**Shared on behalf of Dr. Wyeth Wasserman, Vice Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine**
Dear Colleagues,
In preparation for the anticipated Innovation Fund (IF) 2027 competition please see below, UBC’s internal timeline for the 2027 Innovation Fund competition ahead of the CFI call for proposals
*Please note, dates are subject to change as new information is released from the CFI (tentative CFI deadlines highlighted in blue, tentative Provincial deadline highlighted in grey).
The IPO will communicate CFI deadlines and confirm the UBC internal processes and timeline once we hear from the CFI.
| 2025 | |
| UBC Internal Expression of Interest (EOI) | December 01, 2025 |
| 2026 | |
| CFI launches draft call for proposals | Spring 2026 |
| CFI launches call for proposals | Spring 2026 (1 month following draft call) |
| UBC Internal deadline: Full internal proposal, including budget, CVs; UBC CFI envelope request for non-UBC lead projects. | May 04, 2026 |
| Internal review panel | June 22, 2026 |
| UBC internal decision – Applicants notified | July 06, 2026 |
| CFI NOI – UBC internal deadline | 3 days prior to CFI NOI deadline |
| CFI deadline to submit notice of intent (NOI) | October 2026 |
| UBC Internal Deadline: full proposal submission to IPO for formative review | November 02, 2026 |
| Formative review | November 03 – December 07, 2026 |
| Draft BCKDF Step 1 deadline | December 07, 2026 |
| Finance review and finalization | November 2026 to February 2027 |
| 2027 | |
| UBC Internal Deadline for final proposal | Late January 2027 |
| CFI Deadline to submit proposals (expected) | February 2027 |
| UBC Internal Deadline for final BCKDF Step 1 | March 2027 (1-2 weeks after CFI submission) |
| BCKDF Deadline to submit Step 1 application | March 2027 (1 month after CFI submission) |
| CFI review process | March 2027 – November 2027 |
| CFI board of directors announce decision | November 2027 |
Pre-Competition Support
UBC CFI advisor, J9 Austin and the IPO team continue to be available to provide early-stage constructive feedback to allow potential applicants to develop the strongest proposal possible. Participation in test-your-concept (TYC) sessions at the early stages of proposal development is strongly encouraged as it will help applicants structure a timeline for planning and due diligence that will create a strong competitive advantage.
In particular, projects that may have significant construction or renovations in the budget will be required to participate in this process. Projects identifying major (Tier 4, Tier 5) construction/renovation costs at a later date (early 2026) are unlikely to be able to proceed since there will be insufficient time to go through the required institutional due diligence, and to fulfil CFI requirements. To determine your renovations or construction needs, please consult the Renovation and Infrastructure Cost Estimates (RICE) page
Please request a consult or Test Your Concept session here.
We respectfully acknowledge the land on which we live, work and play is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh).