This January a draft Call for Proposals will be issued for the next CFI Innovation Fund competition, with a final version of the Call being distributed in February/March. Mandatory registration LOIs will be due at CFI in June, full proposals in October, and decisions announced in mid-2017.

The CFI funding for this competition is $425M (plus $127M in associated Infrastructure Operating Funds). This level of funding is more in line with earlier CFI national competitions and significantly more than the last competition budget which was $260M and $77M for IOF.

For this competition, we will again apply an excellence-based, peer-reviewed approach for selecting campus-based proposals to submit to the CFI. We will also consult with academic divisions and hospitals about strategic coordination to ensure that our submissions are geared for maximum impact through the establishment of high priority facilities that best address the CFI criteria. We are writing to solicit early indications of projects that academic divisions may bring forward.

Notice of Intent (NOI) templates can be found here and should be completed and returned by January 15, 2016. Our proposed competition timelines, pending CFI confirmation of their deadlines, are as follows:

• January 15, 2016: Internal NOI
• Late January, 2016*: RSO information session for potential Project Leaders (following CFI competition announcement)
• March 14, 2016: Deadline for “Pre-Proposal” Submissions
• May 16, 2016: Notice of Decision to Applicants
• August 5, 2016*: Internal Deadline for Full Draft Application
• Sept 2, 2106*: Feedback to Applicants on Draft
• October 3, 2016*: Internal Deadline for Full Final Application

*Tentative dates

Now is a good time to begin thinking creatively and consulting with colleagues about potential submissions. We welcome your thoughts and questions regarding the upcoming competition and invite you to be in touch with vp.research@utoronto.ca, Judith Chadwick, or MayLiza Baak.