LOF – $1 million to $2 million

Fund Summary

The LOF – $1M to $2M is for mid-range infrastructure projects that are larger than the average traditional LOF award but that maintain the original purpose of the program: to promote the research endeavors of candidates that demonstrate, or have the potential for, excellence, creativity and leadership in the proposed research field, and who are a source of competitive advantage for the institution and the country. Proposals should adequately demonstrate that the infrastructure requested is essential to establish or enhance the candidate’s capability to carry out innovative research or technology development that will lead to advances and advantages for Canadians.

 

Eligibility

The usual eligibility considerations pertaining to institutions, research infrastructure and location of the infrastructure apply to this stream. Please refer to the CFI Policy and Program Guide.

Similarly, this stream is as well intended to serve the infrastructure needs of individual faculty, or small groups of up to three faculty members where there is a need to share infrastructure. The LOF is not intended to serve the infrastructure needs of larger groups, centres, departments or institutions. The sharing of equipment is encouraged to the extent that the candidate maintains priority access.

It should be noted however that the candidates put forward must be recognized leaders in their field of research or show promise of becoming research leaders. They must be engaged in, or embarking upon, an innovative research program for which the infrastructure is essential and which will provide an enriched research.

In selecting proposals for the LOF ($1M - $2M) competition, institutions will be expected to address the availability and accessibility of similar infrastructure within their institution and region, as well as issues of complementarity, duplication, and sharing. The CFI does not require that the requested infrastructure be for the exclusive use of the LOF candidate but that the infrastructure is required to conduct his/her ground-breaking research and that he/she will have priority access to it. A university that has sufficient funds in their LOF allocation may put forward a proposal with total project costs between $1M and $2M under this LOF stream. Proposals with total project costs of more than $2M will not be accepted. The CFI will provide funding for up to 40 percent of the eligible costs of a funded proposal.

 

Review Process

Eligible universities wishing to apply to the LOF ($1M - $2M) must use the CFI online forms and submit their proposals electronically. They must also send the CFI the LOF proposal submission letter signed by their President/CEO or delegate.

The review process consists of a Notice of Intent (NOI) stage and a proposal stage. 

While a formal NOI is not required, institutions wishing to submit a full application to the Leaders Opportunity Fund ($1M - $2M) competition must contact their CFI Senior Programs Officer by March 15 (for a June 15 submission) to express their interest of submitting a proposal by providing the following information:

  • A brief descriptive title for the project;
  • the name of the project leader and of other principal users of the infrastructure;
  • keywords that describe the infrastructure project;
  • a brief (2500 characters) overview of the project including a description of the infrastructure, the research to be conducted with the proposed research and the area of application of the research; and
  • a list of six potential reviewers for the proposal.

 

The submission deadline for Full Application proposals is June 15 (or the following Monday if the 15th falls on a week-end).

Separate instructions accompany the application form to assist institutions and project leaders in completing the electronic applications to the Leaders Opportunity Fund ($1M - $2M) competition. Institutions must use the web-based electronic form available on CFI Online.

The assessment of each proposal will be comprised of two stages; the Expert Review stage and the Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee (MAC) stage. Given the goals of this stream of the LOF, the focus of both the expert review and MAC assessments will be the evaluation of the candidate(s), as opposed to the other users or collaborators in the research process.

The Expert Review process is designed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals in relation to the review criteria. Depending on the number of proposals submitted, the CFI may rely on expert written reviews, expert committees or a combination of these approaches.

The second stage of review entails the assessment of the proposals by one or more MACs. The specific number of MACs will be determined by the number of submissions. Based on its own assessment and informed by the expert reviews, the MACs are responsible for assessing each proposal against all evaluation factors relative to other competing requests and recommending projects that should be funded.

 

Assessment criteria

The CFI evaluates proposals on the basis of the three broad criteria (below) that reflect its mandate. To be funded, a proposal must satisfy all three criteria to a degree appropriate to the size and complexity of the proposal. The application form will provide details on the information required to assess the results and outcomes expected.
 

1. Quality of the research and need for the infrastructure

  • Quality, originality and innovative potential of the research or technology development
  • Candidate’s research leadership relative to the current stage of his/her career, research contributions to date and potential ability to capitalize on innovative research opportunities
  • Appropriateness of the infrastructure in meeting the research or technology development needs
  • Sustainability, including operation and maintenance of the infrastructure on an ongoing basis

 

2. Contribution to strengthening the capacity for innovation

  • Enhance and sustain institutional capacity in strategic research priority areas as identified by the institutional Strategic Research Plan
  • Cultivate a stimulating and enriched environment for training highly qualified personnel for research and other careers
  • Facilitate productive collaboration among researchers and users of research results

 

3. Potential benefits to Canada

  • Support improvement to society, health, the environment, quality of life or public policy
  • Contribute to increased economic activity
  • Given the goals of the LOF, the focus of the assessment will be the candidate(s) as opposed to the other users or collaborators in the research process. Therefore, proposals must clearly describe:
  • the qualifications, experience and leadership of the candidate(s) in relation to the proposed research and research training;
  • the infrastructure that is being requested for use by the candidate(s) and why it is essential to carry out the candidate's proposed research;
  • the value added of an additional award in cases where the candidate has previously received an award through the LOF, New Opportunities Fund, Canada Research Chairs Infrastructure Fund or Career Award. Specifically, the results and outcomes of the previous award must be highlighted.

 

 

Decision Process

The CFI is committed to ensuring the timely review of LOF proposals. The review process takes approximately four months. Funding recommendations are presented to the CFI Board of Directors at the earliest possible decision point.

Universities will be informed of decisions by email shortly after the CFI Board has met. Successful proposals will also be listed on the CFI website. The CFI will inform universities of any conditions associated with an award and provide reviewer comments for all proposals. The review material will be available on the institutional dashboard shortly after the Board meeting.

It is the responsibility of recipient universities to submit the necessary documents to the CFI in order to finalize awards and establish payment schedules.

 

Public announcements

The CFI will make a national public announcement of the decisions made by the CFI Board of Directors within one month of the Board meeting, when possible. Universities must not make these decisions public until the national announcement is made. The CFI also seeks additional opportunities to work with universities on local or regional announcements following the national event.

 

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