CFI College Fund

CFI College Fund is sponsored by Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The College Fund enhances Canadian colleges' capacity to carry out applied research and technology development. It fosters partnerships that address the social, business, health, or environmental needs of a Canadian industry, particularly SMEs.

College Fund | Canada Foundation for Innovation Easily find information on our funding policies and procedures in our online Policy and program guide The College Fund supports projects that enhance the capacity of Canadian colleges to carry out applied research and technology development and foster partnerships that generate innovative products, processes or services that address the social, business, health or environmental needs of a Canadian industry or community.

Status : Proposals for this funding program are due every September 17 College Fund call for proposals Guidelines for expert reviewers Guidelines for the Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee What's new in the College Fund in 2026? Colleges can submit proposals with total CFI requests of between $60,000 and $2 million. Each college can request a combined total of $3 million or less for all proposals, for a maximum of three proposals.

What are the objectives of the College Fund? The objectives of the College Fund are to: Create and enhance partnerships with the public, private or not-for-profit sectors that lead to innovation.

These innovations must address social, business, health or environmental needs of a Canadian industry or community Enhance and optimize the proven applied research capacity of the college that is related to the proposed applied research or technology development activities Generate social, economic, health or environmental benefits locally or nationally including the development of highly qualified personnel.

What institutions are eligible to apply to this fund? Canadian colleges recognized as CFI-eligible can apply to this fund. Check our list of eligible institutions Find out how to become eligible What infrastructure projects are eligible?

An eligible infrastructure project involves acquiring or developing research infrastructure to enhance existing applied research or technology development capacity. Consult our Policy and program guide and the call for proposals for more information on what infrastructure projects are eligible. How much funding can a college request?

Colleges can submit proposals with total CFI requests of between $60,000 and $2 million. Each college can request a combined total of $3 million or less for all proposals, for a maximum of three proposals. We hold one competition per year, with the deadline falling on the same day every year.

If the deadline falls on a weekday or holiday, it will be extended to the following business day. Activity Deadline Deadline to submit proposals September 17 Decision by CFI Board of Directors March Board meeting What does an institution need to do before applying?

To participate in any of our funding competitions, you must first make sure your institution is eligible to apply for funding, has signed an institutional agreement and has an account on our CFI Awards Management System (CAMS). Institutions that are not currently eligible must provide the necessary documentation to become eligible no later than July 9. Find out how to prepare to apply What is the process to apply?

Follow the steps below and consult the call for proposals for complete instructions on how to apply. Step 1: Submit a proposal Colleges can submit up to three proposals per competition. Consult the call for proposals for detailed instructions on how to submit a proposal.

Submit your proposal in the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS) Step 2: The review process begins After the deadline to submit proposals, the review process begins. This is how we will assess which proposals receive funding. How is my proposal assessed?

After you submit your proposal, it is assessed through our review process. We review each proposal to make sure it is complete and adheres to our guidelines. Experts review proposals to assess their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the five assessment criteria.

Only proposals with ratings that meet the threshold across the five assessment criteria will advance to the next stage of review. 3. Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee The Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee (MAC) assesses the proposals that met the threshold at the expert review stage.

The MAC conducts a careful analysis of the proposals and of the reports of the expert reviewers. They have two responsibilities: Identifying proposals that best meet the three competition objectives relative to other competing requests Providing a funding recommendation and funding amount for each project to the CFI Board of Directors. Who makes the final funding decisions?

Funding decisions are made by the CFI Board of Directors. What are the assessment criteria? The assessment criteria for the College Fund are: Applied research or technology development See the call for proposals for details of each of these assessment criteria.

Have you been recruited as a reviewer? If you have been recruited to participate as an expert in the review process for the College Fund, you will find everything you need to know in our guidelines for expert reviewers.

Guidelines for expert reviewers (College Fund) Guidelines for the Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee 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. How are awards finalized? After the CFI’s Board’s decision, colleges have up to nine months to finalize an award.

Submit your award finalization form and revised budget in the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS) Consult the Programs and policy guide for more details on finalizing awards. What is required of institutions to mitigate security risks? Recipient institutions should conduct a consistent 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. Find out more about our Infrastructure Operating Fund 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 ( good[dot]practices[at]innovation[dot]ca ) to share your own.

Number of projects funded from 2012 to 2025 through the College Fund Total CFI investment through the College Fund Number of colleges across Canada that received at least one award through the College Fund *Number has been rounded up Looking for something else?

Learn more about our review process Learn more about the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS) Explore our funded projects Stories of research projects supported at Canadian colleges An ounce of disaster prevention for a pound of long-term benefit At a new experimental simulation site, the first of its kind in Canada, emergency management practitioners will learn how to handle the risks of natural and human-made disasters Improving safety from the skies Large drones are poised to offer a cheaper, more secure alternative to manned flights in remote areas Developing efficient and sustainable packaging is a pressing concern for food processors, but a new research centre will help them find solutions