MS Innovation Program Funding Competition

Guiding Principle
The MS Innovation Program believes that transformative breakthroughs often begin with bold ideas. Through this competition, we aim to provide investigators with the resources needed to test innovative concepts, generate critical preliminary data, and lay the foundation for discoveries that move us closer to reversing MS.

Purpose
The MS Innovation Program Funding Competition, Laying the Foundation for Major MS Breakthroughs, is designed to support innovative pilot studies and high-risk/high-reward research projects that have the potential to transform our understanding of MS and accelerate progress toward reversing it.

Supported through philanthropic donations to the MS Innovation Program at the University of Calgary, this competition aims to generate critical preliminary data, validate novel concepts, and catalyze future external funding opportunities.

The competition aligns with the MS Innovation Program’s mission to:

• Address gaps in knowledge and accelerate discoveries in MS
• Translate laboratory research into clinical advancements for people living with MS
• Train future leaders in MS research and care

Competition Objectives
Projects funded through this competition should:

• Explore bold, innovative, and potentially transformative ideas
• Generate preliminary data to support larger external funding applications
• Advance interdisciplinary collaboration within the MS Innovation Program
• Accelerate progress toward the goal of reversing MS
• Provide meaningful training opportunities for trainees and early-career investigators

Preference will be given to projects that would be unlikely to receive support through traditional funding mechanisms due to their exploratory or high-risk nature but that have the potential for substantial impact.

Alignment with the Reversing MS Initiative
Applicants must identify which of the following MS Innovation Program research targets their project will advance and describe how the proposed work contributes to that target:

1. Understand damage and promote repair in MS
2. Pioneer new methodologies to evaluate MS repair therapies
3. Ameliorate invisible MS symptoms such as cognitive impairment and fatigue
4. Enhance symptom management to improve daily function
5. Leverage lifestyle and therapeutic strategies to overcome barriers to repair
6. Accelerate innovation and clinical trials toward MS repair therapies

Projects may address more than one target area but must identify a primary target.

Eligibility - Principal Applicant
The Principal Applicant must:
• Be a member of the MS Innovation Program at the time of application
• Hold an appointment at the University of Calgary
• Be eligible to hold research funding through the University of Calgary
Investigators who are not currently members of the MS Innovation Program may apply for membership. Membership must be approved before the competition closing date to be considered eligible.

Funding Available
• Maximum award: $50,000
• Funding period: Two years
• Anticipated number of awards: Dependent on available philanthropic support
• The competition is intended to be offered annually, subject to available donations and program priorities

Application Requirements
Applications must include:
1. Project title
2. Lay summary (maximum 250 words)
3. Scientific summary (maximum 2 pages, including display items)
4. Description of innovation and potential impact (maximum 1/2 page)
5. Alignment with one or more Reversing MS Initiative targets (maximum 1/2 page)
6. Proposed milestones and deliverables
7. Training opportunities for students, trainees, or early-career researchers
8. Budget and justification
9. Biosketch (5-page maximum) of the Principal Applicant

Please review the Terms of Reference for all requirements 
Submit application in one PDF document to msteam@ucalgary.ca by 10 AM August 17, 2026.