Lakehead University’s Office of Research Services is pleased to announce two programs in support of community-engaged research with community organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and Indigenous communities and partners. We invite all tenure-track, tenured, and three-year limited-term appointment Lakehead faculty members who are eligible to apply in disciplines supported by SSHRC to submit applications to the 1) Community-Engaged Research Grant (CERG) Program, or the 2) Indigenous Research Capacity Development Grant (IRCDG) Program. Applicants may apply to only one program (project start date of April 1, 2027).

Community-Engaged Research Grant (CERG) Program Objectives

Community-engaged research is a collaborative process between universities and diverse communities. The goal of such research is to improve community well-being. Community-engaged research respects the capacity of all stakeholders to contribute to the development of new knowledge and incorporates them in the design, conduct and dissemination of the different phases of the research process. Community-engaged research is founded upon the principles of social responsibility, respect, reciprocity, democratization of knowledge creation, and social and/or ecological justice. This call will support one-year collaborative research initiatives that are aligned with Lakehead University’s commitment to the Sustainable Economic and Community Development and Entrepreneurship pillar undertaken, in part, with community partners as outlined in the University’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.

Indigenous Research Capacity Development Grant (IRCDG) Program Objectives

The Indigenous Research Capacity Development (IRCD) Grant Program highlights Lakehead University’s ongoing commitment to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls for Action and Universities Canada Principles on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Indigenous Education. This initiative will also support funding for one-year collaborative research initiatives that are aligned with Lakehead University’s commitment to Social Responsibility and Community Engagement with Indigenous Partners as outlined in the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.   

Call/Funding Details

For these calls, Lakehead University will provide total funding of $75,000 for the following types of research initiatives for each program:

1.    Research funds to support community-engaged research where there is evidence of an existing partnership with a community organization, and/or Indigenous community  (up to $15,000 over one year).

2.   Partnership development seed funds to support planning activities with new community partners and/or Indigenous Communities, including travel, meetings, workshops, etc. (up to $7,500) over a one-year period.

Please note that research grants must be completed, and all funds spent by March 31, 2028. Successful applicants must commit to completion of a final report within 30 days of completion of the project; the Office of Research Services will provide successful grantees with the Romeo Internal Grant final report template.

Funding for these research initiatives is made possible through the SSHRC Institutional Grant (SIG) Supplement program. The objective of the SSHRC SIG Supplement grant is to enable small universities to develop and strengthen focused research capacity and excellence in the social sciences and humanities in accordance with the University’s development plan. Proposals must demonstrate how this funding will lead to a successful and competitive external SSHRC application within one year following the end of the grant.

Researchers funded previously through the previous SSHRC SIG Supplement CERG, and/or IRCDG program are encouraged to apply as long as they have completed the previous project, continue to meet the eligibility criteria and provide a performance activity report outlining results and outcomes achieved with the previous grant prior to the deadline date for this current call.

Eligibility: Tenure-track, tenured, or 3-year limited-term appointment Lakehead faculty members are eligible to apply for this program. Community partners may include, but not be limited to: Indigenous communities, not-for-profit organizations, grassroots organizations, municipal departments, and health agencies. Government agencies and other postsecondary institutions are not eligible as partners. 

Application Process: Applications must be submitted through the Romeo Research Portal no later than January 18, 2027. 

Selection Process: An internal peer-review committee will be established to evaluate and rank proposals. Every effort will be made to engage Indigenous peoples, community partners and highly qualified personnel in the review process. The committee will rank and make a final recommendation of the projects to be supported through the program to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.

Evaluation Criteria

Challenge — the aim and importance of the project (60%):

• strategic value of the chosen research development area to the partner (Indigenous partner if under the IRCDG), and clarity of alignment between the proposed research and Lakehead University’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan;

• evidence that communities/organizations (Indigenous communities/organizations under the IRCDG) are/will be genuine partners in the initiative;

• expected contribution to knowledge;

• appropriateness of the research methods/approach; and

• potential influence and impact within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.

Feasibility — the plan to achieve inclusive research excellence (20%):

• probability of effective and timely attainment of an increase in research capacity at Lakehead University and within community organizations (Indigenous communities under the IRCDG);

• quality of the proposed community-engagement plan;

• appropriateness of the requested budget and justification of proposed costs; and

• an indication of financial and in-kind contributions from community partners (Indigenous partners under the IRCDG) and other sources, as appropriate.

