaborations, funds from Transformation grants can be transferred to any organization within Canada or internationally except for-profit companies or federal, provincial, or municipal governments.

 

Early career researchers

 

Early career researchers (ECRs) must be included as confirmed members in all teams. For competitions under the Transformation stream, an ECR is defined as a researcher within five years of the start date of their first research-related appointment, minus the length of any eligible delays in research (e.g., illness, maternity, parental), as of February 01, 2025 for this competition, where:

 

• “research-related appointments” are defined as those where an individual has the autonomy to conduct research independently;
• all eligible leaves (e.g., maternity, parental, medical, bereavement) are credited at twice the amount of time taken; and
• professional leaves (e.g., training, sabbatical, administrative) are not credited.

 

Research interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., closures) are recognized as, and may be counted as, an eligible delay (credited at twice the amount of time) beginning March 1, 2020.

 

If a first academic appointment was part time, years of experience are counted at 50% until the researcher’s appointment to a full-time academic position.

 

Application Process

 

All applications, including those led by McMaster and those where we partner on proposals led by other institutions, require Faculty endorsement. If you are interested in submitting a Transformation application, either as a NPI or as a Co-applicant on an application being led by another institution, please notify ROADS (Grace Kim, Associate Director (Development): kimps@mcmaster.ca) of your intent by March 10, 2025.

 

There are three stages to the Transformation competition:

• Notice of Intent (mandatory)
  • Due to the NFRF program by April 15, 2025.
  • To identify external reviewers and review panel composition
  • Not adjudicated
• Letter of Intent (mandatory to be considered for full application stage)
  • Due to the NFRF program by June 17, 2025
  • Will be reviewed by multidisciplinary/multisectoral review panel
  • Focus of the review will be on high reward (potential for change, need and timeliness)
  • The review panel will identify the top-rated LOIs to proceed to the Full Application stage
  • All core members of the team are expected to be confirmed when the letter of intent to apply (LOI) is submitted.
• Full Application (by invitation only)
  • Due by March 03, 2026
  • Will be reviewed by external experts and evaluated by the multidisciplinary/multidisciplinary review panel, taking into account the feedback provided by the external reviewers.
  • Focus of the review will be on feasibility (likelihood of success)
  • The highest ranked applications will proceed to review by an international and multisectoral jury, to select applications to be recommended for funding.

 

More information about the program descriptions can be found at: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/nfrf-fnfr/transformation/2026/competition-concours-eng.aspx.