Round 12 of the Ontario Research Fund -Research Excellence (ORF-RE) Program

How to Apply: 

Overview

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities has launched Round 12 of its Ontario Research Fund -Research Excellence (ORF-RE) program.  The overall purpose of this program is to provide research institutions with the funding necessary to support the operational costs of major projects that are of strategic value to the Province of Ontario.


ORF-RE Program Funding Ratio and Application Streams
The ORF-RE program will provide up to one third of the total cost of a project, with the remaining two thirds coming from a combination of contributions from the private sector and the institution.  The ORF-RE Round 12 call is made up of two application funding streams:

Stream 1: General – Basic and Applied Research
This stream:
    • is open to all research disciplines
    • is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 1 or 2
    • funds projects from $500,000 to $2,000,000
    • funds projects up to a maximum of 5 years
 
Stream 2: Experimental Research
This stream:
    • funds projects that demonstrate strong commercialization potential, where the innovation is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3 or higher
    • requires collaboration with an Ontario-based company
    • funds projects from $300,000 to $2,000,000
    • funds projects up to a maximum of 4 years
Please note that for both of the above streams, priority will be given to applications that are focused on:
    • artificial intelligence
    • automotive (includes electric vehicles)
    • critical minerals (includes research that supports Ontario’s Ring of Fire)
    • genomics
    • life sciences
    • medical devices
    • quantum technology

 

Eligible contributions and expenditures 

From the program guidelines:  "Contributions, both in-kind and cash, are eligible if received (but not spent) up to one year before the application due date. Since the application due date for this round is September 27, 2023, contributions secured after September 27, 2022 (but not spent) are eligible.
Expenditures are only eligible after the project starts. The earliest a project can start is June 15, 2023, which is the date the current round was announced."

 

More Information and Deadlines

Program materials, including ORF-RE Round 12 guidelines, application forms and registrations for upcoming program online information sessions can be found here.

 

Deadline:  Full applications are due to the Ministry on September 27, 2023.

 

As these submissions require a great deal of advanced planning, if you are interested in applying to the ORF-RE program, you are asked to notify the Office of Research Services (ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca) no later than June 30, 2023.

External Deadline: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
URL: 

https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-research-fund-research-excellence

Agency: 
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
Funding Source: 
External
Funding Level: 
Research