Capability — track record and the potential to succeed (20%):

• the track-record of the proposed research team working with community organizations (or Indigenous communities under the IRCDG);

• indication of human, financial and institutional resources available and to be committed;

• where applicable, evidence of outputs and outcomes resulting from previous related funding.

• Under the IRCDG: Evidence of Indigenous community-engagement in formulating the research questions and designing the research methods.

Questions

Should you have any questions about the program, please contact Anne Klymenko Director, Office of Research Services, at ext. 8223 or aklymenk@lakeheadu.ca. If you need assistance with completing the Romeo application, please contact Darren Lampson at research@lakeheadu.ca.

Background

The Lakehead University Research Chairs program recognizes high-quality research, scholarly and creative achievement, by providing a two‐year research grant to support an individual’s program of research. The LURC program is a key initiative in retaining outstanding research talent at our institution, a goal consistent with Lakehead’s Research Plan. Lakehead University is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in all aspects of the University. Lakehead recognizes the value in all types of research, including but not limited to non-traditional and transdisciplinary research areas, both traditional and non-traditional research outputs, and community-based research, in addition to the value in mentoring, professional service, the formation of partnerships, and outreach activities.

Lakehead University is seeking applications for two (2) new 2027-2029 Lakehead University Research Chairs, one (1) in the disciplines supported by SSHRC/CIHR and one (1) in the disciplines supported by NSERC/CIHR.

Eligibility

All faculty who are tenure‐track or tenured members of LUFA and have been employed at Lakehead University for at least three years as of May 1, 2027 are eligible. Please also note that a past limited-term appointment (LTA) at Lakehead University would count towards the three years. Current or past research chair holders such as CRCs, Industry Research Chairs, LU/TBRHRI Research Chairs, LURCs, Ontario Research Chairs, faculty-based Chairs, etc., are not eligible to receive this award.  

Criteria will be weighted differently for Early Career Researchers as described in the Criteria Section below. Early career researchers (ECR) are applicants who have held their first independent academic position as an LTA, tenure-track or tenured professor within the last five years. Note that the five-year window for being considered an ECR will be adjusted to take into account situations where a researcher has had an eligible delay in their research activities as a result of a leave. All eligible leaves (such as parental, medical, etc.), are credited at twice the amount of leave time taken. Therefore, the five-year window for being considered as an ECR will be adjusted to take into account situations where a researcher has had an eligible leave of absence which had an impact on their research productivity. Individuals representing equity-deserving groups, including but not limited to women and gender minorities, racialized individuals, Indigenous persons, and persons with disabilities, are strongly encouraged to apply for these positions. The University recognizes that alternative career paths and/or interruptions (e.g., parental leave, leave due to illness, etc.) can impact research achievements and progress. If these alternative paths or interruptions have impacted an applicant’s research activities, the applicant must outline this in the EDI section of their application. The University is committed to ensuring that career interruptions are taken into careful consideration in the assessment of LURC applications.

Value of Award

Up to $45,000 as a research grant (up to $22,500/year) tenable over two years beginning May 1, 2027. The Chair’s research grant may be used to support the following eligible expenditures: teaching release (Chairs are required to teach a minimum of 1.0 FCE per year), stipends for students, post‐doctoral fellows and research associates, research and conference travel, materials/supplies, equipment and grant‐writing support. Chairs must receive the necessary approvals for teaching release using Lakehead University’s Release Time Request (RTS) Form. For purposes of the competition, the signatures of the applicant, Department/School Chair and Faculty Dean are required on the RTS form by the deadline. Salary payments to Research Chairs in lieu of teaching release are not an eligible expense.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted via the Romeo Research Portal no later than 4:30 PM on March 1, 2027. The following information will be required as part of the application package:

1. Lakehead University Research Chair application form (available in the Romeo Research Portal);

2. Release Time Stipend Request Form (if requesting release time from teaching);

3. Canadian Common CV (do not use generic CCV, use appropriate Tri‐Council CCV);

4. Three letters of reference addressing the selection criteria.  At least one of the three letters must be from an individual who is an expert in the proposed research and external to Lakehead University.  Referees must disclose their professional relationship and/or their professional collaboration with the applicant in their letters of reference. Letters of reference must be signed and submitted as a PDF document to Dr. Langis Roy, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Lakehead University, and be emailed directly to vpresearch@lakeheadu.ca. 

