Colleges

Use and disclosure of personal information provided to the College and Community Innovation program

College and Community Innovation (CCI) program is committed to the protection of all personal information collected and used in the operation and management of its activities. This page outlines purposes for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by the CCI program.

All personal information collected by the CCI program related to researchers, company and college employees, committee members/reviewers and others is used to review applications, administer and monitor awards, and promote and support research in Canada. Consistent with these purposes, personal information submitted by the college to the CCI program may also come to be used and disclosed in the following activities.

Sharing of information among the three participating agencies

• The three participating agencies—the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)—will share information among themselves as required to manage the program. All three agencies are subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, which strictly limits the use and disclosure of the personal information collected.
• The information you provide in the application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act. Details on the use and disclosure of this information by the agencies are described by NSERC on the Use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC web page, by CIHR on the Info source – Sources of federal government and employee information web page, by SSHRC on the Collection, use and disclosure of personal information web page and in the relevant program literature.
• In addition, the three participating agencies will comply with the retention and disposal processes as outlined in the following policy statement: Data retention information. For more information, refer to the Personal Information Banks described in NSERC’s Info Source.

Sharing of information with institutions applying to the CCI program

The agencies will only share information related to applications and awards with the relevant official(s) at the institution which applied to the CCI program and administers the award on a need-to-know basis.

Sharing of information with review committees and external reviewers

As part of the review process, applications will be disclosed to review committees composed of experts recruited from the postsecondary community and the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Proposals are also shared with external reviewers or members of ad hoc review committees, when applicable. All participants in CCI review activities must signify that they will abide by legal requirements and expectations with regard to the confidentiality and protection of the information entrusted to them. The agencies ensure that this information is always stored, handled and distributed in a secure manner through electronic password-protected secure platforms to prevent unauthorized access.

The three agencies use personal information from grant applications in their files and databases to identify prospective committee members and reviewers for specific applications.

Sharing of information with other funding organizations or other federal government departments

Other funding organizations

Applications and documentation (containing personal information) submitted to a program in which research support is offered in conjunction with another funding organization may be disclosed to appropriate officials in the other institution. CCI program will ensure that the information is managed in a manner compliant with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Other federal government departments

The CCI program’s governance structure consists of the Management Committee and Steering Committee, which advise and provide comments on the management of the peer review process, communication strategies, program’s structure, policy development, budget management, management of the program and provide strategic advice on CCI program’s general directions. The committees are composed of members from NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Health Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI). As approving funding recommendations is within the mandate of these governance bodies, information about applications and documentation may be disclosed to these other federal government departments to obtain their approval before funding decisions can be communicated and funding released to the applicant institutions.

Applications submitted to the program may be reviewed, as required, under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). Portions of the application could be shared with other federal government departments for review as required by the Act.

Sharing of information publicly

The agencies routinely publish and disseminate certain details about successful applications (including the name of the institution, applicant and co-applicant(s), amount awarded, area of research, project title and a summary of the research proposal prepared by the applicant) for public release. This information will normally be published on the agencies’ websites and on the Awards Databases.

Self-identification information

As part of the agency’s commitment to the Tri-agency EDI Action Plan for 2018–2025, participants in the CCI program grant-funding process might be asked to complete a mandatory self-identification questionnaire, depending on their role within an application or grant review. This data provides information on the diversity of the population participating in the CCI program. This information increases CCI’s capacity to monitor progress on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in its programs, to recognize and remove barriers, and to design new measures to achieve greater EDI in the research enterprise. While the self-identification questionnaire is mandatory for certain participants, “I prefer not to answer” is an option for each question.

Note: All self-identification information is not accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or committee members. For more information, refer to the  Frequently asked questions about the self-identification questionnaire.

Use of information

Files and databases containing personal information may be used by the agencies for program planning, evaluation and review, in audits and for generating statistics for these activities.

Information submitted to the agencies is subject to the Tri-agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research and may be used and disclosed consistent with that framework. Information may be shared with SSHRC or CIHR and other granting agencies for the purpose of reviewing the compliance of research institutions and individual researchers with the Tri-agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research and other policies.

Information that is provided in the Convergence Portal can be used by NSERC’s staff to compile statistics and reports and also to identify and contact users for technical assistance.

The agencies may use the contact information to contact users about program information or to refine their mailing lists on a consent basis.

Disclosure of personal information in case of breach of agency policy

In cases of a serious breach of agency policy, as determined by an agency president, the agency may publicly disclose any information relevant to the breach that is in the public interest, including the name of the researcher subject to the decision, the nature of the breach, the institution where the researcher was employed at the time of the breach, the institution where the researcher is currently employed and the recourse imposed against the researcher. In determining whether a breach is serious, the agency will consider the extent to which the breach jeopardizes the safety of the public or would bring the conduct of research into disrepute. For further information, see the NSERC Consent to disclosure of personal information policy - frequently asked questions.