Canada Impact+ Research Chairs and Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders competition

The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (Impact+) program is a one-time initiative designed to support institutions in attracting world-leading researchers whose work addresses critical national and global challenges. The program emphasizes both research excellence and tangible impact. Impact+ Chairs will receive long-term funding and institutional support to advance ambitious and transformative projects in Canada’s strategic priority areas, build and maintain exceptional research teams, and collaborate with partners across sectors and borders. Impact+ chairholders are expected to drive the translation of discoveries into applications, commercialization and social and economic benefits for Canada and the world, while also developing the next generation of highly qualified personnel.

The Impact+ program is a tri-agency initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). It is administered by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), which is housed within SSHRC.

The program awards Chairs of two award values:

• $8 million over eight years ($1 million per year); or
• $4 million over eight years ($500,000 per year).

The two award values recognize the varying costs of research within different research disciplines and aim to be inclusive of all areas of research.

In addition, there is potential for a four-year extension at 50% of the initial award value per year. This extension will be determined by an external review in Year 7 of the award. The funding extension will be granted on the basis of 1) clear, tangible evidence of the knowledge translation, commercialization or policy impact of the research, and 2) identification of sustained partnerships with industry, government, academic or not-for-profit organizations. This is in keeping with the program’s overall goal of generating transformational research and maximizing its application to benefit the Canadian economy and society more broadly. More details on the extension process will be shared with awardees.

The funding supports expenses related to compensation, as well as research activities for the chairholder and the chairholder’s team, and up to 25% of the direct costs of research can be used for indirect costs of research. Indirect costs calculations exclude the salary of the chairholder (including benefits), teaching replacement costs of the chairholder, and eligible recruitment and relocation costs.

The key objectives of the Impact+ program are to support institutions to:

• attract a world-leading researchers to strengthen Canada’s global competitiveness and innovation leadership;
• transform bold discoveries into innovative products, ideas, policies and solutions that benefit Canadians and the world;
• help Canada grow and sustain a critical mass of expertise in priority areas identified by the Government of Canada through the development of high-impact research teams; and
• incentivize strategic partnerships across sectors, such as industry, health systems, government and not-for-profit organizations, to accelerate translation of research into practice and enhance long-term adoption and impact.

These objectives, reflected in the selection criteria, will guide the initial multidisciplinary review when awarding Chairs, as well as the subsequent external review of a potential funding extension of four additional years.

Impact+ Chairs are awarded in strategic priority areas established by the Government of Canada to address pressing global and domestic challenges, strengthen Canada’s contribution to international research and innovation, and generate lasting social and economic benefits.

Chairs are expected to build significant new partnerships and collaborations with both Canadian and international entities (industry, health systems, government and not-for-profit organizations), as well as by and with Indigenous Peoples and communities, where appropriate.

A core expectation is that Chairs, and their research teams, will actively translate and mobilize research outcomes into practice, policy, and commercialization pathways that deliver measurable social and economic benefits for Canada and the world.

Applications must explain how the Chair will advance one or more of the following strategic priority areas:

• advanced digital technologies (including artificial intelligence, quantum and cybersecurity);
• health, including biotechnology;
• clean technology and resource value chains;
• environment, climate resilience and the Arctic;
• food and water security;
• democratic and community resilience;
• manufacturing and advanced materials; and/or
• defence and dual-use technologies.

The Government of Canada values knowledge mobilization, translation and commercialization as critical pathways to ensuring research delivers tangible benefits at both national and global levels. Impact+ Chairs are expected to move beyond discovery to generate social, economic and policy impacts, working in close collaboration with partners across various sectors.

In their nomination package, institutions must show how research results could be shared and applied in practices, policies, products and/or services. High-level plans should identify end users and outline engagement mechanisms and potential partnerships, including with Indigenous communities, if applicable. Pathways for commercialization, intellectual property management, and expected benefits to Canada should be described. Institutions should also demonstrate how the Chair will train highly qualified personnel with skills to support these objectives.

The Impact+ program expects host institutions to contribute their own cash and/or in-kind resources to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Chair.

