Ontario Research Fund: Research Excellence
How to apply for funding to help cover the cost of research operations (e.g. salaries, supplies, etc.)
About the fund
The Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) provides research institutions with funding to support the operational costs of major projects of strategic value to the province.
The fund provides up to one third of the total value of a project, with the remaining two thirds coming from a combination of private sector and institutional contributions.
ORF-RE Round 11 has two application funding streams:
Stream 1: General – Basic and Applied Research
This stream:
- is open to all research disciplines
- funds projects from $500,000 to $2,000,000
- funds projects up to a maximum of 5 years
Stream 2: Targeted – Experimental Research
This stream:
- funds projects that demonstrate strong commercialization potential, where the innovation is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3 or higher
- Targets projects in the following sectors:
- information communications technologies
- life sciences and medical devices
- industrial technologies
- requires collaboration with an Ontario-based company
- funds projects from $300,000 to $1,000,000
- funds projects up to a maximum of 4 years
For both streams, priority will be given to applications focused on:
- connected, autonomous, electric vehicles (including battery and powertrain technology)
- industrial/mining technologies related to electric vehicles, spanning the entire value chain from minerals to manufacturing to recovering resources from vehicles or their component parts at end-of-life
Projects funded
View information about past supported projects.
Who is eligible
Eligible institutions include Ontario's:
- universities
- colleges
- research hospitals
- non-profit research institutions
How to apply
Selection process
The review panel scores applicants on:
- research excellence
- commercialization potential (if applicable)
- strategic value to Ontario
- plan for achieving research impact
- development of research talent
- project management and governance
Applicants will get a copy of the review panel’s comments.
Questions
If you have any further questions, please email us.