International Opportunities - For Professors

• Professors at Canadian Universities
• Foreign Researchers

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Professors at Canadian Universities

• Discovery Grants Program
• CREATE – Collaborative Research and Training Experience
• Major Resources Support Grants
• Research Partnerships Programs
• G8 Research Councils Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding

Discovery Grants Program

International collaboration contributes to the development of world-class scientists and helps enhance the potential for innovation in Canada and around the world. In its efforts to increase the impact of Canadian natural sciences and engineering research within the global research community, NSERC is committed to supporting international collaborations. These collaborations can take the form of cooperation with peers at foreign organizations or involve participation in multinational research teams or in other collaborative programs with long-term research horizons.

NSERC Discovery Grant funds can be used to collaborate with colleagues abroad in a variety of ways—from fieldwork and research conferences to collaborative trips and stipends for students and visiting researchers. However, only the direct costs related to international exchanges and collaborations are eligible expenses. Reasonable out-of-pocket travel and subsistence costs may be paid for an NSERC grantholder and his/her research personnel or for colleagues working with the grantholder for visits (international or national) and for visiting researchers. More details on the Discovery Grant Program / More details on the use of grant funds.

CREATE—Collaborative Research and Training Experience

The Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program supports the training of teams of students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad. Its overall goal is to prepare new researchers for their future careers in academia and other sectors.

The CREATE Program promotes skills acquisition and development, and student mobility nationally and internationally between universities and between universities and other sectors. It also promotes interdisciplinary research. CREATE supports groups of accomplished researchers that provide undergraduate students, graduate students (master’s and doctoral) and postdoctoral fellows with innovative training programs. Among other things, the program encourages international awareness and mobility among participating Canadian and international students.

Canadian professors should note that, under this program, international students and fellows may be offered stipends. CREATE stipends to postdoctoral fellows are normally limited to two years of support, but three years of support may be acceptable in some cases, for instance to attract exceptional foreign candidates. More details

Major Resources Support Grants

One of the goals of the Major Resources Support Grants Program is to facilitate access by Canadian researchers to major international resources outside Canada, the equivalent of which are not available in Canada. This program supports membership or access/user fees, minor equipment needed to accommodate the specific needs of the Canadian users, fieldwork, and salaries of Canadian technical and professional research support staff employed to assist in the use of the resource by Canadian users. More details

Research Partnerships Programs

NSERC Research Partnerships Programs foster collaboration among university researchers, colleges and other sectors in order to develop new knowledge and expertise and to facilitate their transfer to Canadian-based organizations.

NSERC Research Partnerships Programs consist of a number of funding mechanisms, including three programs—the Strategic Network Grants, the Strategic Project Grants and the Strategic Workshops Program—that have components to support international collaboration and exchanges. NSERC strategic programs fund collaboration in target areas that have potential to strongly enhance Canada’s economy, society and/or environment within the next 10 years.

• Strategic Network Grants fund large-scale, complex research projects involving partners from different sectors. These grants can be supplemented with additional funds to facilitate international network to network collaboration, including opportunities for enhanced training of students. Eligible Strategic Networks can apply for an additional one-time grant of up to $200,000 per year for years 3 through 5. More details
• Strategic Project Grants fund early-stage research projects in targeted areas. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate international collaborations into their proposal. NSERC recognizes that a number of collaboration and exchange activities can enhance the project and increase its impact on international research. Please refer to NSERC’s guidelines on the Use of Grant Funds. More details
• The Strategic Workshops Program is designed to seed new collaborations and partnerships between Canadian university researchers and potential new non-academic partners. An award may support Canadian and foreign participation in workshops held in Canada. Requests for international travel costs must be clearly justified and are admissible for participants who provide unique and key perspectives that will be critical in achieving the overall workshop objectives. More details

G8 Research Councils Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding

The research councils of the G8 countries* have established a multilateral funding initiative for conducting international research. The initiative aims to support research on topics of global relevance which can best be tackled by a multinational approach.

Funding should help researchers to cooperate in consortia consisting of at least three partners from separate participating countries. The multinational research consortia must show an interdisciplinary approach in addressing problems within the scope of the described call theme.

For more details, consult the Call for Proposals.

*Italy will not be participating in this call for proposals.

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Foreign Researchers

Foreign researchers are encouraged to work in partnership with Canadians either in peer-to-peer collaborations or as members of international research teams. Canadian researchers can use their NSERC research grants to support a range of international activities, including stipends for visiting researchers or students, and some of their travel and subsistence costs.

In addition, a number of opportunities are available to foreign researchers interested in considering a research career in Canada.

• Canada Excellence Research Chairs
• Canada Research Chairs
• JSPS Researcher Exchange Program
• Finding Canadian Expertise

Canada Excellence Research Chairs

Canadian universities offer world-class research and training environments. Foreign researchers at the highest level of excellence in their fields may be candidates for a  Canada Excellence Research Chair.

Canada Research Chairs

 Canada Research Chairs help attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising researchers. Achieving research excellence in natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, humanities and social sciences, chair holders help improve the depth of knowledge and quality of life of Canadians, strengthen the country’s international competitiveness and train the next generation of highly skilled people. Across the research professorship positions, over 30 percent of chair holders have been recruited from outside of Canada.

JSPS Researcher Exchange Program

Japanese researchers participating in the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Researcher Exchange Program are eligible to receive a maintenance allowance from NSERC during their stay in Canada.

For more information, please visit the  JSPS Researcher Exchange Program Annual Call for Proposals.

JSPS is responsible for informing applicants to the JSPS Researcher Exchange Program wishing to conduct research in Canada that the proposed research must clearly be intended to advance knowledge in one of the natural sciences or in engineering. Other considerations for assessing eligibility of proposed research are listed in the Guidelines for the Evaluation of Subject Matter Eligibility of Discovery Grant Applications Related to the Health Sciences page of NSERC’s Web site.

Eligible Canadian institutions are restricted to the Canadian universities listed in the List of Eligible Institutions page of NSERC’s Web site.

If you have any questions, please contact schol@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Finding Canadian Expertise

The following searchable databases can help foreign researchers identify potential collaborators in Canada.

• Canada Research Chairs This database of over 1,800 profiles of Canada Research Chairs will help those looking for research leaders in the natural sciences, engineering, health, the social sciences or the humanities.  View database
• NSERC Chairholders Database This database is designed to connect researchers with some of Canada’s leading scientists and engineers. Each profile includes a summary of the chairholders’ activities, relevant key words, partnering organizations and contact information. View database
• NSERC Awards Search Engine This database lists all grants and scholarships awarded by NSERC since 1991. Searches can be conducted using research subject, key words, institution, etc. Please note that this database does not contain researchers contact information; however, it does identify their institution of affiliation at the time of the award. View database