Contact Newsletter

In this Issue

• Upcoming NSERC deadlines
• Program changes posted
• Proposals invited for G8 initiative
• Northern Research Supplements now up to $25,000
• Council of Canadian Academies assessment nears end of data gathering phase
• Consultation launched on the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research
• Funding Opportunity through Natural Resources Canada

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Upcoming NSERC deadlines

* Whether students apply through their university or directly to NSERC depends on their registration status. Check the program description to determine the correct category.

** Applicants for scholarships and fellowships should note that they may also be required to meet additional deadlines established by their university.

Program changes posted

NSERC has now posted the 2011 updates to all of its program descriptions and application procedures for grants and scholarships programs. These include itemized summaries of changes to grants programs and changes to scholarships programs. The updates include some provisions that will affect Discovery Grants applicants who receive, or have applied for, funding from more than one granting agency. In addition to explaining any overlap between their research and topics under the mandates of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), these applicants will now be required to send NSERC the budget pages and a summary from CIHR or SSHRC grant support that they hold or have applied for. Providing information on grants from other sources will remain optional.

As part of the tri-agency guidelines (see  Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency), NSERC updated its eligibility guidelines last year for applications related to health. Work is now underway to expand and clarify these guidelines to help applicants who work in health-related research choose the most appropriate agency for their application.

The Evaluation Groups (EG) will continue to nominate specific applicants for Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS) based on their Discovery Grant applications. EG members will now be looking for research proposals that suggest and explore high risk, novel or potentially transformative concepts and lines of inquiry, and are likely to have impact by contributing to groundbreaking advances in the area. DAS support will reflect a researcher's current potential to capitalize on an opportunity, such as a recent research breakthrough, a paradigm shift or a new strategy to tackle a scientific problem or research question.

Proposals invited for G8 initiative

Research councils from the G8 countries have issued the second call for proposals for the G8 Research Councils Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding. Applicants are invited to submit preliminary proposals by September 30, 2011, focussing on this year’s theme: “Interdisciplinary Program on Material Efficiency – A first step towards sustainable manufacturing.” The G8 initiative supports excellent research on topics of global relevance that can be best tackled by a multinational approach. Funding is intended to help researchers cooperate in consortia representing at least three of the participating countries, with a minimum of one academic partner from each country.

Northern Research Supplements now up to $25,000

NSERC announced changes to its support for northern research earlier this year, including focussing the first Discovery Frontiers competition on northern earth systems. Since that announcement, the scope and budget of the Northern Research Supplements (NRS) have also been expanded. Amounts available to researchers now range from $10,000 to $25,000, with awards at the upper end of the range recognizing researchers whose programs have higher logistical costs and make outstanding contributions to outreach and interactions with northerners. Applications for an NRS must be submitted with an application for a Discovery Grant.

Council of Canadian Academies assessment nears end of data gathering phase

The assessment of performance indicators for basic research, being conducted on NSERC’s behalf by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), is nearing the end of its data gathering and literature review phase. The assessment has focussed on studying evidence from internationally observed practices, with a view to identifying best practices for monitoring and measuring research performance. The expert panel will soon begin drafting its report, which is expected to be delivered to NSERC in 2012. Updates can be found on the  CCA Web site. After it receives the report, NSERC will invite feedback from the research community. The information will be used to find better ways to compare overall levels of excellence across disciplines according to international best practices, with the goal of devising a new budget allocation methodology for Evaluation Groups.

Consultation launched on the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research

NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC, in collaboration with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, continue to update and strengthen the current Tri–Council Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship. The agencies invite institutions, associations, organizations and individuals to provide input on the draft consultation document, Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research, by visiting the NSERC Web site by September 30. The feedback gathered during the consultation will be considered when finalizing this framework, which is expected for December 2011. For more information, please contact consultation@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

Funding Opportunity through Natural Resources Canada

The ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative is a new program that received $97 million in funding in Budget 2011 for a comprehensive suite of research and development (R&D) and demonstration projects. The program’s objective is to support energy technology innovation to produce and use energy in a more clean and efficient way. We invite you to visit the  Natural Resources Canada Web site for more information about this initiative.