+ More Filters

Reset Filters

Title

Funding Organization

Funding Type

Eligible Country

Deadline

Other (Select all that apply)

Show Expired Programs

Show Verified Programs

Not Verified

Discovery Award Program

Banting Research Foundation

The Banting Discovery Foundation provides feasibility and pilot grants that help early career scientists establish their independence and launch their research programs. These funds support the day-to-day realities of running a research program—from hiring trainees to acquiring essential equipment—empowering researchers to pursue bold ideas that push the boundaries of health and biomedical science.

Each year, we fund groundbreaking projects led by emerging investigators. With a success rate of under 15% for the Discovery Award, our recipients represent some of the most promising scientific talent in Canada. Impressively, nearly 90% go on to secure Tri-Agency funding within five years.

Value and Duration

The Discovery Award is a year-long grant offering up to $30,000, from July 1 to June 30.

Acceptable Use of Funding

Funds from the Discovery Award can be used to purchase equipment and for general operating expenses specified in the budget proposal, including salaries for technicians, postdoctoral fellows, and students. Funds cannot be used to pay the salary of the applicant, travel expenses, or overhead.

Equipment purchased with grant funds is the property of the institution where the grant is held. Any unspent balance must be returned to The Banting Discovery Foundation.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong Biomedical Relevance & Scientific Merit

The research question should address a fundamental biological or disease-relevant mechanism (cell biology, molecular pathways, physiology, pathophysiology, etc.)

High scientific rigor, well-founded hypothesis, and a clear rationale grounded in existing literature

Potential to contribute significant new knowledge — novel mechanisms, pathways, or translational insights

Predictor: The more scientifically sound and potentially impactful the project, the better the chance.

2. Early-Career Investigator Status or Need for Seed Funding

BRF traditionally supports young investigators, early-career researchers, or new labs.

Applications from investigators establishing independence — e.g., recently appointed faculty with limited funding — tend to be viewed favorably, especially if no large external grant yet exists.

Predictor: Early-career applicants with minimal prior external funding often have competitive advantage.

3. Feasibility & Well-Defined, Focused Aims

Because BRF funding tends to be modest compared to large government grants, proposals with narrow, well-scoped aims (2–3) and a realistic timeline (often 1–2 years) are more competitive.

Methods and deliverables should match the scope and funding — avoid over-ambitious “all-in-one” grant requests.

Predictor: Lean, focused, realistic pilot/feasibility-style projects tend to do better than sprawling multi-aim proposals.

4. Preliminary Data or Strong Rationale for Innovation

While some seed grants accept well-rationalized novel ideas, having preliminary data — even small, pilot-level data — strengthens applications, demonstrating feasibility.

For high-risk / high-reward ideas, robust justification rooted in prior observations or literature can substitute when preliminary data are lacking.

Predictor: Data or a strong mechanistic rationale reduces perceived risk and improves fundability.

5. Institutional Support & Research Environment

Access to necessary lab facilities, core equipment, institutional resources (animal facility, cell culture lab, imaging, analytics), and technical staff support.

For early-career applicants: institutional commitment (lab space, protected research time, mentorship) is important for reviewer confidence.

Predictor: Strong institutional environment increases probability of successful execution.

6. Plausible Plan to Leverage the Grant for Larger or Long-Term Funding

Because BRF is often a stepping-stone, applications that clearly outline a strategy for future grant submissions (national funding agencies, larger foundations, collaborative grants) tend to do better.

Demonstrating how pilot data will lead to grant applications or larger studies improves long-term value for funders.

Predictor: A clear growth/scale-up plan post-grant adds strategic value.

7. Clarity, Organization & Rigorous Methodology

Well–written proposal: clear background, objectives, methods, deliverables, timeline, and realistic budget.

Robust experimental design, appropriate controls, statistics, ethical compliance when applicable.

Feasibility of experiments within timeframe and resources.

Predictor: Clarity and methodological rigor increase reviewers’ confidence.

8. Reasonable Budget Justification

Requests aligned with the scope — e.g., funds for personnel (tech or grad students), consumables, small equipment, animal costs, but not large capital or infrastructure requests (unless explicitly allowed).

Budget should match the feasibility of deliverables and timeline.

Predictor: Realistic, justified budgets aligned with small/seed-grant funding are favorable.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls / What Weakens Applications

Proposals that are too broad, with too many aims to realistically complete under modest funding.

Lack of clarity in methods, poor controls, or unrealistic timelines.

Absence of institutional support or inadequate lab/technical resources.

No clear plan for follow-up funding — i.e., no vision beyond the grant period.

Weak writing or poorly structured proposal plan.

Over-ambitious budgets — requesting too much relative to aims, or unclear justification for funds.

🎯 What This Means If You Plan to Apply to BRF

If you plan to submit to Banting:

Target a focused, high-impact biomedical hypothesis — not broad or diffuse aims.

If you’re an early-career researcher or new lab — highlight lack of external funding so far and need for seed funding.

Build a realistic, feasible work plan, with 1–3 clear aims, achievable within 1–2 years using available resources.

Include preliminary data if possible; if not — make a strong mechanistic rationale.

Confirm institutional support, core facilities, lab infrastructure, mentorship, and resource access.

Be ready to show how this grant will lead to larger external funding or longer-term research program.

Write a clean, well-structured, rigorous proposal with justified budget.

Keep the budget modest and justifiable, aligned to deliverables.

Specialties

Biomedical Engineering

Data Science

Eligibility Requirements

The Discovery Award grant is intended to support researchers at a pivotal moment in their careers: the early stages of establishing an independent research program. Inspired by the legacy of Frederick Banting who lacked necessary funding for his work on insulin, the Foundation aims to provide critical seed funding to those who are running their first research program. By focusing on individuals with limited existing funding, we seek to ensure that promising ideas are not stalled due to resource constraints, and that emerging investigators can thrive during this formative period. To apply for the Banting Discovery Award, you must:

Be a health or biomedical researcher.
Applicants must be within three years of their first academic appointment (e.g., Assistant Professor or equivalent) at a Canadian university or research institute.
This appointment should have begun within eight years of completing their most recent graduate or professional degree (PhD, MD, or MD/PhD)
Have not received external peer-reviewed grant funding such as from CIHR or NSERC, at the time of application. Support from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) does not count towards the funding limit.
Have not received external research funding exceeding over $50,000 per year at the time of receiving the Banting Discovery Award. If the external funding exceeds $50,000, the candidate may still apply for up to $30,000 providing the total operating funds including the Banting Discovery Award do not exceed $80,000 in the funding year.

The Banting Discovery Foundation will adjust the eligibility window for eligible leaves such as maternity, parental, medical, family medical, or bereavement.However, no adjustments will be made for professional leaves such as training, sabbatical, or administrative duties. Also, no adjustments will be provided for time spent on non-research related duties or for the pursuit of non-research related career activities. Applicants who experienced a significant gap between degree completion and academic appointment due to extenuating circumstances are encouraged to contact the Foundation directly to discuss eligibility.

Targeted Awards:

You must meet the above criteria, in addition to the criteria required for the targeted awards.

Departmental nomination limit is one investigator with primary appointment in that Department per competition cycle:

To ensure broad and equitable representation across institutions, the Foundation will accept only ONE candidate from each Department (or Division or Faculty) per competition cycle. For this application, the Department of primary appointment refers to the Department that pays more than 50% of the applicant’s salary. The appointment is to be confirmed by the respective Human Resources unit.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Banting Research Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: PO Box 83524, Avenue Road PO Toronto ON M5R 3T6 info@bantingresearchfoundation.ca

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity