Institut Courtois Exploratory Projects Program 2026 - Research and Equipment

The Institut Courtois leadership is launching a call for exploratory projects. This program provides rapid-access funding to initiate bold, high-risk, high-reward research projects that would otherwise be difficult to fund. The preliminary results generated through these projects will help researchers strengthen future grant applications to governmental funding agencies. This year, the Institut Courtois will also offer financial support for the acquisition of a research tool or instrument needed to support the proposed research project.

 

Objective :

High-risk, high-reward research project.

Purchase of equipement or upgrades to existing equipment required to enhance and accelerate materials discovery.

  

Timeline

Launch of the call: August 17, 2026

Notice of Intent (NOI) : October 2 2026

Full application : Novembre 20, 2026 (must include a quotation)

Announcement of results : January 15, 2027

Project start date : January 15, 2027

 

Funding Amount and Duration

The maximum funding available is CAD $200,000 over a two-year period, in addition to funding for equipment required for the proposed project of up to CAD $200,000 (before taxes).

Amount: CAD $100,000 per year for 2 years + up to CAD $200,000 for equipment

Duration: 2 years (January 2027 to December 2028)

 

Eligibility

Principal Investigator : Professors, regular member of the Institut Courtois

Co-Investigator : Other faculty members at a Canadian University

Co-investigators may participate in multiple applications but may serve as Principal Investigator on only one application.

The equipment must be installed at the Université de Montréal (UdeM).

Evaluation Criteria – Proposal will be evaluated according to the criteria outlined in this evaluation grid.

How to Apply

Complete the Notice of Intetnt: Forms NOI

Deadline :  October 2, 2026.


Full Application

The proposal must include : 

  • A biosketch-style CV (maximum 2 pages) for each co-investigator;
  • A research proposal (maximum 5 pages)
  • An equipment description (up to 2 pages)
  • References (maximum 1 page) 
  • Research budget justification (maximum 1 page) 
  • Budget Excel spreadsheet

All documents must be prepared in French or English, using single spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and minimum 1-inch margins.

Applications must be submitted by email to institut-courtois@umontreal.ca . All sections must be combined into a single PDF file, except for the budget spreadsheet and the equipment quotation, which must be submitted as separate files.

The PDF file must be named as follows: PI_NAME_IC2026ExploratoryProject The budget Excel file must be named: PI_NAME_IC2026ExProject_Budget.