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New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) - International

New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) - International

Image of a globe, sitting on a shelf. Decorative.

The International stream of the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) will support international collaborations, positioning Canada and Canadian researchers as strategic partners at the international level. This funding has two mechanisms: joint funding calls with international agencies and a dedicated fund to support Canadian research to participate within international teams submitting proposals for funding from major global platforms.

Current Competitions:

2023 International Joint Initiative for Research in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Call

This international joint initiative represents a collaboration among research funders from around the world, leveraging international expertise to address the global challenges caused by climate change. This call aims to further the design and implementation of co-produced adaption and mitigation strategies for vulnerable groups – those groups currently most impacted by the effects of climate change due to both physical vulnerability and socioeconomic vulnerability.

Interdisciplinary transnational project teams must incorporate expertise from across disciplines to develop strategies to improve resilience to climate change, co-developing research and solutions in partnership with the affected groups, enabling collaborative experiential learning and capacity development. All projects are required to partner with participating community or communities. Adaptive measures and mitigation strategies require physical infrastructure and nature-based solutions, as well as social, health and cultural interventions, that are aligned with the community’s values.

Eligible projects must be:

Interdisciplinary (from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge) and trans-sectoral (involving academic research, economic, societal and community sectors, as appropriate)
Contextually and culturally appropriate mitigation and adaptation responses to at least two of the eight representative key risks of climate change as noted by the Sixth Assessment IPCC reports
Must focus on responding to the needs of those most impacted by the effects of climate change, such as communities in low- and middle-income countries or Indigenous territories, or groups that are vulnerable due to their geographic, social and/or economic circumstances

All projects must partner with participating community(ies) in the co-creation, implementation and ownership of the research and outcomes, and in developing approaches related to policy implementation and knowledge creation.

Value and Duration

This funding is available for three-year projects, and the total amount of funding will depend on the consortium partners supporting the project. This call will be implemented through a coordinated funding approach: each consortium partner will fund researcher(s) within a project team who are eligible to receive funding from them, according to the rules, regulations, terms and conditions of the consortium partner.

Eligibility

Teams will be composed of co-principal investigators, co-applicants and collaborators. A minimum of three countries must be represented among the co-PIs, and the team must be eligible to receive funds from at least two consortium partners. At least one co-PI must be eligible to apply to the NFRF program. Teams must ne interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral, with appropriate stakeholders including vulnerable groups involved in the project. Individuals may participate in only one application to this competition as co-PI.

Application Process

(Check with your faculty research office for additional deadlines.)

Note on Submission Handling: Your proposal at each stage of the process below (NOI, Application) will be completed in the Convergence Portal. Western Research will submit to the sponsor on the researcher’s behalf. (Note: the portal is only supported by the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox.)

Notice of Intent (NOI) to Apply (required)
- Tuesday, April 25, 2023 by/before 2 p.m. - Internal deadline
  - complete NOI can be downloaded from the Convergence Portal for administrative review (PDF preview), and should be emailed to Kathy Laid.
  - to submit a ROLA proposal for internal approvals (choose Notice of Intent, not Application).
- Tuesday, May 2, 2023 by/before 2 p.m. - Sponsor deadline. Western Research must make the final submission to NFRF.
Full Application
- Tuesday, August 8, 2023 - draft deadline to Western Research
- Tuesday, September 5, 2023 - final internal submission to Western Research with approved ROLA
- Tuesday, September 12, 2023 by/before 2 p.m. - Sponsor deadline. Your final, completed application must be in the Convergence Portal. Western Research must make the final submission to NFRF.

Notices of Intent (NOI) will be used for administrative purposes to assess indicative eligibility of the projected teams to apply from selected Consortium Partners. The NOI will also inform recruitment of external reviewers for the multidisciplinary/mutisectoral review panel. Not all teams submitting an NOI will necessarily be able to submit for the full application.