Natural Sciences & Engineering

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Ecosystems and Oceans Science Sector, has launched a call for research project proposals.

DFO will provide funding to build expertise in ocean and freshwater science and technology in areas that support the mission of the Department to increase our understanding of ocean and freshwater environments. Through this, we seek to better protect, sustain and restore fisheries resources as well as the aquatic ecosystems that support them. We are seeking projects that deliver scientific research and related scientific activities that support evidence-based decision making and public understanding about the health of marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Visit the DFO website for details on the priority area of research associated with this open call and application details.

• Project title which is descriptive and informative
• Name and affiliation of principal investigator and major collaborators
• In a maximum of 2 pages (1.5-inch line spacing) describe the proposed project, its goals, rationale, and general timeline. Clearly state how the project could contribute to the body of evidence supporting human health effects of wild blueberries/blueberries
• Research budget, outlined under major categories (materials and supplies, salaries, travel etc). Indicate availability of any leveraging funds. For multi-year projects, outline the budget per calendar year. Note: As a 501(c)(5) non-profit, it is the policy of WBANA not to pay for overhead costs
• Bibliography of key background information relevant to the proposed research
• Estimated need for frozen wild blueberries, wild blueberry and placebo powders

The NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program supports the training and mentoring of teams of highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad through the development of innovative training programs that 

• encourage collaborative and integrative approaches, and address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada’s research priorities 
• facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce 

The program also supports industrial stream applications and offers opportunity to collaborate with the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in Germany. 

NSERC will provide funding of up to $150,000 in the first year and up to $300,000 for up to five subsequent years, for a maximum of $1.65M over six years. Collaborators may contribute additional funds. CREATE initiatives are expected to be self-sustaining by the end of six years.  

Submission Process and Deadlines 

NSERC’s deadline for receipt of a Letter of Intent (LOI) is May 2, 2022. The CREATE program is highly selective, with pre-screening based on the LOI. Only applicants successful at the LOI stage will be invited by NSERC to submit a full application. 

UPEI is limited to submitting two (2) LOI submissions for the CREATE Program.  To facilitate the identification and selection of LOI applicants, there will be an internal selection process.    

UPEI Internal Notice of Intent (NOI) – Deadline March 7, 2022 by 4pm     

Prepare a maximum two-page document with the following information: 

• Title of the project 
• Names of the principal investigator and co-applicants (minimum of one and maximum of 10 co-applicants). Explain the rationale for the team composition and how it has the necessary expertise for the successful execution of the training program.  
  • Note: NSERC limits the participation of an individual researcher in a maximum of two CREATE initiatives as either an applicant or co-applicant (active or applied for). 
  • Note to multi-university applicants: All universities who will be involved in the application must have at least one co-applicant listed in the proposal. 

• A description of the project that includes the following:  

• • the objectives, approach, originality and novelty, and expected significance of the proposed research training program, 
  • the type of research that the trainees will be involved in during the program,  
  • how the proposed approach would better prepare students for their future careers, 
  • approximate number of students and postdoctoral fellows that you are planning to train on an annual basis, 
  • name of industrial collaborator, if applicable (if applying to the industrial stream), and 
  • anticipated annual budget for the program (indicating other sources of funding, if applicable). 

Provide a CV for the principal investigator (Canadian Common CV or NSERC Form 100 format is acceptable for the UPEI NOI, but the LOI as submitted to NSERC will require completion of Form 100).

Submit these documents to Leslie Cudmore, Research Grants Coordinator, via email at lcudmore@upei.ca by March 7, 2022.  NOIs will be reviewed by an internal committee and applicants will be selected for submission to the NSERC LOI Competition.  Successful applicants will then complete the online LOI application process, as described on the NSERC website at http://nserc.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/Grants-Subs/CREATE-FONCER_eng.asp 

Webinars 

NSERC will hold an information session via MS Teams webinar to provide an overview of the CREATE program and application process. The dates of the sessions are as follows: 

English session:  February 10^th  2022, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (AT) 

French session:  February 11^th  2022, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (AT) 

Registration is not necessary – anyone can connect using the link provided below. 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Microsoft Teams meeting 

Join on your computer or mobile app 

Click here to join the meeting 

Learn More | Meeting options 

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The webinar will be recorded. Following the presentation, a link to that recording will be emailed so that those who are unable to attend may watch the recorded webinar later at their convenience. Please contact Leslie Cudmore (lcudmore@upei.ca) to receive the link.  

Please send any questions regarding the CREATE program and/or the application process in advance to CREATE@NSERC-CRSNG.gc.ca.   

The Ocean Frontier Institute has a new call for Seed Fund project applications (https://oceanfrontierinstitute.com/research/seed-fund-2).  

This call will accept applications from the University of New Brunswick, the University of Prince Edward Island, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Dalhousie University. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2021.
 

OFI's Seed Fund supports innovative projects that have the potential to advance research, commercial or social concepts relating to the ocean.

