Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program – Call for proposals

This call for proposals is closed. The deadline to submit your expression of interest was September 4, 2025. Contact us at LowCarbonConstruction/EnvironnementBatiSobreEnCarbone@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca if you have any questions.

1. Overview
2. Objectives
3. Eligibility
4. Project costing overview
5. Funding and support
6. Application timelines and process
7. Projects and funding agreements
8. Contact information
Annex A. Selection criteria for expressions of interest (EOI)

1. Overview

The National Research Council of Canada's Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program is launching a call for proposals to support the development of low carbon cement and concrete products used in buildings and other infrastructure. The call aims to enable collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and eligible recipients to reduce the embodied carbon emissions of cement and concrete products to help decarbonize the construction industry.

The Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program focuses on the development and use of low carbon materials and systems and improved operational and maintenance approaches in order to accelerate decarbonization across the entire Canadian construction industry. The program also supports the industry in developing carbon accounting and decision support methodologies that will minimize, and ultimately eliminate, the life cycle carbon emissions of buildings and infrastructure.

The NRC is Canada's federal research and innovation organization. Our mission is to have an impact by advancing knowledge and applying leading-edge technologies. We work with other innovators to find creative, relevant and sustainable solutions to Canada's current and future economic, social and environmental challenges.

The Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program is enabled by the Collaborative Science, Technology and Innovation program (CSTIP) with the goal of delivering breakthroughs across the innovation continuum that matter to Canadians. The Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program leverages the expertise of NRC science professionals. As a result, this call is based on collaboration between NRC researchers and external applicants.

2. Objectives

This call is targeting collaborative projects that have the potential to lower the embodied carbon of cement and concrete products in support of Canada's Roadmap to Net-Zero Carbon Concrete by 2050. Projects must demonstrate that their research outcomes align with the Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program's mandate.

2.1 Priority areas

The Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program is seeking collaborative projects in the following technology areas:

New and alternative supplementary cementitious materials:
- Harvested fly ash from land fills
- Fly ash replacements (incinerator ash, wood ash, etc.)
- Metal industry by-products other than steel blast furnace slag
- Other alternative pozzolanic materials
- Limestone calcined clay
- Other materials widely available in Canada
Novel calcium silicate systems, calcium sulfoaluminate cements, high reactivity belite systems, alternative binders such as calcium aluminate cements and other novel systems
Use of Portland limestone cement at higher than 15% replacement rates

Projects must include independent testing of cement and concrete products; field trials or demonstration projects.

Projects must involve the evaluation of key aspects of these new alternative cement and concrete materials, including availability of materials, impacts on embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cost, workability and durability, and of other considerations such as any revisions to specifications, standards and codes needed to enable adoption.

3. Eligibility

3.1 Eligible applicants

Eligible recipients collaborating with the NRC who are eligible for funding under this call include:

Academic institutions
Research institutions
Not-for-profit organizations
Local and provincial governments
Indigenous groups, governments and representative organizations
Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (those with fewer than 500 employees)

Note: International collaborators are eligible if their participation in the project will result in a benefit for Canada and Canadians. Eligible applicants can also propose to engage other collaborators from across the technology ecosystem, which will be subject to approval.

3.2 Requirements

Applicants must review the NRC Statement on Research Security and the information regarding Safeguarding Your Research and understand the need to take extra precautions to protect the security of their research, intellectual property, and knowledge development from potential interference, misappropriation or misalignment with the interests of Canada.
Project team must complete an expression of interest (EOI) form
Projects must be clearly aligned with the call objectives, the program mandate and the priority areas of the Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program
Project teams must include at least 1 NRC researcher delivering on the collaborative initiative. The NRC researcher can be identified in the expression of interest (EOI) form, if already known by the project team, or will be assigned for selected projects at the full project proposal stage.
Project teams must also consist of at least 1 academic and 1 industrial collaborator
Project proposals must include a pathway to commercialization
Technologies must be at a technology readiness level (TRL) of 8 or higher by the end of the project
Projects must be completed before March 31, 2029

3.3 Commitment to EDI and GBA+

Project teams must clearly demonstrate their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) within their full proposals, including composition of their project teams, research methods, analysis and knowledge-mobilization plans. Undertaking GBA+ and critically considering factors related to EDI adds valuable dimensions in research and improves the quality, social relevance and impact of the research.

EDI and GBA+ considerations should influence all stages of research or development processes, from establishing priorities and building theory to formulating questions, designing methodologies and interpreting data. Applicants are invited to consult the guide to best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion in research practice and design.

4. Project costing overview

4.1 Eligible costs

Salaries for highly qualified personnel (HQP) working on the project activities
Research support costs: direct costs incurred in the project implementation phase, for example:
- Consumable materials
- Supplies
- Equipment valued up to $10,000
Costs for travel and accommodation that is required specifically for execution of the project
Amounts invoiced to the recipient by a contractor for services rendered relating directly to the project (e.g., professional services fees)
Indirect costs that are not directly applicable to carrying out the project but necessary for conducting the recipient's general business, up to a maximum of 10% of total eligible project costs
Reasonable and necessary costs for research equipment of $10,000 or more, including testing tools, instruments, computer equipment, secure equipment and information technology costs such as high-performance computers and secure servers

Applicants must show that the project objectives may not be achieved without this equipment and that equipment can be procured in a reasonable timeframe that will ensure the project can be executed. All equipment costs will be reviewed for eligibility at the full proposal stage. The NRC team may contact the applicant if more details are required.

