Please consult the Global Centres Program Solicitation on the National Science Foundation's website for complete details on this initiative.

Global Centres is a joint initiative between the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to encourage and support international collaborative research on climate change and clean energy.

Climate change is a global threat that impacts the natural and human world through changes in regional weather patterns, which accelerate species extinctions, alter the structure and function of ecosystems, and affect societal, biological, physical and geological processes in urban and rural areas around the globe. Developing solutions to this requires multidisciplinary collaboration and international cooperation in science, technology and policy. By approaching climate change and clean energy research through international and interdisciplinary collaborations, the intent is to explore the complexity of the problem and find synergistic responses to issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, atmospheric and oceanic circulation drivers, impacts of natural and built environments, human behavior, and policy constraints.

Canada's Climate Science 2050: Advancing Science and Knowledge on Climate Change (CS2050) is a national synthesis that was undertaken to better identify and understand climate change science and knowledge gaps, and to guide the collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific efforts needed to inform climate action. For example, CS2050 has identified net-zero pathway science as a critical research priority. The vision for NSF Global Centres is well-aligned with CS2050.

This initiative supports researchers from the Canada and the US, and optionally Australia, the UK, and/or other countries as well, in forming collaborative research partnerships to address themes related to climate change and/or clean energy. Global Centres proposals should be focused on cutting-edge, interdisciplinary and use-inspired research on climate change and/or clean energy with international collaborations that foster breakthroughs in knowledge. NSF Global Centres grants will support the creation of international hubs of research excellence that advance knowledge, empower communities, and generate discovery and innovative solutions at a regional, national and global scale.

These international hubs are expected to be driven by a bold vision for high-impact, use-inspired basic research, as well as a strategy to integrate diverse perspectives from different disciplines, international partners and other stakeholders into the research over the course of the project.

While climate change science has traditionally focused on the natural sciences, this initiative recognizes the need to include the social and behavioural sciences and humanities, as these, alongside the natural sciences and engineering fields, provide important contributions in informing the transformation needed by society.

The Global Centres initiative includes two tracks:

• Track 1 – Implementation: Implementation grants support the establishment of a Global Centre and are expected to be four to five years in duration.
• Track 2 – Design: Design grants will support coordination and preliminary research efforts aiming to foster future Global Centre proposals.

More information about the difference between these two tracks is available on the NSF website. Canadian research teams may participate in either Track 1 – Implementation or Track 2 – Design funding proposals. Funding for Canadian researchers applying to Track 2 – Design is subject to the availability of funds.

Through a lead agency model, the US Principal Investigator (PI) will submit a single collaborative proposal on behalf of the research team, which will undergo a review process by NSF, the lead agency. In parallel, the participating Canadian researchers on the team must submit one application to NSERC that includes a summary of the proposal, budget information for all Canadian participants on the team, and a Personal data form with CCV attachment (form 100A) all Canadian participants. Please refer to the Apply section for more details.

Eligible Canadian researchers may receive funding from NSERC or SSHRC while international researchers from the US, UK and Australia may receive funding from their respective funding agencies. NSERC funding will be provided as an Alliance grant and SSHRC funding will be provided as a Partnership-type grant.

This collaborative opportunity is fully described on the NSF website, which includes complete guidelines for the preparation, submission and review of proposals submitted to NSF.

• Create physical or virtual international research centres that advance innovative, interdisciplinary, use-inspired research and education on climate change and/or clean energy to address societal challenges through international collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement.
• Promote international collaboration to obtain advantages of scope, scale, flexibility, expertise, facilities and/or access to specific geographic locations, to enable advances that could not occur otherwise.
• Expand opportunities for students and early-career researchers to gain education and training in world-class research while enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.
• Engage multiple partners and stakeholders through practices such as Team Science, Engaged Scholarship and Knowledge-to-Action frameworks to empower them to solve urgent societal challenges at a regional scale.

