Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund

What is the process to apply to the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 competition?

All applications and required forms must be submitted electronically through Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s (SSHRC) Convergence Portal.

Consult the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 competition on SSHRC’s website for instructions on how to access the Convergence Portal, required forms and other details of how to apply.

What if an institution has already submitted a proposal to the 2023 Innovation Fund competition for research infrastructure that will also be relevant to a CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 application?

We encourage hubs to submit notices of intent to the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 competition for infrastructure already requested through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition if that infrastructure is essential to and/or of high priority for advancing the hub’s programs of research. This applies to Innovation Fund proposals submitted by either the hub’s lead institution or any other associated institution. This means that institutions should submit notices of intent to the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 competition under the assumption that they will not be funded through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition.

Given the time lag between the deadline to submit proposals to the 2023 Innovation Fund competition and the deadline to submit notices of intent to CBRF – BRIF Stage 2, applicants can remove or add research infrastructure to their Innovation Fund proposals before resubmitting them as notices of intent to CBRF – BRIF Stage 2.

We also encourage hubs to submit a “B list” of notices of intent that are over and above their CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope. These additional notices of intent can request up to the total amount requested in the proposals that are included in the envelope, but which were already requested through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition. The B list of notices of intent will only go forward if infrastructure included within the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope gets funded through the Innovation Fund.

Hubs should email the CFI at brif-firsb [at] innovation.ca (brif-firsb[at]innovation[dot]ca) with the following information:

• A complete list of the notices of intent included within their CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope with the notices of intent that include infrastructure already requested through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition clearly indicated (including the Innovation Fund project number)
• A list of the notices of intent on their B list (These should either be listed in order of priority or mapped 1:1 to the notice of intent included within their CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope that the B list notice of intent would replace if the project within the envelope gets funded through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition.);

Following the mid-June decisions for the 2023 Innovation Fund competition, the CFI will withdraw any CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 notices of intent for proposals that get funded through the Innovation Fund, and will add the B list notices of intent in their place. We will do so in order of priority up to, but not exceeding, the amount of envelope room freed up by the successful Innovation Fund projects. We will provide hubs with the opportunity to confirm their final list of notices of intent shortly after the Innovation Fund decisions have been released.

What is an example of how this might take place?

For example, a hub may receive expressions of interest from its researchers and partner institutions for 20 potential CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 notices of intent, including four projects that have already been submitted through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition. These 20 notices of intent would exceed the total CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope so the hub must select which notices of intent it will endorse. The hub selects 10 of the 20 expressions of interest to put forward as notices of intent. Those 10 include two projects that have already been submitted to the 2023 Innovation Fund competition. The 10 notices of intent request a total of $152 million ($138.5 million from the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope plus 10 percent more because some flexibility is allowed at the notice of intent stage). Of that $152 million, $20 million is requested through the two notices of intent already submitted to the 2023 Innovation Fund competition.

Within its envelope, the hub includes notices of intent for those 10 projects, but then also adds three additional notices of intent (their “B list”) — two that are worth $5 million and one that is worth $10 million, for a total of up to $20 million, which is the same value of the two notices included in the envelope that were also submitted to the 2023 Innovation Fund competition. The hub ranks the three additional notices of intent in order of priority by labelling them 1, 2 and 3.

As it turns out, in mid-June the CFI Board of Directors approves $10 million in funding for one of the two Innovation Fund projects included in the hub’s CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 notices of intent that were included in their envelope. The CFI withdraws that notice of intent from the hub’s CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope and replaces it with notices of intent from the hub’s B list, starting with the ones ranked of highest priority, up to the $10 million freed up through the project funded through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition.

Why is the CFI using this approach?

Hubs must make strategic decisions on which infrastructure requests to include within the limits of their CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 envelope to best support their research program. Infrastructure that has already been requested through the 2023 Innovation Fund competition may be essential to and/or of high priority for advancing the hub’s programs of research. But without knowing whether the Innovation Fund proposals will be funded, hubs are forced to make a choice of either: submitting notices of intent for the infrastructure already requested through the Innovation Fund, thereby losing that envelope room for additional infrastructure requests; or not doing so but running the risk that essential or higher priority infrastructure is not available if the Innovation Fund proposal is not successful.

In addition, the submission deadline for CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 cannot be delayed until after the 2023 Innovation Fund competition results are released to institutions because the CFI and the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) need to begin planning the review process, completing the research security assessment of partners and recruiting experts for the scientific and technical review committees. To do so, they require that the notices of intent submitted to CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 represent an accurate portrait of the proposals the hubs will endorse.

The approach described above is intended to address these challenges.

How are proposals to the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 competition assessed?

Funding decisions are made through a rigorous, competitive review process made up of two stages, which ensures both the scientific and technical, as well as the strategic excellence of the successful projects.

1. Scientific and Technical Review Committees

The Scientific and Technical Review Committees (STRC) first evaluate the scientific and technical merit of each proposal by assessing the degree to which each component of the proposal meets the scientific and technical review criteria.

2. Strategic Review Committee

Following the reviews by the STRCs, the Strategic Review Committee (SRC) will assess the proposals against the strategic criteria to determine the alignment of the proposals with and with the priorities of Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy. Informed by strategic considerations, the results of the scientific and technical review, and provincial priorities, the SRC will ultimately recommend a portfolio of proposals that will best support the Strategy and benefit Canada.

Who makes the final funding decisions for research infrastructure proposals?

Funding decisions for research infrastructure proposals are made by the CFI Board of Directors. We will notify institutions by email when decisions and review materials are available in CAMS.

Consult the CBRF – BRIF Stage 2 competition on SSHRC’s website for a list of the scientific and technical review criteria as well as the strategic criteria, and other details of the review process.

If your institution receives funding through this fund, there are a few things you will need to do to finalize, manage and report on your award.

Who should I contact for questions about finalizing and managing a BRIF award?

Email us at BRIF-FIRSB [at] innovation.ca (BRIF-FIRSB[at]innovation[dot]ca) with questions about finalizing awards and managing projects funded through BRIF. Due to the nature of the fund, BRIF awards and competitions are managed by a specific team at the CFI.

How are awards finalized?

Submit an award finalization form to finalize your award. You will need to finalize your award before we can release funds to your institution.

Submit your award finalization form in the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS)

What is required of institutions to mitigate security risks?

The recipient institutions must conduct a consistent and appropriate due diligence review of potential security risks for funded projects and put in place timely measures to appropriately mitigate those risks. Tools and guidance are available through the Government of Canada’s Safeguarding Your Research portal, National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and Safeguarding Science workshops.  

What is required of institutions for reporting on a funded project?

Once a project at your institution is up and running, you will need to submit progress and financial reports in CAMS. (The specific reporting requirements for each project, including deadlines and frequency, are included in the terms and conditions of each award agreement.)

Explore sample templates and find other resources for reporting on your funded project

How can institutions access operating support for funded projects?

Institutions can access financial support for the operating and maintenance costs of CFI-funded research infrastructure through our Infrastructure Operating Fund.

The operating funds awarded through this competition must be allocated by institutions directly in support of the operating and maintenance needs of BRIF-funded infrastructure.

Read and share good practices for managing your funding

Staff at our funded institutions have developed good practices, policies and processes for managing the funding they receive from the CFI.

Browse our good practices for institutions and write to us at good.practices [at] innovation.ca to share your own.