NSERC - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

UPEI’s NSERC USRA quota for 2021 is 12 awards.  Applications from self-identified Indigenous applicants may be submitted above the institution’s quota.  

NEW FOR 2021
The NSERC award value has been increased to $6000. The minimum supervisor’s contribution is now $1500; therefore, the award will have a minimum value of $7,500 for the student.

IMPORTANT CHANGE AS OF 2020 COMPETITION
NSERC no longer requires professors to hold an active NSERC grant when applying to supervise a USRA student. NSERC considers anyone who is authorized by their university to independently supervise students to be an eligible supervisor. The suitability of the supervision will be evaluated as part of the award selection process.  Due to the anticipated increased demand for awards, UPEI is now limiting supervisors to submitting ONE application.

Please note: The proposed research must be in an area of natural sciences or engineering supported by NSERC. Please consult the following documents for additional clarity:
• Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency
• Addendum to the guidelines for the eligibility of applications related to health

An information session will be held on via zoom on Friday, January 22, 2021, from 1:30 to 2:30pm. Students and supervisors are encouraged to attend. Please email researchservices@upei.ca to RSVP and to obtain the zoom link.

UPEI DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF COMPLETE APPLICATION: February 26, 2021, by 4:00pm

 

• The page limits for proposals have been revised, as shown in the Proposal sections and length table in the Instructions for completing an application. Specifically, for all projects requesting an annual average of more than $300,000 and up to $1,000,000 from NSERC, the maximum total number of pages is now 25.
  
  Note: In order to accommodate proposals already in preparation, applicants requesting an annual average of more than $750,000 will be able to submit proposals of up to 30 pages until December 1, 2020.

• The Alliance grant application checklist has been updated. In particular, information regarding project management expenses was amended: Up to 10% of the total direct research costs of a project can be used towards project management expenses in a project of any size involving multiple universities and/or partner organizations.
  
  Note: It is only for large projects (average of more than $300,000 per year requested from NSERC) involving multiple universities and/or partner organizations that you may include up to three additional pages strictly for the purposes of detailing topics such as project management, governance structure and university support. Refer to the Instructions for completing an application.

• The proposal template has been updated, in particular the General instructions at the beginning of the template.

• The maximum number of characters for the three parts of the free-form Contributions to Research and Training Explanation section of the Personal Data Form with CCV Attachment (Form 100A) has been increased to align with the current requirements for Discovery Grants applications. As a result, the maximum total number of pages for this section is now five instead of four. The instructions on how to complete Form 100A have been updated.

• The Role of partner organizations webpage has been revised to emphasize that each partner organization must play an active role in the project and must make in-kind contributions (with the exception of other funding agencies). The page was also amended to indicate that Canadian producer groups and industrial associations must be legally established under applicable federal, provincial or territorial statutes in Canada, replacing the previous requirement that they be incorporated in Canada.

• The Frequently asked questions webpage was updated to address recurring questions received from the community.

Resources to help prepare an Alliance application

As we continue to navigate through new ways of working during the COVID-19 pandemic, NSERC staff remain available to answer any questions or concerns you may have. We would also like to remind you of the resources that are available to support you in preparing an Alliance proposal. In particular, we encourage you to consult the following resources before submitting an application.

• Preparing an Alliance application (presentation)
• Preparing an Alliance application (presentation with notes)
• Alliance grant application checklist
• Equity, diversity and inclusion in the training plan
• Partner organization self-assessment tool
• Instructions to external reviewers and members of ad hoc committees (newly added)

Webinars for applicants

NSERC is organizing webinars for applicants to provide information on Alliance grants and to share best practices when preparing an application. The webinars will take place on the following dates:

English sessions

• Webinar No. E1: November 17, 2020; 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
• Webinar No. E2: November 24, 2020; 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
• Webinar No. E3: November 26, 2020; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
• Webinar No. E4: December 2, 2020; 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
• Webinar No. E5: December 3, 2020; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET

French sessions

• Webinar No. F1: November 19, 2020; 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
• Webinar No. F2: November 25, 2020; 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
• Webinar No. F3: December 1, 2020; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET