3.1 Applying for eligibility | Canada Foundation for Innovation

If your institution is not yet eligible, find out how to prepare an eligibility application or email us at eligibility [at] innovation.ca (eligibility[at]innovation[dot]ca) for more information.

Determining an institution’s eligibility may take several months. We will not review incomplete eligibility applications, so be sure to submit everything that is required.

There are some organizations that we will not consider for eligibility (3.2 Entities that are excluded from eligibility).

3.1.1 Eligibility requirements: universities, colleges, research hospitals and research institutes

The CFI may approve a university, college, research hospital or research institute as an eligible institution if it meets all the requirements in Table 1.

Table 1: Institutional eligibility requirements for universities, colleges, research hospitals and research institutes

Requirement	Supporting documents required at application
Administrative requirements
Request CFI eligibility	Letter signed by the institution’s president requesting institutional eligibility
Tri-agency eligibility	Copy of application submitted to the tri-agency with the decision letter confirming eligibility at one of the three federal research funding agencies, if applicable
Willingness to administer CFI funding in accordance with the CFI’s requirements	Confirmation from the institution’s president that if granted institutional eligibility, the institution will comply with the requirements, policies and procedures specified in the CFI’s institutional agreement (5.1.1 Institutional agreement)
Status as research institution
Official statement on research and research training	Official institutional policy on research and research training or Research and research training mission statement
Description of research activities conducted	Representative sample of the research activities conducted by the institution and Strategic research plan, if applicable
No constraints on the publication of research results	Official institutional publication policy confirming there are no constraints on the publication of research results
Capacity to support and conduct research
Current research facilities, infrastructure and resources	List of research facilities and research infrastructure that are currently operating at the institution and which support its research activities and Demonstration that sufficient capacity and resources are provided to enable researchers to conduct their research activities
Qualifications to carry out independent research and track record of researchers	Representative list of researchers who: · Have proven track records · Are employed by the institution · Are actively involved in research · Are remunerated by the institution. The list should include at minimum each researcher’s educational qualifications and/or relevant research experience and their contributions to the institution’s research activities over the previous three years. The institution should demonstrate that the researchers have sufficient time to conduct their research.
List of grants/contracts awarded	List of grants and contracts awarded to the institution and/or the institution’s researchers over the last three years
Technical support staff	Representative list of technical staff who support the research facilities, infrastructure and researchers, and their roles

3.1.2 Eligibility requirements: non-profit research institutions

The CFI may approve a non-profit research institution as an eligible institution if it meets all the requirements in Table 2.

Table 2: Institutional eligibility requirements for non-profit research institutions

Requirement	Supporting documents required at application
Administrative requirements
Request CFI eligibility	Letter signed by the institution’s president requesting institutional eligibility
Tri-agency eligibility	Copy of application submitted to the tri-agency with the decision letter confirming eligibility at one of the three federal research funding agencies, if applicable
Willingness to administer CFI funding in accordance with the CFI’s requirements	Confirmation from the institution’s president that if granted institutional eligibility, the institution will comply with the requirements, policies and procedures specified in the CFI’s institutional agreement (5.1.1 Institutional agreement)
Status as non-profit research institution
Non-profit status, operational for a minimum of five years	Statutes, incorporation documents and bylaws
Not affiliated or federated to a CFI-eligible institution	Confirmation that the institution is not federated or affiliated to, or integrated with, another CFI-eligible institution
Independent Board of Directors	List of members of the Board of Directors, including their current place of employment and occupation and memberships on other governing bodies
Official statement on research and research training	Official institutional policy on research and research training or Research and research training mission statement
Description of research activities conducted	Representative sample of the research activities conducted by the institution and Strategic research plan, if applicable
No constraints on the publication of research results	Official institutional publication policy confirming there are no constraints on the publication of research results
Capacity to support and conduct research
Current research facilities, infrastructure and resources	List of the research facilities and research infrastructure currently operating at the institution and that support its research activities and Demonstration that sufficient capacity and resources are provided to enable researchers to conduct their research activities
A minimum of 20 percent of researchers with a proven research track record	Representative list of researchers who: · Have proven track records · Are employed by the institution · Are actively involved in research · Are remunerated by the institution. The list should include at minimum each researcher’s educational qualifications and/or relevant research experience and their contributions to the institution’s research activities over the previous three years. The institution should demonstrate that the researchers have sufficient time to conduct their research.
List of grants/contracts awarded	List of grants and contracts awarded to the institution and/or the institution’s researchers over the last three years
Technical support staff	List of technical staff who support the research facilities, infrastructure and researchers, and their roles
Financial capacity and oversight
Financial viability	Audited financial statements for the three previous years, including the auditor’s report
Evidence of research revenue from grants/awards	A list of the grants and awards the institution received over the last three years, including their amount and origin
Oversight to receive, administer and manage CFI funds	The institution’s financial oversight procedures and/or policy

3.1.3 Exceptions

An institution that is affiliated, federated or closely associated with another eligible institution will not be considered eligible unless it receives its operating budget directly from a provincial or territorial government and has its own Board of Directors. If the institution does not meet these criteria, it must apply for CFI funding through the eligible institution with which it is affiliated, federated or closely associated. The eligible institution can then receive and administer the funding.