Financial support

Objectives

• Support the use of partner institutions’ platforms, equipment, and analytical services;
• Encourage members who do not have access to certain equipment or services at their institution to use the platforms, equipment, and analytical services of another institution within the consortium;
• Maximize the use of platforms outside Université Laval within the consortium.

This support will be considered only for projects with the potential to strengthen the INAF. Applications related to individual projects or projects that have previously received funding for the requested support are therefore not eligible for this support program. However, support for a new phase not initially planned for an already funded project may be eligible.

Eligibility Criteria

• The project must be led by a regular research member and include at least one other INAF member;
• The project must enable a member from an institution that does not possess the necessary equipment to carry out the project to use equipment from another institution within the consortium;
• The project must utilize the platforms of INAF partner institutions outside of Laval University (see the list of affiliated institutions at https://www.inaf.ulaval.ca/en/about/);
• The proposed project must contribute to enriching the INAF’s research themes and/or that of the INAF’s Transformative Initiatives;
• An INAF member may submit only one project as the principal investigator.

Submission of Applications

• Applications must include all of the following information:
• The project title, the team members involved, their affiliated institutions, and how their expertise complements one another;
• A brief description of the project (context, objective, methodology, and implementation plan; max. one page);
• A brief description of the equipment to be used in this project (max. half a page);
• The expected outcomes of the project (max. half a page);
• A detailed description of the requested support in relation to the project’s objectives, including a budget justification (max. half a page).

Nature of Support

The maximum financial assistance granted per researcher is $5,000. Support will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and subject to the available budget for this program, which is $30,000 for the 2026–2027 fiscal year. Each application for funding that meets the eligibility criteria will be evaluated by the INAF management team and a research member. Applications may be submitted at any time to eliane.picard-deland@fsaa.ulaval.ca

INAF Transformative Initiatives

Objectives and funding terms

• Initiate and foster new collaborations between new INAF members and established members in research areas covered by INAF, aligned with the themes of the new INAF Transformative Initiatives (www.inaf.ulaval.ca/en/research/transformative-initiatives/);
• Promote collaborations among INAF members working across various research institutions;
• Generate innovative preliminary data and proof-of-concept evidence that can serve as leverage for grant applications to various funding agencies.

Eligibility Criteria

• The project must be led by a regular INAF researcher member and must involve a PI or co-PI from the Nature and Technologies (NT) sector;
• The proposed interdisciplinary project must align with one of INAF’s Transformative Initiatives;
• The project must include at least one additional INAF member;
• Priority will be given to projects involving researchers from at least two research institutions (see INAF-affiliated institutions: https://www.inaf.ulaval.ca/en/about/);
• Priority will be given to projects involving an early-career researcher;
• Priority will be given to projects involving a graduate student co-supervised by two regular researcher members.

Please note that in the case of a project involving international collaborators, the transfer of funds to international institutions is not permitted.

Application Submission

Applications must include all of the following information:

Application Evaluation

Evaluation Procedure

Evaluation criteria (passing grade: 80%)

• Team quality (complementarity and interdisciplinary nature of research expertise, inclusion of an early-career researcher [fewer than 6 years between appointment date and project submission date] as an asset, and sharing of resources) (30 points);
• Potential benefits for INAF and anticipated project outcomes (e.g., publications, submission of a grant application to a funding agency) (30 points);
• Relevance to INAF’s priority Transformative Initiatives and the innovative nature of the project (20 points);
• Project implementation plan (objective(s), methodology, timeline, and budget) (20 points).

Nature of financial support

• The maximum funding amount per project is $15,000.
• Eligible expenses include laboratory supplies, analytical fees, salaries and scholarships/stipends (students, research professionals, trainees), and inter-laboratory travel expenses for team members.
• Funding is provided for a period of 12 months and is not renewable. This initiative is made possible through the support of the FRQ Nature and Technologies sector. A project outcomes report must be completed at the end of the funding period. An INAF member may submit only one project as Principal Investigator.

Objective and funding

To promote the arrival and hosting of researchers and professionals from Canada and abroad, with a view to consolidating new research collaborations, learning new methods and/or carrying out a joint research project that may require the use of the cluster’s infrastructures.

