Graham Seed Fund FAQs

Any new project that helps prepare the health system for the responsible adoption of AI in community-based care. Proposals may address one or more of the five readiness dimensions: 

• Value & Impact – e.g., evaluation methods, outcome measures, scaling approaches 

• People & Culture – e.g., workforce development, training, adoption practices 

• Strategy & Governance – e.g., policy design, oversight, alignment to system goals 

• Data & Infrastructure – e.g., improving data quality, access, security, interoperability 

• Ethics & Privacy – e.g., applying responsible-AI principles, fairness, transparency 

The minimum size for a research team is two. Collaborations with healthcare partners and collaborators in the region of Waterloo are required. Collaborations across disciplines and/or faculties are strongly encouraged and prioritized.

Grantees receive up to $35,000 for new projects for a one-year period.

The fund is primarily intended to support HQP related expenses. Allowable expenses are direct costs which include salaries, benefits and student payments, costs to support the participation of clinicians, patients or community members in the research, minor equipment, materials and supplies, and travel and knowledge mobilization.

October 31, 2025

January 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST

March 9, 2026

May 2026

One year. A one-year no-cost extension is available on request. 

No. However, appropriate ethics approval must be obtained before relevant project tasks are initiated, or awarded funds are released.  Refer to Waterloo’s guidelines for Research Involving Human Participants and/or Guidelines for the Care and Use of Animals in Research and Teaching. 

The application package must have the Graham Seed Fund Application Form, Waterloo Coversheet for Sponsored Research, and the Lead PI’s focused CV (2 to 3 pages). You are required to complete and submit the Electronic Coversheet for Sponsored Research for approvals prior to submission of the proposal to the grant. No need to send a copy of your approved coversheet with your application package. State whether the coversheet has been approved or in the process of approval in the application form.

Submit your proposal electronically using the OJS Grant Portal Submission System. If you do not have an account, register for a new account on the OJS Grant Portal.

Yes, you can only submit one application per cycle. However, there is no limit to the number of applications you can join as a collaborator.

No. Current holders of the award are not eligible to apply for the next cycle as the lead PI. However, they can participate as a collaborator on new applications. 

Proposals are screened for eligibility and completeness before they are reviewed by three individuals according to the evaluation criteria. A decision on funding is then made.  

Please contact the Graham Seed Fund team at httsf@uwaterloo.ca for further inquiries. For assistance on developing collaborative research partnerships with clinicians and healthcare providers, please contact Nadine Quehl (nquehl@uwaterloo.ca), Senior Manager, Knowledge Mobilization & Partnerships, Office of Research.