Information for Researchers, No. 11 | February 9, 2022

German-Canadian Collaboration Opportunities within NFRF 2022 Special Call: Research for Post-Pandemic Recovery

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) supports the Canadian New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) within a new special call. Launched in 2018, the NFRF funds interdisciplinary, high-risk / high-reward, transformative research led by Canadian researchers working with Canadian and international partners. The NFRF is under the strategic direction of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) which advances federal research priorities and the coordination of policies and programmes of Canada’s research funding agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The CRCC will soon launch the NFRF special call: Research for Post-Pandemic Recovery.

This programme aims to mobilise research efforts in support of a more equitable, sustainable and resilient post-pandemic reality. It will support a diverse portfolio of projects that directly address one or more of the research priorities outlined in the UN Research Roadmap for COVID-19 Recovery. While the NFRF call requires the principal investigator to be based in Canada, it also requires the involvement of international collaborators and allows for the transfer of funds outside of Canada to support international participation.

The UN Research Roadmap was developed in 2020 under the leadership of Canadian research organisations in a global consultative process in which more than 250 experts took part. DFG’s Commission for Pandemic Research and the German Committee Future Earth (DKN-Future Earth) support the roadmap and emphasised in a joint statement that the roadmap represents a signal and a clear commitment to a science-driven, evidence-based approach to dealing with the consequences of the pandemic (Information for Researchers No. 107 | 22 December 2020).

In order to strengthen international cooperation in the field of Research for Post-Pandemic Recovery the DFG draws attention to the NFRF call. Interested researchers in Germany are in principle eligible for NFRF funds that can be used to support the research activities of international researchers. They have to be part of the research team and are encouraged to reach out to their Canadian research partners to prepare proposals for the competition. Details can be found in the NFRF call text (see link below). Please note that the DFG cannot offer direct co-funding within the call.

However, researchers eligible for DFG funding can liaise with the Research for Post-Pandemic Recovery programme through an independent individual research grant proposal to the DFG with reference to a related cooperation. The framework of the Individual Research Grants Programme offers e.g. funding for travel expenses, funding for visiting researchers from abroad as well as funding for fellows to enable intensive and long-term exchange with visiting researchers (see DFG forms 52.01 and 52.05).

The submission of proposals is possible at any time. Proposals should be written in English and must be submitted via the DFG elan system according to the guidelines for the programme “Research Grants Programme” (DFG form 50.01). It is important for DFG applicants to note that there are no special funds available for these efforts. The review process is carried out separately from the NFRF call according to the DFG’s criteria for the Review of Research Grants (see DFG form 10.206) and proposals must succeed on the strengths of their intellectual merit and compete with all other proposals in the Research Grants Programme.

Further Information

For information on the NFRF special call please go to:

Guidelines for the Research Grants Programme and the review criteria can be found at:

The DFG forms 50.01, 52.01, 52.05 and 10.206 can directly be downloaded at:

Please note the DFG’s data protection notice on research funding, which can be viewed and downloaded at:

If necessary, please also forward this information to those individuals whose data will be processed by the DFG due to their involvement in your project.

If you have any further questions on this opportunity, please contact: