Frequently Asked Questions on Institutional Eligibility

1. Does an institution have to complete a form when requesting eligibility to administer NSERC programs?

   No, there is no specific request form. The institution must send a written request signed by the institution’s President/principal or delegate, with all the documentation required to support the submission. Please consult the Checklist for a Complete Institutional Eligibility Request before submitting an institutional eligibility request to NSERC.

2. What requirements must an institution meet when requesting eligibility?

   To be recognized as eligible, an institution must meet eight requirements and submit all the supporting documentation. Please refer to the Institutional Eligibility Requirements for details; note that the first three requirements apply slightly differently to universities than they do to colleges.

3. Is there a deadline to request institutional eligibility?

   No. An institution can submit a request at any time. However, before applying to a program, an institution must be eligible before the program’s application deadline. Consult the following documents for a list of all the programs and their application deadlines:
   

   • Scholarships and Fellowships Programs
   • Grant Programs
   • Chairs and Faculty Support Programs
   • Partnerships Programs

4. Is there a specific person to call at NSERC for further information about preparing an eligibility request?

   Yes. Please see the names listed in the Institutional Eligibility Requirements and note each person’s area of expertise. The phone numbers and e-mail addresses are provided.

5. What policies must an institution have in place to be considered eligible to administer NSERC programs?

   NSERC recognizes the need for research to be conducted according to the highest ethical principles. Institutions that are eligible to receive NSERC funds are required to adhere to those principles and ensure that they have the necessary structure and process in place to achieve this objective. The institution must already adhere to an institutional policy on:

   • research integrity that meets the requirements of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship. Please refer also to the Framework for Tri-Council Review of Institutional Policies Dealing with Integrity in Research;
   • research involving humans that reflects the spirit and intention of the  Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS): Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.
   
   

   An institution is required to follow the TCPS as a whole. However, when the three granting agencies review an institution’s research policy, they focus on TCPS Section 1 (Ethics Review) and Section 2 (Free and Informed Consent). These two sections set out the basic requirements for the ethics review of research involving humans.

   An institution that conducts a minimum amount of research involving humans may wish to explore regional cooperation (or alliance) with another eligible institution to share an ethics policy, Research Ethics Board (REB), or an appeal board. Any institution with a formalized sharing arrangement must send NSERC a formal letter of agreement duly signed by the two institutions.

6. Is an institution required to develop a policy on research involving humans if the institution conducts no such research on its premises or under its jurisdiction?

   Yes. In cases where an institution neither conducts research involving humans nor has a policy involving humans that adheres to the TCPS at the time of applying for institutional eligibility, it has one year from the date of signing the Memorandum of Understanding on the Roles and Responsibilities in the Management of Federal Grants and Awards to adopt a policy or enter into a formal written agreement with another institution that adheres to the TCPS. The institution must include a statement indicating that:

   
   
   • none of the research currently conducted under the institution’s auspices or jurisdiction, or by its members, falls within the purview of the TCPS; and

   • the institution agrees that it will not allow the conduct of research involving humans under its auspices or jurisdiction or by its members, and will not submit any applications to NSERC for research involving humans until the approved policy or written agreement is in place.

7. If an institution conducts research using animals, or if it uses animals for teaching and/or testing, are there requirements that the institution must meet?

   Yes. The institution must include a statement confirming that it will adhere to the policies and guidelines of the  Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and will send a copy of the  Certificate of Good Animal Practice to NSERC.

8. What requirements must an institution meet if it conducts other types of research?

   The institution must include a statement confirming that it will abide by the policies and guidelines specified in the Requirements for Certain Types of Research in the Program Guide for Professors.

9. Can an institution that has not met all the requirements at the time of application be recognized as conditionally eligible?

   No. NSERC will not accept applications from an institution that has not been formally declared eligible.

10. Are faculty members automatically eligible to apply to NSERC programs once the institution is recognized as eligible?

    No, faculty members must meet additional criteria regarding their academic position at the time of application and during tenure of the award. Please consult the Eligibility page.

11. How long will it take NSERC to determine an institution’s eligibility?

    The review can take as little as three months if the institution has submitted all the required documentation at the outset and has clearly demonstrated its full compliance with NSERC’s policies on research. The review process is lengthened when submissions are incomplete. For information on eligibility requirements and contact information, please see NSERC’s Institutional Eligibility Requirements.

12. Does an institution have to meet any other requirements once NSERC has declared it eligible?
    

    Yes. Within one month of receiving the MOU, the institution must sign and return one copy to NSERC. Funding to an institution will not be released before NSERC receives a signed MOU.
    
    During the College Community Innovation (CCI) competition cycle, it may be determined that eligibility from CIHR or SSHRC is required for payment of the grant when the research areas proposed in the CCI Letter of Intent fall only within social sciences and humanities and/or health sciences. Colleges will be informed of the additional eligibility requirements applicable when invited to submit a full CCI application. In order to prevent a delay in the release of the grant, the eligibility requirements of SSHRC or CIHR, if applicable, need to be fully met by the time the funding decisions are made.