In another bid to safeguard astronauts on future deep-space missions to the Moon and Mars, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has unveiled a $3.6 million Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for health and life sciences research (ISS AO 2026) aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The initiative will award up to $900,000 per project to Canadian researchers utilizing microgravity to study non-human biological models—and as in previous health related AO’s, the findings should also translate to tangible healthcare benefits for communities here on Earth.
Researchers must use living, non-human models. This includes cells, organoids, cell-free systems, and microorganisms.
The researchers must also partner with commercial entities. Principal Investigators (PIs) are expected to team up with commercial space station hardware providers. The CSA has pointed to established third-party companies like Space Tango, Yuri, BioServe Space Technologies, ICE Cubes Service, Voyager Technologies, Redwire Space, and Kayser Space to handle the orbital logistics, containment, and automated data logging.
CSA’s priority health risks
To secure a portion of the funding pool, researchers must directly target one of the CSA’s established “Human Space Flight Risks.” The agency is particularly interested in physiological adaptations to hypogravity, such as Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS)—a condition where astronauts experience vision changes and structural shifts in the eye due to prolonged microgravity.
The AO outlines seven core categories of mission risk:
- Hypogravity: Physiological adaptation during transit and stays on planetary surfaces, including SANS and the adaptation of human-associated microbial communities.
- Musculoskeletal and Cardiorespiratory: The mitigation of reduced muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and increased bone fragility.
- Radiation: Impairment to health and performance, encompassing both cancer and non-cancer risks associated with space radiation exposure.
- Sensorimotor: Sensory changes and dysfunctions.
- Metabolism: The effects of a mission diet’s nutrient composition on overall health and energy status.
- Behavioural Health and Performance: Psychosocial adaptation, stress, fatigue, cognitive deterioration, and team dynamics.
- Environmental Exposure: Long-term health effects from exposure to toxic substances or virulent microorganisms inside the spacecraft.
Funding and logistics
The CSA has structured this as a Contribution agreement, with a total funding pool intended to support a small number of projects.
- Total Funding Pool: $3,600,000
- Maximum Award Per Project: Up to $900,000
- Anticipated Cohort: Approximately 4 projects
- Estimated Project Start Date: April 2027
- Application Deadline: July 24, 2026