Genome Canada Natural Resources Initiative – Streams 1 & 2 – LOI
Aboriginal Peoples
Arctic and Northern Regions
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
Information and Communication Technology
Oceans, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Well-being, Health and Biomedical Discovery
Deadlines
Academic Unit: Inquire with unit
Memorial Deadline: Wednesday 29th, July 2026
External Deadline: Wednesday 5th, August 2026
Description
RIS will be offering support with application development for this opportunity. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Jennifer Stevens (v5js@mun.ca) or Dr. Amanda Crompton (ajcrompt@mun.ca) early during the development process to discuss the services available to them.
Genome Canada’s latest mission-driven research initiative will lay the foundations for a generational transformation in Canadian natural resources systems and biodiversity management. The new initiative is expected to include an investment of over $50 million over three years from Genome Canada and its partners – with a $25 million investment from the Government of Canada through Genome Canada.
The Natural Resources Initiative has the following objectives:
- – Improve natural resources systems monitoring, environmental resilience and regulatory efficiency.
- – Support the development of accessible and usable genomic data resources, including a national hub, that can support natural resources research and decision-making across Canada.
- – Optimize the re-use of data through adherence to FAIT (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) principles and support coordination across genomics, natural resources and biodiversity data initiatives.
- – Support the development and integration of AI-enabled analytical tools across datasets to enhance discovery, forecasting and real-time decision-making capabilities.
- – Advance Indigenous data governance and sovereignty through Indigenous-led frameworks and partnerships.
- – Improve alignment with international initiatives in genomics, natural resources and biodiversity.
- – Create a sustainable community of practice around natural resources genomics, governance and data coordination.
Stream 1: Driver Projects
Stream 2: National Genomics Data Hub
The LOI is on a rolling intake, with the final date for Stream 1 (Driver Projects) and 2 (National Genomics Data Hub) submissions being August 31st
Please note proposals must be submitted to Genome Atlantic prior to Genome Canada:
RIS deadlines: July 29, 2026 (deadline for draft LOI and Budget)/August 12, 2026 (deadline for completed demographic surveys)
Genome Atlantic deadlines are as follows:
Aug 5: Draft of LOI including at minimum: proposed project activities (2000 character max), project’s data management strategy (2000 characters max), GE3LS research (1500 characters max), anticipated impacts and benefits (1500 characters max), and project team description (1500 characters max).
Aug 10: Draft budget
Aug 17: Completed demographic surveys. (Note: incomplete or absent demographic surveys will prevent submission to Genome Canada)
Aug 24: Final, completed LOI package uploaded to Proposal Central. (Note: Organization Signatures may be submitted through Aug 28th)
- “Applicants and RIS will work with Genome Atlantic for submission of finalized LOI on or before Genome Atlantic’s August 24th deadline”
Aug 31: Genome Atlantic submits LOIs to Genome Canada.
Applicants must meet Genome Atlantic deadlines to guarantee their opportunity to receive review and feedback, which is critical to supporting eligibility and alignment with the objectives of the funding opportunity.
The Genome Canada deadline for full proposals for Stream 1 and 2 is October 21st. Genome Atlantic will have an earlier deadline for submission, which has not yet been released.
See Genome Canada’s website for more information.