National Science Foundation Global Centres

Transfer of funds and project start date

Your award letter will indicate the start date of your project. NSERC or SSHRC will normally transfer your grant funds to your university within 30 days of that start date. Please note that the partner funding agencies intend to coordinate award timing as much as possible. However, because each agency may have different funding cycles, it is possible that some projects will have different start and end dates.

Research agreements and intellectual property

NSERC and SSHRC recommend that you and your university follow best practices by signing a research agreement that defines the intellectual property rights and obligations of all organizations involved in your research project. The agreement must be aligned with NSERC’s policy on intellectual property, which promotes the use and/or exploitation of knowledge and open access to results of research funded by NSERC.

Notes:

• NSERC and SSHRC claim no rights of ownership to any intellectual property generated from projects funded by the NSF Global Centres initiative.
• NSERC’s policy on intellectual property stipulates that each of your students must maintain their right to defend their thesis without delays or impediments.
• All participants, including any trainees, should consult this policy to ensure that they are aware of their rights and obligations.