INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM GUIDELINES 

The International Strategic Opportunities Program (ISOP) provides funding for strategic international collaborations between Ontario research institutions and the global research community. The goal of the program is to improve Ontario's long-term economic potential by attracting and retaining the best and brightest research talent.

Program Objectives

ISOP has been developed to:

• Facilitate research of scientific importance
• Increase Ontario's long-term economic potential
• Attract and retain top international research talent
• Enhance Ontario's profile in the international research community

Priority will be given to collaborations with researchers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, China and India.

Please note: Collaborations need to be part of an overall strategic project designed to further Ontario's research and innovation agenda.

Eligible Applicants

ISOP is open to the following Ontario institutions:

• universities;
• affiliated research and teaching hospitals;
• colleges; and
• non-profit research institutions.

For-profit companies are also welcome to participate, but cannot be the lead organization.

Please note: An institution or a consortium of institutions may apply jointly with their private sector partner(s), with one institution as lead applicant.

The lead organization must be a not-for profit corporation.

Eligible Program Activities

Eligible program activities include:

• consortia project management (e.g., coordination and administration, management of research grant proposals);
• missions to develop or expand research links;
• travel, including research exchange programs, hospitality for networking purposes;
• planning, coordinating and/or participating in international workshops, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and meetings to deliver information on best practises and international links; and
• publishing the proceedings associated with the above activities.

Please note: Any proposed activity must be an integral component of a strategic international project. For example, travel to a conference would only be eligible if it was part of a strategic international research project.

Eligible Expenditures

Eligible expenditures may include, but are not limited to:

• salaries, wages and benefits for project management staff;
• office lease and maintenance;
• office equipment, including supplies, furniture and software;
• travel, accommodation and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for researchers and project staff to attend workshops and conferences;
• marketing and outreach to promote the consortia, including meetings, events and websites;
• production and delivery costs for promotional material;
• facilities and services related to conferences, workshops, meetings; and
• materials for conference exhibits.

Please note: Costs must be managed with a view to economy, practicality and appropriateness. For example, air travel costs must not exceed full economy fares.

Ineligible Activities and Expenditures

The program will normally not fund research, as there are other funding programs available at the provincial, federal and international levels.

Ineligible expenditures include, but are not limited to:

• research salaries;
• purchase of research equipment;
• renovations or prototype building;
• lobbying or government-relations activities;
• legal, accounting and consulting fees in connection with financial reorganizations, security issues, capital stock issues, patents and licenses and prosecution of claims against Ontario;
• federal and provincial income taxes, excess profit taxes or surtaxes and any special expenses incurred in relation to taxes;
• fines and penalties;
• donations in the form of goodwill or other intangibles (e.g. intellectual property);
• standard discounts; and
• interest charges.

Funding

The program will generally fund up to 50% of eligible costs on a one-time basis for approved applications. The balance must come from non-Ontario government sources. Specific purpose grants received from Ontario government ministries and agencies cannot be used as a match for ISOP funding.

The level of funding will depend on the activities and deliverables proposed. Maximum project funding, regardless of the number of components, will normally not exceed $150,000 over three years.

Please note: The Ministry sees consortia project management as a means of managing and administering international research collaborations and assumes project management costs will be one component of a grant proposal.

Cash Contributions

Cash contributions from all sources that will be applied to the project are to be listed as part of a project's total budget.

In-Kind Contributions

In-kind contributions are non-cash resources and are to be listed as part of a project's overall budget. Applicants must be able to verify the value of in-kind contributions with independent third party valuations.

In-kind contributions must:

• be essential to the implementation of the international collaboration;
• represent an item or service that would otherwise have to be acquired with cash; and
• be priced at the lesser of fair market value or the actual cost to the donor.

Eligible in-kind contributions may include:

• office equipment;
• office materials and expendable supplies;
• software and databases/datasets;
• salaries of professional, technical or project-specific administration personnel directly related to the project; and
• travel services (e.g., vehicles, fuel and shipping services)

Ineligible in-kind contributions include:

• services normally performed for free;
• staff salaries and benefits not directly related to the project management (e.g., research salaries);
• standard discounts; and
• research equipment.

Application Deadlines

There will be no formal call for proposals. Completed applications will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Application forms must be submitted in writing and electronically in MS Word/Excel formats. They must be signed by an officer of the organization with the authority to legally bind it and sent to:

International Strategic Opportunities Program
Ministry of Research and Innovation
11th Floor, 56 Wellesley Street West,
Toronto, ON M7A 2E7
Tel: 416-314-7220
Fax: 416-326-2599
E-mail: isop@ontario.ca

Project Terms and Reporting

While project terms will vary depending on the activities proposed, the maximum term will not exceed three years.

For multiyear projects and agreements, the lead organization will submit annual progress reports that will include status updates on:

• deliverables;
• results;
• budget;
• partner contributions; and
• successful and unsuccessful research grant requests, including all funds received, as well as expected funding not received.

Reports on annual performance measures will also be required. A final project report will be required upon completion of the project.

Funds will be dispersed annually. Ten percent of the ISOP funds will be held back until the final project report is received.

Project Evaluation

The application will be evaluated on how the project will:

• facilitate research of scientific importance;
• increase Ontario's long-term economic potential;
• attract and retain top international research talent ;
• enhance Ontario's profile in the international research community; and
• achieve its objectives through sound project management, budgeting and planning.

Conditions of Application

An applicant must complete the application form. The letters of participation from each funding partner, as well as letter(s) of support, are essential for an application to be reviewed.

An application must address/provide the following:

• a description of the proposed international collaboration, including details on how the project will:
• facilitate research of scientific importance;
• increase Ontario's long-term economic potential;
• attract and retain top international research talent; and
• enhance Ontario's profile in the international research community.
• a detailed budget (see Appendix C: Project Budget in ISOP application form).
• a project plan that provides a summary of how ISOP funds will be used to deliver on the program's goal of facilitating world-class international research collaborations, as well as a description of project management activities, research grant funding milestones and other strategic initiatives;
• the number and description of potential international partners, along with brief descriptions of their expertise and the rationale for their inclusion in the collaboration (See Appendix B: Project Lead and Partners in ISOP application form);
• funding (for both cash and in-kind contributions to the international collaboration) and support letters; and
• proof of not-for-profit status of the lead organization.

Please note: This is a non-entitlement program. The Ministry reserves the right to ask applicants with similar projects to collaborate in broader partnerships.

Agreement with the Ministry

Successful applicants will enter into a grant agreement with the Ministry, which will include conditions such as:

• Ministry funds can only be applied to the project's eligible expenditures incurred after both parties have signed an agreement.
• Project activities and deliverables cannot be changed without the written approval of the Ministry.
• Projects may be subject to an audit.
• Any good or service to be purchased in relation to the project, with a value of more than $25,000, must go through an open procurement process before the applicant receives the good or service.
• Progress reports will be submitted annually including progress on project deliverables, results, budget, and partner contributions. Reporting templates will be provided as part of the Agreement.
• Ten per cent of the total funding will be held back subject to all reports having been received.
• Actual project resources and expenditures will be reviewed on a regular basis and may result in an adjustment in the payment level in subsequent years.
• Projects will be required to acknowledge Ministry support.
• The term of the project can be up to three years. Ontario is bound by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and information provided to Ontario may be subject to disclosure under that Act.  

Contact Information

If you have questions about ISOP, please contact:

Lee Marsden
Ministry of Research and Innovation
Tel: 416-314-7220
E-mail: isop@ontario.ca