Read the program description in the Program Guide for Professors before you complete the application.
The applicant must complete the application and include all required documentation using the On-line System. In addition, the Personal Data Form (Form 100) must be completed by applicants and co-applicants and linked to the application form.
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 NSERC On-line Presentation and Attachment Standards.
Your application must be received at your institution’s research grants office by their internal deadline date; contact your research grants office for those deadlines.
For programs with deadlines, the application must be received at NSERC by 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on the deadline date. If it is not received by the deadline, it will be considered late and will be rejected.
The collection, use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC are outlined in the following policy statements:
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.
Title of proposal
The title will be used for publication purposes. It should describe the subject of the research to be supported. It should not contain a company or trade name. Spell out scientific symbols and acronyms.
Time devoted to proposed research/activity
Enter the time devoted by the applicant (in hours per month) to the proposed research/activity.
Research subject codes
Consult the NSERC Code Tables. All applicants are required to select a primary research code.
Area of application codes
Consult the NSERC Code Tables. All applicants are required to select a primary area of application code from the list of Area of Application Codes.
Key words
Provide a maximum of 10 key words that describe the proposed research/activity.
Before completing this page, consult the Policies and Guidelines of the Program Guide for Professors concerning the requirements for certain types of research.
Research involving humans: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution's administration with the appropriate certification indicating that research involving humans has been reviewed and has received the required approval.
Research involving human pluripotent stem cells: If you select Yes, or if through peer review the application is found to fall into this category and is recommended for funding, it will be forwarded, with your consent, to the Stem Cell Oversight Committee (SCOC) to ensure compliance with Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research: Guidelines for CIHR-Funded Research. The SCOC review is in addition to the normal review by local Research Ethics Boards (REBs). Funding will not be released until approval has been obtained from the SCOC.
Research involving the use of animals: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution's administration with the certification from the animal care committee at the institution that the experimental procedures proposed have been approved and that the care and treatment of animals is in accordance with the principles outlined in the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guide.
Research involving hazardous substances: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution's administration with the certification from the biosafety committee at the institution that the laboratory procedures being used comply with the safety precautions necessary for the level of containment required by the research.
Environmental impact: The Environmental Information Form (Appendix A) may be required. For more information, consult NSERC’s Guidelines on Environmental Review and Assessment.
Identify co-applicants to the proposed research program who will participate on your application. Co-applicants must provide their NSERC Personal Data Form (Form 100). Co-applicants, except those from the applicant's institution, must advise the authorized officer of their organization that the applicant, or the applicant's institution, will be seeking their signature prior to submitting the application to NSERC, agreeing to their participation.
To invite co-applicants to link their Personal Data Form (F100) to the application, enter the e-mail address of the co-applicant as it appears in the co-applicant's Form 100, as well as the family name. When you select Save, an automated e-mail message will be sent to the person(s) to whom you have granted access to your application, informing them that they have been invited to participate in your application. The status will appear as Not Linked.
When a co-applicant links a Personal Data Form (F100) to the application, his/her personal information will appear in the Co-applicant page, and the status will change to Linked. At this point, enter the time (in hours per month) each co-applicant will devote to the proposed research/activity or the use of equipment or facility.
By submitting this form, the applicant certifies that the individuals listed as co-applicants have been informed of the precise uses and disclosures of their personal information by NSERC (see Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to NSERC) and have authorized the release of the information by the applicant.
Enter information about each co-applicant organization's signing officer (other than the applicant’s organization). For supporting organizations such as an industrial partner or a government department, enter information about the authorized representative(s).
The applicant must ensure that the co-applicants from other institutions obtain the appropriate signature from the authorized officer of their organization prior to submitting the application to NSERC (see Signatures requirements within this document).
List foreign or other collaborators; their NSERC personal identification number (PIN), if known; the time (in hours per month) each will devote to the proposed research program; and their organization/department.
By submitting this form, the applicant certifies that the individuals listed as collaborators have been informed of the precise uses and disclosures of their personal information by NSERC (see Use and Disclosure of Personal Information Provided to NSERC) and have authorized the release of the information by the applicant.
The summary is intended to explain the proposal in language that the public can understand.
Using simple terms, briefly describe the nature of the work to be done. Indicate why and to whom the research is important, the anticipated outcomes and how your field and Canada will benefit.
