Twenty-six Research Excellence Clusters led by researchers at UBC Vancouver are being funded through the 2026/27 Grants for Catalyzing Research Clusters (GCRC) competition.
Research Excellence Clusters are networks of researchers addressing societal and cultural challenges that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Of the 26 clusters funded through the latest GCRC competition, 17 are new clusters funded for the first time. The new clusters in 2026/27 are:
- ARISE: Accelerating Research Interdisciplinarity in Sustainable Electricity
- Cancer and Aging Research Cluster
- Centre for Queer and Trans Cultural Praxis
- CIRC - Centre for Innovation in Responsible Chemistry
- Community-Driven Youth Neurodevelopmental Health Equity Cluster
- CONNECT: Collaborative Organ-on-chip Network for Next-Generation Engineering and Cellular Technology
- Craniofacial, Oral, and Dental Disorders (CODED) Research Cluster
- Graphical Models in AI: Discovery and Application
- Innovations in Photochemistry and Photomedicine
- Living Our Indigenous Languages: in relation, with land and water, through inquiry and collective strengths
- Multi-level Inter-disciplinary Support for Children who are d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Smart Retention: AI and Human-Centred Design for a Sustainable Nursing Workforce in Canada
- Sovereignty in a Fractious Age
- SYNERGY — Synthetic chemistry, automation, and AI for cancer biology
- The Black Pacific and the Critical Tradition of Black Studies
- Uniting and advancing self-driving labs with microscopy-driven analytics
- Urban Climate & Health Collective
The nine clusters re-funded through the 2026/27 GCRC competition are:
- Autoimmune Biomedical Collaborative
- Cancer Prevention Research Cluster (CPRC)
- CEREBRI
- Characterization@UBC
- Cluster in Vision Research: From Molecules to Behaviour to Society
- Collaborative Coexistence for People and Nature
- Critical Image Forum
- UBC Cluster for Indigenous Engagement, Development and Research: Pandemic Preparedness (P2)
- Wine Production and Climate Change
A further 17 clusters are in the second year of their GCRC funding.
Learn more about clusters funded in 2026/27
The GCRC program was jointly created by the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation and the Office of the Provost & Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver.