Funding opportunity: Canadian Blood Services’ Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program accepting applications

Through its competitive research funding programs, Canadian Blood Services supports innovative research activities that address key priorities in the fields of transfusion, blood-related stem cell transplantation, and cellular therapies.

Funding opportunity now open!

Canadian Blood Services’ Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program (BEAP) funds projects that aim to improve the efficiency and appropriate utilization of blood products, while maintaining the safety of the blood system. The 2026 competition is now open and accepting applications until July 31^st, 2026, at 11:59PM (PST).

Descriptions of current research projects funded through this competitive program are available on “Our Funded Research Projects” page by applying the program search field.

Examples of recently supported projects from the 2025 BEAP competition include the following, listed by principal investigator:

• Dr. William Sheffield – Defining the Allowable Temperature Range of Plasma for Immunoglobulin Manufacturing and Identifying the Mechanism of Factor VIII Loss Under Refrigerated Conditions 

• Dr. William Alton Russell – Informing Platelet Transfusion in Cardiac Surgery Using Big Data and Causal Machine Learning 

• Dr. Andrew Shih – Two funded projects: Progressing Ig Utilization Prediction Using a Federated Learning Model in Ontario & Surveillance for Transfusion Associated Reactions in GEMINI (STAR-GEMINI) 

• Dr. Donald Branch – Small Molecule Inhibitor of Phagocytosis to Reduce Transfusions of Platelets and Red Blood Cells  

• Dr. Sandra Ramirez-Arcos – Reassessing Universal Blood Donor Screening for Syphilis at Canadian Blood Services 

• Dr. Jason Acker – Optimization and Implementation of a Novel Osmoscan Method to Detect Familial Pseudohyperkalemia 

• Dr. Brodie Nolan – Barriers, Facilitators, and Perceived Beliefs of Stakeholders on the Implementation of Whole Blood in Management of Traumatic Hemorrhage in the Canadian Civilian Environment 

Interested in applying?

The application deadline is July 31^st, 2026, 11:59PM (PST). Full program guidelines and application instructions are available on the “Our Research Funding Opportunities” page on blood.ca.

For a list of Canadian Blood Services’ research team members and their research interest areas, visit the “Our Research Team” page on blood.ca.

To stay informed about Canadian Blood Services’ research and education network, subscribe to the Research & Education Round Up to receive updates directly to your inbox each month.

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact. 

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.