Research
Researcher Resources

SFU Internal

Simon Fraser University is committed to supporting its faculty in their research and creative endeavours. The list below includes some examples of internal funding opportunities for faculty and staff.

For a full list of opportunities, please see the SFU Funding Opportunities database.

On this page

VPR Travel Grants, Social Science & Humanities
University Publication Fund
William and Ada Isabelle Steel Fund
SSHRC Small Explore Research Grants (SFU/SSHRC Institutional Grants)
France-Canada Research Fund New Collaborations
SFU Open Access Fund
Postdoctoral Travel Award

VPR Travel Grants, Social Science & Humanities

VPR Travel Grants are discontinued as of April 1st, 2025.

University Publication Fund 

Rapid Response - Ongoing;
Single and Serial - Accepting Applications April 12 through May 13

The University Publication Fund (UPF) is established under the authority of the Vice-President, Research for the purpose of providing support to faculty and staff of Simon Fraser University for their academic publications. The UPF is split into three streams:

  • The Rapid Response Publications supports a maximum of $2,000 with applications accepted all year.
  • The Single Event Publications support applications over $2,000 with an annual intake occurring between April 12th – May 13th
  • The Serial Event Publications supports applications over $2,000 with an annual intake occurring between April 12th – May 13th

For more information on these programs, please check the guidelines: PDF

Please note that the UPF program is administered by Research Services under authority of the University Publication Fund Committee.

  • UPF Committee Membership: PDF
  • UPF Committee Terms of Reference: PDF

William and Ada Isabelle Steel Fund

Opens April 18. Applications accepted until May 18

The William and Ada Isabelle Steel Fund reflects the intent of the endowment left by William and Ada Isabelle Steel for research studies into any aspect of alcoholism and/or drug addiction.

  • Application deadline: April 18 – May 18
  • Guidelines and forms
    • Guidelines: PDF
    • Application: Apply on InfoReady Portal: https://sfu.infoready4.com
    • Budget template: Excel
    • Form B -Steel Fund Completion Report: Revised format now included in InfoReady portal

Please note that this program is funded by William and Ada Isabelle Steel Endowment, where its annual income allocation is used support this annual competition. This year’s program has $50,000 to fund any number of projects relating to alcoholism and/or drug addiction. This program is administered by Research Services and adjudicated by the Associate Vice-President, Research. Please submit your application via InfoReady. Any questions can be directed to Research Services (ors@sfu.ca).

SSHRC Small Explore Research Grants [SFU/SSHRC Institutional Grants]

Spring Intake - Online application deadline June 1, 4:30 p.m.
Fall Intake - Online application deadline December 15, 4:30 p.m. 

SSHRC Small Explore Research Grants support scholarly research in the contemporary arts, humanities and social sciences for expenses up to a maximum of $10,000 for a single project. There are two intakes (i.e., spring and fall) annually.

  • Application guidelines and forms:
    • Guidelines: Download.pdf
    • Application: Apply on InfoReady Portal: https://sfu.infoready4.com
    • Form B: Revised format now included in InfoReady portal
    • Chair Evaluations: Not required
    • InfoReady application instructions: Download.pdf
    • Approved Kuali Proposal (this replaces the previously required SFU signature sheet); Please see this video for complete instructions for submitting a SSHRC Small Grant in Kuali Research.

Funding for this competition is provided by the SSHRC Institutional Grants. All successful applicants must adhere to SFU and Tri-Agency guidelines. For more information, please check Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide.

The SFU/SSHRC Small Explore Research Grants program is administered by Research Services under authority of the SFU/SSHRC Institutional Grants Committee. Please submit applications to Research Services (ors@sfu.ca).

New Collaboration Support Program (FCRF)

Accepting applications until Monday, November 18, 2024.

The France-Canada Research Fund (FCRF) "New Research Collaboration Program" provides financing for new projects jointly developed by French and Canadian teams that have never worked together before. The financing is awarded to two-year projects in amounts ranging from $8,000 to $15,000, according to the needs expressed by the principal investigators. This financing is primarily intended to support the mobility of young researchers and their students.

The 2025 call for applications in now open. This application has an internal deadline (Thursday, November 14, 2024) and external deadline (Monday, November 18, 2024; 23:59 PT).

  • Internal application to include an approved Kuali proposal (this replaces the previously required SFU signature sheet)
  • Upon confirmation of internal approval, applicants must email their complete application to ors@sfu.ca by November 18, 2024.

Please note

  • The FCRF only accepts a maximum of five proposals per institution. Should more than five applications be submitted, SFU’s Institutional Strategic Awards will oversee the selection of applications that will move forward as part of a final application process, occurring after the submission stage.
  • Application requires a signature of the “Director or Vice-Dean Research in Canada”. For SFU, this is the Director of Research Services, who will sign the application once reviewed by Research Services.
  • The Mitacs Globalink Research Award (GRA) listed under Appendix 2: Complimentary Funding on the Guide is currently not available for SFU applicants due to the program being on hold at SFU.

For more information, please see the France Embassy website: https://francecanadaculture.org/france-canada-research-fund/

SFU Open Access Fund

The SFU Open Access Fund supports SFU authors publishing in fully open access journals that charge Article Processing Charges. 

Article Processing Charges are an eligible expense for certain grants to cover the cost of open access publishing, especially when open access publishing is a requirement of the grant. SFU Library has tips for estimating these costs and sample wording to request funding in your grant proposal. See Open Access Funding and Grant Proposal for details.

Please note: this Fund is administrated by SFU Library. No SFU Signature Sheet or internal approvals are required.

Postdoctoral Travel Award

The VPRI Postdoctoral Travel Award is designed to advance the professional development of SFU’s postdoctoral fellows by providing supplemental financial support for travel to present or disseminate scholarly work at events (e.g., conferences, symposia, workshops). This initiative enables PDFs to showcase their research at national and international events, facilitating engagement with global experts and fostering the development of scholarly and professional networks

The awards are valued at maximum $500 for domestic travel and $1000 for international travel for eligible postdoctoral applicants. 

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