INFO MPO Science / DFO Science - Open Call for Proposals

The National Contaminants Advisory Group (NCAG) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) provides information and scientific advice to DFO and other departments on priority issues related to biological effects of contaminants on aquatic organisms. One of the functions of this group is to provide funding for external researchers who study these priority areas related to contaminants.

We are happy to announce that DFO has started a new round of funding for research supporting our ministerial priorities, including priorities related to the biological effects of contaminants.

For this round of funding, the priorities for NCAG are as follows:

1)    Knowledge about the impact of 6PPD-quinone and other transformation products on Canadian salmonid populations and the determination of mechanisms of action is required. In addition, further information on how toxic 6PPD transformation products are to other aquatic species would be beneficial.

2)    Current-use pesticides may be applied in mixtures of several active ingredients as well as adjuvants, and once these compounds reach the environment, they may combine with numerous other contaminants (particularly PAHs, flame retardants, caffeine, detergents but also excessive nutrients, metals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products). Proposals are invited on the effects of these mixtures, and the role of pesticides and/or adjuvants within them, on non-target aquatic biota.

3)    Further knowledge on the biological effects of disinfectants on aquatic organisms near wastewater effluent is needed to determine the risks for aquatic ecosystems. Some examples of current-use antimicrobials include triclosan, triclocarban, chlorophene, quaternary ammonium compounds, benzalkonium chloride, etc.

If you are interested, we invite you to submit an application for funding. The guidelines for the submission of a research proposal, a budget template and an example budget table are available at the following address: Ecosystems and Oceans Science Contribution Framework (dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

The deadline for submitting a project is 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on May 20, 2021.

Please send all questions to the email address: OPC-BPC@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.