For this 6th round, OFI is partnering with Innovacorp, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Offshore Energy Research Association, Mitacs, the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), and the Fishermen and Scientists Research Society. 

Key points: 

• Awards will typically range from $10,000 to $15,000 with particularly compelling ideas considered up to a maximum of $30,000. 
• Funding is intended for projects to be undertaken and completed within a 12-month time frame. 
• Projects must be in line with OFI’s research priorities 

The New Frontiers in Research Fund has launched a rapid response competition: the 2021 Innovative Approaches to Research in the Pandemic.  All competition documents are available on the NFRF website, and the Convergence Portal is open. 

The goal of this rapid response call is to accelerate the exploration of new approaches and the development and testing of new directions in research methodologies. It is expected that this call will predominately support new ways of conducting community and field-based research, since the pandemic has had the greatest impact on researchers’ ability to collect data and conduct this type of research. 

Rapid response grants will support projects to continue work that was interrupted or stalled by the pandemic and that trial and test a novel and innovative research approach with the potential to benefit Canada and the world. Proposals must be time sensitive and demonstrate a new way of doing research in situations where conventional or established research methods cannot be used due to COVID-19-related restrictions. 

Applications to this call may be submitted by either a nominated principal investigator (NPI) alone or by a team, which may include up to one co-principal investigator (co-PI) and any number of co-applicants and/or collaborators. Individuals may participate in only one application to this competition, in any role. 

The maximum budget for the direct costs of the research project is $200,000. Awards are one-year grants and are eligible for an automatic one-year extension. Indirect costs must be included in the requested budget at the maximum allowable rate, which is 25% of the direct costs. Indirect costs funding must be used only to pay for eligible expenses as outlined on the Research Support Fund website.  

The competition has 2 stages: 

1) Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI) stage with a deadline of September 21, 2021  

2) Full Application stage with a deadline of October 26, 2021  

Each stage must be submitted by Research Services; therefore, applicants must follow the UPEI process below. 

UPEI Application Process: 

Stage 1 (NOI) 

Applicants must submit their NOI using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal for internal review and approval by September 14, 2021 and ensure that it reaches Research Services for review by September 16, 2021. 

Deadline for applicants to submit the NOI in the Convergence Portal: September 20, 2021. 

Stage 2 (Full Application) 

Applicants must submit their application using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal for internal review and approval by October 19, 2021 and ensure that it reaches Research Services for review by October 21, 2021. 

Deadline for applicants to submit the application in the Convergence Portal: October 25, 2021. 

NOI Stage Webinars 

French session: 

Date: August 12, 2021 

Time: 11:00am – 1:00 PM (Atlantic Time) 

Meeting link – Event password: pbVE336Nmpy 

English session: 

Date: August 12, 2021 

Time: 2:00 – 4:00 PM (Atlantic Time) 

Meeting link – Event password: CPmZji4aJ23 

Webinars will be recorded and distributed to Research Offices after the session.  If you would like a copy of the recording and presentation slides, please email lcudmore@upei.ca.  

NSERC invites applications for initiatives that promote the natural sciences and engineering (NSE) to Canada's young people, particularly to under-represented groups in NSE careers, including girls and Indigenous peoples. 

The maximum allowable request is $200,000/year for 3 years.  Only one application may be submitted per department in a post-secondary institution per competition year.  Note that grants may not be used to support research. 

For more information, visit the PromoScience website. 

NSERC will host a 2021 PromoScience Information Session via as follows: 

Date: English webinar on July 27, 2021 

Time: 2:00 to 3:30 pm (Atlantic Time) 

Link: Access the WebEx session here. 

UPEI Submission Process 2021: 

Due to NSERC’s application limit, each department can submit only one application. 

1) Applicants will submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to their Chair (or Dean for non-departmentalized faculties) by August 11th.  The LOI (limit one page) will contain the following: 

• List of names of the principal investigator and co-investigators (and their affiliation) 
• Title of the project 
• A description of the project that includes the following information: 

- A description of the nature and goals of the program including the anticipated number of youth or teachers to be reached  

- An overview of how the PromoScience funding would be spent and details on other sources of funding (confirmed and/or anticipated). Note: NSERC will not fund 100% of the costs of a proposed activity.  NSERC’s contribution is generally up to one-third of a program’s funding. 

- A description of the relevant experience of the applicant and other team members in science or engineering promotion 

2) Chairs/Deans will select the top LOI from their faculty (or, if appropriate, encourage a collaborative application among interested applicants) and inform Research Services of the selected principal applicant from their department by August 25th.  Chairs/Deans should consult with Research Services regarding any questions about the eligibility of proposed applications. 

3) Selected applicants will prepare their application following NSERC's application process and must submit the application using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal for internal review and approval by September 8th, ensuing that the application is received by Research Services by September 10th.  Upon receipt of approval from Research Services, applicants must submit their application to NSERC electronically using NSERC’s ICSP Secure Submission Site.