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Program Objective

Available to Brace faculty members, seed grants aim to support multidisciplinary teams of two or more Brace Faculty Members pursuing medium or high-risk projects in applied water research. The goal is to support research collaboration among members and advance the centre’s thematic research areas.

Available Funding

Each award will be funded up to $50,000 and is non-renewable. Up to six projects will be awarded funding, with all selected projects to begin 1 May, 2025.

Eligibility

To qualify for funding under the Brace Water Innovation Seed Grants program, the project must meet the following criteria:

Principal Investigator (PI) and Team Composition

• The lead applicant (PI) must be a Brace Faculty Member.
• Teams must include at least two Brace Faculty Members from different 51³Ô¹ÏÍøfaculties to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration. Interested 51³Ô¹ÏÍøfaculty can apply for Brace membership prior to applying for this award.
• Additional collaborators, including postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, or external partners, are encouraged and may be included but will not count toward the minimum faculty requirement.

Project Scope

• Proposed projects must align with applied water research and contribute to advancing the thematic research areas of the center. Research on low cost and high efficiency water management systems in rural and arid regions are particularly encouraged.
• Projects must fall within one of the following risk categories:
  • Medium Risk: Research ideas with preliminary data that require further development over 12–24 months to strengthen future grant applications.
  • High Risk: Innovative, potentially transformative ideas that may lack preliminary data but present significant potential for impact.

Funding & Duration

• The project duration must be 12-24 months.

Future Funding Commitment

• Awardees are expected to submit at least one major funding proposal to a granting organization (e.g., CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, FRQ, Genome, Mitacs, ministries, municipalities, etc.) as a direct outcome of the seed grant.

Eligible Expenses

The funds may be used for research-related expenses following Canadian Tri-Council guidelines.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Scientific Merit & Innovation (30%)
  • Clarity and significance of the research question
  • Potential to advance applied water research.
  • Novelty and transformative potential, particularly for high-risk projects.
• Feasibility & Methodology (20%)
  • Soundness of the proposed approach and feasibility within the proposed timeline (12–24 months).
  • Adherence to cost breakdown requirements following Tri-Council guidelines.
• Multidisciplinarity & Collaboration (20%)
  • Strength of the research team and diversity of participating academic units.
  • Clear plan for collaboration and integration of expertise across different 51³Ô¹ÏÍøfaculties.
• Potential for Future Funding & Impact (20%)
  • Commitment to submitting a funding proposal to an external granting agency.
  • Likelihood of securing follow-up funding (medium-risk projects).
  • Potential for significant scientific, environmental, or societal impact.
• Alignment with Centre’s Research Priorities (10%)
  • Clear connection to the centre’s thematic research areas. Special consideration will be given to projects focused on low cost, high efficiency water management systems (i.e. desalination and irrigation techniques) in rural and arid regions.

Award Conditions & Reporting Requirements

In exchange for the financial support provided by the Brace Water Centre, the research team agrees to:

• Submit a project progress report to the Centre by filling out a follow-up form, within six (6) months after receiving the funding;
• Ensure the PI and trainees attend the annual Brace Water Day and present the research (i.e. student poster presentation, oral presentation, etc.);
• Provide materials such as brief project updates, for use on the Centre’s website and newsletter, when requested;
• Inform and engage (as applicable) the Centre in external communications related to the project;
• Acknowledge the Centre’s support during activities and presentations related to the project;
• Include the Centre’s logo in any presentations or promotional material related to the project;
• Indicate the project's affiliation with Brace Water Centre, in all communications regarding the project;
• Submit at least one funding request for this project to a granting organization (e.g., NSERC/SSHRC, FRQ, Mitacs, ministries, municipalities, etc.) as soon as possible.

To Apply

To apply for the Brace Water Innovation Seed Grant, candidates are invited to submit the following materials:

1. General applicant information including:
   • The title of the proposed research project;
   • The name, rank and department of the lead applicant and co-applicants (as applicable);
   • Names of the HQP involved, if known;
2. A 2-3-page (max) statement of proposed activities, including:
   • Summary of the research project including scientific merit, feasibility and methodology;
   • Potential for future funding and impact and project’s alignment with the Centre’s research priorities;
   • Expected deliverables and the overall project timeline including start and end dates;
   • The granting agency program to which a subsequent funding request would be submitted;
3. Short academic CVs of all Brace Faculty Members involved in the project (3 page maximum);
4. A breakdown of the requested budget (up to $50,000), in accordance with Tri-Council guidelines.

Submission Deadline: 10 April, 2025. Awardees will be notified by 24 April 2025.

Submission Process: Completed applications must be submitted as a single PDF file to: Please save your document in the following format 2025_Brace Seed Grant Application [PI Last Name].pdf

Inquiries regarding the award can be directed to Monika Skonieczny, Brace Water Centre Manager at brace [at] mcgill.ca