While the Impact+ program does not require institutions to secure matching funds from external partners, a key program expectation is that institutions will support the program’s knowledge translation objectives by leveraging additional contributions (cash and/or in-kind) through partnerships with the private and public sector, research institutions, academic institutions, and/or not-for-profit and philanthropic organizations, both in Canada and abroad.

Host institutions will also be expected to leverage additional resources through partners, other funders and other institutional initiatives to sustain the research advantages created by the chairholder beyond the initial eight-year duration of the award, including the retention of the chairholder and support for knowledge translation, including commercialization (if applicable) of research.

The chairholder’s salary is an eligible cost for the Impact+ program. Nominating institutions are encouraged to pay their chairholders using their own funds and count this towards their contributions to the chairholder’s research program.

Institutions awarded a Chair are eligible for infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The infrastructure may support the research program of chairholders and, if applicable, early career researchers (ECRs) under Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders, as outlined below.

The CFI is an independent organization established by the Government of Canada to invest in research infrastructure to increase the capability of Canada’s universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research organizations to carry out high quality research.

This is a distinct funding request that is separate from the budget for the Chair. Through the new Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund, the CFI will invest up to $400 million to support the infrastructure needs of the chairholders and complementary ECRs (as applicable), including both capital and operating and maintenance (O&M) costs. The share of the costs for capital expenditures and O&M is left to the discretion of the applicants based on their needs; however, the maximum total project cost covered by the CFI is $6 million. The CFI reserves the right to limit the maximum amount requested by an institution to ensure funding is available for both intakes of chairs and ECRs.

Nominating institutions must submit the application for these infrastructure support requests directly to the CFI. Infrastructure requests must be submitted within three months of the chairholder accepting the award. The CFI portion must be submitted via the CFI’s awards management system (CAMS).

The CFI’s board of directors is responsible for the funding decisions related to the requests for infrastructure support for successful Chair applications. Following its review process, the CFI will communicate the decisions directly to the nominating institutions.

On an exceptional basis, institutions may request request an additional $500,000 per year (bringing the annual value to $1.5 million) over eight years if their nominees have received exceptional international recognition through prestigious awards or prizes such as, but not limited to, Nobel, Turing, Fields, Abel, Wolf, Tyler, Draper, Johan Skytte, Berggruen. In addition, there is potential for a four-year extension at 50% of the initial award value per year. This extension will be externally evaluated in Year 7 of the award.

This additional support is provided with the expectation that the international recognition will elevate the visibility of the Chair and enhance their potential to attract high quality partnerships and commercial interest. Institutions must indicate their interest in being considered for this award and provide a justification as part of the application process.

Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders is a $120 million investment to help institutions bring more internationally based ECRs to Canada. This program is also administered by TIPS.

Institutions submitting a nomination for an Impact+ Research Chair may request an additional $100,000 per year over six years to recruit an ECR. The ECR must be recruited within the same strategic priority area as the Impact+ Research Chairs nominee, but the ECR and Impact+ Research Chair don't necessarily need to be in the same discipline or research field or be aligned with the same federal research funding agency. Institutions may include support for the ECR in their research infrastructure request to CFI.

Contrary to the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs competition, there is no predetermined agency-specific budget envelope for Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders. The ECR nominees are expected to have an independent program of research, with potential for impact through collaborations with, but not limited to, the Impact+ Research Chairs.

As both programs are related, the Emerging Leaders award will be granted after the chairholder and the nominating institution formally accept the Impact+ Research Chair award. Institutions will manage the recruitment and nomination of an ECR for a tenure-track position, in compliance with the Impact+ Research Chairs requirements. Only candidates who are internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada) when the Impact+ Research Chair is accepted are eligible. Successful nominees will be expected to start their position at the host institution, on a full-time basis, within 12 months of the acceptance by the chairholder.

Extension of the Emerging Leaders award for an additional six years, at the same yearly amount, will be contingent on confirming the person recruited as an ECR has progressed in their academic career and demonstrates the research conducted since the recruitment has been transformational, translational and has garnered partners. Institutions will be asked to demonstrate what measures were put in place to support the ECR (including, but not limited to, mentoring).

