The National Research Council of Canada – Ideation Fund: New Beginnings Initiative and Small Teams Initiative (2022)
Description:
The NRC recruits forward thinkers who work at the leading edge of research and technology to set a new standard for innovation.
The Ideation Fund enables NRC researchers to explore transformative research ideas in collaboration with external partners such as academic institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises. Acting as a discovery and demonstration phase for a continually evolving suite of research and development (R&D) deliverables at the NRC, the Ideation Fund supports exploratory research through two mechanisms:
- New Beginnings Initiative – supports small-scale exploratory research projects led by individual NRC employees working with external collaborators who possess complementary capabilities;
- Small Teams Initiative – supports the exploration of transformative ideas by NRC teams working with external collaborators who possess complementary capabilities.
Comments on Funding:
Funding for:
- the New Beginnings Initiative is up to $25,000 in operating funding for selected NRC applicants and up to $25,000 in grant funding for their external collaborators.
- the Small Teams Initiative is up $1 million in operating funding and $1 million in grant and contribution funding over 3 years.
Eligibility:
Eligible recipients include:
Large companies of more than 500 employees are not eligible to receive grant and contribution funding, but may collaborate as part of the NRC’s programs and initiatives. Grant and contribution funding is available for international collaborators where there is a benefit to Canada.
Applications Steps:
Collaborators interested in working with NRC researchers on transformative research ideas should engage directly via the NRC’s research centres.
Collaborative projects for the New Beginnings Initiative and Small Teams Initiative are selected via annual, competitive, peer review processes. For the New Beginnings Initiative, the proposals for projects of up to one year in duration are evaluated through an internal peer review process. For the Small Teams Initiative, the proposals for projects of up to three years in duration are evaluated through a peer review process.
Collaborators for selected projects are invited to apply for grant and contribution funding by the National Program Office.
Other Things to Note:
Each year, NRC researchers are invited to apply to each initiative through a call for proposals.
- New Beginnings Initiative: A total of $2 million is available per year to support projects that aim to encourage, test and validate transformative research ideas. Calls for NRC proposals are requested annually in June.
- Small Teams Initiative: A total of $4 million is available per year to support projects that aim to make transformative advances in knowledge or technology. Calls for NRC proposals are requested annually in March.
Testimonials:

When It Ends:
Ongoing
Deadline:
March for the New Beginnings Initiative
June for the Small Teams Initiative