CFI Major Science Initiatives Fund (MSI)

CFI Major Science Initiatives Fund (MSI) is sponsored by Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The MSI Fund provides support for the ongoing operating and maintenance needs of research facilities of national importance. These are large-scale, multi-user facilities that serve researchers from multiple institutions across Canada and internationally.

Major Science Initiatives (MSI) Fund | Canada Foundation for Innovation Major Science Initiatives Fund Discover the funded facilities Explore the 19 extraordinary research facilities currently funded through the MSIF.

Easily find information on our funding policies and procedures in our online Policy and program guide The Major Science Initiatives Fund (MSIF) provides support for the ongoing operating and maintenance needs of research facilities of national importance. It promotes responsible stewardship by ensuring these facilities adopt best practices for their management and governance. The 2023 competition is now closed .

The next competition is expected to launch in 2028. Consult our oversight framework for currently funded facilities Learn about the 2026 workshop in Ottawa, March 11 to 12 Application and review processes The CFI currently supports 19 research facilities across Canada that tackle some of the most important issues facing society by bringing together researchers from Canada and around the world.

As science becomes more complex, facilities like these become crucial for exploring the frontiers of research. For details of the 2023 competition, consult the: News item from the funding announcement The next competition for this funding program is expected to launch in 2028. Check back here for details.

What is this funding program meant to do?

Enable pan-Canadian research communities to undertake world-class research and technology development that lead to social, health, economic or environmental benefits for Canadians Enable facilities to operate at an optimal level to ensure the best use of their specialized equipment, services, resources, and technical and scientific personnel Promote responsible stewardship through the adoption of best practices in governance and management.

What institutions are eligible to apply to this fund? Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions recognized as CFI-eligible can apply to this fund on behalf of a facility. Check our list of CFI-eligible institutions .

How does the CFI define a research facility in the context of this fund? A research facility funded through the MSIF addresses the needs of a community of researchers representing a critical mass of users distributed across the country. This is done by providing shared access to substantial and advanced specialized equipment, services, resources, and scientific and technical personnel.

Whether single-sited, distributed, or virtual, the research facility: Supports leading-edge research and technology development, and promotes the mobilization of knowledge and transfer of technology to society Requires resource commitments well beyond the capacity of any one institution Is specifically identified or recognized as serving pan-Canadian needs and its governance and management structures reflect this mandate.

With each new competition, we set a list of specific criteria that facilities must meet to be eligible for funding. We accept proposals for this funding program through competitions that run every six years. The next competition is expected to launch in 2027.

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). Find out how to prepare to apply What is the process to apply?

The application process typically consists of three steps. Step 1: Expressions of interest Administrative institutions submit expressions of interest before submitting notices of intent.

These include basic information like: Website address of the facility, if there is one Brief description of the facility (maximum 200 words) Annual operating budget of the facility (based on costs and revenues eligible through this fund) Best estimate of the total amount to be requested from the CFI for the funding period of the competition. We use expressions of interest as a first step toward planning the competition.

Step 2: Notices of intent Sometime after we receive the expressions of intent, administrative institutions are asked to submit notices of intent. We use these to plan the review process and to start recruiting reviewers. We also use the notices of intent to determine whether facilities meet the eligibility criteria for the competition.

Based on the notices of intent, the CFI will invite facilities to submit proposals. Administrative institutions that are invited to submit proposals should consult the call for proposals for the competition for details on how to do so. Step 4: The review process begins After the deadline to submit proposals, the review process begins.

This is how we assess which proposals receive funding. How does the review process work? The review process for proposals typically includes three stages: Step 1: Administrative review We review each proposal to make sure it’s complete and adheres to our guidelines.

Expert Committees assess each proposal against the assessment criteria for the competition. For each proposal that meets the standard of excellence for the competition, they recommend to the Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee (MAC) the amount to be awarded to the project.

Step 3: Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee From the proposals recommended by the Expert Committees, the Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee: Identifies the ones that best meet the competition objectives relative to other competing requests Establishes the amount that should be awarded to each proposal, within the competition budget Reviews requests for transitional funding from facilities that were previously funded but which are not successful in the current competition at either the Expert Committee or Multidisciplinary Assessment Committee stage Provides the final funding recommendations and funding amounts to the CFI Board of Directors.

Who makes the final funding decisions? Funding decisions are made by the CFI Board of Directors, typically at one of their three annual Board meetings. Want to grow your network, build your reputation and contribute to research?

Find out how to participate in our review process as an expert reviewer How does the CFI monitor awards through this funding program? We customize our monitoring activities for each facility, using our oversight framework as a guide. The oversight framework sets out the CFI’s expectations for the governance and management of facilities, including the adoption of key indicators.

It is intended to facilitate coordination among multiple funding partners and to promote accountability, transparency and communication among stakeholders. Consult the 2026 oversight framework What is required of administrative institutions for reporting on and managing an award?

If your institution is the administrative institution for a facility funded through the 2023 competition, you will need to submit progress and performance reports, financial reports and budget updates. Annually: Submit progress and performance reports, financial reports and budget updates Annual progress and performance reports, financial reports and budget updates are due by June 15 every year .

Annual progress and performance reports include: Information on the status, progress, outcomes and upcoming activities of your facility Progress on meeting funding conditions imposed by the CFI (if any) The latest measures for your facility’s performance indicators. The CFI and key funding partners (provincial or others) will use the annual performance reports to monitor the progress and achievements of the facility.