All applications submitted to the competition, regardless of award value and/or the career stage of the nominee, will be evaluated using the program’s evaluation criteria:

1. Research/academic merit and leadership skills of the nominee
2. Quality of the institutional support
3. Quality of the research program
4. Potential contribution to the excellence of the Canadian and international research ecosystem
5. Potential for knowledge translation, mobilization and application of research results

This program includes additional objectives to align with priorities of the Government of Canada and/or the three federal research funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC), including the following:

The three federal research funding agencies are committed to excellence in research and research training, and therefore to achieving an equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise. Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are essential to creating the excellent, innovative, impactful research needed to seize opportunities and respond to global challenges. To be successful, institutions must demonstrate and implement the highest EDI standards in their applications, nominations and recruitment processes and in the management of the awards.

EDI are embedded as foundational principles in Impact+ objectives, expected outcomes and reporting requirements of the competition. The three agencies expect that institutions and chairholders will demonstrate and implement the highest EDI standards for the duration of their award.

Institutions are required to take active and rigorous measures to identify and prevent systemic barriers and ensure that excellent students, trainees, early career researchers and faculty from underrepresented, equity-seeking, rights-seeking populations, including racialized individuals, African, Caribbean and Black individuals, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women and individuals from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, can fully contribute to the chairholder’s research program.

Supporting early career researchers is a tri-agency priority, as it enhances Canada’s position as a world leader in building talent and strengthening the research ecosystem. Chairs and host institutions are expected to implement measures that specifically support a diverse cohort of early career researchers within the research programs of chairholders.

For more information, see: Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention.

Sound EDI principles must be applied to the research design, methods, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of research findings, where applicable, to ensure the results are impactful and relevant to the diversity of the Canadian population.

For more information, see:

• Best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion in research practice and design;
• Canada Research Chairs best practices guide for recruitment, hiring and retention;
• EDI considerations at each stage of the research process;
• SGBA Plus section of the CIHR website; and
• Women and Gender Equality Canada’s information on GBA Plus.

The research program should take action to co-create Indigenous research that is co-led by and with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples—as investigators, students, trainees, partners and collaborators where applicable.

If applicable to the priority area and program of research, the institution should demonstrate how it will value Indigenous ways of knowing, and how it will extend research knowledge in the field that is significant for Indigenous Peoples and communities, as well as contribute to decolonization.

It is expected that nominating institutions will support nominees in integrating Indigenous research into their research program if necessary. A rationale must be provided in cases where the application considers that no aspect of the research may benefit from the inclusion of Indigenous research components.

For applications that include Indigenous research, see the following references for further information:

• SSHRC’s definition of Indigenous research;
• SSHRC’s Indigenous Research Statement of Principles;
• SSHRC’s Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research;
• “Chapter 9 – Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada,” in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans—TCPS 2 (2022);
• the Government of Canada’s Inuit Nunangat Policy; and
• The First Nations principles of ownership, control, access and possession (OCAP).

To ensure that the Canadian research ecosystem is as open as possible and is safeguarded as necessary, the Government of Canada has introduced the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy) and the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP).

For more information about research security at the federal research funding agencies, see the Tri-agency Guidance on Research Security.

On January 16, 2024, the Government of Canada published its Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy), which applies to this funding opportunity. Grant applications and nominations that involve conducting research and related activities that aim to advance a sensitive technology research area will not be funded if any of the researchers involved in activities supported by the grant are affiliated with, or in receipt of funding or in-kind support from, a university, research institute or laboratory connected to military, national defence or state security entities that could pose a risk to Canada’s national security.

Note that research within the scope of this funding opportunity, as identified in the list of strategic areas, is likely to advance a listed sensitive technology research area. As a result of the STRAC Policy, attestation forms will be required if a grant proposal is identified as aiming to advance a listed sensitive technology research area.

Read the Tri-Agency Guidance on the STRAC Policy to understand how this may impact your application.

These guidelines provide a framework through which researchers, research institutions and Canada’s federal research funding agencies can undertake consistent, risk-targeted due diligence to identify and mitigate potential national security risks linked to research partnerships.

The NSGRP apply to the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs applications and Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders involving one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors. For such partnerships, a risk assessment form must be completed and submitted as an integral part of the application.