Referees must not have a Conflict of Interest (COI) as defined in the guidelines below.

Former supervisors, previous or current collaborators, etc., may write letters of support. All letters must include a description of the extent of the affiliation with the applicant and a brief description of their professional relationship and/or collaborations with the applicant. Letters of support must also provide an objective assessment of the applicant’s research track record, proposed research project in the LURC application, as well an assessment of the applicant’s ability to complete the proposed research. 

5. Supporting letter from the Faculty Dean:  The Dean's letter of support should be addressed to Dr. Langis Roy, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Lakehead University, and be emailed directly to vpresearch@lakeheadu.ca.

Selection Process and Criteria

The Vice‐President,Research and Innovation shall appoint a Lakehead University Research Chair Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will review all submitted nominations and make its recommendations to the Vice‐President, Research and Innovation. The Selection Committee will review all eligible Lakehead University Research Chair applications using the following evaluation criteria:

Research Track Record (Weighting: 40%; 20% ECRs)

Applicants must:

• be outstanding and innovative researchers whose accomplishments have made a major impact in their fields. The Committee will recognize and value all types of research and their outputs, including but not limited to non-traditional research areas, both traditional and non-traditional research outputs, and community-based research;

• be recognized nationally and/or internationally as leaders in their fields or be an excellent emerging researcher of world-class calibre who has demonstrated particular research creativity and the potential to achieve international recognition in their field (for ECRs); 

• have a track‐record of attracting external research funding and fostering external partnerships;

• have an excellent record of mentoring undergraduate students, supervising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (taking into account circumstances in the Academic Unit or practices in the relevant field or discipline), and as Chairs, have the potential to attract excellent trainees and future researchers;

• have a record of participating in collaborative interdisciplinary research and contributing to research capacity building (e.g., development of new graduate programs or outreach activities).

Research Proposal (Weighting: 40%; 60% ECRs)

• have proposed an original, innovative research program of high-quality that fits the priority research areas outlined in Lakehead University’s Research Plan.

Letters of Reference and Dean's Letter (Weighting: 20%; 20% ECRs)

All reference letters and the letter of support from the Dean will be reviewed by the committee.  

Conflict of Interest Guidelines for LURC Letters of Reference

For purposes of obtaining LURC letters of reference, a conflict of interest (COI) is defined as:

A conflict of interest is a conflict between a person’s duties and responsibilities with regard to the review process, and that person’s private, professional, business or public interests. There may be a real, perceived or potential conflict of interest when the referee:

• would receive professional or personal benefit resulting from the nomination being reviewed; 

• have a direct or indirect financial interest in the nomination being reviewed.

A conflict of interest may be deemed to exist or perceived as such when referees:

• are a relative or close friend, or have a personal relationship with the nominee;

• are in a position to gain or lose financially/materially from the funding of the nomination;

• have had long-standing professional or personal differences with the nominee;

• are currently affiliated with the nominee’s institution, organization or company —including research hospitals and research institutes.

The VPRI reserves the right to resolve areas of uncertainty and to determine if a conflict exists.

Reporting Requirements

At the end of their award period, each Chair will be required to submit to the Vice‐President, Research and Innovation and their Faculty Dean a report highlighting their activities and accomplishments during their term as a Lakehead University Research Chair. In addition, Chairs are required to make at least one contribution (e.g., presentation, session, etc.) to Lakehead’s R&I Week programming during their tenure.

For additional information regarding the application process, please contact Anne Klymenko, Director, Research Services at aklymenk@lakeheadu.ca

The purpose of Polar Knowledge Canada's Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP) is to encourage and support Canadian university and Northern post-secondary students with an interest in northern studies and conducting thesis research in Northern regions, by assisting them to gain northern professional experience and training.  This is done, in part, through the issuance of supplementary funds to help eligible students to offset the high cost of northern research (i.e. transportation costs, living costs, shipping costs and interpreter fees). Students are required to complete an application using a web-based form by November 10, 2026. 

 An NSTP information session and one-on-one meetings with a Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR) program officer will take place on October 19, 2026.  Please click here for further information (including registering for the information session or booking a one-on-one meeting with the program officer).

NOHFC Research Internships:  One Position Available

Overview

• Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s workforce through business partnerships by offering internships.  

