The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) supports world-leading interdisciplinary, international, high-risk / high-reward, transformative and rapid-response Canadian-led research.
Streams
2025 NFRF Exploration Competition
Overview: Exploration stream grants support projects that:
- bring disciplines together beyond traditional disciplinary or common interdisciplinary approaches;
- propose to explore something new, which might fail; and
- have the potential for significant impact.
Value: Up to $125,000 per year (includes $25k/year indirect costs)
Duration: 1-2 years
Deadlines:
- NOI deadline: August 18, 2025 (noon)
- Optional editorial review by RSO: September 22, 2025 (noon)
- MRA to be received by the RSO: October 14, 2025 (noon)
- Full application: October 21, 2025
Links:
- NFRF Exploration program description
- Research Services Office page (U of T-specific application instructions)
- Convergence application portal
2026 NFRF Transformation Competition
Overview: Transformation stream grants support projects that:
- tackle a well-defined problem or challenge;
- propose a novel world-leading approach that’s different from current state-of-the-art approaches to the problem or challenge;
- are interdisciplinary, bringing different perspectives to the defined problem; and
- have the potential to be transformative, defined as the potential to create a significant and real change or impact—a noticeable leap or tangible breakthrough rather than an incremental advance.
Value: $2 million to $4 million, including indirect costs
Duration: 6 years
Deadlines:
- Internal UofT expression of interest (EoI) deadline: March 14, 2025
- Norice of Intent (NoI) deadline: April 15, 2025
- Letter of Intent (LoI) deadline: June 16, 2025, 8 pm ET
- Full Application deadline (by invitation only): March 3, 2026
Links: