As a federal agency, NSERC is responsible for complying with and administering the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the Privacy Act. All information under the control of NSERC is subject to these two acts.

The Access to Information Act gives Canadian Citizens, permanent residents and individuals and corporations present in Canada a right to access information in federal government records that is not of a personal nature.

The Privacy Act gives Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals present in Canada a right to access their personal information held by the Government of Canada. It also protects against unauthorized disclosure of that personal information and controls how the federal government will collect, use, store and dispose of any personal information.

The ATIP Office is responsible for implementing and administering the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act within NSERC. It also ensures compliance with the legislation and related Treasury Board Secretariat policies.

The ATIP coordinator responds to both informal and formal requests for information held by and in the control of NSERC, by either sending a copy of the records to requestors or arranging for requestors to review the records onsite.

NSERC promotes transparency and open channels of communication with the research community and the public. We encourage you to contact us before using the ATI Act to request information.

The ATIP Online Request Portal is a quick, easy, and convenient way to submit Access to Information or Privacy requests to NSERC, or send a letter by regular mail or email.

• Access to Information Request Form
• Personal Information Request Form
• A signed and dated letter indicating that the request is made in accordance with the Act and describing the information you are seeking.

Please send your request to:

Mail
Access to Information and Privacy Office
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
125 Zaida Eddy Private, 2nd floor
Ottawa, OntarioK1R OE3

Email
atip-aiprp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Before submitting a request, ensure that NSERC is the agency that holds the information you are requesting. When submitting a request, be sure to include all relevant details to help the ATIP Office find the related records.

Each request made to NSERC under the Access to Information Act must be accompanied by a $5 application fee. There is no fee to make a formal request under the Privacy Act.

Payment can be made by:

• Credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) using the ATIP Online Request Portal; or
• Cheque or money order made payable to the Receiver General for Canada when applying by mail.

Both Acts allow for a legislated response time of 30 calendar days from the date an official request is received. However, the acts also allow for legal extensions for the reasons indicated in the acts.

For example, extensions may be required if:

• the request is for a large number of records or requires a search through a large number of records, and meeting the original time limit, under either of these circumstances, would interfere unreasonably with the institution’s operations;
• consultation is necessary and it cannot be completed within the 30-day statutory deadline;
• notice is given to a third party under subsection 27(1) of the Act.