New Frontiers in Research Fund awards $46.3 million for Exploration projects that push research boundaries in Canada


2019 Exploration grants build Canada’s strength in high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research

The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) 2019 Exploration competition has awarded $46.3 million in funding to support 186 research projects that bring disciplines together in nontraditional ways to explore new research directions. Launched under the fund’s Exploration stream, the competition provides grants of up to $125,000 a year for two years for teams of two or more researchers. The NFRF is a federal research funding program that fosters world-leading discovery and innovation by encouraging Canadian researchers to explore, take risks, lead, and work with partners across disciplines and borders.

The NFRF’s Exploration stream addresses gaps in the federal funding system to promote innovation. It supports research that defies current paradigms, bridges disciplines, or tackles fundamental problems from new perspectives. A key principle of this stream is the recognition that exploring new directions in research carries risk, but is worthwhile given the potential for significant impact.

The 2019 Exploration grants support a wide range of research topics—from developing ultrasound technologies for detecting brain cancer in children, to supporting Inuit youth environmental leaders, to using drone-aided networks for communications in remote communities. The topics all share a unique interdisciplinary approach and the potential for game-changing outcomes in social, cultural, economic, health-related or technological areas that may benefit Canadians. Learn more about the awarded research projects.

The NFRF is an initiative of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee and is managed as a tri-agency program on behalf of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

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