The International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges represents a collaboration among research funders from the Åland Islands, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom to support international, interdisciplinary and transformative research aimed at harnessing disruptive technology to address major global societal challenges. 

Applications must be initiated by the Canadian team; Canadian teams will apply to the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) International stream, through the SSHRC Convergence Portal.

Description

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are a call to action for all countries to work together to tackle major and interlinked global challenges to ensure long-term peace and prosperity. There has been global recognition that the world is behind on achieving the SDGs by their 2030 target date. Indeed, the challenges facing humanity instead seem to be intensifying. Concurrently, advances in science, communication and disruptive technology are changing the world around us.

This call aims to harness the potential of disruptive technology to offer novel solutions to global challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs. More research is needed on how disruptive technologies can be used in contextually appropriate interventions to have transformative economic or societal impacts to improve the lives of people and the planet.

In this call, “disruptive technology” is defined as “an innovation whose application replaces or radically alters systems, processes and/or behaviours to have transformative economic or societal impacts. The impact may be localized or far-reaching. Disruptive technology may include cutting-edge and novel innovations, or the application of an existing innovation in a new context, bringing about substantial change or paradigm shifts.”

Research harnessing disruptive technologies to address global challenges requires an interdisciplinary approach involving expertise across disciplines—including the natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, social sciences and humanities—and across sectors, including academia, government, not-for-profit organizations, community organizations and private industry. Co-development of research and solutions in partnership with affected stakeholders is essential for long-term success.

This interdisciplinary and stakeholder-oriented approach is instrumental to pushing forward change at an international scale to help make progress towards achieving the SDGs. Projects in this call must directly address at least one of the SDGs.

NFRF Webinar Recording, 03 Feb 2026: CLICK HERE

NFRF Presentation Slides:  CLICK HERE

NOI Deadline (MANDATORY):  03 March 2026

LOI Deadline:  09 March - 09 June 2026

Full Application: 27 August - 03 Nov 2026

NOTE:  THe internal deadline is always two weeks before the external deadline.

Indo-Pacific: Canada-Asia Joint Research Grants (Deadline: March 15, 2026.)

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada), with funding from the Government of Canada, now invites proposals for joint research projects between Canadian and Indo-Pacific-based institutions. The purpose of this initiative is to build a greater understanding of specific policy issues and/or policy contexts in the Indo-Pacific region and generate actionable, policy-relevant insights on Canada’s engagement with the region. Priority Themes include economic resilience and security, energy security, defence industrial co-operation, regional security, supply chain resilience, critical minerals, innovation, and emerging technologies (including digital governance and artificial intelligence).  Funding is up to 40K for one year. For more information, go to https://www.asiapacific.ca/canada-asia-joint-research-grants-2026-2027.  For assistance, please contact Jill Sherman, intl.research@lakeheadu.ca

INTERNAL DEADLINE: March 16, 2026

Lakehead University is now accepting applications for RESEARCH stays under the ELAP and SICS scholarship programs.  Students funded for research must conduct full-time research during their stay and may not register for classes. 

In all cases, students must find their own host research supervisor at Lakehead – please download the “Finding a Research Supervisor” guide for tips.

NOTE:  Spaces for STUDY applications are very limited; eligible partner institutions with student exchange agreements will have already been contacted directly by our Global Engagement team.  We regret that we are no longer able to accept study applications from all of our valued partners.

EMERGING LEADERS OF THE AMERICAS SCHOLARSHIPS (ELAP):  Eligible Countries:

• Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos;
• Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama;
• North America: Mexico;
• South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela.

STUDY IN CANADA SCHOLARSHIPS (SICS):  Eligible Countries:

• Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, Taiwan;
• Europe: Türkiye, Ukraine;
• Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia;
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda.

Students must be citizens of an eligible country and be enrolled full-time in a degree program at a university in an eligible country; 

• The country of citizenship and country of enrollment do not have to be the same, however they both have to be in eligible countries of the same program (e.g. both eligible for ELAP, or both eligible for SICS).

SCHOLARSHIP VALUE AND DURATION

Level of Study:  While graduate students (Master’s, Ph.D.) will have priority, exceptional undergraduates may also apply for research stays, IF there is an ongoing research collaboration between a Lakehead researcher and the student’s home institution.   

