Strategic Development Initiatives

Our office leads the management and coordination of major institutional research infrastructure projects.

People walking inside connected gear wheels
The Office of Strategic Development Initiatives’ main role is to coordinate and administer major research infrastructure projects funded by government programs such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.

About us

Our team also participates in planning of research space and infrastructure when new researchers join the University, as well as in management of core facilities.

Our office is at the centre of an extensive network of research teams, research offices and support staff, both at the University of Ottawa and its affiliated research institutes, as well as federal and provincial granting agencies.

Our office is the main point of contact for the coordination of the Strategic Projects Management Group (SPMG), of which we are a member, and we work closely with Facilities, Procurement and Financial Resources to ensure sound project management. By accompanying researchers, our team plays a key role at every research project stage, from preparing competitive granting agency applications to seeing them come to fruition.

SDI by the numbers

70

Active projects

$215M

Fundings

25

Core facilities

Funding opportunities

CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund - October 2024 Competition

For this round, priority will be given to projects supporting the recruitment of new professors.

  • Internal application deadline - Letters of intent: June 28, 2024
  • Internal competition results: Mid-July 2024
  • CFI application deadline - Proposals: October 15, 2024
  • Expected CFI decisions March 2025

Please see the Federal Programs section for detailed instructions.

CFI Innovation Fund - 2025 Competition

The CFI Innovation Fund competition timeline is now the following:

  • Deadline to submit notices of intent: Oct 2, 2024
  • Deadline to submit proposals: Feb 4, 2025
  • Decision by CFI Board of Directors: November 2025

Please see the Federal Programs section for detailed instructions.

Support for stand-alone equipment

This competition is open to help finance the operation and maintenance costs of stand-alone equipment funded by the CFI.

  • Deadlines: There are no longer any fixed application deadlines. Applications are accepted at any time of the year.
  • Competitions results: Two weeks after submission

Please see the Other Programs section for more information.

Contact us

Office of Strategic Development Initiatives

Tabaret Hall
550 Cumberland St
Room L315
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1N 6N5

[email protected]