• Indigenous Workforce Development Stream:  The intent of the Indigenous Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s Indigenous workforce through business partnerships by offering internships to Indigenous persons.

Under this program, covering both streams, Lakehead University has a quota of five research-related placements.  Of these five, one internship position will become available at the beginning of July 2026. Faculty members are invited to submit applications for a research internship.  The internal deadline for the submission of internship applications to the Office of Research Services is June 22, 2026.   Please note that you will need to create an account on the NOHFC website in order to create an application, however please do not submit your application to the NOHFC.   Instead,  please email a copy of your application to Andrew Hacquoil, Research Facilitator (Institutional Programs), Office of Research Services, at ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca. 

If more than one internship application is received, an internal competition will need to be held.   Applications will be reviewed and ranked by the Senate Research Committee (SRC).  The SRC will then make a recommendation to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation regarding which application should be submitted to the NOHFC. Please note that preference will be given to applicants who have not held an NOHFC research internship in the past three years.

Eligible Candidates/Costs

Salaries/wages and employer’s portion of Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs) (e.g.: Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, mandatory minimum vacation pay) for a limited-term internship position of 52 weeks (with at least 35 hours of work per week) for candidates that:

• Are new entrants into the workforce, are transitioning to a new career, or the unemployed or underemployed who are entering a new field;

• Have not previously participated in a NOHFC-funded internship;

• Are at least 18 years of age; and

• Reside, and be legally entitled to work, in Canada.

• For the  Indigenous Workforce Development Stream:  Identify as an Indigenous person, including First Nation, Metis, or Inuit.  

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

• The extent to which the position addresses a labour shortage or supports the development of a skilled trade or profession in Northern Ontario;

• The opportunity for the placement to result in a full-time, permanent job with the applicant or another Northern Ontario business;*

• The quality of the skill development opportunity and the potential for the position to provide specific and recognizable transferable skills, and 

• The quality of the position’s work/training plan and direct onsite supervision methods   

*Please note that applicants, in order to demonstrate the possibility of the internship resulting in permanent employment, must outline in their application:

• How the internship could result in a permanent job with the applicant, or

• How the skills and training acquired by the intern by working with the faculty member on the proposed project will make them more employable in a certain field or industry (please give specific examples from your project that will show what skills and training will be acquired by the intern).

Applications that indicate no employment opportunities will result, will be declared ineligible and removed from the internal competition.

Funding

For eligible municipalities, Indigenous communities and not-for-profit organizations, funding is in the form of a conditional contribution of up to 90% of an intern’s salary and employer’s portion of MERCs to a maximum of $35,000 per year. 

It is important to note that the applicant must provide the remaining 10% of the costs for the intern.  Therefore, when submitting your internship application to the Office of Research Services, a Research Proposal Approval Form (RAPF) must be included in the package.  A statement of where the required matching funds (including MERCs) will come from must be included in, or attached to the signed and completed RPAF as well (including the related internal budget code).  Applications submitted by the June 22, 2026 internal deadline without an RPAF will be considered ineligible in the internal competition. 

An Important Note on Research Internships

Please note that for a proposal to be considered as being a research internship, the application must be written so as to meet the NOHFC's definition of research:  

Q:  What is a research intern under the Internship Program?

A:   An employer applying for a research internship must engage in research activities as part of their mandate. NOHFC considers both pure (scientific) and applied research positions.

• Pure (scientific) research internships must contribute to the development of documents that are generated for public consumption and peer review.

• Applied research internships involve conducting studies and research that seeks to solve practical problems and find solutions to everyday problems. This often involves original investigation into the development of new technology, products, and services.

For the purpose of defining an applied research internship the following criteria must be met:

a)   The applicant must be involved in research aimed at developing a new technology and or products (i.e. a solution to everyday problem)

b)  The internship duties will focus on assisting the applicant organization in development and research of a new technology, products, or service.

Applicants are required to state in their submissions how they meet the NOHFC's criteria for a research internship. This would include a description regarding where the results of the research generated by the intern will be made available (i,.e, in a journal publication).  Applications that are not deemed to be research-related (i.e., the duties of the intern will be more administrative in nature instead of involving a research activity) will be considered ineligible in the internal competition. 

For More Information

 For more information about the NOHFC internship program, please click here.