Please note: While an MOU or other formal agreement between the student’s home institution and Lakehead is not required, it may be considered under the Selection Criteria (see below) as partial evidence of the strength of the collaboration.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applicants must:

• Be a citizen of an eligible country;
• Be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country/territory;
  • Country of citizenship and country of enrollment may be different, but both have to be eligible within the same program (both eligible under ELAP, or both eligible under SICS);
• Not have held the scholarship before, and must not be submitting an application to any other Canadian university;
• Continue paying tuition fees to that institution at the time of application and for the full duration of their mobility in Canada;
• Be able to arrive no sooner than August 1, 2026 and no later than February 1, 2027;
• Remain registered in their home university program through out the research stay;
• Not be currently enrolled in a degree, diploma or certificate program at any Canadian post-secondary institution;
• Not hold, or have pending, an application for Canadian Citizenship or permanent residency;
• Not hold another grant or source of funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), through its legal name, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), or from a Canadian federal granting agency (e.g. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) or Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). All additional sources of funding must be declared.

REQUIRED APPLICATION DOCUMENTS:

1.  Application form submitted by Home Institution representative (contact your International Relations Office for more information and for the application form

2.  Signed and dated privacy statement (download HERE).

3.  Letter of intent from the Candidate (two pages maximum)

• Provides the rationale for participating in an international research stay
• Rationale for choosing Lakehead and/or their host supervisor
• Research plan (questions, objectives, activities, timeline, expected outcomes)
• How the proposed research project will support their future career goals.

4.  Letter of Invitation from Host Supervisor at Lakehead (two pages maximum).  The LOI must:

• • Be prepared on official letterhead, signed, and dated within the last three months
  • Describes the nature and scope of the research collaboration with the candidate’s home institution
  • Briefly summarizes the research plan/project and any special facilities / equipment / expertise at Lakehead that is required to complete the project
  • Confirms their willingness to support and mentor the candidate during the exchange period
  • Describes the benefits of the research stay to the project, the department, and/or to Lakehead.

5.  Letter of Support – from home supervisor or professor (one page).  Must be on institutional letterhead, signed and dated. The letter shall:  Discuss how the research mobility fits within the student’s academic program; Describe the student’s preparedness to undertake the proposed research stay; Discuss how the candidate and the home institution will benefit from this research collaboration.

6.  Proof of full-time registration at the home institution (must contain the words FULL TIME) and expected graduation date.  (Letter or certificate from home institution, in English or accompanied by an English translation.)

7.  Proof of Citizenship – Valid passport (preferred) or national ID card only

8.  Signed Declaration of Eligibility  (download form HERE).

HOW TO APPLY

Students may not apply directly to Lakehead.  Applications must be submitted by a representative of the student’s home institution, usually the mobility coordinator or other personnel from the International Relations office.  The student must consult with the coordinator to obtain application documents and confirm compliance with their home institution’s eligibility criteria.  Their home institution may have an earlier internal deadline, as the scholarship can be competitive.

The applicant’s home institution coordinator will submit an online form with all the supporting documents by March 16, 2026.  All documents must be submitted by this date. Submissions with missing or incomplete documents will not be considered.   

If the student’s home coordinator has not received the application information from Lakehead or has questions, please contact inbound.globalme@lakeheadu.ca.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Research students will be selected for scholarships based on the following criteria:

• Strength and detail of research plan/project
• Alignment of student’s research interests with host supervisor’s expertise and research program
• Strength of support of home institution
• Strength of the inter-institutional partnership and/or research collaborations
• Equitable gender participation
• Distribution across eligible countries

If the student’s home coordinator has not received the application information from Lakehead or has questions, please contact inbound.globalme@lakeheadu.ca.

INFORMATION FOR LAKEHEAD (HOST) SUPERVISORS:

1. If you are considering hosting a research student, please be sure to have at least one virtual meeting with the student and their home supervisor to discuss the project and make sure the student is a good fit, before agreeing to host and providing the Letter of Invitation.  If you decide that you are not comfortable or otherwise not able to host a student, you should decline.  You may suggest a different supervisor if your expertise or availability does not match the student’s needs; you may also forward the student’s request to intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.  
   
   
2. Because of the funding limit and limits on institutional capacity, each Lakehead researcher may support the applications of a maximum of two candidates to each GAC scholarship program.  (Max. two for ELAP, two for SICS).  Each partner institution may only submit two applications.  
   
   
3. The scholarship is disbursed directly to the student and/or to a university administered benefit (e.g. student residence) and exclusively provides funds for their travel and living expenses. There is no project funding.
   
