International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges

This call will support research projects focused on harnessing disruptive technologies to address at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals or another recognized global challenge. Projects may be focused on developing or implementing a disruptive technology, or research on the impact of a disruptive technology on society and/or economies.    

In this call, Disruptive Technology is defined as “an innovation whose application replaces or radically alters systems, processes and/or behaviours to have transformative economic or societal impacts. The impact may be localized or far-reaching. Disruptive technology may include cutting-edge and novel innovations, or the application of an existing innovation in a new context, bringing about substantial change or paradigm shifts.”  

Along with the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, projects may also apply if they are addressing a global challenge that is not captured by the SDGs.

Each project team must be eligible to receive funds from at least three participating funding organizations. To fulfil 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 organization.  

Note that one of the three co-PIs must be eligible to apply to Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).  

In addition to Research Ireland, the participating funding organisations are:  

• Dutch Research Council (NWO)—The Netherlands 
• International Development Research Centre (IDRC)—Canada (eligible countries: Ghana, Indonesia, Namibia, Peru, Rwanda, Zimbabwe) 
• New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF)—Canada 
• NordForsk—Åland Islands, Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden 
• São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)—Brazil 
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)—Switzerland 
• National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)—Taiwan 
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)—United Kingdom 

Projects should be designed to be completed within three years. Funding is available for three-year projects. No-cost extensions may be available in some circumstances, on request and requiring appropriate justification. The total amount of funding available for each project will depend on the Funding Organizations that will be supporting the project. 

For applicants based in Ireland, Research Ireland will provide up to a maximum of €500,000 in total direct costs.  

The costs eligible for grant support by Research Ireland under the IIDTAC call are those costs which can, uniquely and unambiguously, be identified with the Irish component of the proposed research project.  

Only an academic partner based in an eligible Irish Host Research body may apply for Research Ireland funding. 

The Irish Co-PI must: 

• have held a PhD or equivalent qualification for at least three years at Letter of Intent (LOI) submission. The official date is defined as the day, month and year that the degree was conferred i.e., the month and year printed on the official PhD certificate. Details on Research Ireland’s PhD equivalence policy can be found on the Research Ireland website 

AND 

• be a member of academic staff in a Research Ireland Eligible Research Body, and hold either a permanent contract or a contract that covers the period of the grant  

OR 

• be an independent contract researcher with a signed contract in place on the date of proposal submission. This contract must cover the period of the grant, and the contract researcher must be recognised by the Research Body as an independent investigator and have an independent office and (if applicable) research space at the host Research Body for which the researcher will be fully responsible for at least the duration of the grant,  

OR 

• be an individual who will be recognised by the Research Body upon receipt of the grant as a member of academic staff or as an independent contract researcher as defined above. The PI does not necessarily need to be employed by the Research Body at the time of proposal submission but must be recognised by the Research Body as an independent investigator and have an independent office and (if applicable) research space at the host Research Body for which the researcher will be fully responsible for at least the duration of the grant.  

Co-PIs must also meet all general eligibility and consortium requirements as outlined in the Call Overview Document. 

Research Body Endorsement: Following the submission of the Notice of Intent (NOI), the Research Office endorsement of the application will act as confirmation that a Co-PI meets all of the above eligibility criteria.   

In addition: 

Research Ireland will only accept one application per applicant. 

The Canadian New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) are running the application process and are accepting applications through their system. Further details on the general application process can be found on the NFRF website. 

To apply to this call, teams must submit a Notice of intent to apply (NOI) by March 3, 2026. This is a mandatory step in the application process. The NOI is used for administrative purposes and is not assessed. After the NOI deadline has passed, the research team will immediately be able to work on their Letter of Intent to apply (LOI). The team must submit the Letter of Intent to apply (LOI) by June 9, 2026. Submitted LOIs will be evaluated, for the purpose of identifying teams to be invited to the full application stage.  

*Please note it is also the responsibility of the applicant to notify the Research Office of their Host Institution of their intention to submit a pre-proposal. 

Please note that Research Ireland requires a narrative Curricula Vitae to be submitted on the Convergence portal at NOI Stage; and institutional Letter of Support be submitted on the Convergence portal at LOI stage for determining applicant eligibility. The Research Ireland-specific guidance provides further details on the Research Ireland-specific requirements within the application process.  

Applicants and research administrators are encouraged to attend one of the information webinars (February 3rd and 4th 2026) hosted by NFRF to learn how to complete the notice of intent to apply (NOI) and about the overall international initiative application process. For information on how to access the webinars, visit the NFRF page.

 Webinars are recorded and made available after the session. 

To address queries from prospective applicants for Research Ireland, we will be holding virtual Office Hours on Wednesday mornings, 10.00am to 11.00am, from Wednesday, 11th February until Wednesday 25th February.   

Interested applicants can book a 15-minute meeting during these Office Hours to discuss questions with the Programme team by clicking here 

If you would like to connect with other researchers interested in this call, we invite you to join New Frontiers in Research Funds (NFRF) contact list. Complete this survey before February 9, 2026, and you will be added to a list where your contact information will be shared with others interested in participating in this call, and their information will be shared with you. By submitting the survey, you consent to the information you provide being shared with other potential applicants.