RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM OVERVIEW 

Ontario’s future prosperity will depend on its ability to innovate and its success in moving increasingly towards a knowledge-based economy as the source of new companies and jobs. 

To achieve this Ontario must: extract more value from provincial investments in research and innovation; attract the best and brightest innovators and entrepreneurs from around the world and keep homegrown talent here; and seize opportunities for global leadership.  These concepts are key to the Government of Ontario’s Innovation Agenda – Seizing Global Opportunities.

Ontario’s universities, colleges, hospitals and research institutes have played, and continue to play a vital role in ensuring Ontario remains at the forefront of the global knowledge-based economy by supporting cutting-edge research and developing world-leading researchers.

Increasing our capacity for innovation at these institutions through research infrastructure investments will help Ontarians manage emerging social and public policy issues such as poverty, environmental sustainability, health care, and stable energy sources, and, in so doing, find new opportunities for enhancing economic growth and improving our quality of life. 

That is why the Ministry of Research and Innovation is investing $250 million over the next five years through its Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure program (ORF-RI). This new investment will enable institutions to apply for research infrastructure funding, which has the potential to leverage awards from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

The ORF-RI program will ensure that Ontario’s publicly funded research institutions and their researchers continue to have competitive, state-of-the-art infrastructure to engage in world-leading research and technology development.

Who's eligible for funding?

The program is open on a competitive basis to any Ontario research institution eligible to apply to the CFI under its Leading Edge Fund, New Initiatives Fund or Leaders Opportunity Fund.

What's eligible for funding?

The ORF-RI program increases Ontario’s capacity in promising new areas of research and technology development through two streams:

• Large Infrastructure Fund (LIF) – Strategic investments in institutional research facilities that bring together researchers from a range of disciplines, technology experts and industry partners to generate new ideas, stimulate technology development and support the growth of strong regional economies.
• Small Infrastructure Fund (SIF) – Investments to help attract, retain and develop leading researchers by supporting the acquisition and renewal of state-of-the-art research equipment at Ontario’s publicly funded research institutes.

ORF-RI funds the capital costs of acquiring, developing modernizing or leasing research infrastructure up to a maximum 40% of the total eligible costs.  Research institutions are responsible for obtaining at least 60% from the CFI, any private funding partners, and its own resources.

When do institutions apply?

Applications for ORF-RI large infrastructure funds should be submitted to the ORF no later than October 24, 2008.

Applications for ORF-RI small infrastructure funds should be submitted to the ORF within three weeks following the corresponding CFI submission date for Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF) projects. For information on CFI's critical dates, please refer to the Canada Foundation for Innovation web site.

Who can I contact if I have questions?

If you have questions about the program, please contact:

Yassar Muttaqi
Tel: 416-314-0633
Email: