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New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) - International Stream
Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges
The represents a collaboration among research funders from the Åland Islands, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom to support international, interdisciplinary and transformative research aimed at harnessing disruptive technology to address major global societal challenges.
For this funding opportunity, disruptive technology is defined as “an innovation whose application replaces or radically alters systems, processes and/or behaviours to have transformative economic or societal impacts. The impact may be localized or far-reaching. Disruptive technology may include cutting-edge and novel innovations, or the application of an existing innovation in a new context, bringing about substantial change or paradigm shifts.”
This interdisciplinary and stakeholder-oriented approach is instrumental to pushing forward change at an international scale to help make progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Projects in this call must directly address at least one of the .
Value & Duration
Projects should be designed to be completed within three years. Funding is available for three-year projects. One-year no-cost extensions may be available in some circumstances, on request and requiring appropriate justification. The total amount of funding available for each project will depend on the funding organizations supporting the project. See the information provided in the annexes (links in Table 1) on the NFRF program page for information on the level of financial support available.
Eligibility
Eligible projects must be:
- interdisciplinary (from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge)
- trans-sectoral (involving academic research, economic, societal and community sectors, as appropriate)
Each project team must be eligible to receive funds from at least three participating funding organizations. To fulfill this requirement, the project team must include a minimum of three co-principal investigators (co-PIs), and each must be eligible to receive funding from a different participating funding organization. One co-PI must be eligible to apply to the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF). The project team must identify a project lead from among the co-PIs. The project lead will be the primary contact point for the project as a whole.
Applicants must apply as a transnational research project partnership. Project teams must be interdisciplinary, incorporating required disciplinary expertise. It is strongly recommended that all project teams include at least one expert in social sciences or humanities among the co-principal investigators (co-PIs), fostering successful implementation for maximum impact.
Each funding organization may have additional eligibility rules for applicants and proposed projects. Links are provided on the NFRF program page (Table 1) for each funding organization’s eligibility rules, requirements, funding mandate, policies, eligible costs and procedures.
Dates & Deadlines
| Date & Time | Events & Required Steps |
|---|---|
| February 3 & 4, 2026 | NFRF program webinars |
| March 3, 2026 | NFRF deadline to submit required NOI |
| March 9, 2026 | Convergence Portal opens for Letters of Intent (LOI) |
| June 2, 2026 | Internal deadline to submit LOI applications to 深夜福利站 Research for review & ROLA proposal |
| June 9, 2026 | NFRF deadline to submit LOI |
| August 26, 2026 | LOI results released |
| August 27, 2026 | Convergence Portal opens for full applications |
| October 27, 2026 | Internal deadline to submit full applications to 深夜福利站 Research & ROLA proposals |
| November 3, 2026 | NFRF deadline to submit full application |
| March 2027 | Notice of funding decisions and start date of award |
Competition Details
Please visit the for more details on the application and review process. This program includes the following stages:
- (mandatory registration)
- (evaluated)
- (by invitation)
To apply to this call, teams must by March 3, 2026. This is a mandatory step in the application process. The NOI is used for administrative purposes and is not assessed. Once the NOI deadline has passed, the research team will immediately be able to work on their LOI. The team by June 9, 2026. Submitted LOIs will be evaluated for the purpose of identifying teams to be invited to the .
For more details on merit review processes, funding principles, project team requirements, and list of participating funding organizations, visit the program page.
NFRF - 2026 International Competition - Information Webinar – English
NFRF - 2026 International Competition - Information Webinar – French
The following areas will be taken into consideration during the merit review process; please visit the and the for more details and information on these considerations.
- Indigenous research
- Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research design
- Research security
Selection criteria
- Fit-to-program
- Interdisciplinarity
- Equity, diversity and inclusion in research practice
- Strength of the project consortium
- High risk—novelty of approach / scientific rigour
- High reward—anticipated societal impact
- Feasibility—capacity to execute the project
- Diversity (of application subject matter and other elements)
Resources
- Participating Funding Organizations Annexes: Refer to Table 1 on the
- NFRF Agency Webinars Slides and Recording (forthcoming)
- 深夜福利站’s Knowledge Mobilization and Research Impact Tools
Contact Us
For more information on the NFRF International stream, please contact, Elizabeth Russell-Minda, Institutional Research Programs Officer.