   
4. Host Supervisors are not expected to provide any financial support to the student.  Please be aware of the following:
   • No Canadian federal funding may be used to supplement the Global Affairs Canada Scholarship (e.g. may not use CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC funds or other Global Affairs Canada funding).
   • If there are costs associated with the conduct of the research project (e.g. materials/ supplies), please discuss this with the student and their home supervisor and determine in advance who will cover those costs.  You may mention that in the letter of invitation.
   • If you wish to provide additional support, please discuss with the the Office of Research Services prior to offering the funding.
5. Successful candidates will be registered as Visiting Research Students (VRS).  VRS are, in most cases, considered “workers” by IRCC for the purpose of immigration.  Students may opt to stay for either 4 months (one semester) or 5-6 months with additional funding.  In addition to considering the time required to complete the research objectives, there are also immigration considerations for length of stay:

• For stays  of up to 120 days –  Students are eligible to apply for the 120-day work permit exemption for researchers; these students will only need to obtain a visitor visa or eTA prior to arrival.   However, visitor visas sometimes have extended processing times.
• For stays of greater than 120 days, a work permit is required and there is a cost to obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) Exemption ($230 compliance fee) before the student can apply for a work permit. While HR will facilitate the required documents for a work permit application, you as the host supervisor will be expected to cover the compliance fee.  Please note that work permits are likely eligible for expedited (two-week) processing under current guidelines.

Lakehead faculty members with questions or who require assistance should contact Jill Sherman, intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.

The De Chastelain Scholarships, funded by the Ireland Canada University Foundation and Global Affairs Canada, support two-way researcher mobility (3-6 weeks) between Ireland and Canada, to develop research collaborations.  Canadian applicants must be citizens or permanent residents.  Applications are accepted from researchers in any discipline whose work contributes to peacebuilding and reconciliation — whether directly through research in these areas or indirectly by strengthening the social, cultural, environmental, technological, or institutional foundations on which lasting peace depends.   Click here for more information.   Contact Jill Sherman, intl.research@lakeheadu.ca for assistance.

Workplace Opportunities: Removing Barriers to Equity (WORBE) is a grants and contributions program. WORBE is designed to support employers subject to the Employment Equity Act (the Act) in their efforts to improve designated group representation in areas of low representation through partnerships and industry-tailored strategies.

In 2026, through a competitive Call for Proposals process, WORBE will provide funding through grants or contributions to eligible recipients to develop tailored solutions to support the four (4) designated groups under the Act (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities).

Funding of up to a total of $3 million per year is available to distribute to eligible organizations. Eligible organizations can apply for up to $500,000 per year. Eligible projects must be completed within 36 months of the project’s start date. The maximum total funding that can be provided for a project is $1.5 million.

Employment and Social Development Canada’s Labour Program, in partnership with Impact Canada, is launching a 2026 Call for Proposals under the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund (WHVPF). This Call for Proposals will pilot the Impact Canada funding model that emphasizes funding tied to measurable results and applied solutions.

Applications will be accepted from January 5, 2026, to February 13, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET through Impact Canada.

Objectives

• Develop sector-specific tools and resources related to harassment and violence prevention that will support behavioural changes in the workplace
• Provide guidance to workers regarding new harassment and violence regulations

SSHRC has launched a new funding opportunity: Destination Horizon Grants.  These grants are intended to support SSHRC-eligible researchers whose primary affiliation is with an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution, to build capacity, foster existing partnerships, and further develop networks and/or consortia with partners in the European Union and other “associated countries”, with the ultimate goal of applying to Horizon Europe (HE)—Pillar II calls with a collaborative proposal.  Applications for the Destination Horizon grants are submitted on the SSHRC Convergence portal. 

All HE Pillar II projects are implemented by an interdisciplinary consortium (partnership of organizations across different nations, which must include at least 3 partners (beyond Canada, this must include a partner from at least one EU Member State).  Most HE research consortia consist of 10-20 partners, and have one lead institution.

Consortium partners can be legal entities engaging in breakthrough research, including

• academics
• industrial researchers
• small- to medium-sized enterprises
• non-profit and charity sector entities
• other research and innovation actors in Canada

The purpose of this initiative is to assist Canadian researchers in making the connections and developing the networks needed to successfully join a research consortium in preparation to apply to Horizon Europe.