If you wish, you may also provide a summary in the other official language in the text box identified for that purpose.
Before completing this page, read the instructions and consult the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide as well as Genome Canada's (GC) Guidelines for Funding Research Projects and the Canada Foundation for innovation's (CFI) Policy and Program Guide for information about the eligibility of expenditures for the direct costs of research and the regulations governing the use of grant funds. The grants cannot be used to pay for any indirect costs of research or expenses that are central, or departmental institutional costs. Examples of such indirect costs include, but are not limited to, those for the maintenance and renovation of research spaces and buildings, leasing costs of spaces and equipment, utilities, general technical support to laboratories, security and occupational safety, financial and administrative support, or insurance.
Use the Budget Justification section (free-form attachment) to explain and justify each budget item.
Provide a four-year budget.
Using a maximum of five pages, provide a detailed explanation and justification for each budget item identified in the Proposed Expenditures page. Provide sufficient information to allow reviewers to assess whether the resources requested are appropriate. These pages should only contain information pertinent to the budget.
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.
Salaries and benefits
Give the names (if known), categories of employment and proposed salaries (including non-discretionary benefits) of students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff. Briefly describe the responsibilities for each position and indicate the percentage of time they will be spending on this project over its life span. Do not include salaries of faculty in project costs.
Refer to Form 100 instructions for information regarding obtaining consent to name individuals in your proposal.
Equipment or facility
Equipment can be requested from funds available through NSERC/GC/CIHR, only if the total amount requested does not exceed $50,000. Applications that include a request for infrastructure greater than $50,000 must be submitted the request through the CFI by completing the additional budget pages required. Each application may include a request for equipment or infrastructure from either NSERC/GC/CIHR or the CFI.
Give a breakdown of the items requested, models, manufacturers, prices, and applicable taxes. Justify each item requested.
Fees to be paid for the use of equipment or a facility should be described (e.g., hours and rate).
Also report the need for beam time or other special facilities, and if time has been allocated for these.
Materials and supplies
Provide details and explain major items.
Travel
Explain briefly how each activity relates to the proposed research.
Dissemination
Provide details of publication costs, user workshops or other activities. Under the category "Outreach to user communities", provide the costs related to outreach activities whose objectives are to increase the awareness of the potential user communities of the activities and opportunities created by this research. Any other eligible dissemination cost, such as that of publications, should be listed under category (b) (to which an appropriate name of your choosing should be assigned). All costs must be fully explained in the Budget Justification section.
Knowledge transfer activities
List the expenditures for the transfer of knowledge to users or user communities through education, outreach, demonstration projects and other means.
In order to request infrastructure funds, you will need to fill out an infrastructure request through the CFI’s online Awards Management System (CAMS). If you are new to CAMS, please refer to the document “Getting started with CAMS: An overview document for researchers” for instructions on creating an account and accessing this system.
The process for submitting an infrastructure request involves three steps:
Please note that there can be up to a 4-hour delay from the time of submission to the time that CAMS will generate the final PDF. You are therefore encouraged to complete the CFI attachment well in advance of the submission deadline.
For information on eligible costs and eligible partner funding, please refer to the CFI’s Policy and Program Guide or contact your institution’s research office.
If appropriate, you may submit the Contributions from Supporting Organizations page.
Use this page to report the contributions committed by the supporting organization(s) to the research project. Before completing this page, read the instructions and consult the instructions and guidelines of NSERC and CIHR through the Use of Grant Funds page of the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide, as well as the GC Guidelines for Funding Research Projects and CFI’s Policy and Program Guide concerning the eligibility of expenditures for the direct costs of research and the regulations governing the use of grant funds, and Guidelines on Eligibility and Value of In-Kind Contributions.
Provide the information for each supporting organization.
List the resources that will be provided by the supporting organization to support the proposed activities including:
Use the Contributions from Supporting Organizations - Attachment page to provide an explanation of the cash and eligible in-kind contributions.
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.
See Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency and Relationship Between NSERC Proposals and Other Sources of Funds.
Any relationship and/or overlap, conceptual or financial, between proposed activities and activities supported by other funding sources must be explained. There is a maximum of two pages for the Relationship to Other Research Support section.
