Hope Innovation Research Grant honours the life and legacy of Lloyd Alexander Hope through “high risk, high reward” research.
This Lung Health Foundation grant supports innovative, transformative lung health research and creative problem solving. It funds novel, high-risk/high-reward approaches and unconventional methodologies that address lung health challenges aligned with LHF’s priority focus areas.
About the Hope Innovation Research Grant
Eligibility criteria
Letters of intent will be accepted once the 2026 grant launches the Legacy Golf Classic on September 28. Submissions are encouraged from community-engaged and cross-disciplinary teams that bring together expertise from lung health, academia, industry, policy, engineering, data science, and other relevant fields.
Funding Focus: Research in asthma, COPD, lung cancer, infectious respiratory disease (in the area of health promotion and prevention around Pneumococcal pneumonia, influenza, Covid-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus), and youth nicotine smoking or vaping (in the area of prevention, cessation and/or examining the effects of nicotine use on lung health).
Intended Audience: Researchers at all career stages, including incoming faculty, are eligible to apply.
Grant amount: Up to $100,000 per grant.
Term: Two years.
Eligibility Criteria for the Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA)
- Can submit only one application per funding cycle.
- Must not have received funding from LHF in the past two years (e.g., ESRA/CERA, or a past Hope Innovation recipient).
- Have a full-time appointment at an institution eligible to receive tri-council agency funding.
- Must be eligible to hold funds as a Principal Investigator at an institution eligible to receive tri-agency funding (i.e., as listed by CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC).
- Dedicate at least 40% of their academic position’s professional activity to research, including the ability to publish results and supervise trainees.
- They must not hold funding from the tobacco industry.
Eligibility Criteria for the Proposed Project
- Proposed projects must be directly relevant to at least one of LHF’s current focus areas: asthma, COPD, lung cancer, infectious respiratory disease prevention and health promotion, or youth nicotine smoking/vaping prevention, cessation, and/or effects on lung health.
- At the time of award acceptance, there must be no overlap between the proposed project and research already supported by other funding sources held by the applicant.
- Research must be conducted in Canada.
- The project must not hold funding from the tobacco industry.
Competition Timeline
- November 30, 2026 – Intent to Apply Deadline
- December 7, 2026 – Notification of Full Application Invitations
- March 19, 2027 – Full Application Deadline
- Summer 2027 – Applicants Notified of Funding Decisions
Review Process and Criteria
- Letter of Intent Screening: Letters of Intent will be assessed for alignment with the Hope Innovation Research Grant program. Only applicants whose Letters of Intent are aligned with the program will be invited to submit a full application.
- Full Application Review: Each full application will be reviewed by two to three reviewers using the following weighted criteria:
- Innovation – 25%
- Research impact – 25%
- Research approach, design, and methodology – 25%
- Applicant – 15%
- Research environment – 10%
- Panel Consensus Review: The top-ranking applications will be discussed by the full review panel, made up of all reviewers, to reach a consensus score based on the criteria above. Health equity considerations will be factored into the consensus score.
- Final recommendation: Applications with the highest panel consensus scores will move forward to the LHF Research Advisory Committee. Final funding recommendations will consider alignment with LHF goals, knowledge mobilization, health equity, EDI, patient and donor perspectives, and budget rationale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who can apply?
A: Researchers at all career stages (including incoming faculty members) who are eligible to hold funds as a Principal Investigator, can apply provided they hold or will hold a full-time appointment by the anticipated award date (Summer 2027) at an institution eligible to administer Tri-Agency funding. Incoming faculty members must have commenced their appointment by the anticipated award date (Summer 2027) and provide documentation confirming their appointment.
Q: Can I submit more than one application?
A: No, an individual may only submit one application as the Nominated Principal Applicant per funding cycle. However, they may be listed as co-applicants on multiple applications.
Q: Can I reapply if I am not funded?
A: Applicants who are not invited to submit a full application stage are encouraged to apply for either our Emerging Scientist Research Award (ESRA) and Career Investigator Research Award (CERA), if eligible. Learn more about these funding opportunities here.
Q: Can I apply for funding for an existing or ongoing research project?
A: Yes, provided the funding requested supports new or distinct work that is not already funded by another organization. The proposed project must not duplicate the scientific aims or budget of existing funded research. Applicants will be asked to disclose all current and pending funding and clearly describe any scientific or budgetary overlap. Funding decisions will consider whether the proposed work is sufficiently distinct from existing projects.
Q: What does “high-risk, high-reward” mean?
A: High-risk, high-reward projects are those that have the potential to significantly advance lung health by exploring bold, innovative ideas that may not fit within traditional research approaches. These projects often involve novel concepts, emerging technologies, unconventional methodologies, new approaches to lung health challenges, or cross-disciplinary collaborations that bring together diverse expertise and perspectives.
Q: Can my project address more than one Lung Health Foundation priority area?
A: Yes, projects may address more than one priority area. Applicants should clearly identify the primary area of focus while explaining how the research aligns with the Foundation’s strategic priorities.
Q: Are cross-disciplinary collaborations encouraged?
A: Yes, the Hope Innovation Research Grant encourages applications from cross-disciplinary and community-engaged teams. Collaborators from diverse fields, including, but not limited to, engineering, data science, industry, and people with lived experience, can strengthen an application’s potential to generate innovative solutions to complex lung health challenges. Applicants should clearly explain how the cross-disciplinary nature of the team will advance the project’s objectives and impact.
