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.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards, whose nineteenth edition is now open, recognize and reward world-class research and artistic creation, prizing contributions of singu­lar impact for their originality and significance. The name of the scheme is intended to de­note not only research work that substantially enlarges the scope of our current knowledge – pushing forward the frontiers of the known world – but also the meeting and overlap of different disciplinary areas and the emergence of new fields.

The Frontiers of Knowledge Awards honor fundamental disciplinary or interdisciplinary advances across a broad expanse of the knowl­edge map of the 21st century. The areas ad­dressed by this family of awards are:

1. Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)
2. Biology and Biomedicine
3. Information and Communication Technologies
4. Climate Change and Environmental Sciences
5. Economics, Finance and Management
6. Humanities
7. Social Sciences
8. Music and Opera

If a researcher is interested in being nominated for one of these awards, they are asked to contact the Office of Research Services (ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca) by April 1, 2026.

The Undergraduate Research (UR) grants program supports the research programs of established scientists and engineers at non-doctoral departments and provides financial support for students at those institutions to become involved in advanced research activities, in preparation for continued study in graduate school or employment.

The New Directions (ND) grants program provides funds to scientists and engineers with limited—or even no—preliminary results for a research project they wish to pursue, and who intend to use the PRF-driven preliminary results to seek continuation funding from other agencies. ND grants are to be used to illustrate proof of concept/feasibility. Accordingly, they are to be viewed as seed money for new research ventures.

A "new research direction" is something different from previous research performed by the lead principal investigator (lead PI). But, it may involve a field of science or engineering in which others are already working. Therefore, the proposed research should not be in the same direction as—or overlap with—current projects in the lead PI’s research group. Excluded from consideration will be

• Lead PIs who have had previous support or current funding for the project, and
• Proposals presenting ideas that are a logical extension of ongoing research from the lead PI’s laboratory.