IGNITE Grant Application

Volt-Age research projects are meant to contribute to a just transition and have a real impact by:   

• Contributing out-of-the-box ideas and unconventional approaches that challenge existing norms and open new possibilities for equitable energy solutions;

• contributing to policies, guidelines, regulations, laws, standards and/or practice;

• developing tools, including software, for use by researchers or others;  

• translating research to commercialization through creation of intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, trademarks or trade secrets and nurturing entrepreneurial ventures; 

• building research capacity by providing enriched training opportunities for trainees and HQP; 

• defining goals and outcomes based on societal needs and community values ;

• incorporating diverse perspectives, experiences, and knowledge systems; 

• supporting societal acceptability and social integration of new technology throughout the research process;  

• seeking to make lasting change beyond the scope of the project.

• The Principal Applicant must be from Concordia University. All PI funds must remain at Concordia University. 

• The Principal Applicant must be an Early Career Researcher (ECR) as of the application deadline June 1, 2026. Early career researchers (ECR), as defined by the Tri-Agency are applicants who have held their first independent academic position within the last five years. All eligible leaves (for example, maternity and parental leave, personal illness, chronic illness, or disability associated with reduced research activity, leave taken by applicants for family-related illness, bereavement), as well as delays related to COVID-19, are credited as twice the amount of time taken. Professional leaves (for example, training, sabbatical, administrative) are not credited. In case of discrepancy, Volt-Age will follow the Tri-Agency definition of ECR.

• Researchers that are principal investigators on previous Volt-Age funded programs cannot be a PI on this call. 

• The co-investigators from previous Volt-Age funded programs can apply to this grant, however there should not be conceptual overlap with their existing projects.  

• Academic Collaborators may be included from other universities, including one of the institutional partners from the Volt-Age CFREF grant (University of Calgary, Toronto Metropolitan University, Dalhousie University). Academic Collaborators cannot receive funds.

• Volt-Age IGNITE Grant Application Full Instructions
• Volt-Age IGNITE Grant Application Template
• Volt-Age IGNITE Grant Evaluation Criteria
• Volt-Age IGNITE Budget Template

Application format

When completing your application, the following guidelines should be followed:

• Use 12-point Arial font with single line spacing;
• Margins of 2cm around each page;
• Figures and tables are welcome, but page limits must be respected and will be strictly enforced;
• Do not submit a cover page or opening letter/statement or the application instructions and preamble.

Submitting your final application

1. Complete the application (proposal and budget) and submit to volt-age@concordia.ca by 13:00 EST June 1, 2026. The Principal Applicant (or designated individual submitting the application) will receive an email confirming the receipt of the application.
2. Each core team member (Principal Applicant and Co-Applicants) will receive a link to the self-identification survey. Each member must complete the survey and submit by June 8, 2026.  Note: Gathering this data is a TIPS requirement (see more information here). The data collected in the self-identification survey will be used for reporting purposes only. It will not be included in the review and evaluation process of the applications. Participation is mandatory, but individuals will have the option to select “I prefer not to disclose" for each question. The data will be stored securely in accordance with Concordia University’s cybersecurity and privacy policies. 

Application checklist 

• Single PDF complete with the following components submitted by June 1, 2026. 
  • Volt-Age IGNITE Grant Application: Template (instruction section removed).
  • Letters of Support from each partner.
  • CVs for the Principal Applicant and each Co-Applicant; Note: We highly encourage the use of the new Tri-Agency CV Format, however the existing CCV format will also be accepted.
  • FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS ONLY: Reciprocity Agreements with each Indigenous community partner (can be submitted within 1 year if the proposal is accepted).
• Completed Volt-Age Early Career Researcher Grant Application Budget Template (in Excel format) submitted by June 1, 2026.
• All core team members have completed the self-identification survey by June 8, 2026. 

Following your submission

Once the deadline has closed at 13:00 EST on June 1, 2026, an administrative review will be performed on all applications. This review is to assess technical and eligibility elements, such as team size and makeup, page limits, and budget template formatting. This review is not evaluative.

The Administrative Review Reports will be returned to PIs on June 8, 2026, at the latest. Revisions to ensure application eligibility for the evaluation process can be done at this point. The deadline for resubmission is 13:00PM EST June 15, 2026. Only changes mentioned in the Administrative Review Reports can be made. No other additions or changes can be made after the application deadline of June 1, 2026.

All eligible applications will then proceed to a two-step evaluation process involving Master Reviewers and a separate Adjudication Jury.