Published on Brock University (http://www.brocku.ca)
CFI 2012 Leading Edge & New Initiatives Funds Competition
Call for Proposals
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has announced the call for proposals for the 2012 Leading Edge and New Initiatives Funds (LEF/NIF) competition. Competition details here.
CFI-funded infrastructure helps attract top researchers to Canadian institutions and contributes to Canada’s global research reputation. Institutions must maintain this status in order to continue to perform world-class research and technology development. To support this objective, the CFI’s 2012 Leading Edge and New Initiatives Funds competition will invest in innovative infrastructure projects that sustain and enhance areas of activity in which the CFI has already invested and provide support to explore promising new research directions.
What is the difference between the LEF and NIF programs?
Leading Edge Fund (LEF)
LEF proposals should support leading-edge research or technology development activities that:
- build on past investments the CFI has made at the applicant institution and are dependent upon the results and outcomes of these infrastructure projects;
- strengthen particularly successful and productive activities in areas of institutional strategic priority and enhance the institution’s competitive advantage in these areas.
Institutions will be required to include in their LEF proposals a report on the productivity of the infrastructure previously funded by the CFI. The report must include evidence of the research or technology development results and outcomes facilitated by the infrastructure and an explanation of how new investment would support innovative new activities beyond those enabled by the existing resources. For proposals that align multiple infrastructure projects previously funded by the CFI, the report must outline the need to enhance and sustain the existing capacity in the area of research or technology development and demonstrate how new investment would enable even greater synergies among the previously funded projects.
New Initiatives Fund (NIF)
NIF proposals should support promising and innovative directions in research or technology development that:
- respond to an opportunity to participate in breakthrough research that aims to fundamentally change the current understanding of a concept of national or international importance, or to participate in the development of transformational technologies that will benefit Canadians;
- are in areas of institutional strategic priority;
- are not dependent on the results and outcomes of infrastructure projects previously funded by the CFI.
Focus on Priorities:
We are looking for projects that cover a wide spectrum of research and development activities. The CFI expects that institutions will be selective in presenting exceptional proposals that position themselves as a global leader in the proposed area of research or technology development. The CFI also expects that institutions will submit only proposals that are consistent with their strategic research plans and reflect their institutional priorities. Here is Brock’s SRP.
The deadline for the initial review is October 14, 2011.
- a short description of the research project,
- a description of the equipment or infrastructure required,
- an estimate of the costs of the equipment or infrastructure, and
- CV of the members of the research team.
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Step 1:
Email with Initial plan for Internal Review
(described above)
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If approved Step 2a: Internal Deadline for draft MRI NOI
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If approved Step 2b: Internal Deadline for draft CFI NOI
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Step 3:
CFI External Deadline
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Step 4:
MRI Match Deadline
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Internal Deadline:
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Oct. 14, 2011
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Nov 23, 2011
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Dec 20, 2011
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March 26, 2012
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April 25, 2012
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External Deadline:
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n/a
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Due at MRI
Dec 7/11
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Due at CFI
Jan 20/12
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April 26, 2012
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May 26, 2012
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