The Government of Canada is committed to open government, which is being pursued along three streams: open data, open information and open dialogue. The goal is to drive innovation and to foster economic opportunities for all Canadians.
In support of these open government principles, we are providing open access to information about how taxpayer dollars are spent so that you are better able to hold Parliament, the government and public sector officials accountable.
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Access to information and privacy -
Use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC -
Proactive disclosure -
Open government -
Parliamentary committee briefing materials
The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) section of the website contains information on submitting requests for information and for the correction of personal information. Here you will also find summaries of completed requests, annual reports to Parliament, Privacy Impact Assessments and NSERC’s Info Source chapter.
NSERC’s
Access to information and privacy (ATIP) requests ATIP annual reports Completed ATIP requests Privacy Impact Assessments Info Source
All personal information collected by NSERC about grant, scholarship and fellowship applicants is used to review applications, to administer and monitor awards, and to promote and support research in science and engineering in Canada. Consistent with these purposes, applicants should also expect that information collected by NSERC may come to be used and disclosed in the following activities.
NSERC routinely shares summary information related to applications and awards with relevant officials in the eligible research institutions that endorse and/or administer them.
As part of the peer review process, applications are disclosed to selection committees composed of experts recruited from the academic, private and public sectors. Many applications are also transmitted to external referees, to members of ad hoc review committees or to site visit committees for review. All participants in these review activities are advised of NSERC's expectations with regard to the confidentiality and protection of the information entrusted to them. NSERC ensures that this information is stored, handled and distributed in a secure manner at all times, by mail or through electronic password protected devices to prevent unauthorized access.
The substance of expert reviews and selection committee comments about a proposal are accessible to co-applicants. Although NSERC normally provides such feedback only to the applicant, he or she is expected to share it with co-applicants.
NSERC uses personal information about applicants in its files and databases to identify prospective committee members and reviewers for specific applications.
Because NSERC has a single corporate database, staff are generally aware of applications submitted by the same individual to different NSERC programs. For the purposes of adjudication and award administration, some selection committees are provided with multi-year summaries of an individual's applications and awards in all programs. For example, in cases where there is a question of possible overlap in the support of an applicant's research activities by two or more NSERC programs, application material submitted to one program may be used during the review of an application submitted to another program.
Applications and documentation submitted to a program in which research support is offered by NSERC in conjunction with another federal government institution may be disclosed to appropriate officials in the other institution.
Applications submitted to NSERC are reviewed as required under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). Portions of the application may be sent to federal government departments for review as required by the Act. Note: This does not apply to scholarship and fellowship applicants.
Documentation related to applications may be disclosed to program staff in the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for the purposes of determining the most appropriate funding jurisdiction, or to monitor overlap in federal support.
NSERC routinely publishes and disseminates certain details about successful applications, including the name of the applicant, amount awarded, institution and department (for scholarship and fellowship holders this also includes the proposed location of tenure), the field of research, the project title and, for grant programs, a summary of the research proposal prepared by the applicant for public release. For scholarship and fellowship programs, this information will be made publicly available immediately after the competition, even though NSERC recognizes that some awards will be subsequently declined or deferred. The information will normally be published on this website.
Files and databases containing personal information may also be used by NSERC for program planning, evaluation and review and in audits, and for generating statistics for these activities.
Information submitted to NSERC is subject to the
In cases of a serious breach of Agency policy, as determined by the Agency President, the Agency may publicly disclose any information relevant to the breach that is in the public interest, including the name of the researcher subject to the decision, the nature of the breach, the Institution where the researcher was employed at the time of the breach, the Institution where the researcher is currently employed, and the recourse imposed against the researcher. In determining whether a breach is serious, the Agency will consider the extent to which the breach jeopardizes the safety of the public or would bring the conduct of research into disrepute. For further information, see the NSERC
NSERC asks applicants to provide data on their gender and linguistic capability on a voluntary basis. This data is not seen or used in NSERC peer review processes. It is used for statistical purposes, and may be used to identify prospective NSERC peer reviewers.
Applicants to some NSERC programs are invited to indicate, on a voluntary basis, whether they are disabled or belong to a visible minority group. This data is used by NSERC only for statistical purposes.
Applicants to most NSERC scholarship and fellowship programs are invited to indicate, on a voluntary basis, whether they are Aboriginal. Although this data is not seen by NSERC award selection committees, it may be used by NSERC to identify and make awards to Aboriginal applicants whose applications were judged to be meritorious, but that could not be initially recommended due to budgetary limitations.
Contact information that is provided during the registration process of the NSERC On-line System is used by NSERC technical staff to identify and contact users when routine systems monitoring reveals that they may require technical assistance.
NSERC uses the information in its files and databases to generate mailing lists in order to disseminate its publications and other information to the research community.
The government announced the mandatory publication on departmental websites of travel and hospitality expenses for selected government officials, contracts entered into by the government of Canada for amounts over $10,000 (with only limited exceptions such as issues of national security), the reclassification of positions, and grant and contribution awards over $25,000.
Grants and contributions Contract expenditures Executive travel and hospitality expenses Annual expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences
The Open Data portal seeks to improve the ability of the public to find, download and use Government of Canada data. You are invited to search the catalogue, download data sets and explore the possibilities of open data.
Briefing materials prepared for the president (NSERC’s deputy head)