CFI Innovation Fund

A timeline for the various stages of review is provided below. Further information on each stage can be found in the Call for Proposals. 

*Please check with individual Faculties to see if they have earlier deadlines 

The CFI caps the maximum amount for which each institution can apply in each round of the Innovation Fund. For the 2023 Innovation Fund, Western's CFI envelope is anticipated to be $38.9M, or approximately $97M in total eligible costs. Internal proposals must therefore be competitively adjudicated to determine which applications will be submitted to the CFI within Western's envelope.

Notice of Intent

A mandatory Notice of Intent (NOI) must be submitted by August 5, 2021.

This NOI is short and will collect basic information on the applicant and their research team, the proposed infrastructure, and the facility/space requirements of the proposed infrastructure. The NOI requires a signature from the Dean (or Dean's designate) of the supporting Faculty(ies).

The NOIs are mandatory, but will not be adjudicated, are not binding, and will be used only for planning purposes. The NOI form can be found below, under Documents and Resources.

"Pitch Your Proposal" Events

To provide potential applicants with an opportunity to obtain constructive feedback on their internal proposals, two "Pitch Your Proposal" events will be held in August 2021 over Zoom. The first event will be Tuesday, August 10 from 1-4pm and the second event will be Wednesday, August 25 from 9am-12:30pm. Applicants will provide a brief, five-minute "pitch" of their Innovation Fund proposal to a multidisciplinary panel, who will ask questions and provide suggestions and feedback to improve the proposal. This event is optional, and will not impact the competitive internal review process. The events will be open to all applicants and members of the Western community to encourage potential collaborations and share the panel's advice and insights more broadly. 

To register to pitch your proposal, please email tara.maccrone@uwo.ca. 

To register to attend the event(s) as an observer, please use the following links: August 10, 1-4pm registration and/or August 25, 9am-12:30pm registration.

Internal Proposals

An internal proposal must be submitted by October 5, 2021. Internal application forms and instructions can be found below under Documents and Resources (Internal Application Form, Budget Template, and Research Equipment & Space Needs Assessment Form). 

Western researchers who are participating in an Innovation Fund proposal being led by another institution where a contribution from Western's CFI envelope is being requested by the lead institution must complete and submit the form below. Envelope contribution requests will be assessed on a rolling, case-by-case basis. Requests will be reviewed and approved by the relevant Faculty(ies) and Western Research.

**For any large requests (over $1M of Western's CFI envelope) or where a Western Principal Investigator is a Co-Project Leader, please contact tara.maccrone@uwo.ca as soon as possible. We recommend those groups submit their forms on or before October 5, 2021**

Please note that while we will currently accept requests, no envelope contributions will be approved until after a Call for Proposals is released from the CFI. Envelope contribution requests will be accepted up to two weeks before the CFI Notice of Intent deadline (February 2022) or until no remaining envelope is available to be committed.

• Externally-Led Proposals: Envelope Contribution Request Form (Western ID & Password required)
• Research Equipment & Space Needs Assessment Form (required if equipment will be located at Western) (Western ID & Password required)

An internal, two-stage review process will be used to identify the projects that will be developed for submission to the CFI. The internal process, detailed in the Call for Proposals (Western ID & Password required), includes the submission of an internal Notice of Intent (not adjudicated) and an internal Proposal that will form the basis of institutional decision-making. This process is required for all Innovation Fund projects led by Western; inter-institutional projects not led by Western will follow a different review and decision process (see above).

Proposals should be aligned with Western’s strengths and strategic priorities, build on past investments in people, research, and infrastructure, and demonstrate world-leading research that will increase Western’s competitive advantage in the global research landscape.

The Innovation Fund provides 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. 

Through the Innovation Fund, the CFI seeks to support promising and innovative research or technology development in areas where Canada currently is, or has the potential to be, competitive on the global stage. The CFI supports initiatives that allow institutions and their researchers to build on established capabilities to accelerate current research and technology development or to enhance emerging strategic priority areas.

The objectives of the Innovation Fund are to enable institutions and their best researchers to:

• Strive for global leadership by conducting world-class research or technology development activities in areas of strategic institutional priority;
• Enhance research capacity by forging productive partnerships within and among institutions, sectors and disciplines for the effective and sustainable use of the research infrastructure and facilities; and
• Generate social, health, environmental and/or economic benefits for Canadians, including better training and improved skills for highly qualified personnel, through appropriate pathways.

• CFI Innovation Fund website

The following require your Western ID and Password to access:

• Western Call for Proposals
• Internal Notice of Intent Form
• List of Submitted NOIs (added August 19)
• Externally-Led Proposals: Envelope Contribution Request Form
• Research Equipment & Space Needs Assessment Form
• Internal Application Form (updated August 16)
• Budget Template for Internal Application
• Western CFI Innovation Fund Information Session July 20, 2021
  • Slides 
  • Zoom Recording

Other Resources

• Procurement Services' reference tools for developing research equipment budgets
• Western Guidelines for the Operation & Maintenance of CFI-funded Infrastructure
• Western Request for Quotation document