Sponsor

Digital Research Alliance of Canada 

Program

National Data Spaces 

For More Information

Please visit the program website [1]. 

Description

The National Data Spaces Pilot Program is designed to test and refine the idea of data spaces to improve how Canada's research data is managed, shared and used across all research fields – from the humanities and social sciences to engineering, health and agriculture. This initiative, aligned with the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, will accelerate discovery and maximize the impact of public investments in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Research Infrastructure.

The Pilot will support at least three research communities in establishing domain-specific data spaces that bring together the appropriate governance, standards, services and technology to enable secure, ethical and interoperable data (re)use. This Pilot is a core component of the Alliance's vision for the Canadian Research Data Platform (CRDP) – a connected ecosystem that ensures Canadian research data is managed according to Canadian principles, safeguarded for the long term, and positioned for maximum impact.

Eligibility

The Alliance invites applications from Lead Participants based at eligible Canadian organizations. An eligible Canadian organization includes: 

• A Canadian university or post-secondary college or educational institution or hospital that receives public funding, and that carries on, or is capable of carrying on, meaningful research;
• A non-profit organization that is situated in Canada and that carries on, or is capable of carrying on, meaningful research;
• An institution or non-profit organization that is situated in Canada and whose activities support Canada’s DRI ecosystem;
• Canadian data repositories, defined as a) any repository that stewards data deposited by Tri-Agency eligible researchers, or b) any repository which stewards data cited in a Canadian, peer-reviewed academic journal.

Funding Availability

A total of $3.15 million is available from January 2026 through March 2028 to support activities related to maturing of research communities into operational National Data Spaces. Each proposal may request up to a maximum of $1 million in eligible funding. The Alliance will cover 100% of eligible expenses for each Recipient. The Alliance invites proposals under the following envelopes:

• From $500,000 to $1,000,000 in total per Applicant.
• From $250,000 to $500,000 in total per Applicant.

Indirect Costs

0%

How to Apply

Applications are to be submitted via Digital Research of Alliance of Canada's online platform [3].