The Indo-Pacific Scholarships and Fellowships for Canadians (IPSFC) program is funded by Global Affairs Canada to support Canadian universities in offering programs of scholarships and fellowships to enhance the capacity of Canadians in the areas related to Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy; to increase connectivity between Canadian and Indo-Pacific Institutions; and to support new academic and research pursuits on the Indo-Pacific region.

Lakehead's IPSFC project will support graduate student research stays with partner institutions in the Indo-Pacific region, on topics related to "Gender and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation for Sustainable Development".  The program will run for two years (there will be a second call for the 2027-28 academic year).

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities has been working to develop institutional partnerships in Japan, the Philippines, Fiji, and Vanuatu.  Lakehead has recently established relations with Hiroshima University and the University of the Ryukyus (Okinawa) in Japan, and new partnerships are under discussion with institutions in the Philippines (University of the Philippines - Diliman, Cebu, and Tacloban campuses) and De La Salle University (Manila); the University of Fiji and the University of the South Pacific, Fiji; and the National University of Vanuatu. 

This project will support Lakehead researchers seeking to establish new research collaborations in these countries, as well as enable master’s students to undertake short research stays. In order to examine the gender dimensions related to the impact and mitigation of climate change, we anticipate master’s research projects to be conducted in Japan, the Philippines, Fiji, and Vanuatu. Examples of research topics include climate change and sustainable domestic food and fibre systems; social inequalities, ecological vulnerabilities and responses to climate change; sociological dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation; the role of women in building disaster-resilient communities; and gender and the green economies.

Full-time faculty members within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities are eligible to apply for Fellowships to conduct research stays of one to three months at any of the eligible host institutions.  

DEADLINE TO APPLY:  August 31, 2026

For more information, please click here.

“I won’t make it without this program.”

Canada is in the midst of a worsening overdose crisis, driven largely by the unregulated drug supply. In response, safer opioid supply (SOS) programs were implemented to provide pharmaceutical-grade opioids alongside critical services. 

In 2024, Ontario’s provincial government introduced restrictions on harm reduction initiatives, coinciding with the expiration of federal funding, forcing many programs to close.

Dr. Abigale Sprakes, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work, is part of a research team investigating the impact of safer opioid supply program closures in Ontario.

Their published study was named one of the Top 10 articles in 2026 by the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (CIHR-IHSPR) and Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR). 

The research team interviewed people who use drugs and were enrolled in SOS programs across Ontario. The study highlights participants’ concerns that SOS program closures may force them back into an increasingly toxic unregulated market, ultimately putting their lives at risk, along with reversing the many benefits SOS programs provided, such as connections to essential health and social services.

This study was funded by the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters (CRISM). 

Click the link to read the full article.

In preparation for the 2027 competition, Lakehead University is holding an internal competition to support one student’s submission to SSHRC's Storytellers Challenge. 

The SSHRC Storytellers Challenge is an annual competition that asks postsecondary students to demonstrate to Canadians, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how Social Sciences and Humanities research is affecting our lives, our world, and our future for the better. 

Who is Eligible to Apply? 

All Lakehead University undergraduate and graduate students who are Canadian residents, 19 years of age or older, and who are working on a SSHRC-funded research project (either their own or their professor’s/supervisor’s) conducted at Lakehead University at the time of submission are eligible to apply. These requirements are determined by SSHRC. 

NOTE: The Storyteller’s Challenge is only open to postsecondary students (i.e., undergraduate or graduate level). It is not open to postdoctoral researchers. It is also not open to SSHRC employees and their immediate family members and those living in the same household (whether legally related or not). 

Previous winners are eligible to enter the Storyteller’s Challenge if: 

1. the research featured in their submission is materially different, as determined by SSHRC, from that of their previous winning submission(s); and 

2. they meet all other eligibility requirements. 

What is Required to Apply? 

Eligible students must create a video or audio clip of up to three minutes or a text or infographic of up to 300 words that showcases the SSHRC-funded research in a compelling, creative, and clear manner. 

Lakehead University’s Internal Call for Applications 

In preparation for the 2027 competition, Lakehead University is holding an internal competition to support one student’s submission to SSHRC's Storytellers Challenge. 

Some funding will be available to support one student’s submission. A review committee will consider all eligible applications, and recommend one submission for internal funding and support. Funds can be used to help in the filming and production of either a three minute video, text, infographic, or audio file.

Support will also be available for planning and producing the final submission, including script development and, for videos, filming support on campus (if required). 

