Discovery Grants Program and
Research Tools and Instruments Grants
Program
“Delivering on NSERC’s commitment
to excellence”
PART I
DISCOVERY GRANTS
PROGRAM
Eligibility to Apply
To be eligible, you must:
 hold, or have a firm offer of, an academic appointment at
a Canadian institution (minimum three-year term position)
and take up the position no later than September 1 of the
year of the award
 be in a position that requires independent research and
allows supervision of highly qualified personnel (HQP)
 work full-time in an eligible Canadian institution (if your
primary position is outside of Canada)
Requirements can be found on NSERC’s Web site
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Eligibility of Subject Matter
 Discovery Grants Programs support:
– Research programs in the natural sciences and
engineering (NSE); and
– Interdisciplinary research that is predominantly in the NSE
o Significance, impact, advancement of knowledge or practical
applications in NSE
 The same proposal cannot be submitted to two
federal granting agencies
 Eligibility guidelines on NSERC’s Web site and
www.science.gc.ca
 Applications deemed more appropriate for another
agency will be rejected
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Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality
 Policy developed by the four federal research funding
organizations (CFI, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC)
 Goal is to continue to meet the highest ethical and
integrity standards and preserve the trust and
confidence of the research community, the
government and the public
 Being integrated into peer review processes and will
ensure that committee members, external reviewers
and observers take necessary measure to protect
public interest
 Launched on March 1, 2013 – posted on
www.science.gc.ca
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DG Evaluation Process Overview
 Merit assessment uses six-point scale to evaluate:
– Scientific or Engineering Excellence of the Researcher(s)
– Merit of the Proposal
– Contributions to the Training of HQP
 Each application assessed by 5 reviewers in
conference model setting, ensuring best possible
review
 Applications of comparable merit grouped in “bins”
 Within an EG, each bin is assigned a funding
recommendation, with possible modulation related to
the cost of research
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DG Two-Step Review Process
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Evaluation Groups
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Genes, Cells and Molecules (1501)
Biological Systems and Functions (1502)
Evolution and Ecology (1503)
Chemistry (1504)
Physics (1505)
Geosciences (1506)
Computer Science (1507)
Mathematics and Statistics (1508)
Civil, Industrial and Systems Engineering (1509)
Electrical and Computer Engineering (1510)
Materials and Chemical Engineering (1511)
Mechanical Engineering (1512)
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APPLYING TO THE
DISCOVERY GRANTS
PROGRAM
Life Cycle of a Discovery Grant
Application
August 1
Submission of Notification of Intent to Apply with CCV
September to October
Initial assignment to EG and contacting of external reviewers
November 1
Submission of grant application with CCV
Mid-November
Applications sent out to external reviewers
Early December
Evaluation Group members receive applications
February
Grants competition
March to April
Announcement of results
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Notification of Intent to Apply for a
Discovery Grant – Why?
 Used to identify:
– Most appropriate EG to review the application
– Need and potential benefits of a joint review
between EGs
– External reviewers for the application
– Mandate eligibility issues
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Notification of Intent to Apply for a
Discovery Grant – When and What?
 Deadline: August 1
– Electronic submission only through the Research Portal
– Mandatory: if not submitted by deadline, full application will
not be accepted
 Includes:
– Notification of Intent to Apply, listing up to five research
topics in priority order
– CCV
– CCV of co-applicants (for team grants)
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Submitting a Discovery Grant
Application
 Deadline November 1st
– Check institutional internal deadline
 A full Discovery Grant submission includes:
–
Application for a Grant
–
NSERC Researcher CCV for the applicant and all coapplicants
Samples of research contributions (reprints, preprints, thesis chapters, manuscripts, patents, technical
reports, etc.)
–

Note that applications must be submitted
electronically using the Research Portal
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Submitting a Discovery Grant
NOI and Application
 Changes to the submission process
– Research Portal
o Replaces previous online system submission of forms F180 Notification of Intent to Apply and F101 - Application for a
Grant for Discovery Grants Program ONLY
– CCV
o Replaces F100 - Personal Data Form
o Needed for both the NOI and the Full Application
o Applicants are encouraged to allow ample time to familiarize
themselves and enter their data in the NSERC CCV as it can
be time consuming the first time to populate the fields
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How to Complete your CCV
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EVALUATION OF
DISCOVERY GRANT
APPLICATIONS
Evaluation Criteria
 Scientific or Engineering Excellence of the
Researcher(s)
 Merit of the Proposal
 Contribution to the Training of HQP
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Scientific or Engineering Excellence
of the Researcher(s)
 Knowledge, expertise and experience
 Contributions to research in the NSE
 Importance of contributions
 Complementarity of expertise and synergy (for team
applications)
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Scientific or Engineering Excellence
of the Researcher(s): Tips
 Describe up to five most significant research
contributions (now in application) and highlight quality &
impact
 List all types of research contributions
 Explain your role in collaborative research activities
 List all sources of support
 Give other evidence of impact
 Explain delays in research activity or particular
circumstances that might have affected productivity
(See Peer Review Manual, Section 6, for details)
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Merit of the Proposal
 Originality and innovation
 Significance and expected contributions
to research, and potential for technological impact
 Clarity and scope of objectives
 Clarity and suitability of methodology
 Feasibility
 Extent to which the proposal addresses all relevant
issues
 Appropriateness and justification of the budget
 Relationship to other sources of funding
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Merit of the Proposal: Tips
 Write summary in plain language
 Keep in mind that two audiences read your application:
expert and non-expert
 Provide a progress report on related research
 Position the research within the field and state-of-the-art
 Clearly articulate short- and long-term objectives