FUNDING:  SSHRC will provide up to $15,000 for one year; 100% matching cash funds is required, for a total maximum funding of $30,000.  Matching funds will be provided for up to two applications submitted by Lakehead researchers through the internal VPRI International Research Partnership Award mechanism for any applications selected and funded by SSHRC. 

Funds may be used for connection-type activities, including but not limited to:

• Travel expenses for PI, co-investigators and collaborators (travel to Europe or to Canada)
• Workshops or conferences
• Networking
• Proposal development
• Team-building consultants

Funds may not be used to conduct actual research activities.

ELIGIBILITY & SELECTION:  There are no merit criteria for selection.  All applications deemed eligible will be entered into a randomized selection process to determine awards. An eligible application that is not randomly selected for an award may be re-submitted for a future competition.

To be eligible for this funding opportunity, applicants must demonstrate:

• their eligible affiliation and primary affiliation in the social sciences or humanities;
• their readiness to further develop networks and/or consortia with EU and other associated countries’ researchers, with the ultimate goal of applying to a Horizon Europe—Pillar II call;
• eligible budget requests; and
• 100% matching cash contributions from the host institution.

Institutional selection and submission:  Lakehead University will support up to two Destination Horizon Grant applications for the May 22nd deadline.  If more than 2 eligible applications are received by the internal deadline of May 8th, the Office of the VPRI will apply the same two-stage random selection process to select the applications that will be submitted.  Therefore, a strict internal deadline will be treated as an Expression of Interest - at a minimum, a draft of the Program Description must be received by that date.  EOIs received after the EOI/Internal Deadline will not be considered for that round, but may be considered for the following round.  Please submit a copy of the Program Description directly to either Jill Sherman, Nicole Westlund Stewart, or Rebecca Heffernan.  If required, the selection process will take place within 24 hours and you will be notified ASAP if you can proceed to complete the application.

Applications are submitted on the Convergence portal.  For the purpose of this application, please note that Lakehead is the "host" organization, and only one Letter of Support (from the VPRI) is required. 

This funding opportunity follows the agreement signed by the Government of Canada and the European Commission giving Canada status as an "Associated Country" status (Pillar II only) and enables Canadians to participate in Horizon Europe funding.

For examples of past and current HE calls for proposals involving a SSH component, please click HERE.   While some HE calls are currently open, the 2025 and the 2026-27 work plans are expected to be released in early 2025 (detailing new calls 2025-2027), with increased opportunities for SSH participation. 

For examples of HE funded projects with an SSH component, please click HERE.

For questions or assistance, please contact Jill Sherman at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca, Nicole Westlund Stewart, sshrc.research@lakeheadu.ca, or Rebecca Heffernan orillia.research@lakeheadu.ca.

INTERNAL DEADLINE:  March 9, 2026.

Global Affairs Canada has opened its international scholarship programs for applications for the 2026-27 academic year.  Faculty members may be contacted by students from these countries seeking a supervisor for a research stay.  

There are scholarships for STUDY (usually undergrads) and RESEARCH (usually graduate students). Students cannot apply directly, applications are submitted by Lakehead University, with final decisions made by Global Affairs Canada.  The program is quite competitive for undergraduate study scholarships, but we have had a lot of success with the graduate/research applications.  Research stays range from 4-8 months for undergraduate students, and 4 to 6 months for graduate students.  

If faculty members have research collaborators in any of the eligible countries and are interested in hosting a fully funded visiting research student, they are encouraged to reach out and invite applications from their students. Faculty would be expected to provide a letter of invitation for all research students, including undergraduates. Please note that research students are expected to work on their research full-time for 4-6 months under the faculty member's supervision - please screen applicants carefully, and agree on a research plan BEFORE agreeing to provide a letter of invitation.  If a faculty member is not comfortable with the student or proposal, they should decline. If faculty have questions, contact Jill Sherman at intl.research@lakeheadu.ca

IMPORTANT - The students' home institutions may have internal selection processes/competitions and earlier deadlines as well.

Research nominations initially go through Jill Sherman's office; faculty should let Jill know if they are planning to support a student application to one of these programs.  As well, If a faculty member is contacted by a student but are not interested or able to support their application, please forward to Jill Sherman.

The Government of Canada is offering scholarship opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region through the Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development – Phase 2 (SEED-2) program. This program is an expansion of the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED). SEED-2 is a key initiative under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. The program provides opportunities for students from Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Pacific Island Countries and Mongolia to conduct short-term study or research in Canadian post-secondary institutions in areas that contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development .