Internal Research Funding and Achievement Awards

Internal Funding

Internal seed grants at Lakehead University are available from the Senate Research Committee (SRC) and other sources to enhance research capacity development including the facilitation of external grant applications, and scholarly productivity of Lakehead University faculty members. Upcoming internal funding and award opportunities are shown below: The following charts list funding/awards available through the SRC, the ORS and other units. Other currently open calls are listed on this page as well under "Other Internal Funds/Programs/Awards - A. Other Current Calls".

Notice: Departmental/Faculty Approvals No Longer Required for Internal Research Grant Applications
Please be advised that all internal SRC and VPRI Strategic fund grant applications, except the VPRI Emergency Equipment Repair Fund application, will no longer require approvals from Department Chairs and Deans. Applications will be routed directly to the Office of Research Services for review and approval through internal review processes. This will ensure applications are processed in a timely manner prior to the deadline dates. For any questions regarding this change, please contact Anne Klymenko, Director, Research Services, at aklymenk@lakeheadu.ca.

Internal Research Grant Programs	Competition/Nomination Deadlines	Unit Responsible

Conference Travel Grant Maximum grant per year: $1,500 Click here to access the current guidelines. Applications for this internal funding opportunity are only available through the Romeo Research Portal. To access the portal, please log into MyInfo and select "Romeo Research Portal" on the right. Note: If you received a conference notice of acceptance confirmation between May 11 and October 10 you must submit your application before the October 10 deadline. Please review the guidelines for exceptions. Please note the Senate Research Committee will accept applications for online conference registrations.	May 10 / October 10	Senate Research Committee (SRC)
Undergraduate Research Opportunity Fund (UROF) The purpose of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Fund (UROF) is to support third- and fourth-year undergraduate research projects that are being conducted in partnership with a community partner within a municipality. Each application can request up to $1,000 to support eligible project costs. Guidelines	Open	Office of Research Services
Open Access Publication Fund Maximum grant per year: $2,000 Click here to access the current guidelines. Applications for this internal funding opportunity are only available through the Romeo Research Portal. To access the portal, please log into MyInfo and select "Romeo Research Portal" on the right.	Open	SRC
Publication Assistance Grant Maximum grant per year: $1,500 Click here to access the current guidelines. Applications for this internal funding opportunity are only available through the Romeo Research Portal. To access the portal, please log into MyInfo and select "Romeo Research Portal" on the right.	January 20	SRC
Regional Research Fund Guidelines The Regional Research Fund (RRF) is based on money provided through a regional endowment where the interest gained each year is awarded to Lakehead University academic staff. The purpose is to stimulate pilot research which has a direct application to, and a specific relevance for, Northwestern Ontario.	January 20	SRC
Research Development Fund Maximum grant per year: $10,000 Click here to access the current guidelines. Applications for this internal funding opportunity are only available through the Romeo Research Portal. To access the portal, please log into MyInfo and select "Romeo Research Portal" on the right.	January 20	SRC
Research Grant in Lieu of Salary Click here to access the current guidelines and application form. Please note that Canada Revenue Agency Interpretation Bulletin IT-75R4 has been replaced with Income Tax Folio S1-F2-C3 (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/tchncl/ncmtx/fls/s1/f2/s1-f2-c3-eng.html). All applicants are advised to seek further advice from a taxation specialist if they have any questions regarding the program.	Open	SRC
Visiting Scholar Fund Maximum grant per year: $1,000 Click here to access the current guidelines. Applications for this internal funding opportunity are available through the Romeo Research Portal. To access the portal, please log into MyInfo and select "Romeo Research Portal" on the right.	January 20	SRC

Achievement Awards	Competition/Nomination Deadlines	Unit Responsible
Building Research Capacity at Lakehead University Award Guidelines	December 1	Office of Research Services (ORS)
Community-Engaged Research Award (CERA) Application Guidelines	December 1	ORS
Lakehead University Postdoctoral Fellow Research Excellence Award Guidelines	December 1	ORS
Innovation Award Submission Form	December 15	Office of Innovation, Partnerships and Economic Development (IPED)
Indigenous Partnership Research Award Guidelines	December 19	Office of Indigenous Initiatives
EDI in Research Award Guidelines	January 8, 2026	ORS
Distinguished Researcher Awards Guidelines The Distinguished Researcher Awards are the highest honour conferred by Lakehead University for research and scholarly activity. As such, an award will only be given to a scholar once in their career for research and scholarly activity sustained at a high level over a period of at least one decade.	January 10	SRC
Research Excellence Awards Guidelines Applications for this award are only available through the Romeo Research Portal. To access the portal, please log into MyInfo and select "Romeo Research Portal" on the right.	January 10	SRC
Research Support Award Click here to access the current guidelines. Applications for this internal funding opportunity are only available through the Romeo Research Portal. To access the portal, please log into MyInfo and select "Romeo Research Portal" on the right.	January 10	SRC

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Guidelines and Procedures

For more information contact:

Executive Assistant
Research and Innovation Events Coordinator and Administrative Officer
955 Oliver Road - UC 2003
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1
Tel.: (807) 343-8010 Ext. 7289
Email: admin.vpri@lakeheadu.ca

Other Internal Funds/Programs/Awards

A. Other Current Calls

Call for Applications: Inclusive Research Excellence Grant Program

Deadline for submissions: January 8, 2026.

To view the guidelines, click here.

Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station Agricultural Research Capacity Development Program

Deadline for submissions: January 9, 2026.

To view the guidelines, please click here.

B. Ongoing Programs

CFI Infrastructure Operating Fund

VP RI Strategic Fund

VP RI Strategic Fund Guidelines and Procedures

C. Past Internal Calls

For more information, please click here.

D. Grant Writing Enhancement Programs

For more information, contact:

Dr. Lexi Haslehurst (nserc.research@lakeheadu.ca), Research Facilitator (Natural Sciences and Engineering/Health)
Dr. Nicole Westlund Stewart (sshrc.research@lakeheadu.ca), Research and Knowledge Mobilization Facilitator (Social Sciences and Humanities/Health)