Step III: Notice of decision and project setup
The CFI notifies institutions of its decisions according to the following schedule:
| Intake | CFI Notification | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| February | June | 4 months post-submission |
| June | November | 5 months post-submission |
| October | March | 5 months post-submission |
JEI typically notifies institutions of its decisions in late February/early March (i.e., 4-5 months following submission). Therefore, the CFI decision is always known first, but RSO will typically wait until JEI decisions are released before activating the CFI project. If the CFI application is unsuccessful, the JEI application will not be submitted (or will be withdrawn in the case of June JELF applications).
RSO will notify applicants of the sponsor’s decision immediately. Following this, RSO will work with the Project Leader to finalize the CFI and JEI awards. RSO will ask the Project Leader to confirm the following:
- Any changes to the CFI budget
- Estimated purchase date for each budget item
- CFI project end date
- Speedcode to cover any cash shortfall (if applicable)
RSO will collect the necessary approvals for the award finalization documents and the award agreements. Once the agreements are signed by the institution, RSO will complete the project set up on the Researcher Home Page, and the project team will receive an advice notice with the speedcode.
Before the project team can begin purchasing infrastructure, the Project Leader, and any individuals involved in purchasing must attend a CFI purchasing information session. Since CFI awards are held by the institution, the purchase of items over $25,000 requires institutional approval. More information on purchasing for CFI projects and post-award management is discussed here.
Occasionally, a CFI reviewer or the CFI Board will recommend that certain budget items or costs of items are not adequately justified. If so, the CFI may reduce the award amount or award conditional funding. In these cases, the RSO, in consultation with the project team, must submit an amendment to the CFI with a revised budget based on the funding awarded.
In rare cases, CFI funding is awarded, but JEI funding is not awarded. In this case, the project team is responsible for securing the missing 40% match for the project. Any eligible funding source can be used for this.
In the event that a JELF application is unsuccessful, the Project Leader may wish to discuss resubmission of a revised application to a future JELF intake with their Chair and Associate/Vice-Dean (Research).
Note that the CFI allocation for an unsuccessful JELF application is returned to the Centrally-Managed allocation. As such, all unsuccessful applicants who wish to resubmit (including through a Faculty-Managed stream (ALES, ENG, FoMD, SCI)) will need approval from the VPRI. In addition, the Project Leader will need to provide a letter of support from their Faculty for the resubmission and will need to explain how they plan to address the reviewers’ comments in the revised proposal.
Alternatively, ALES, ENG, FoMD, or SCI applicants wishing to resubmit may discuss with their Faculty the possibility of resubmitting using the Faculty’s allocation.