The Canadian government have announced the launch of new funding opportunities to boost scientific collaboration with other countries.
Out of the C$50m available over the next five years, applications for the first C$10m is now available for Canadians who want to work with the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. The Canadian government stated: “The International stream aims to support international collaborations and position Canada and Canadian researchers as strategic partners at the international level.”
“Canadian researchers are looking to do more internationally,” said Ted Hewitt, president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and former chair of a government committee coordinating the New Frontiers programme. “Research is complex, and you really need to have the best talent working together,” regardless of country.
This new campaign is to explore the possibility of Canada formally joining the EU’s upcoming research programme, Horizon Europe. With the coming call for proposals, Hewitt said, “The idea is to get people thinking about” formal Horizon membership.
“Canadian researchers are looking to do more internationally”
“Depending on the results, the five-year budget for EU partnership might rise higher than the initial C$50m, and it could be “the first step to associate membership.”
According to the Canadian government: “This competition provides funding for Canadian researchers who are partners on Horizon 2020 calls that are eligible under the New Frontiers in Research in Research Fund (NFRF) program and have been awarded Horizon 2020 project funding.”
The registration deadline for this competition is two weeks after the Horizon 2020 application deadline for an eligible call and the application deadline is one month after the review results from a Horizon 2020 call.
The Canadian government continued: “This competition builds off the existing Horizon 2020 scientific review process. The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) program reviews and evaluates registration forms and applications only for conformance to NFRF-specific eligibility criteria.”
