The Cancer Research Society (CRS) Operating Grants provide two-year project funding to cancer researchers across Canada, supporting high-impact studies in any area of cancer research (basic, translational, clinical, or population health)cancerresearchsociety.cacancerresearchsociety.ca. These grants, among Canada’s most competitive awards, aim to accelerate discovery and innovation in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment by enabling researchers to gather crucial data and pursue novel ideas. Funding is open to all cancer types and topics, with an emphasis on scientific excellence determined by rigorous peer review.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Principal Investigator must hold an independent research appointment at a Canadian institution (university, hospital, or research center) and be eligible to hold peer-reviewed grant.
- Co-applicants must also be at Canadian institutions; collaborations are allowed (including international collaborators, but funds are awarded to Canadian institutions only).
- Open to scientists at all career stages (early-career investigators are encouraged to apply, as well as established researchers with new projects).
- Only one Operating Grant application per PI per competition; proposals must represent distinct research (no significant overlap with PI’s other funded projects).
Funding Details:
- Grant amount: CAD 140,000 total over 2 years (recently increased).
- Annual budget: CAD 70,000 per year; includes direct costs and up to 10% indirect costs to the host institution.
- Use of funds: Salaries for research personnel (technicians, postdocs, graduate students), consumable supplies, small equipment, and other research expenses are allowed.
- Exclusions: Principal Investigator’s salary is not an eligible expense; travel and publication costs are only permitted if clearly justified for project execution
- Special partnerships: CRS may designate some awards for specific cancer sites or research priorities (e.g., ovarian cancer, pediatric cancer) thanks to partner funding – all applicants to the Operating Grants competition are automatically considered for these partnered awards if relevant.
Deadline:
- Letter of Intent (LOI) deadline: December 10, 2025, 11:59 PM ET (LOI is mandatory; a subset of LOI applicants will be invited to submit full applications).
- Full application deadline: February 11, 2026, 11:59 PM ET (by invitation only, following LOI review).
- Funding decision: September 2026 (notifications of results and award announcements).
- Grant start date: November 2026 (approximately, or as specified in award letter, with funding disbursed shortly after decisions).
Where to go for further information:
- Program details and guidelines: CRS Operating Grants page.
- Application portal: Via ProposalCentral (create an account and search for “CRS Operating Grant 2026”).