PURPOSE
The Emergency Research Funding Support Program provides temporary assistance to full-time continuing UTM-appointed faculty whose recent grant applications to external funding bodies have been unsuccessful and who have a demonstrable urgent need for funding to continue critical research activities.
The program seeks to provide urgently-needed funding to as many in-need faculty as is possible, and thus applicants are encouraged to request the minimum amount of funding required to enable the continuation of critical research activities. There is limited funding available for this program, thus not all requests can be supported. Each application will be reviewed by the OVPRI leadership team, taking into consideration the below-noted matters and the degree of alignment between the purpose of the proposed funding and current UTM OVPRI strategic priorities, which include increasing total external research revenues and Tri-Council funding held at UTM.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must:
- hold a full-time, continuing status, primary faculty appointment at UTM
Graduate-only appointments, other types of cross-appointments, CLTA, LTA, and emeritus faculty are not eligible - are actively pursuing suitable funding support from external sponsors and have been unsuccessful in those efforts
- have explored other options and sought to secure funding support from all other possible internal sources (e.g., Departmental funding, faculty start-up funding, PERA)
- have a clearly articulated, compelling and urgent need for the requested funding (i.e., it is essential to avoid a problematic disruption to the applicant’s critical research activities)
- demonstrate a strong potential for securing sustainable funding
NB: meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee that one will receive funding.
APPLICATION
Please submit application materials as a single PDF file with the Subject line “ERFS Program Application” to: funding.ovpri.utm@utoronto.ca. Deadline for submitting applications is Friday, June 27, 2025.
Applications will provide the following information:
- a cover sheet that includes applicant’s name, department, email, appointment status, total amount requested, and CC/CFC account number
- a description (maximum one page in length) of the research activities/equipment/resources the requested funding will support, their necessity for continuing the applicant’s critical research activities, and a list of all faculty members and/or students/trainees who will directly/indirectly benefit from the requested funding support
a budget justification (maximum one page in length) that:
- identifies the cost and clearly explains the purpose and essentiality of the activities/equipment/resources for which funding is being requested
- provides a list of:- other sources of funding that have been approached/considered to secure support, including recent grant applications that have been submitted
- external funding support that the applicant will be pursuing in the immediate future (including approximate application submission date[s]) and the degree to which the proposed grant(s) will amplify the funding provided through this program
ADJUDICATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
1. The UTM OVPRI senior leadership team will review and evaluate all nominations and adjudicate based on applicant needs and the program funding available.
2. Applications will be assessed on the below-noted assessment criteria and weightings:
- I. Demonstrated need for funding (40%): the application clearly demonstrates that absent the requested funding the applicant’s ability to successfully continue their critical research activities would be problematically hindered.
- II. Plan to address identified application/funding deficiencies (30%): the application offers a specific plan for addressing reviewers’ comments/committee feedback from previous unsuccessful grant applications AND/OR a plan (including a schedule) for pursuing external funding (especially from relevant Tri-council grant programs) to support future funding needs.
- III. Appropriate budget (30%): a reasonable/realistic budget and all necessary associated details and justification are provided. The provision of matching support from the applicant’s home department will be evaluated favorably.
3. Nominations will be judged solely on the basis of the requested information supplied in the submission – i.e., additional information/documentation will not be considered.
CONDITIONS
Funding recipients must commit to:
- apply as a primary applicant to an external (i.e., non-U of T) grant funding competition within 6 months of receiving the funding or otherwise at the earliest possible opportunity; and
- contacting the UTM OVPRI within one month of receiving their funding to discuss their required grant application and, in turn, submit the related grant application to the UTM OVPRI for internal grant-editing review.*
*Please contact Ana Pogoutse (a.pogoutse@utoronto.ca), or Kate Steinmann (kate.steinmann@utoronto.ca) to discuss proposed grant application, and submit for review/feedback a complete draft of the application to grants.ovpri.utm@utoronto.ca at least 2 weeks before the sponsor deadline.
QUESTIONS:
General questions about the Emergency Research Funding Support Program should be directed to Shaun Young (shaun.young@utoronto.ca). Questions about the application process, including deadlines, should be addressed to funding.ovpri.utm@utoronto.ca.