Sponsor
Ministry of Colleges and Universities
Description
The Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) provides research institutions with funding to support the operational costs of major projects of strategic value to the province. The fund provides up to one third of the total value of a project. The remaining two thirds of funding comes from a combination of private sector and institutional contributions.
See the ORF-RE website for Round 11 Program Guidelines and Application Forms.
The deadlines and requirements outlined in this research alert apply to Co-Applicants, with the PI being from another institution.
Priority areas and funding streams
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities is prioritizing applications that support the Government of Ontario initiatives included in the 2021 Ontario Budget such as Ontario’s First-Ever Critical Minerals Strategy and Ontario’s Vehicle Innovation Network. Applications that support research and development activities that lead to the commercialization of ‘Ontario Made’ products, technologies and solutions will be prioritized for funding.
Specifically, the Ministry will give priority to applications focused on:
- connected, autonomous, electric vehicles (including battery and powertrain technology);
- industrial/mining technologies related to electric vehicles, spanning the entire value chain from minerals to manufacturing to recovering resources from vehicles or their component parts at end-of-life.
Funding Availability
Stream 1: General – Basic and Applied Research
- is open to all research disciplines
- funds projects from $500,000 to $2,000,000
- funds projects up to a maximum of 5 years
Stream 2: Targeted - Experimental Research
- funds projects that demonstrate strong commercialization potential, where the innovation is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3 or higher
- Targets projects in the following sectors:
- information communications technologies
- life sciences and medical devices
- industrial technologies
- requires collaboration with an Ontario-based company
- funds projects from $300,000 to $1,000,000
- funds projects up to a maximum of 4 years
Special Notes
Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page.
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Internal Deadline | Email stratprg@uoguelph.ca if involved in an application led by another institution. Identify:
| |
Internal Deadline | Submit to stratprg@uoguelph.ca:
| |
Internal Deadline | FINAL INTERNAL DEADLINE: Submit OR-5 and all final application documents to ailsakay@uoguelph.ca and research.services@uoguelph.ca. | |
External Deadline | Please submit a copy of the lead institution's full application to stratprg@uoguelph.ca Lead institution to submit full application to MCU. |
How to Apply
Refer to University of Guelph Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence website for more specific information, templates and application documents.