Make Progress before the Pause: December Grant Writing Retreat (Fall 2026)
Know what grant you want to pursue in the new year, but need the structure and support to get your proposal underway?
Join the Centre for Research & Innovation Support for a four-day Grant Writing Retreat designed to help you make meaningful progress on your grant proposal before the December break.
Building on the success of our Faculty Writing Accelerator: Crafting Competitive Grant Proposals for Any Discipline program, the Centre for Research & Innovation Support is pleased to offer a year-end grant writing retreat designed to help faculty build momentum, advance proposal development, and head into the December break with meaningful progress already underway.
Designed for faculty seeking dedicated time and support to develop competitive grant proposals, this four-day retreat features:
- guided proposal development exercises,
- dedicated co-writing time,
- inspiring spark talks delivered by supportive peer experts, and
- opportunities for peer review and constructive feedback.
This immersive retreat is best suited to faculty who are resubmitting a grant proposal or have a clear idea of the grant and project they intend to pursue. Whether you’re preparing for your first grant or your twentieth, this program will equip you with the tools, confidence, and dedicated writing time needed to make meaningful progress toward a competitive application.
Program Structure & Commitments:
Monday, December 14 to Thursday, December 17, 2026 from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the CRIS Collaborative Space, Gerstein Information Sciences Centre, 9 King’s College Circle.
Coffee, tea, and lunch will be provided each day.
Accepted participants will be expected to attend all sessions (barring unforeseen circumstances). Sessions presume an expectation of confidentiality and collegiality.
Requirements for Participation:
The program is appropriate for faculty across disciplines, and career stages who would like to improve their grant writing practice while building their network of peers across the University.
Participants must be planning to apply for a CRC-RSF eligible Tri-Agency grant* and identify this at the time of application.
Priority will be given to faculty with full-time, continuing tenure-stream appointments. Faculty with alternate appointment types may be considered. Program enrollment will be capped at 20 participants.
*Qualifying Tri-Agency grants contribute to U of T’s ‘market share’ and related allocations, such as Canada Research Chairs. Please refer to Research grant funding – Programs excluded from the credit base for Chair allocations and Grant calculations – Programs included and excluded from credit base for the latest list of inclusions/exclusions. Please contact cris@utoronto.ca with any questions regarding eligibility.
Application Process:
Interested faculty should register their interest through EVE by November 8, 2026.
Communicating Results:
We thank all faculty who apply. All applicants will be notified by email by mid November 2026. A waitlist will be enabled.
Program At-A-Glance:
Day 1: December 14, 2026
Getting Started: Your One-Page Summary
Spark Talk: The Value of Writing and Reviewing in Community
Day 2: December 15, 2026
Writing to the Call
Spark Talk: Writing with Reviewers in Mind
Day 3: December 16, 2026
Giving and Receiving Feedback
Day 4: December 17, 2026
Building Momentum and Preparing for the New Year
Program Objectives:
Through this intensive retreat, you will have the opportunity to:
- Engage in structured reflection on research values, motivations, and goals to inform future research directions;
- Develop a clear, concise, and compelling one-page proposal summary that communicates your project’s significance, research gap, objectives, proposed approach, and anticipated impact;
- Analyze and apply funding opportunity requirements and evaluation criteria to strengthen your grant proposal;
- Advance key components of your grant proposal through structured co-writing and guided development exercises;
- Engage in structured peer review to strengthen proposal ideas and writing;
- Develop a realistic writing plan to complete the remaining sections of your grant application following the retreat; and
- Develop a supportive interdisciplinary network of peers.
Date/Time:
December 14 to 17, 2026
Key Benefits:
- Dedicated space for research reflection and proposal writing
- Develop a compelling one-page proposal summary
- Align proposal messages with funder expectations and evaluation criteria
- Give and receive constructive feedback from non-specialist peers
- Build accountability through a supportive interdisciplinary cohort
- Leave with meaningful progress on your proposal and a strategy for moving forward
Additional Information
Please note: In addition to this 4-day in-person condensed program, a Winter 2027 9-week cohort will be offered in a blended format, with most sessions delivered virtually and the opening and closing sessions held in person. Applications open Fall 2026.
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