4.2 Ineligible costs

Costs not covered:

Purchase of land
Leasehold interest
Property taxes
Any portion of costs subject to refunds, rebates or credits, including HST, GST and PST
Costs incurred or paid by the NRC

5. Funding and support

The Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program is planning to make up to $2 million available to support this call, with anticipated funding of a maximum of $500,000 in the form of non-repayable grants or contributions per project over 3 years.

Determination of financial awards will be made on the basis of final evaluation (including risk assessment) of proposed projects.

Funding provided by the National Program Office follows the CSTIP terms and conditions. CSTIP is intended to position the NRC as a collaborative platform that uses science excellence to respond to Canada's most pressing challenges.

As such, projects supported under this initiative benefit from NRC assets (special-purpose research facilities, scientific expertise and networks) and financial assistance in the form of non-repayable grants or contributions. For more information on CSTIP funding, consult the grant and contribution funding for collaborators webpage.

5.1 Government stacking provisions

The stacking provisions for projects are as follows:

The maximum limit of the total Canadian government assistance (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal assistance for the same eligible costs) cannot exceed 100% of the total eligible project costs.

6. Application process and timelines

The NRC is committed to a consistent, fair and transparent selection process to identify, select and approve the allocation of funding to projects that best fit the objectives of the collaborative call.

Expressions of interest (EOIs) will be used to determine applicant and project eligibility and assess alignment with the goals of the call, based on the criteria provided in Annex A (below).

Eligible applicant projects deemed to have high impact potential, based on the EOI, will be notified and invited to complete a full project proposal (FPP). They will be provided with the required application templates and the FPP assessment criteria. Applicants may be asked to provide supplementary information at various points in the review process.

Applicants must provide all mandatory information in order to be considered for funding. Note that an invitation to submit a FPP is not a funding commitment from the NRC. All FPPs will undergo due diligence and verification including a peer review to determine which project(s) will be recommended for funding.

6.1 Key dates and deadlines

July 17, 2025: call opens
September 4, 2025: expression of interest submission deadline
Mid-October 2025: invitations sent out for a full project proposal
End of November 2025: submission deadline for full project proposal
Mid-January 2025: notification of final results
Spring 2026: earliest expected start for funding and project

6.2 General call process steps

Step 1: Assemble the project team, which will include at least one eligible applicant and an NRC collaborator. If you have a project idea but no NRC contact, indicate the envisioned NRC activities in the EOI. A potential NRC research collaborator will be identified for selected projects before the full proposal stage.
Step 2: Request the EOI form from by sending an email to LowCarbonConstruction/EnvironnementBatiSobreEnCarbone@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca and return the completed form to same email address.
Step 3: The NRC's National Program Office (NPO) coordinates a review of submitted EOIs and assesses their eligibility and fit for the call.
Step 4: The NPO sends a notice of outcome to the eligible applicants. An NRC research collaborator will be identified for the selected projects, if none had been identified in the EOI.
Step 5: The NPO sends full project proposal (FPP) templates to selected eligible applicants to learn more about their project idea.
Step 6: Eligible applicants develop the FPP together with their NRC partner.
Note: The NRC's Construction Research Centre will be leading a workshop of all applicants to facilitate aligning projects with Challenge program priorities.
Step 7: Eligible applicant principal investigator (PI) submits FPP on behalf of the project team by email to LowCarbonConstruction/EnvironnementBatiSobreEnCarbone@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
Step 8: The NRC collaborator PI submits internal NRC project documents such as the NRC workplan and NRC project workbook.
Step 9: The NPO coordinates a peer review process.
Step 10: The NPO sends a notice of outcome to the eligible applicants.
Step 11: The NPO completes due diligence review of the FPPs.
Step 12: The NPO develops collaborative research and funding agreements with support from the research centres.
Step 13: Projects begin.

6.3 Expression of interest (EOI)

Request the EOI form by sending an email to LowCarbonConstruction/EnvironnementBatiSobreEnCarbone@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

Return your completed form to same email address no later than 11:59 pm ET on September 4, 2025. Use the following subject line in your email "2025 LCBE Open Call Submission – Applicant name, applicant organization."

If you wish to withdraw your EOI at any stage of the evaluation, you must do so by sending an email to LowCarbonConstruction/EnvironnementBatiSobreEnCarbone@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

If you wish to be considered for funding for the same project in the future, you will be required to resubmit an EOI.

7. Project and funding agreements

After receiving notice of project approval from the NPO, eligible recipients must enter into a collaborative research and funding agreement with the NRC. If this agreement is not finalized within a reasonable timeframe, funding will be reallocated to other projects.

8. Contact information

For more information on this specific collaboration opportunity with the Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program send an email to LowCarbonConstruction/EnvironnementBatiSobreEnCarbone@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

Annex A. Selection criteria for EOI

The 6 criteria below will be used to evaluate EOI applications. While each criterion will be equally weighted in the evaluation process, consideration will also be given to regional diversity and distribution across streams and strategic areas.

1. Methodology

Describe how the project will be carried out, including a high-level description of the tasks and methodology.