New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) - International

Program Summary - Objective

The International stream creates episodic opportunities for Canadian researchers to partner on NFRF-appropriate (high risk/high reward, interdisciplinary), internationally-partnered joint-funded projects.

2026 International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges

Next deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI), open only to teams that submitted a NOI:
RAS deadline: May 29, 2026 by 4 pm

This round’s call aims to harness the potential of disruptive technology to offer novel solutions to global challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving the UN-adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Disruptive technology” is defined as “an innovation whose application replaces or radically alters systems, processes and/or behaviours to have transformative economic or societal impacts. The impact may be localized or far-reaching. Disruptive technology may include cutting-edge and novel innovations, or the application of an existing innovation in a new context, bringing about substantial change or paradigm shifts.” Note that NFRF funds high-risk, high-reward, interdisciplinary projects .

Participating countries: Åland Islands, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Ghana, Greenland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Rwanda, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe

Award Amount and Duration

  • For the Canadian team:
    • Up to $400,000 per year for direct costs per year for up to 3 years.
    • Plus 25% (up to $100,000 per year) added to the budget for indirect costs.
  • For the international participants
    • Various funding amounts as determined by each participating national funder (details here or in this Google Sheet)

Who can help me?

If you are interested in the 2026 NFRF-International  competition, please contact:

Grant Kemp | Research Partner
grant.kemp@ualberta.ca

Eyene Okpanachi | Research Partner
eyene.okpanachi@ualberta.ca

How to Apply

Consult Research Services guidelines »

Eligibility Forms

The eligibility of external co-PIs and co-Applicants must be confirmed by their institution's authorized individual by completing and signing this form. All these signed forms must be included when your proposal is submitted for approval via the Researcher Homepage. This eligibility form must only be completed once at whichever stage (NOI, LOI, Full Application) the co-PI or co-Applicant joins.

If you have been invited to participate as a co-PI or co-Applicant on someone else’s application and they ask for their institution's form to be completed, this can be accomplished by submitting the proposal draft along with their form via Researcher Homepage.

Application Stages

For the NFRF-I 2026 competition there are multiple mandatory stages, using the Convergence portal.

1. Notice of Intent (non-competitive)

  • RAS deadline: February 24, 2026 by 4 p.m.
  • RAS will forward to NFRF by March 3, 2026

2. Letter of Intent - only open to teams that submitted an NOI (competitive)

  • RAS deadline: May 29, 2026 by 4 p.m.
  • PI submission following RAS approval in the Convergence portal June 9, 2026 at 10 a.m.
  • RAS will forward to NFRF by June 9, 2026 at 4 p.m.

3. Full application (by invitation)

  • RAS deadline: October 27, 2026 by 4 p.m.
  • RAS will forward to NFRF by November 3, 2026

Good to Know

Key specific criteria for this NFRF-I call:

  • Interdisciplinary. Projects must involve disciplines from at least two of the following three areas: natural sciences and engineering; social sciences and humanities; and health and life sciences)
  • Cross-sectoral. Projects are expected to be co-developed with stakeholders, including end-users of the disruptive technology/solution.
  • Minimum of three co-PIs each eligible to be funded by a different participating sponsor. Note that not all the countries listed have separate funders participating in the call, so it may not be simply three different participating countries.
  • You can only participate in one application as a co-PI (or NPI). You can participate as a co-Applicant on multiple applications.

Evaluation criteria: fit-to-program, interdisciplinarity, EDI in research practice strength of project consortium (30%), high risk (25%), high reward (25%), feasibility (20%)

Learn more about the NFRF-I stream 

Links and Resources