Canada Foundation for Innovation — Innovation Fund 2027: Research Infrastructure Grants

Canada Foundation for Innovation — Innovation Fund 2027: Research Infrastructure Grants

Status and current dates

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has opened its 2027 Innovation Fund competition. The full proposal deadline remains February 2, 2027; the competition is still accepting full proposals from projects whose institutions submitted a notice of intent (NOI) by September 29, 2026. That first-stage deadline has passed, and the NOI is required to access the full proposal module in CFI’s Awards Management System. If the institution did not submit an NOI for the project, the project cannot enter this competition now. Teams with a timely NOI should work with their research office on the full proposal and any earlier internal approvals. The CFI’s published timeline places the Board funding decision in November 2027.

The live call is documented on the CFI Innovation Fund program page, which links to the 2027 call for proposals. Read the call itself alongside the current CFI Policy and program guide. Competition-specific forms, instructions and updates on the CFI page take precedence over summaries and earlier competition documents.

What the 2027 competition funds

The 2027 Innovation Fund competition supports research infrastructure intended to strengthen the capacity of Canadian institutions to carry out internationally competitive research and technology development. Infrastructure may include equipment, facilities, and related resources that enable research programs. The fund is not a general operating grant for an individual investigator’s research project. Its central question is whether the proposed infrastructure is needed, will be used effectively, and will contribute to strong research and benefits for Canada.

For the 2027 competition, CFI makes up to $325 million available for infrastructure. Its contribution may cover up to 40 percent of eligible project costs. The institution and partners must present a credible plan for the balance, drawing on eligible cash and in-kind contributions as allowed by the current call and policy guide. The 40 percent rate is a ceiling, not an automatic award or a commitment to fund a fixed portion of each requested item. Budget the project from the actual infrastructure and implementation plan, then confirm every cost and contribution against CFI’s current rules.

The competition also provides up to $97.5 million in associated operating support through the Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF). This is a competition-wide amount, not a separate discretionary grant for each applicant. The full call explains how an IOF allocation relates to an infrastructure award and what operating costs it may support. Institutions should still plan for staffing, access, service, maintenance and eventual renewal across the useful life of the equipment or facility. A credible sustainability case shows who will operate the infrastructure, how users will gain access and where ongoing resources will come from.

Total project costs must exceed $1 million for a proposal to be considered. The application must show what CFI is being asked to support, how the rest of the project will be financed and why the infrastructure is necessary for the proposed research or technology development. Confirm eligible cost categories, timing rules, contribution documentation and any construction or renovation requirements in the 2027 call; do not carry forward budget rules from an earlier round without checking them against the current competition documents.

Who can apply

The applicant is a CFI-eligible institution, not an individual researcher applying in a personal capacity. Researchers and technical staff lead the project work, while their institutional research administration office coordinates eligibility, internal approvals, the institutional funding envelope and submission through CFI’s Awards Management System (CAMS). Institutions and applicants should verify their current eligibility and responsibilities in the call and Policy and program guide rather than assume that institutional status from an earlier competition automatically resolves every requirement.

The institution must ensure that it is eligible to receive CFI funding and that its agreement and administrative arrangements allow it to participate. Because the NOI stage is over, a new applicant cannot enter this competition by preparing only a full proposal now. Each team should ask its research office to confirm that the project was covered by a timely NOI, that the right applicant institution is associated with it, and that any participating institution has completed the required CAMS steps. These checks matter especially for a multi-institution proposal, where partners need to agree on roles, infrastructure location and any contribution from their institutional envelopes.

The 2027 competition organizes proposals into three streams. Stream 1 supports leading-edge exploration and knowledge generation and is open to all disciplines. Stream 2 focuses on research in the social sciences, humanities and arts; the primary field of research must fit that scope. Stream 3 supports the creation, renewal and upgrade of core facilities, with requested infrastructure housed in and managed by a qualifying core facility. The choice of stream determines the relevant sub-criteria, so it must reflect the actual research program and the way the infrastructure will be managed.

For Stream 3, the case should explain the facility’s shared service model, users, governance, management and access arrangements, as well as the infrastructure itself. Equipment used by several investigators does not by itself establish that a project fits the core-facility stream. Applicants should compare their proposed operating model with the call’s definition and stream-specific criteria. For Streams 1 and 2, the proposal should make the research or technology-development program clear and show how the requested infrastructure enables it. Across all streams, the competition expects a mature, feasible project with a clear institutional contribution and a plan for lasting use.

