Call for Applications

Application Summary Form

Read the PromoScience Program description before completing the Application Summary Form. Accessibility notice: If you cannot access the content, please contact the On-line Services Helpdesk by e-mail at webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca or by telephone at 613-995-4273. Indicate the e-mail address and telephone number where you can be reached.

Presentation Standards

You are responsible for submitting a complete application that conforms to the presentation standards established by NSERC. Incomplete applications and applications that do not meet the presentation standards may be rejected, or be at a disadvantage, in comparison with those that are complete and respect the presentation standards. Where page limits are stated, pages in excess of the number permitted will be removed.

For more information, read the General Presentation Guidelines.

Application Deadline

Your application must be received at NSERC by September 15, 2011. If the deadline falls on a weekend or federal holiday, your application must reach NSERC by the following working day. Late applications will not be accepted.

Material or updates received under separate cover (before or after the deadline date) will not be accepted.

Personal Information

The collection, use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC are outlined in the following policy statements:

• Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act (including the Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to NSERC)
• NSERC Web Privacy Statement.

The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act. NSERC is subject to the  Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act (ATIP). The information you provide is stored in a series of NSERC data banks described in  Info Source.

Selection Criteria

In addition to the Application Summary Form, your submission must include (up to five pages maximum):

• an executive summary of up to 150 words including the nature and goals of the program, the number of youth to be reached and an overview of how the PromoScience funding would be spent; and
• a description of how your proposed program addresses the selection criteria.

Divide your application into three sections; use the selection criteria as headings and indicators as sub-headings. Requests for core funding must include a detailed description of the organization’s main activities.

Organization’s Financial Picture

Your PromoScience application must also include the financial information listed below. This information is not counted in the five-page limit and must also conform to the General Presentation Guidelines.

• Your organization's most recent financial statements:
• Non-profit organization applicants must submit audited or unaudited financial statements.
• Post-secondary institution applicants must submit a detailed summary of revenues and expenses for the relevant program(s) from the previous year. Please do not submit institutional financial statements.
• A general budget forecast covering each year of the requested granting period (January to December). This sample budget is intended as a guide for your organization to follow. Some items may not be listed or may not apply to your organization; please adapt the template according to your needs. Include:
• projected revenues of your organization. Breakdown income by source: PromoScience, federal government (indicate other funds received from NSERC and other federal granting agencies), provincial government, private sector, foundations, self-generated, university, etc.; 
• anticipated expenses of your organization (breakdown by expenditure: salaries, equipment, materials and supplies, travel costs, publicity, etc.); and
• estimated in-kind contributions (salaries, equipment, space, etc.). In-kind contributions should be included in the budget as a separate category and clearly indicated as in-kind.
• A budget justification for each budget item (indicate any priorities for funding) and explain any relationship and/or overlap, conceptual or financial, with other NSERC funding or support from other sources.

Note: NSERC’s contribution is generally up to one-third of a program’s funding. In past competitions, the average grant ranged from $15,000 to $20,000 per year.

Certification Requirements

Before completing this section, consult the policies and guidelines described in the Requirements for Certain Types of Research. While these policies were written for research-related activities, in the context of PromoScience they may also apply to outreach, teaching and instructional activities. In the event of any uncertainty, applicants should contact the PromoScience Program Officer.

Upon the award of a PromoScience grant, applicants may be required to submit their program for review by a Research Ethics Board, or Animal Care Committee, administered by a local university or college. In such cases, awards would be made conditional upon a satisfactory review.

Environmental Impact

If any activities take place outside of an office or a laboratory, and/or involve a physical work under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), you must complete Appendix A, Environmental Impact and Appendix B, Canadian Environmental Assessment Act Pre-Screening Checklist of Form 101.

For Applicants with Past or Current PromoScience Funding

A one-page activity report (as an additional page) must be provided, and will be reviewed by the Selection Committee in terms of the effective use of past funding and, for renewing applicants, the ongoing effectiveness of the programming.

The report must include:

• the total amount of past or current PromoScience grant(s);
• the length of the grant term(s);
• a brief description of the activities supported with previous PromoScience funding;
• an overview of the outcomes and impacts from previous funding; and
• a justification for continued NSERC support (for renewing applicants only).

Letters of Support

• Up to five letters of reference; these are highly recommended, as applications without letters of reference may be at a disadvantage in the competition. Applicants that are specifically targeting an under-represented group are strongly encouraged to include a letter from an organization linked with the under-represented target audience.
• An unlimited number of letters of commitment to confirm funding agreements from the host organization and/or outside sources; please do not include copies of cheques (optional).

Background Documentation (optional)

You may include key material such as annual reports, promotional brochures or publications. This material will be available to the members of the Selection Committee at their November meeting; however, it will be reviewed only at the Committee’s discretion. Any information central to your application should be addressed within the description of the proposed program.

Do not include videos or CD ROMs.

Note that all submissions and support material become the property of NSERC and will not be returned.

Notification of Decision

NSERC will inform all applicants (in writing) of the results of the annual PromoScience competition by mid-January. NSERC will not provide results by telephone. Grantees can expect to receive their first instalment by early February. A list of the successful grantees will also be posted on the PromoScience Web site.

Signatures

What do the signatures on the application mean?

By signing and submitting my application, I (the applicant):

• certify that the information provided in my funding applications and related documents is true, complete and accurate and consistent with institutional and NSERC policies to the best of the applicant's knowledge;
• consent to the sharing between NSERC and any academic institution to which I am, or may become, affiliated of any and all information, including personal information, in any way related to the application and to the grant/award;
• understand the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act (including the Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to NSERC) as they pertain to grant application information;
• will use the grant only for the purpose(s) for which it was awarded;
• certify that I respect and comply with the  Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service, as required only if I am, or was in the last 12 months, a public servant in the federal government;
• accept the terms and conditions set out in NSERC’s Policies and Guidelines and the PromoScience Grants Guide;
• agree to comply with the policies and guidelines described in the Requirements for Certain Types of Research (refer to the Certification Requirements section for additional information);
• agree to comply with the PromoScience Grants Guide. In cases of allegations of non-compliance with the PromoScience Grants Guide and the signatures section,  Section 6.1 of the new Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research will apply and will be adapted, as necessary, for the PromoScience Program; and
• will acknowledge, wherever possible, NSERC’s funding in all official communications, advertising, public events and media releases.

The signatures of the institutional authorities (if applicable) certify that:

• the institution will abide by the roles and responsibilities as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding on the Roles and Responsibilities in the Management of Federal Grants and Awards with the three federal granting agencies; and
• the institution agrees to comply with NSERC's data protection requirements and has adequate safeguards in place to protect sensitive information entrusted to it by NSERC for the purpose of administering applications and awards.