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911³Ô¹Ï CFI Innovation Fund

2025 Innovation Fund

This competition is now closed.  For 911³Ô¹Ï's institutional envelope usage and composition of External Advisory Panel please see the .

2027 Innovation Fund

In February 2025, CFI announced that moving forward the CFI will run Innovation Fund competitions every two years, rather than every 2.5 to 3 years as in the past. The next competition will be launched in early 2026, with decisions expected in Fall 2027. The total CFI budget will be up to $325 million in capital costs with up to $97 million in associated infrastructure operating funding. 

911³Ô¹Ï’s internal selection process will be based on the following timeline. We recommend reaching out to your Faculty as early as possible to discuss space and renovation needs for your planned proposal.

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Date Activity
June 24, 1:00-2:00PM (Pacific)

Information session (optional); general introduction to the program and 911³Ô¹Ï’s internal process

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July through Dec 2025 Test-Your-Concept sessions (optional); on-demand, with panel composition tailored to meet your identified needs 
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Sept 30, 2025 updated October 1, 2025

Expression of Interest (EOI) form and Space Assessment (SAF) Form  due 

  • Required for all 911³Ô¹Ï-led projects plus non-911³Ô¹Ï-led projects requesting renovations and/or major equipment at 911³Ô¹Ï
  • Strongly recommended for all other non-911³Ô¹Ï-led projects
  • Unsuccessful teams from 2025 IF competition (decisions first week Dec 2025) and Stream 2 (SSHA) teams will have the opportunity to submit an EOI and SAF by Dec 11, 2025
  • EOI summaries will be shared among 911³Ô¹Ï researchers who submitted EOIs
November 26, 2025, 2:00-3:00PM (Pacific)

Internal LOI Workshop: tips for preparing an 911³Ô¹Ï-led internal LOI. Contact cfi@sfu.ca to receive zoom invite. 

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January 30, 2026

For 911³Ô¹Ï-led proposals only: Draft internal Letter of Intent (LOI) form and due for ISA and internal expert review

For non-911³Ô¹Ï-led proposals WITHOUT renovations or major equipment at 911³Ô¹Ï: Expression of Interest (EOI) form due

March 6, 2026

Final LOI deadline (all proposals); For 911³Ô¹Ï-led proposals, submit 911³Ô¹Ï-led_iLOI form and 911³Ô¹Ï-led iLOI spreadsheet as above; additional 1 page response to reviewers may be included.

For non-911³Ô¹Ï-led proposals, submit Non-911³Ô¹Ï-led_iLOI form and

March 2026

Review and consultations

  • 911³Ô¹Ï-led proposals: reviewed by external panel (panelist names will be posted)
  • Non-911³Ô¹Ï-led proposals: reviewed by OVPRI in consultation with lead institution

Faculty consultations/approvals

April 2026 Draft Call for Proposals issued, notification of 911³Ô¹Ï envelope
Following release of CFP Decisions on proposals approved to move forward to CFI NOI submission with an allocation from 911³Ô¹Ï’s envelope (envelope allocations will be posted)
End of September 2026 CFI Notice of Intent deadline
End of January 2027 CFI Full Proposal deadline

Note that partner institutions may have different requirements, processes and timelines, including EOIs to be submitted earlier than the 911³Ô¹Ï deadline (deadlines we are aware of will be posted). Please ensure you meet the requirements and timelines of any partner institutions.