The Tri-agency guidance on the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) provides more information on applicable procedures and requirements.

These guidelines provide a framework through which researchers, research institutions and Canada’s federal research funding agencies can undertake consistent, risk-targeted due diligence to identify and mitigate potential national security risks linked to research partnerships.

The NSGRP apply to the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs applications and Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders involving one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors. For such partnerships, a risk assessment form must be completed and submitted as an integral part of the application.

The Tri-agency guidance on the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) provides more information on applicable procedures and requirements.

Impact+ awards are institutional awards and, therefore, the host institution is considered the award recipient. The institution is responsible for recruiting and selecting a nominee to be the Impact+ chairholder, and is accountable for coordinating the overall financial and administrative aspects of the application, nomination and award. Host institutions are also expected to support their chairholders and facilitate the success of their research programs during and beyond the term of the Impact+ award (see Sustainability).

Canadian degree-granting universities are eligible to apply to the program. These universities are eligible only if they have received, annually, an average of $100,000 or more from the three federal research funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC).

To be considered degree-granting, a university must meet both of the following criteria:

• It must be authorized by a provincial or territorial government to grant its own university degrees. A postsecondary educational institution affiliated or federated with another degree-granting institution will be accorded its own independent eligibility, if it receives its operating budget directly from the provincial or territorial government (Ministry of Education or Higher Education or equivalent) and has its own board of directors.
• It must have conferred degrees during the two calendar years prior to application or have students enrolled who will receive degrees during the calendar year of application or within the three succeeding years. The institution must provide evidence of its authority to confer degrees and evidence that degrees were or are expected to be granted within the required time period.

The Impact+ program offers eligible institutions the opportunity to nominate internationally renowned scholars and scientists as chairholders in areas of strategic importance to Canada (see strategic priority areas). The nominees must have a recent track record of research accomplishments and significant interest in making new contributions to Canada. Only candidates who are internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada) at the time of the first intake application deadline are eligible to apply.

Successful nominees will have the primary responsibility for directing the research program and all related activities, leading a team of personnel, and coordinating governance and administration with the host institution.

Nominees must be full professors or associate professors or, if recruited from outside the academic sector, must possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels. Once a successful nominee takes up their chairholder appointment, the host institution will be expected to appoint them as a full professor, or as an associate professor with a promotion to full professor within two years of starting their appointment. Institutions may use their 2026 Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) nomination processes to identify nominees for the Impact+ Research Chairs competition, but they may not nominate the same person for both programs. 

Successful nominees will be expected to start their position at their Canadian host institution within 12 months of accepting the award. Chairholders will be required to take up their appointment on a full-time basis. For more details on continuing eligibility requirements, see the Canada Excellence Research Chairs and Canada 150 Research Chairs Administration Guide.

Chairholders are subject to their host institution’s employer policies. Chairholders are not employees of the program or the Government of Canada. During the term of the Chair, matters that fall under the employer (institution) and employee (chairholder) relationship fall outside of the program’s mandate. Institutions and chairholders are expected to discuss and negotiate employee-employer considerations before the start of the Chair, and as needed during the term of the award. Institutions that are awarded an Impact+ Chair are expected to support their chairholders by honouring the commitments made in the application and facilitating the success of their work.

All applications must be submitted electronically through the Convergence Portal following the instructions outlined in the recruitment and nomination, registration and application guides. No materials will be accepted after the indicated deadlines and no extensions to the deadlines will be provided.

Nominating institutions will first conduct an open, transparent and accountable recruitment and nomination process following the Requirements for Recruiting and Nominating Impact+ Chairs.

Institutions must submit all job postings that advertise the Chair position to TIPS no later than the day they are publicly posted online.

Potential nominees identified through a recruitment process for the 2026 Canada Excellence Research Chairs competition can be nominated without needing to apply to an Impact+ specific job posting.

Nominating institutions must submit a registration by the deadline following the Instructions for submitting a registration in the Convergence Portal.

Prior to registering, a nominee must accept the invitation to participate through the Convergence Portal.

Nominating institutions must submit applications by the deadlines following the Instructions for submitting an application using the Convergence Portal.

There will be two intakes of applications. 