 Provide a detailed methodology and realistic budget
 Consider comments/recommendations you may have
received for previous applications
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Merit of the Proposal – Tips: Overlap
 Discuss relationships to other research support
– For each grant currently held or applied for, clearly provide:
the main objective, a brief outline of the methodology,
budget details, and details on the support of HQP
– Must include summary and budget pages for CIHR and
SSHRC grants currently held or applied for
 Explain any potential conceptual overlap with other
programs/projects
– Complementary research is encouraged, but must be clearly
explained
 Saying “there is 0 overlap” is not sufficient
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Contributions to the Training of HQP
 Quality and impact of contributions to training during
the last six years
 Proposed plan for future training of HQP in the NSE
 Enhancement of training arising from a collaborative
or interdisciplinary environment (where applicable)
Read the Policy and Guidelines on the Assessment of
Contributions to Research and Training
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Contributions to the Training of HQP - Tips
Past contributions to Training:
 NEW: Use an asterisk to identify students who are
co-authors on the listed contributions
 Explain your role in co-supervision activities
 Explain any delays that might have affected your
ability to train HQP
 Describe nature of HQP studies
– HQP ranges from undergraduate theses and summer
projects to postdoctoral levels, and includes technical and
other research personnel
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Contributions to the Training of HQP - Tips
Training Plan
 Describe the nature of the training (e.g.,
length, specific projects) in which HQP will be
involved, the HQP’s contributions and
pertinence to the research program proposed
 Discuss the training philosophy and the
expected outcomes
 Clearly define your role in any collaborative
research and planned joint HQP training
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Cost of Research
 Determined by the reviewers as Low, Normal or High
as compared to the norm for the research areas
represented in the applications considered by the
EG(s)
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Discovery Grants Indicators
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PART II
RESEARCH TOOLS AND
INSTRUMENTS (RTI) GRANTS
PROGRAM
Research Tools and Instruments (RTI)
Grants Program
 RTI grants: $7,001 to $150,000 (all disciplines)
– NSERC accepts applications for equipment whose total
net cost between $7,001 and $250,000, provided that
funding from other sources is secured by the applicant to
bring the amount requested from NSERC to $150,000 or
less
 RTI grants for Subatomic Physics (See NSERC
website for more details)
– $150,001 to more than $325,000
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RTI Grants Program – Starting Fall 2013
 Implementing an application quota so that NSERC
receives about 500 applications in total
 Universities will be provided with a quota of applications
that they can submit to NSERC
– Consult your university for your particular selection process
– Applications will have to be approved by the institution in order to
be submitted to NSERC
 The quotas to universities will be based on the number of
NSERC funded researchers supported at each
institution, with a minimum quota of two applications
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RTI Grants Program – Eligibility and
Requirements
 Eligibility requirements to apply to NSERC must be
satisfied
 Only applications from applicants and co-applicants
who currently hold or are applying for an NSERC
research grant (e.g., Discovery, Strategic, Research
Partnership, Canada Research Chairs) at the time of
application will be accepted
 NSERC will accept applications only for equipment
that has not yet been purchased as of October 25 of
the application submission year
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RTI Grants Program – Submitting an
Application
 Application to be submitted to NSERC by
October 25 - Electronic submission
– Requires RGO approval- follow institution
deadlines
 RTI Grant application includes:
– Form 101 Application for a Grant
– Form 100 Personal Data Form for the applicant
and all co-applicants
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RTI Grants Program – Selection
Criteria
 Excellence of the applicant(s)
 Merit of the proposed research program(s)
 Need and urgency for the equipment including availability of, and access to, similar
equipment
 Suitability of the proposed equipment for the
proposed research program(s)
 Importance of the equipment for the training
of HQP
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RTI Grants Program – Evaluation
Process
 National peer reviewed competition
maintained
 RTI Grants are usually awarded for the full
cost of the requested items (including tax,
transportation and eligible installation costs)
 May receive partial funding, if appropriate
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Research Tools and Instruments
Grants Program – Eligible Costs
Type of Expenditure
RTI
Equipment or Facility
Travel
Purchase or rental
Not eligible
Salaries and Benefits
Not eligible
Others
(transportation costs for purchased
equipment, extended warranty,
brokerage and customs charges for the
importation of equipment and supplies)
Eligible
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Research Tools and Instruments
Grants Applications – Tips
 Describe the research program(s) that will be carried
out using the equipment
 Explain the need and urgency of the equipment
 Justify the need and appropriateness for each item.
 Illustrate the suitability of the proposed equipment for
the research program(s)
 Discuss the importance of the equipment for the
training of HQP - quality and opportunities for handson training
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FINAL ADVICE
Discovery Grant or RTI Grant
Applications – Reminders
 Consult the Peer Review Manual, Section 6 (DG)
or Section 7 (RTI)
 Read all instructions carefully and follow
presentation standards
 Ensure completeness of application
 Ask colleagues and/or your RGO for comments
on your application
 Read other successful proposals
 Plan ahead and check institution deadlines
– Give yourself time: CCV for DG; F100 for RTI
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NSERC Contacts
EGs Program Officer
firstname.lastname@nserccrsng.gc.ca
Deadlines, acknowledgement of
applications and results
Your university RGO
Your account, Grants in Aid of
Research Statement of Account
(Form 300)
Your university Business Officer (BO)
NSERC Web site
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Discovery Grants Program
(including eligibility)
E-mail: resgrant@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Tel.: 613-995-5829
Use of Grant Funds
E-mail: awdad@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
On-line Services Helpdesk
E-mail: webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
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