Call for Nominations

Nomination deadline: April 1, 2013

NSERC is seeking nominations of research teams for the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering. This prize recognizes outstanding Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who have combined their expertise to produce achievements of outstanding international significance in the natural sciences and engineering in the last six years.

Nominations must include a description of the team's achievements in one or more of the following areas:

• contributions to knowledge;
• the use of existing knowledge to develop novel solutions to practical problems;
• leadership in the transfer of knowledge; and
• other appropriate contributions.

Nominations must clearly highlight the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the team and its achievements; provide an explanation of the significance, novelty and impact of the achievements for which the team is being nominated; and outline the extent and importance of the team's contribution to the training of highly qualified personnel in an interdisciplinary setting.

Eligibility

Research teams nominated for the Brockhouse Canada Prize must have at least two members who are independent researchers, one of whom must hold an NSERC grant. The team can be part of an international effort, but the majority of the nominated team members must be employed at a Canadian university or public or private organization. NSERC recognizes that teams may change between the time of the specific research achievements and the time of nomination. Nominations will be accepted when changes have occurred, but only where the core of the team remains intact. Contributions must be primarily in the natural sciences and engineering, and of an interdisciplinary and collaborative nature. NSERC reserves the right to rule on the eligibility of nominations.

A team may be nominated for the NSERC Brockhouse Prize and other major NSERC prizes in the same year, but can receive only one such prize in a given year.

Selection Criteria and Evaluation

The nominations will be reviewed on the basis of contributions to the areas of the natural sciences or engineering supported by NSERC, according to the following selection criteria:

• significance, novelty and impact of the achievements;
• excellence of the interdisciplinary team, including the complementarities of the members' expertise; and
• quality of the contribution to the training of highly qualified personnel in a collaborative and interdisciplinary setting.

A selection committee of distinguished representatives from the university, government, and corporate research communities will review the nominations and recommend the Brockhouse Canada Prize winner to the President of NSERC.

The committee may recommend not to award the prize in a given year if there is no outstanding nomination.

Nomination Process

Nominations must be submitted by an individual or group of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Self nominations will not be accepted.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the prize, nominators should consult NSERC's Guidelines for the Preparation and Review of Applications in Interdisciplinary Research when preparing the nomination package. Nominators should also consult NSERC's Guidelines for the Preparation and Review of Applications in Engineering and the Applied Sciences.

The nomination package must include:

1. a letter (four pages maximum) that clearly describes:
1. the team’s achievements in one or more of the following categories:
1. contributions to knowledge;
2. the use of existing knowledge to develop novel solutions to practical problems;
3. leadership in the transfer of knowledge; and
4. other appropriate contributions.
   
   Note: The achievements must have been made jointly by the members of the nominated team and not realized before joining the team, or as individual researchers separate from the team's activities.
   
   
2. the significance, novelty and impact of the team's achievements over the last six years for which the nomination is being put forward.
3. the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the team and its achievements, including the complementarities of expertise between members of the group. The interdisciplinary nature of the team must be clearly defined, particularly in cases where it may not be immediately obvious. If the interdisciplinary nature of a team is not evident, the nomination may be ruled ineligible.
4. the quality, extent and importance of the team's contribution to the training of highly qualified personnel in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting. The description of the team's contribution to the training of highly qualified personnel must also describe the co-supervision provided by the various members of the team.
   
   Note: Because the selection committee is composed of researchers from a variety of disciplines, NSERC recommends using language that is appropriate for non-experts and avoiding inordinate technical detail in the nomination letter.

2. a description of the team's five most important joint contributions over the last six years, together with relevant bibliographic information, including URLs (maximum one page);
3. a description of the team's plans for future research that will build on its previous successes (maximum one page);
4. an up-to-date curriculum vitæ for each team member, which must include detailed information about achievements and contributions in both research and the training of highly qualified personnel over the last six years. The use of NSERC's Personal Data Form (Form 100) is strongly recommended for this purpose. If Form 100 is used, the page limit is indicated in the associated instructions. If a free-form curriculum vitæ is used, it must not exceed 10 pages;
5. the names and full coordinates, including e-mail addresses, of at least six Canadian and/or international researchers who, in the opinion of the nominators, could be approached by NSERC to conduct an impartial review of the nomination. The majority of these proposed referees should be from outside Canada, and none should be in conflict of interest (see section 6.7.1 Conflict of Interest of NSERC’s Peer Review Manual 2012-2013). A brief one-paragraph description of each person's background must be supplied, as well as the rationale for their suitability as a referee. Please note that NSERC reserves the right to select all or none of the suggested referees;
6. a brief one-paragraph description of the nominator's background;
7. a brief letter from the team identifying one of the members as the spokesperson of the group. This spokesperson will be the contact person for NSERC on any matter related to the outcome of the competition; and
8. a Terms and Conditions of Applying Form signed by each nominee.

Note: The above documentation represents the entirety of a Brockhouse Canada Prize nomination. No other information, including letters of support, will be accepted as part of the nomination package.

Signatures

Nominees

Before nominees submit their documents to the nominator, they must read and agree to the terms and conditions listed on the Terms and Conditions of Applying Form.

Nominators

Before nominators submit the nomination to NSERC, they must read and agree to the following terms and conditions.

By submitting the nomination, you are certifying that:

• the information provided in the nomination and related documents is true, complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge;
• those listed on the nomination have agreed to be included;
• you are not currently ineligible to apply for and/or hold funds from NSERC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), or any other research or research funding organization worldwide for reasons of breach of policies on responsible conduct of research, such as ethics, integrity or financial management policies;
• if you are or have been (at any time during the past 12 months) a federal public servant, you have complied with and will continue to respect the  Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service;
• you understand the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act and the Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to NSERC as they pertain to the information contained in the nomination and related documents; and
• you consent to the sharing among the three federal granting agencies (NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR) and with any academic institution to which you are, or may become, affiliated, of any and all information, including personal information, in any way related to the nomination and to the grant/award.

For re-nominations, nominators are asked to submit a complete and updated nomination package. The list of suggested referees should also be updated to include new individuals.

Nominations may be submitted:

Electronically: via Secure Submissions for NSERC’s Innovative Collaborations and Science Promotion Programs. It is preferable that documents be submitted in Portable Document Format (PDF).

By mail:      

The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering
NSERC
350 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1H5

By fax: 613-947-3847

Note: Original signatures are required on documents, but they can still be submitted electronically or by fax.

Conditions and Reporting

The winning team must designate one of its members to be responsible for the administration of the award. This member must be eligible to hold an NSERC grant. Refer to NSERC's Eligibility Criteria for this matter.

The winning team will be asked to confirm, by e-mail or letter, its acceptance of the award and to confirm the ability to use the full value of the accompanying research grant. Because the grant may be distributed in either one payment or several instalments, the winning team will also be asked to submit a payment schedule.

At the end of the funding period, the team will be asked to report on the impact that the award and the accompanying research grant has had on their research activities.

Announcement

The names of the award recipients will be announced in 2014.