Sponsor

Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) 

Program

NFRF Special Call: 2022 Research for Post-Pandemic Recovery

Description

The Canada Research Coordinating Committee [1] will soon launch the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Special Call: Research for Post-Pandemic Recovery, which aims to mobilize Canadian-led research efforts in support of a more equitable, sustainable and resilient postpandemic reality. It will support a diverse portfolio of projects that directly address one or more of the research priorities outlined in the UN Research Roadmap for COVID-19 Recovery [2].

The Roadmap is built on the premise that innovative and interdisciplinary solutions are needed to account for the interdependence of people and recovery efforts. The Roadmap specifically notes that “ingenuity and research from the full range of disciplines” and “strengthened international collaboration” are required to implement the Roadmap and achieve transformative change, and emphasizes that gender equity and environmental sustainability must be rooted in all endeavours. By funding research that directly responds to the Roadmap, NFRF will be part of a cohesive international research effort to address global socio-economic inequities that have been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canada Research Coordinating Committee has committed $24 million for this special call to support two-year grants valued at up to $500,000 (including indirect costs of up to 25% of the value of the direct costs of research). Grants will be awarded competitively through a merit review process by a multidisciplinary/multisectoral review panel.

Projects are expected to be interdisciplinary, and all project teams must have an expert in social/economic/socio-economic research and implementation science among the team of principle investigators, to reflect the socio-economic recovery framework of the Roadmap. All projects are also expected to have an international dimension, and inclusion of team members from lower-middle- or lower-income countries is strongly encouraged. NFRF funds can be used to support the research activities of international researchers who are part of the research team.

Applications must be led by an independent researcher whose primary institution is a Canadian postsecondary institution currently holding full institutional eligibility with one of the federal research funding agencies. See lists of eligible institutions for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [3], the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council [4] or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [5] on the agencies’ websites.

Community engagement and partnership will be important to ensure that research findings have tangible outcomes.

Canada’s International Development Research Centre [6] is partnering on this special call to offer supplemental funding to expand the reach and impact of a selection of funded projects that include team members from eligible lower-middle- or lower-income countries. Projects eligible for this supplemental funding must address issues of importance to lower-middle- or lower-income countries, and have an emphasis on addressing global socio-economic inequalities in the Global South.

The funding opportunity is scheduled to be launched in February 2022, with complete details about project requirements, adjudication, the application process and deadlines available then.

Eligibility

Applications must be led by an independent researcher whose primary institution is a Canadian postsecondary institution currently holding full institutional eligibility with one of the federal research funding agencies. See lists of eligible institutions for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [3], the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council [4] or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [5] on the agencies’ websites.

Special Notes

Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page [7].