Use up to two additional pages to provide the following information:
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.
List the activities/steps required to achieve the objectives for each year of the grant.
Indicate the start and end dates for the activities leading to the milestones, as well as the major results expected.
Use the guidelines in the NSERC On-line Presentation and Attachment Standards to provide the requested information in a document to be attached to the application. The information must be contained within a maximum of 25 single-sided free-form pages.
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.Follow the instructions and address all the selection criteria for the Advancing Big Data Science in Genomics Research initiative.
Using individual headings that relate to each criterion, explain how your proposed research meets the following criteria:
Research Proposal
Benefits
Management and Finance
For proposals that contain infrastructure requests from the CFI, the following criteria will also be considered:
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.
In a maximum of 25 pages, please provide a brief curriculum vitae for each collaborator listed under the Collaborator section.
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.
Applications may be accompanied by a one- to two-page letter from partner organizations (signed by an authorizing manager) confirming their commitment of resources required for the duration of the project, and describing the priority this project has for their organization. Other additional documents, such as general letters of support without material contribution (cash or in kind), must not be submitted and will be removed. The exception to this rule is letters from users attesting to the nature and the significance of confidential technical and internal reports described in your Personal Data Form (Form 100). For additional information, refer to the Guidelines for the Review and Preparation of Applications in Engineering and the Applied Sciences.
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.
A new one-page cover letter is optional and should only be used if you wish to provide NSERC with additional information that will not be shared with external reviewers, such as a request that an individual or group of individuals not be involved in the review of your proposal. NSERC will take such a request into consideration. The cover letter must contain your name, the NSERC program to which you are applying and the title of your application.
Note: This letter may be accessible to these individuals under the Privacy Act.
For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.
An Environmental Information Form (Appendix A) must be completed and uploaded to the Environmental impact page if required.
Suggest the names of five people competent to assess the technical aspects of the proposal. This list should include experts from the academic community, the government sector and, for industrially-relevant research, at least one expert from the industrial sector.
Give the name, complete mailing address, telephone and facsimile numbers, e-mail address and the area(s) of expertise of potential referees.
Referees should be able to review the proposal in the language in which it is written.
You may also request, in a cover letter, that some individuals or companies not be involved in the review of your application. Your request will be taken into account by NSERC.
Suggested referees should not be in a conflict of interest. Refer to the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of the Federal Research Funding Organizations for more information. In addition, referees (external reviewers) must sign the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Agreement for Review Committee Members, External Reviewers, and Observers before they access the application material.
NSERC does not require original signatures on applications or other documents submitted electronically through its On-line System. The electronic submission of applications through this system represents approval and replaces the traditional "physical" or "wet" signatures. Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions in the Program Guide for Professors for more details.
For applicants
Before you, as an applicant or co-applicant, submit your application to NSERC or link your Personal Data Form to an application, you must read and agree to the following terms and conditions.
By submitting your application or linking your Personal Data Form, you are certifying that:
By submitting your application or linking your Personal Data Form, you are also confirming that, during tenure of the grant/award, you will comply with the terms and conditions of the grant/award.
Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information: You understand that maintaining public trust in the integrity of researchers is fundamental to building a knowledge-based society. By submitting any application, by linking your Personal Data Form (Form 100 or 103CV) as a co-applicant to an application, or by accepting funding from CIHR, NSERC and/or SSHRC, you affirm that you have read and you agree to respect all the policies of these agencies that are relevant to your research, including the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research. In case of a serious breach of agency policy, the agency may publicly disclose your name, the nature of the breach, the institution where you were employed at the time of the breach and the institution where you are currently employed. You accept this as a condition of applying for, or receiving, agency funding, and you consent to such disclosure. If you do not agree to the disclosure of your personal information, you cannot participate in this application.
Note: If you have any concerns about your ability to comply with the terms and conditions listed above, contact your institutional official or NSERC staff responsible for the program immediately. Do not agree to the terms and conditions and do not submit your application or Personal Data Form until you are certain that you can and will comply with all of the requirements.
The signatures of the institutional authorities certify that:
The signatures of authorized officers of other supporting organizations certify that the organization:
If you are both the applicant or co-applicant and a principal of a collaborating organization, another senior official must sign on behalf of the organization.
Use the following list to make sure your application is complete.