The initiative aims to target the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) advances federal research priorities and the coordination of policies and programmes of Canada’s research funding agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Forming part of the Committee’s New Frontiers in Research Fund, the International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges represents a collaboration among research funders from the Åland Islands, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The aim of the initiative is to support international, interdisciplinary and transformative research aimed at harnessing disruptive technology to address major global societal challenges.

Through this programme, the Canadian Government wishes to harness the potential of disruptive technology to offer novel solutions to global challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all member states of the United Nations (UN) in 2015. More research is needed on how disruptive technologies can have transformative economic or societal impacts to improve the lives of people and the planet in contextually appropriate interventions.

Projects are expected to include appropriate stakeholders and end users in the co-development and co-leadership of the project. Each project team must be eligible to receive funds from at least three participating funding organisations. To fulfill this requirement, the project team must include a minimum of three co-principal investigators (co-PIs), and each must be eligible to receive funding from a different participating funding organisation. One co-PI must be eligible to apply to the New Frontiers in Research Fund. The participating organisations are as follows:

• New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) – Canada.
• NordForsk – Åland Islands, Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden.
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) – Switzerland.
• São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) – Brazil.
• Dutch Research Council (NWO) – The Netherlands.
• Taighde Éireann (Research Ireland) – Ireland.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – United Kingdom.
• National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) – Taiwan.
• The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in consortium with the following organisations:
  • Ghana National Research Fund – Ghana.
  • National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) – Indonesia.
  • National Commission on Research Science and Technology (NCRST) – Namibia.
  • Consejo Nacional de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica (CONCYTEC – National Council of Science, Technology and Innovation) – Peru.
  • National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) – Rwanda.
  • Research Council of Zimbabwe (RCZ) – Zimbabwe.

Funding is available for three-year projects. The total amount of funding available for each project will depend on the funding organisations supporting the project. Some funding organisations are still subject to budgetary confirmation.

Teams must first submit a Notice of Intent before 3 March 2026.