All applications to the 2026 New Frontiers in Research Fund - Transformation competition must be electronically submitted via the Convergence Portal.
Please follow the application procedures described in the program outline. Applicants using Internet Explorer may experience system issues with the Convergence Portal, so please use an alternate browser.
NOTE: 25% Indirect Costs of Research must be included in your budgets
Alert: The Government of Canada's Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) applies to the 2026 NFRF Transformation Competition. Grant applications involving research aiming to advance a sensitive technology research area must include attestation forms from those with named roles on the grant. These attestations certify those with named roles are not affiliated with or in receipt of funding or in-kind support from Named Research Organizations (NRO). Furthermore, the entire project team must remain unaffiliated with and refrain from receiving funding or in-kind support from any NROs for the duration of the grant.
DEADLINES
There is a three-stage application process: Mandatory Notice of Intent (NOI), Mandatory Letter of Intent (LOI), and Full Application.
NOI Deadlines:
Monday, April 14, 2025, 12:00 p.m. PT
Applicant's e-submission deadline
Your NOI should be submitted via the Convergence Portal no later than this date as ORS will need to provide the required online approval.
Tuesday, April 15, 2025, 4:30 p.m. PT
Sponsor deadline
While ORS makes every effort to submit all applications on time and to facilitate support for our research community, applications submitted after the UBC internal deadline are not guaranteed to receive an administrative review from ORS, which includes confirmation of application completeness.
UBC Internal Deadline: RPIF and the application copy do not need to be submitted to ORS at the NOI stage but will be required at the LOI stage.
LOI Deadlines:
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 8:30 a.m. PT
UBC internal application deadline
See procedure #3 below. You may continue to work on your online LOI after you have submitted the required paperwork to ORS.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 12:00 p.m. PT
Applicant's e-submission deadline
Your LOI should be submitted via the Convergence Portal no later than this date as ORS will need to provide the required online approval.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 4:30 p.m. PT
Sponsor deadline
While ORS makes every effort to submit all applications on time and to facilitate support for our research community, applications submitted after the UBC internal deadline are not guaranteed to receive an administrative review from ORS, which includes confirmation of the application's completeness.
Full Application Deadlines:
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 8:30 a.m. PT
Application package sent to ORS for approval
See procedure #3 below. You may continue to work on your online application after you have submitted the required paperwork to ORS. Your final application should be submitted via the Convergence Portal on this date.
Monday, March 2, 2026, 12:00 p.m. PT
Applicant's e-submission deadline
Your final application should be submitted via the Convergence Portal on this date. ORS will require time to review and approve your application package.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 4:30 p.m. PT
Sponsor deadline
While ORS makes every effort to submit all applications on time and to facilitate support for our research community, applications submitted after the UBC internal deadline are not guaranteed to receive an administrative review from ORS, which includes confirmation of the application's completeness.
Useful resource: Frequently Asked Questions and the UBC SPARC office's NFRF - Transformation Stream resource page
E-SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
1. Application preparation
Your application must be prepared and submitted using the Convergence Portal. All attachments must respect the page limits and formatting guidelines or the application may be withdrawn. (Note that the Portal is only supported on the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox.)
2. Understand and comply with faculty-specific requirements and/or deadlines
Use the UBC Research Project Information Form (RPIF) and follow UBC Signature requirements.
If you are a co-PI or co-applicant on a NFRFT full application initiated by a PI at another institution, you must still submit to ORS an RPIF and a copy of the application for review, even though the application is being submitted to the agency by another institution.
All external co-PIs and co-applicants must complete a Confirmation of Eligibility Form, which must be submitted to ORS along with the required application pages (see #4 below).
Please check with your grant facilitator regarding faculty-specific requirements and/or deadlines.
3. Submit required pages to the appropriate ORS contact by the internal deadline
You can e-mail the pages to the appropriate ORS location. Ensure you have collected ALL required signatures prior to submitting to ORS, and that the documents submitted to ORS are identical to your online submission.
- A signed UBC Research Project Information Form (RPIF).
- Completed and signed Confirmation of Eligibility Form for each external co-PI and/or co-applicant. If co-PIs and co-applicants are within UBC, they will need to determine with their Department/Faculty whether they need to review and sign the application.
- Page 1, including list of participants
- Participants’ Eligibility Profiles pages
- Project Description page
- Budget and budget justification pages
4. Submit your ONLINE application by 12:00pm one working day before the sponsor deadline
Submit your full application online by the e-Submission Deadline stated above. To do this, the applicant must complete all forms and sections as described in the NFRF Transformation instructions. From the Finalize Application section, follow the prompts to submit your application. After you accept the terms and conditions, the status of your submission will change to Received by Administrator; this sends it to UBC ORS for review and final approval.
5. ORS reviews your application
If all requirements are met, ORS will approve your application on the Convergence Portal by the agency deadline. ORS has read-only access to your application and cannot make changes. If the application is not approved, ORS will return it to you for changes. ORS is no longer required to physically sign applications submitted through the portal.
6. ORS approves and submits your application
Once ORS has approved your application, the status on the Convergence Portal will change from "Received by Administrator" to “Received by Agency.” At this point, material or revisions received under separate cover (before or after the deadline date) will not be accepted by the agency.