Awards support studies on offsite construction, automation, and regional building challenges
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has officially opened submissions for the 2025 Housing Research Awards, with this year’s competition focusing on “Accelerating Housing Supply Through Construction Innovation.”
The awards aim to support research that can help transform the construction industry and drive the development of more efficient, sustainable, and affordable housing across Canada.
“This theme highlights the importance of research that will support innovation to help transform the construction industry, making it more efficient, sustainable and affordable,” CMHC stated.
Researchers are encouraged to explore a range of topics, from advanced technology and automation in project management to offsite construction methods like modular homes, mass timber buildings, and panelized systems. Projects tackling construction challenges in remote and northern regions are also eligible.
The awards recognize Canadian research and outreach in key fields affecting housing, including building sciences, social sciences, health sciences, and beyond. The initiative helps strengthen Canada’s base of research-driven housing knowledge and provides funding for further research and knowledge sharing.
CMHC, which runs the program as part of Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS), will grant three awards in 2025:
- President's Medal for Outstanding Housing Research: $25,000
- Gold Roof Award for Housing Research Excellence: $12,500
- Gold Roof Award for Knowledge to Action: $12,500
“Through the 2025 Housing Research Awards, CMHC is supporting transformative, impactful research that will help create more homes faster,” CMHC president and CEO Coleen Volk said in a Press release. “Innovation in the construction industry is an important tool to support the government's commitment to accelerate the housing supply. These awards are another way that CMHC is promoting new ideas in housing.”
The awards application portal is now open, with a submission deadline of September 12, 2025. Winners will be announced later this year.
CMHC data released this week show minimal change in housing construction activity, with the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts sliding 0.2% in May to 279,510 units.
A separate report from the Task Force for Housing and Climate, a non-governmental group supported by the Clean Economy Fund, argues that while the federal government and municipalities are making strides, provinces are lagging on housing construction. The report criticized the lack of enforcement tools tied to the Housing Accelerator Fund, which aims to encourage zoning reform and faster building timelines.
Read more: Provinces essential to boosting homebuilding: report
Notably, no province earned higher than a C+ in the task force’s housing performance assessment, underscoring the continued need for stronger coordination and accountability across all levels of government.
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