Amounts awarded:

• $2,500 for a stay between 5 and 29 days at the host university
• $5,000 for a minimum stay of 30 days at the host university

Eligibility criteria

• The visiting scientist (researcher or professional from a Canadian or international university) must carry out research activities in collaboration with a regular INAF research
• The regular INAF research member is responsible for inviting the visiting scientist (in accordance with the rules of his or her home university).
• The activities planned during the visiting scientist’s stay must be in line with INAF’s scientific
• An INAF research member may submit only one

Drawing of the application

1 – The FORM must be completed by the research member responsible for hosting, in collaboration with the visiting scientist.

• • Information on the INAF research member responsible for hosting and the visiting scientist
  • Information about the host institution
  • Description of the activities carried out during the stay and expected outcomes

2 – Attached the CV of the visiting

3 – Attached the letter of invitation from the person responsible for hosting (regular INAF research member) specifying the dates of the visiting scientist’s stay and the activities planned during the stay.

4 – Attached an estimate of the provisional budget and the importance of the contribution to the achievement of the mission.

Evaluation criteria

• Quality and relevance of the activities planned during the stay in relation to the INAF’s programme, the contribution to the development and sharing of knowledge and, if applicable, to the training of highly qualified personnel (30 pts).
• Team quality (complementarity of research expertise, pooling of resources) (20 pts).
• Structuring effect and expected outcomes for INAF (e.g.: submission of joint applications, co-direction, publications or communications, impact of support on the achievement of the mission, etc.) (50 pts).

Eligible expenses (mobility) :

Travel, accommodation and meal costs (per diem) for the visiting scientist, in accordance with the academic rules of the host university or organisation. Please note that the funds will be paid to the INAF member responsible for hosting the visiting scientist. Transfer of funds to international institutions is not permitted. Please note that platform services are offered at the INAF member rate, where applicable.

Type of support

Financial support will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis according to the budget available for this programme. Each request for support that meets the eligibility criteria will be assessed by the INAF management team. An impact report must be completed at the end of the project.

Applications may be sent at any time to Eliane.Picard-Deland@fsaa.ulaval.ca.

Objectives

• To promote the participation and influence of INAF’s scientific members in the organisation of local and international scientific
• Increase INAF’s influence in knowledge mobilisation events related to INAF’s research themes;
• Increase the visibility of INAF members’ expertise among their peers and stakeholders.

Eligibility criteria

• The application must be submitted by a regular INAF research
• The event must be aligned with INAF’s research
• The structuring effect for INAF must be clearly demonstrated (see criteria below), and the event must involve at least 1 regular INAF research member on its scientific or organizing committee. The amount awarded will depend on this structuring effect and the scale of the
• This program excludes conferences and events already sponsored by INAF (BÉNÉFIQ, Green Food Tech, Antimic, Colloque STELA, AQIA Symposium, Colloque SSI, Student Symposium, ).

Drawing of the application

• The FORM must be completed by the regular INAF research
• The preliminary program of the event must be attached to the
• If applicable, attached visibility plan according to the level of

Evaluation criteria

• Structuring effect on the development and mobilisation of knowledge: relevance and structuring effect on the development of INAF’s scientific programme, the multidisciplinary, intersectoral and partnership-based nature of the event (30 points).

• Scope and reach of the event: number of participants, including the number of INAF members (30 points).
• Impact on visibility: INAF members speaking at the programme, visibility offered to INAF, stakeholders reached (number and diversity of audience: peers, students, professionals, users of research results (30 points).
• Eco-responsible event (10 points).

Type of support

3 categories of support:

• Less than $1,000
• Between $1,000 and $2,500
• Between $2,500 and $5,000

Support will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are exhausted (a total of $10,000 per year). Each request for support for an event that meets the eligibility criteria will be evaluated by a committee made up of two members of the management team and two members of the INAF Scientific Committee, in accordance with the evaluation criteria.

Applications may be sent at any time to Eliane.Picard-Deland@fsaa.ulaval.ca.

Several scholarship programs are available to graduate and postdoctoral students. For more information, visit www.inaf.ulaval.ca/en/training/financial_support/