The multidisciplinary selection committee(s) will be composed of a diverse group of world-leading national and international academics, scientists and leaders from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. This committee(s) will ensure that the high international standards of research excellence and the objective of selecting applications with research projects that hold strong transformational and translational potential established for the program are respected.  

All applications will be assessed using the same selection criteria.

From an overall ranking, based on a full consideration of the selection criteria, and the available budget, each selection committee will make funding recommendations to the TIPS Steering Committee for their consideration and approval.

Chairs will be offered to the highest ranked applications recommended for funding by the committee(s), within its available budget per intake. Other meritorious applications will be placed on reversion lists and will be offered an award if a chair is declined.   

The TIPS Steering Committee is composed of the presidents of CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC and the CFI (as an observer), and the deputy ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Health Canada. The Steering Committee will ratify each multidisciplinary selection committee’s funding recommendations, ensuring the selection process was rigorous, objective and transparent, in keeping with the standards of review excellence expected by the three federal research funding agencies and consistent with the program’s objectives.

The program will inform institutions and nominees of competition results via the Convergence Portal. In addition to a notice of decision, all institutions and nominees will be provided feedback on their application, with the final overall score for each criterion.

Continued funding during the term of the award will be subject to the publication of a formal, comprehensive EDI action plan on the chairholder’s webpage. The plan must be published within one year of the chairholder’s appointment date. Host institutions are encouraged to collaborate with EDI experts to develop their plans in order to ensure they are evidence-based and impactful. Plans must be intersectional and grounded in equity expertise and lived experience to help support their success. Plans should address EDI throughout the duration of the award in the composition of the chairholder’s team, the research environment, and all other activities organized by the Chair, such as conferences, meetings, outreach and knowledge translation. It is expected that funds from the award will be used to both develop and implement the EDI action plan. Institutions with multiple Impact+ chairs may develop an institutional-wide Impact+ EDI action plan with specificities for each Chair detailed on their individual chairholder’s website.

Six months following the chairholder’s appointment date, the host institution will be required to submit the following documents:

1. Governance Plan (including a sustainability plan);
2. Detailed Research Proposal; 
3. A further developed Knowledge Mobilization/Translation Plan (i.e., from the high-level plan submitted with the nomination); and
4. Data Management Plan. 

These documents will not be evaluated at that point; however, they will be available to reviewers during the extension review process.

Impact+ chairholders and their institutions will be required to meet additional annual reporting and public accountability and transparency requirements. These may include reporting on the status of the knowledge mobilization and translation activities to ensure the application of research results is prioritized. Failure to meet reporting requirements will result in the suspension of payments until the requirements are met.

Chairs will be evaluated by the end of Year 7 to determine whether an additional four-year funded extension is warranted. The amount of additional funds released for each extended Chair is set at 50% of the original award annual value.

Each extension request will be assessed by TIPS following an external review. Continued funding will be contingent on an evaluation of the tangible evidence of translational and transformational impacts of the research, including results and impacts to date, as well as potential for further impacts. Chairs must show measurable outcomes in knowledge mobilization, policy impact, or practice adoption; evidence and concrete promise of sustained and productive partnerships; and credible commercialization outputs and/or potential where relevant, such as patents, licencing, start-ups, or technology transfer agreements.

The TIPS Steering Committee will make final decisions on whether to extend each award.

Impact+ chairholders and their institutions are required to manage all program funds using robust financial management practices and open and transparent processes. The principles of responsible stewardship of public funds, public accountability, fairness and transparency must be respected within all stages of the initiative.

For more details regarding the roles and responsibilities for appropriate use of Impact+ funds, see the Canada Excellence Research Chairs and Canada 150 Research Chairs Administration Guide, the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration, the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research and the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions.

Nominating institutions are encouraged to attend Impact+ program information sessions about this competition. More details will follow regarding the schedule for the information sessions.

If you have questions:

• about the application process, email impactplus@chairs-chaires.gc.ca;
• about the Convergence Portal, email websupport@convergence.gc.ca; or
• about requests for accessibility and adaptive measures, email TIPS-Accessibility-SPIIE-Accessibilite@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca or communicate with the nominating institution’s accessibility contact included in the job posting.