Whale Science for Tomorrow

Context

The Government of Canada is committed to taking actions to protect endangered whale populations. Through funding provided in Budget 2018 and the Government of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) are partnering to support research that will enhance scientific research on marine mammals in Canada with a focus on southern resident killer whales, North Atlantic right whales, and the Saint Lawrence Estuary population of beluga whales. In particular, research on whale health (such as effects of contaminants) and condition (in the context of threat identification), effectiveness of threat mitigations, and whale assessment methodologies (including innovative survey technologies) are directly relevant to DFO’s programs and priorities.

The anticipated budget for this initiative is $3 million, and individual proposals should not exceed $1 million over their duration. Part of the funding will be administered directly by DFO and must respect the program requirements of the DFO Ocean and Freshwater Science Contribution Program. Under these requirements, DFO’s contribution must not exceed 50% of eligible costs of any project for private sector recipients and 75% of eligible costs of any project for other recipients. NSERC’s funds will be administered according to its use of grant funds guidelines, outlined in the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide. The maximum level (stacking limit) of total government assistance (federal, provincial, and municipal assistance for the same eligible expenditures) must not exceed 100% of eligible expenditures.

Please note that only one application per university will be accepted under this call.

Objectives

Whale Science for Tomorrow is intended to provide support for activities that will:

• Enhance the ability of Canadian universities to support the Government of Canada’s whale conservation objectives;
• Broaden the base of whale protection and recovery research in Canada;
• Accelerate the development of a new generation of marine mammal scientists;
• Ultimately increase the scientific information available to support government decision-making and conservation efforts for priority whale species.

Application and review procedures

NSERC must receive the application by the deadline date. Please refer to the instructions for completing the application and the Terms and Conditions of the DFO Ocean and Freshwater Science Contribution Program. All applications are screened for completeness and adherence to program requirements and objectives. Applications that do not meet all program requirements will be rejected. An evaluation committee composed of distinguished members from academia and government organizations will review applications. In arriving at an overall funding recommendation for the applications, the evaluation committee will consider the evaluation criteria listed below. No appeals of the results will be accepted.

Only one application per university may be submitted.

A complete application includes:

• an Application for a Grant (Form 101);
• a Personal Data Form (Form 100) for each applicant and up to five co-applicants (up to five Form 100s from co-applicants may be submitted; additional co-applicants should be listed in the Proposal section of the application).

Equity, diversity and inclusion

NSERC is acting on the evidence that equity, diversity and inclusion strengthen the scientific and engineering community and the quality, social relevance and impact of research. Increasing diversity and gender equity in the research enterprise are key priorities in our current strategic plan, NSERC 2020, and are highlighted in the strategic goal of “Building a Diversified and Competitive Research Base”. Applicants must strive for diversity and increased gender equity when developing their group of co-applicants, collaborators and trainees.

Collaboration outside the natural sciences and engineering

In recognition that implementing policy or directly applying research results can depend on socio-economic considerations as well as scientific understanding, applicants are encouraged to collaborate with experts who work in fields other than the natural sciences and engineering, when appropriate. Such experts may participate in proposals as co-applicants if they meet NSERC’s eligibility requirements for type, duration and nature of appointment. Research costs for these collaborations may constitute up to 30% of the project costs and must be identified in the project budget. All project expenditures will be subject to NSERC’s Use of Grant Funds guidelines.

Evaluation criteria

Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria. More details on each criterion are provided in the application instructions.

• Excellence of researcher(s): The researcher(s) involved must have the expertise required to address the defined objectives. The contributions of individuals to the research effort must be clear. Team composition must take into account diversity and gender equity considerations.
• Merit of the proposed activities: The application should detail the quality, originality and scope of the proposed activities and how they will contribute to the objectives of the Whale Science for Tomorrow Initiative: research on whale health (such as effects of contaminants) and condition (in the context of threat identification), effectiveness of threat mitigations, and whale assessment methodologies (including innovative survey technologies, etc.) with a focus on southern resident killer whales, North Atlantic right whales, and the Saint Lawrence Estuary population of beluga whales.
• Relevance to Canada: The research activities should generate results that will further knowledge, provide benefits to partner organizations, and support the objectives of this program (described above).
• Contribution to training: The opportunities to develop the next generation of scientists in this area and the measures to advance diversity and gender equity within the project’s training activities should be outlined.
• Budget: The budget justification must show how the budget supports the proposed activities and administrative costs. The appropriateness of the overall budget will also be evaluated.

Reporting

Recipients must provide progress reports, as needed, as part of their funding agreement under the program requirements of DFO’s Ocean and Freshwater Science Contribution Program and NSERC’s granting authority. DFO and NSERC will strive to streamline their reporting requirements in order to lessen the administrative burden on the researchers. Reporting requirements and the corresponding schedule will be provided to the successful applicants when they are notified of their award.