How to apply to the 2027 competition

The competition has two principal CFI submissions. The first is the NOI, which the institution had to submit in CAMS by September 29, 2026. CFI uses it to understand the planned project, determine what expertise is needed to review it, check the proposed infrastructure at an early stage and support collaboration between complementary projects. The NOI is not a merit award and does not secure funding. The deadline has passed; only projects with an NOI submitted for this competition can move forward to the full application.

At the NOI stage, project teams identify the administrative institution, stream, project leaders and team, provide a concise project description and outline the major infrastructure needs and partners. Collaborating institutions confirm their participation and any use of their institutional envelope through CAMS. Teams should work through the administrative institution because it is responsible for managing the submission and ensuring that its partners have completed their parts. The CFI describes the NOI and full proposal forms in the 2027 call; follow its current instructions for character limits, required fields and attachments.

The second submission is the full proposal, due to CFI by February 2, 2027. It develops the case for the project: the program of work and expected outcomes, team capabilities, infrastructure requested and its necessity, a complete budget and partner contributions, and plans for implementation, utilization and long-term sustainability. The proposal is completed in CAMS. The institution submits it, so researchers should follow internal review and authorization deadlines, which may be earlier than CFI’s date. CFI’s published timeline gives a Board decision in November 2027.

Institutional envelopes constrain the total amount an institution may request across proposals in which it leads or collaborates. This makes portfolio coordination an essential part of the application: the research office needs to know where the project will be administered, which institutions will contribute, what amount each is being asked to commit and how the request fits the current envelope rules. Do not rely on an envelope estimate from another year or another institution. Ask the administrative and collaborating institutions to verify their allocations, exemptions and internal selections against the 2027 call.

The proposal should link each requested item to specific research or technology-development activities and explain why existing infrastructure cannot meet the need. It should make responsibilities clear across team members and partners, justify costs, and show that the project is ready to implement. The sustainability plan needs to address utilization, access, management, operations and maintenance beyond installation. The benefits case should identify who may use or benefit from the results and how those benefits are expected to arise. CFI assesses proposals against research, team, infrastructure, sustainability and benefits criteria, with stream-specific sub-criteria. Use the call’s exact questions and page limits as the drafting structure; a general narrative that does not answer those criteria will leave reviewers to infer the project’s case.

Preparing a competitive application now

Contact the institutional research office immediately if the project had a timely NOI. Ask for the current internal proposal schedule, required approvals and templates, envelope confirmation, partner letters and the process for reviewing the CAMS application. Internal deadlines may come before CFI’s because the institution must review feasibility, resolve space and procurement questions, coordinate a portfolio and approve the final request. A CFI deadline is not a substitute for those local steps.

Start with project readiness. Define the infrastructure, its location, users and the research it will enable. Confirm that facilities staff can assess the space and utilities, that procurement can produce defensible quotations, and that construction, renovation and installation are feasible on the proposed schedule. If infrastructure will be hosted at another institution or shared facility, document the host’s commitment and responsibilities. A strong research vision needs an executable infrastructure plan behind it.

Build the budget from eligible costs and the actual project plan. Separate the CFI request from institutional and partner contributions, document the source and status of each contribution, and have the research office check the current cost rules. Account for operating costs as part of the proposal’s sustainability case. The IOF can support operation and maintenance, but the institution remains responsible for ensuring that the facility will function, remain accessible and serve its planned users over time.

Choose the stream that matches the project’s primary purpose and structure, then answer its sub-criteria directly. If the application includes multiple disciplines, describe how they work together and which field is primary where the rules require that distinction. If it is a core facility project, explain the centralized service, expertise and access model rather than simply listing equipment shared by several labs.

Finally, keep the application tied to current source documents. The CFI program page links to the live call, forms and policy guidance. Check those materials with the institution throughout drafting, especially if an update changes a form, attachment or cost interpretation. The published CFI dates identify the NOI and full-proposal milestones; only proposals with a timely NOI can proceed. If the project is not eligible to proceed in this competition, ask the research office to monitor CFI announcements for a later opportunity rather than preparing against an assumed future schedule.

Official references

• CFI Innovation Fund program page — official program information and the current competition link.
• 2027 Innovation Fund call for proposals — authoritative requirements, eligibility, budget, application instructions, streams and assessment criteria.
• CFI Policy and program guide — general eligibility and cost policies that apply alongside the call.