2026 International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges

The International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges represents a collaboration among research funders from multiple countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Nordic countries, Brazil, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The initiative supports international, interdisciplinary and transformative research aimed at harnessing disruptive technology to address major global societal challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This call aims to harness the potential of disruptive technology to offer novel solutions to global challenges by their 2030 deadline. 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. This 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. Research projects must be interdisciplinary, integrating expertise from at least two of three areas: natural sciences and engineering; social sciences and humanities; and health and life sciences. Projects are expected to include appropriate stakeholders and end users in the co-development and co-leadership, involving academic, research, economic, societal and/or community sectors as appropriate. Each project team must be eligible to receive funds from at least three participating funding organizations and include a minimum of three co-principal investigators, each eligible to receive funding from a different participating funding organization. Projects must directly address at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals or another recognized global challenge not captured by the SDGs, particularly those related to Indigenous communities. The call will officially launch in January 2026 with more detailed information to follow.