Funding Sources & Information

Common Funding Sources

  • SSHRC Insight Grant: This annual competition, held by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, provides a successful applicant with up to $500,000 for a three- to five-year project. Notification of intent to apply deadline: August. Full application deadline: October.
  • NSERC Discovery Grant: The Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council's annual competition supports five-year, ongoing programs of research by individuals or groups. Notification of intent to apply deadline: August. Full application deadline: November.
  • CIHR Operating Grant: This biannual Canadian Institutes of Health Research competition provides support for a research project by an individual or small group of investigators. Awards are usually awarded from two, to five years, but non-renewable short-term grants of six months, one year or two years may be awarded for discrete, time-limited projects such as pilot projects and feasibility studies. Notification of intent to apply deadlines: August & February. Full application deadlines: September & March.
  • NIH R01 Grant: The National Institutes of Health is the steward of medical and behavioral research in the United States. Grant applications from Canadian institutions are welcome, but reviewers will assess whether comparable work is being done in the US, and if it is, the project will not likely be funded. Highly qualified Canadian applicants who have unique expertise or resources not available in the US have a good chance of getting an award. Deadlines: February, June & October.
  • Infrastructure Grants: The Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund both provide infrastructure support for university faculty. Researchers interesting in applying for infrastructure funding should contact the Research Office directly for program details.

Internal Sources

Connaught Programs

With the Connaught Start-Up grant in hand, new faculty can begin their research, but the $10,000 never lasts very long, and faculty must search for additional research funding sources.

Common sources in the Connaught suite of programs support niche areas of research and innovation at the University of Toronto. See the Research Services website for further details on the programs offered and various deadlines.

UofT Mississauga Internal Funding Competitons (RSAF, OCCF, etc.)

U of T Mississauga's Research Website

The website you are visiting now contains research news and funding announcements, and also detailed webpages for the common research funding sources. These pages are updated regularly and are a source of succinct information.

University of Toronto Research Services (UTRS) Website & Research Alerts

The UTRS website is also a wealth of information, and includes a funding database of all the research sponsors who are funding or have funded researchers at the University of Toronto. This database can give researchers an excellent overview of the research funding opportunities available.

Researchers can also sign up for Research Alerts, which is an e-mail and web tool that shares information with the U of T research community based on individual roles and interests

Pivot (Community of Science) Funding Opportunities Database

Pivot is a comprehensive international funding database to which the University of Toronto subscribes on behalf of faculty. The database provides you with a curated list of funding opportunities as based on your departmental appointments, research interests, publication and granting history, and other profile information. To keep pace with growing and evolving research fields, Pivot’s expert editors continuously update an authoritative list of keywords that are carefully matched to each Pivot funding opportunity. Enter search terms, sponsor name, or browse by keyword to explore the latest funding opportunities and research trends.