Email your annual performance report to your Programs Officer. Financial reports and budget updates include: Actual and forecasted eligible costs Actual and forecasted contributions to eligible costs from eligible partners Actual and forecasted changes that have not been previously approved by the CFI.

Submit your financial reports and budget updates in the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS) Participate in an external review We will conduct a review of each facility to assess how well it has used our funding to maximize its scientific and technological capabilities, and to determine the amount of our contribution for the remaining part of the funding cycle.

During the external review we will look at: The overall impact of our funding on the scientific excellence of your facility’s research program(s) The research outcomes and impacts of your facility Your facility’s governance, management and operations Your facility’s plan for the remaining funding cycle The need for operating and maintenance funds for the remaining part of the funding cycle.

We will notify you before initiating the external review. End of funding cycle: Submit final financial and progress and performance reports A final performance report and final financial report are due at the end of the funding cycle for the competition ( by June 15, 2029 for the 2023 competition ).

A summary of your facility’s progress and key achievements in relation to the objectives of the MSIF during the funding cycle Both annual and cumulative data over the funding cycle. Submit your final financial report in the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS) . Email your final progress and performance report to your Programs Officer.

We will notify you when the final reporting process begins and provide a final performance report template at that time. Browse the resources below to find insights to help you manage your award. Watch videos from past workshops we have held for staff of MSIF-funded research facilities or read the good practices submitted by institutions and others.

These resources are not intended to be prescriptive but rather serve as a valuable resource to enhance the governance, management and operations of research facilities, contributing to their overall success. MSIF [at] innovation. ca (Write to us) to share your own good practices.

Demonstrating achievements and impacts , Laura Hillier, CFI, November 2018 Research facilities in a data-intensive and open-science world, Panel, MSIF workshop, November 2023 ( Recording ǀ Presentation ) Equity, diversity and inclusion Community outreach and engagement, Panel, MSIF workshop, November 2023 ( Recording ǀ Presentation ) Managing risk in large initiatives or facilities | Canada Foundation for Innovation Managing user access for large initiatives or facilities | Canada Foundation for Innovation Adapting to a post-pandemic world, presentations by Dr. Naveed Aziz of CGEn and Dr. Volker Gerdts of VIDO, March 2021 Major research facilities user communities: from engagement to demonstrating research outcomes, Richard D.

Leonard, Battelle/National Ecological Observatory Network, November 2018 Diversifying and expanding the facility user base to optimize benefits for Canada, Panel, MSIF workshop, November 2023 ( Recording ǀ Presentation ) Keeping Canadian facilities at the global forefront as technology rapidly changes and new opportunities and challenges arise, Panel, MSIF workshop, November 2023( Recording ǀ Presentation ) International collaborations of research facilities, Panel, MSIF workshop, November 2023( Recording ) Consult our research security guidelines 2023 MSIF workshop , Saskatoon, November 2 to 3, 2023 2021 MSIF workshop - virtual , March 1 to April 27, 2021 2025 MSIF Workshop , Ottawa, February 5 to 6, 2025 33,000* research outputs generated *Numbers have been rounded up.

Research outputs generated include peer-reviewed publications, conference proceedings and others.

Discover past fund recipients and funded project details through our funded projects dashboard Research facilities in a class of their own Discover the 19 complex and highly specialized research facilities funded through the 2023 competition 2010: The Government of Canada mandates the CFI to design a systematic approach to evaluate and address the operating and maintenance needs and scientific performance of research facilities of national importance .

2011 : We create the Major Science Initiatives (MSI) Fund and launch the first competition. The inaugural competition sets out to support large-scale research facilities that had previously received a one-time contribution of at least $25 million in infrastructure funding from the CFI.

2014 : We launch a special competition through the MSI Fund, expanding the eligibility to include a greater range of research facilities of national importance , both in size and complexity and across all research disciplines.

2016: We launched the 2017 competition to contribute to the ongoing operating and maintenance needs of research facilities of national importance for which the loss or absence of support would represent a serious setback for Canada. The 2017–23 MSI Fund competition currently supports 16 research facilities .

2019: After the 2018 federal budget awards permanent funding to the CFI, it allows us to extend the funding cycle for the MSI Fund from five to six years, providing for a longer planning horizon for facilities and greater stability to help retain highly qualified personnel.

Acting upon a recommendation made in Canada’s Fundamental Science Review report, we increase our share of funding from 40 percent to 60 percent of a facility’s operating and maintenance costs for facilities the report identifies as major in scale. 2021: We launch the 2023 competition.

Report highlights the impact of the program to fund Canada’s research facilities of national importance Major Science Initiatives Fund helped facilities deliver outstanding, world-class science Looking for something else?

Learn more about our review process See our good practices from institutions Learn more about the CFI Awards Management System (CAMS) Explore our funded projects Stories of research facilities supported through the Major Science Initiatives Fund Securing Canada’s Arctic sovereignty with early warning radar tech How a research project designed to study aurora borealis is set to transform Canada’s Arctic surveillance capability Summoning the storm, at the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment Research Facility By simulating intense winds and weather, a research facility at Western University tests how buildings will hold up under catastrophic conditions Mounting an early warning system for Canada’s looming water crisis, through the Global Water Futures Observatories A network of observation systems across the country’s freshwater basins provides urgently needed data to help ward off the devastating impacts of floods, droughts and other water crises plaguing Canada Alberta,Quebec,Ontario,British Columbia Tweaking biology for health and biotech solutions, at GlycoNet Integrated Services A pan-Canadian network of over 170 researchers brings together the country’s expertise in the field of glycomics to create solutions in medicine and other bio-based industries