Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF)

The Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund competition (BRIF) responds to the nation's researchers' need for specialized equipment in appropriate biocontainment facilities to ensure that infectious disease research is conducted safely.

BRIF will support these critical needs by investing in containment level 3 (CL3) and containment level 4 (CL4) facilities in research hospitals and post-secondary institutions and associated large-animal facilities capable of working with infectious materials.

Research infrastructure funded through this competition will strengthen the capacity of academia to work with industry and government to advance promising discoveries and promote training and talent development.

 

This competition is now CLOSED. The information below is just for reference purposes only.

ELIGIBILITY + FUNDING CRITERIA

• Projects that involve the acquisition or developing research infrastructure to increase research capacity in existing CL3 or CL4 facilities and only those CL2 or CL2+ facilities that are essential to the operations of the CL3 or CL4 facilities.
• Facilities must provide highly specialized equipment, services, resources, and scientific and technical personnel to support a broad range of research on human health threats.
• Facilities must have a management structure and user access policy in place to support the laboratory’s use by multiple research groups.
• Research infrastructure expenditures and in-kind contributions must have taken place after April 19, 2021. CFI considers expenditures incurred when goods are received, services have been rendered or work has been performed.
• Infrastructure funded through this competition must be located in Canada.
• The CFI will only fund proposals that:
  • Meet a high standard of scientific excellence.
  • Best respond to government priorities and emerging health threats.
  • Hold the greatest potential to develop commercially viable vaccines and therapies.

FUNDING STRUCTURE

• For this competition, the CFI will only consider proposals whose total project costs are greater than $3 million.
• The CFI will fund up to 60% of a project’s eligible infrastructure costs.
• The CFI will contribute to the operating and maintenance costs of funded projects through the Infrastructure Operating Fund.