Bio Innovation Grant

Important dates

Overview

The Bio Innovation Grant (BIG) coordinates with Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI’s) Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF) competition to help Alberta institutions maintain cutting-edge facilities, and strengthen their capacity to advance promising industry-relevant discoveries, promote training, and develop talent in the field of biosciences.

This BIG competition is tied to the CFI’s BRIF – Partnership with Stage 2 of the Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF – BRIF Stage 2). Eligible institutions may submit partnered proposals for high risk and applied research, talent development and research infrastructure funding. Each proposal must be aligned with one of the hubs’ priorities, vision, program of research, support pandemic preparedness and respond to emerging health threats. Applications are encouraged to align with provincial priorities in the context of the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy (ATIS) and address strategic infrastructure needs that will enhance the competitiveness of the province.

Funding

RCP will fund up to 40% of the total eligible project costs for successful applications.

Eligible applicants

Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions recognized by CFI as eligible.

Submissions are restricted to applications that have submitted to the CFI Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF) competition. However, if an application is declined at the CFI, it will be removed from the BIG competition. Please note that eligible costs are those costs identified according to the CFI requirements.

See the CFI’s Policy and Program Guide for more details.

How to apply

The RCP is institutional in nature. Applications must be completed by researchers and submitted by the institution.

Note: Application submissions must be uploaded via a secure portal. Institutions must contact [email protected] to receive further instructions.

Submitting notices of intent (NOI)

Any interested researcher should consult their institution’s Research Services Office for intake processes. See the RCP Program Guidelines for more details.

The institution’s Research Services Office must submit an NOI. The NOI package must include the following:

1. A cover letter authorized by a designated institutional representative.
2. A listing of the individual NOI submissions using the provided RCP Notice of Intent Submission Template (XLSX, 17 KB)
3. PDF copies of each NOI submitted to the CFI.

RCP uses an electronic secure transfer portal to support submissions and all submissions must be uploaded via this method. Institutions must contact the program area at [email protected] at least 2 weeks prior to the NOI submission deadline to receive access to the portal.

Submitting proposals

The proposal should clearly present the project’s merits and excellence. Provide enough information to enable reviewers to evaluate the proposal according to the assessment criteria and competition objectives. Do not include scanned copies of documents, other than signature pages.

The proposal package must include the following:

1. A cover letter authorized by a designated institutional representative.
2. A listing the individual application submissions using the provided RCP Application Submission Template (XLSX, 16 KB).
3. PDF of each full application. Each PDF application must contain the following in order:
   1. RCP Alberta Alignment Module (PDF, 133 KB)
   2. CFI Application
   3. Curriculum Vitae (where required by the CFI)

RCP uses an electronic secure transfer portal to support submissions and all submissions must be uploaded via this method. Institutions must contact the program area at [email protected] at least 2 weeks prior to the proposal submission deadline to receive access to the portal.

If you must make changes to the team leaders or applicant institution after submitting a proposal, contact [email protected] as soon as possible. This is to avoid introducing potential conflicts of interest with reviewers.

After you apply

Your application will be reviewed by RCP’s Multidisciplinary Review Panel. The review process occurs in 3 stages:

1. Expert review (where applicable, CFI and grant-specific partnership agency expert reviews are used)
2. Independent review by the Multidisciplinary Review Panel
3. Decisions by the Minister of Technology and Innovation

Reporting requirements

Awarded projects will be given a contractual grant agreement. This agreement will outline the terms and conditions of support and must be signed by both parties prior to the release of payment.

As a part of this agreement, institutions must regularly report on the financial status of projects and on the outcomes achieved. The schedule and reporting requirements will be outlined in the agreement. Both parties must agree to any significant variations in project scope or other requirements of the contract.

Reporting requirements for awarded projects consists of 2 components:

1. RCP Financial Report Template (XLSX, 40 KB)
   • A copy of the CFI approved report in lieu of the RCP Financial Report is acceptable.
2. RCP Outcomes Report Template (PDF, 161 KB)

Contact

Inquires, requests and reporting submissions can be directed to:
Email: [email protected]