Internal Application Process and Requirements: 

Please complete the application, linked here, by Friday, June 19, 2026 at 11:59 PM. 

Selection Process 

A review committee will be established to evaluate and rank internal applications according to the three areas outlined by SSHRC: 1) Creativity/Engagement (compelling your audience), 2) Persuasiveness (communicating the impact), and 3) Clarity (explaining the research). The committee will make a final recommendation to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. 

The successful applicant will be notified by early July. It is expected that the recipient will begin working on the project in the spring/summer term and complete the project by the beginning of November 2026. The SSHRC Storyteller’s Challenge submission period will open in November 2026 and is expected to close in mid-January 2027. 

For questions regarding this opportunity, please contact Melissa Burton, Coordinator of Communications and Special Projects, Research and Innovation at: communications.research@lakeheadu.ca.

 
Normally, one (1) prize is awarded annually in each of five (5) disciplines. The Killam Prize is valued at $100,000 CAD.  They are awarded annually, on a competitive basis, for research done in any of the following disciplines:

• Engineering
• Health sciences
• Humanities
• Natural sciences
• Social sciences

NSERC's Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program supports the training and mentoring of teams of highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad through the development of innovative training programs that:

• encourage collaborative and integrative approaches between large and medium or small sized institutions to address significant scientific challenges
• facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce

For this year's competition, it is anticipated the NSERC CREATE program will include both the regular and international streams (please note that it is anticipated that as in the past, the international stream is linked to collaborating with researchers in Germany as well as the German research foundation, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)).* 

Institutions are all given an allotment of regular CREATE LOIs (the international stream will not count towards this allotment) that they can submit and that go directly to the full application stage.  Lakehead has one regular stream LOI in its allotment. However, when an institution submits a number of LOIs greater than its NSERC program allotment,  their LOIs will be evaluated by NSERC to determine which LOI will advance to the application stage. 

NEW - For the 2027 competition, NSERC will fund one additional CREATE initiative through quantum funding announced in Budget 2025 as part of the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). This initiative aims to advance the strategy’s workforce development priorities by supporting training opportunities that result in skilled and technologically proficient research trainees in areas including, but not limited to, quantum communications, quantum sensing, quantum materials, quantum computing, and quantum software. Applications will be evaluated through the normal CREATE peer review process, but applications should include "Quantum" in the title. LOIs submitted to the Quantum call are not included in each university’s allotment of LOIs advancing to the application stage. Each university can submit up to one LOI for the Quantum call. If more than one quantum expression of interest is received, an internal competition/review will need to be held to determine which Lakehead quantum LOI is submitted under Lakehead’s quota. All other quantum LOIs will be submitted under Lakehead’s regular stream (see above information).

If you intend to submit an LOI to this program, you  must notify the Office of Research Services (ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca) by February 13, 2026 of your intention to apply to this opportunity

Given the highly competitive nature of the NSERC CREATE program and the requirement for institutional support, Principal Investigators will be required to work closely with assigned research facilitators from the conceptualization of the project proposal to final submission (this includes seeking support from co-applicant institutions).

The NSERC LOI submission deadline is May 1, 2026, and the full application deadline is September 22, 2026.

More details about the 2027 CREATE competition will be communicated at the information session for potential applicants on February 13, 2026. Updates to the CREATE program website for the 2027 CREATE competition will be posted in February 2026.

*International Research Training Groups (IRTG) – with DFG (Germany)

Submitting an application for the IRTG for a German-Canadian bilateral training program takes time but can be very rewarding, and the CREATE grant can be extended up to 9 years.  However, given the NSERC and DFG timelines, to apply to the NSERC Create competition in 2026, you will need to have an approved pre-proposal to DFG before the LOI deadline.  If you are starting now to develop the DFG proposal, you should expect to apply to the CREATE program next year at the earliest. The steps are:

1. Establish a collaboration with a research university in Germany
2. RECOMMENDED:  Team applies for a DFG grant (matching funds required) to conduct an IRTG preparatory workshop (either in Germany or Canada)
3. Team submits a pre-proposal (DFG calls it a “draft application”) to DFG at any time (no deadline) – review takes several months
4. If the DFG pre-proposal is successful: Submit the LOI to NSERC by the deadline of the next cycle.
5. If the LOI is successful: Submit full proposal to both DFG and NSERC. Both agencies must approve the proposal to be successful.