A team of Canadian researchers with at least one academic applicant in Canada who is eligible to receive funding from NSERC or SSHRC. Specifically, Canadian university researchers—whether they come from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences or engineering fields—wishing to participate in a Global Centre proposal may apply for funding from NSERC to support their participation. As an applicant to this initiative, you must collaborate with at least one researcher from the US who meets the NSF eligibility requirements; the US researcher will be the PI on the proposal. Each Canadian team should submit only one application for their participation in a Global Centre proposal.

To be an applicant or co-applicant on a Global Centre proposal, you must be working in a research area supported by NSERC or SSHRC, and you must meet the relevant eligibility requirements at the time of your application.

You may participate as an applicant on only one Global Centre proposal, regardless of the track, but you may be a co-applicant or collaborator on multiple proposals. Researchers from colleges who meet NSERC’s eligibility requirements may participate as co-applicants.

Other researchers and organizations (e.g., from the public, private and/or not-for-profit sector) can participate as collaborators. Refer to the Tri-agency guide on financial administration for more information on the eligibility of expenses you may incur in support of such collaborations.

At all times, Canadian researchers are encouraged to exercise appropriate levels of due diligence when managing their research and establishing and/or continuing partnerships with national, international and multinational partners. Resources to do so are provided by the Government of Canada on the Safeguarding Your Research portal.

As NSERC’s funding will be provided via an NSERC Alliance grant, Canada’s National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships apply to NSERC-funded applications that involve one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors. These guidelines provide a framework through which researchers, research institutions and Canada’s granting agencies can undertake consistent, risk-targeted due diligence to identify and mitigate potential national security risks linked to research partnerships.

No further information is required at the time of application. If your proposal includes substantial content in the natural sciences and engineering fields and includes one or more partner organization from the private sector, you and your postsecondary institution will be contacted at a later date by NSERC and asked to complete the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ Risk Assessment Form. Instructions for completing the form will be provided at that time.

Your team must include a US researcher who assumes the role of Principal Investigator (PI) for the NSF grant. The PI must meet the NSF eligibility requirements and is responsible for submitting the complete NSF application package to NSF.

Your partnership may include other US researchers who meet the NSF eligibility requirements. The current competition includes CSIRO and UKRI as partner funding agencies as well. As such, you may also collaborate with researchers from the UK and/or Australia. These researchers must meet CSIRO and/or UKRI's respective eligibility requirements to receive funding from these organizations.

To increase the impact of Canadian research in the global research community, you may incorporate other international collaborators into your project proposal, but these researchers must secure their own sources of funding. You may interact with foreign colleagues in a variety of ways to enhance collaboration and increase your project's impact. Refer to the Tri-agency guide on financial administration for more information on the eligibility of expenses you may incur in support of such collaborations.

Canadian researchers may suggest research topics that include the full range of disciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches that address climate change and/or clean energy issues. Please refer to the NSF website for the full description of topics accepted by the NSF and other partner funding agencies. A reminder that Canadians must collaborate with at least one NSF-eligible US researcher and that the proposal submitted to NSF must focus on a clear research area within the themes of climate change and/or clean energy (refer to sections D1a and D1b of the NSF program literature for more information).

Environment and Climate Change Canada is leading the development of Climate Science 2050: Advancing Science and Knowledge on Climate Change (CS2050), Canada's climate change science and knowledge plan. This is a national Canadian effort to identify and understand climate change science and knowledge gaps, and to guide the collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific efforts needed to inform climate action. For example, “a carbon-neutral society” is one of four outcomes identified within CS2050, and net-zero pathway science has been selected as a critical research priority. This work involves understanding the technological, economic, ecological, social and behavioural shifts associated with anticipated transformations of the Canadian economy to net-zero emissions by 2050, including the potential use of carbon dioxide removal to net zero. In identifying pathways to decarbonization, topics may include net-zero pathway science, integrated assessment models that consider social and economic drivers, and clean energy sources and technologies, such as hydrogen. CS2050 may be helpful to researchers in determining their topics and direction of research; however, researchers may propose any climate change or clean energy topic.

For research proposals that involve Indigenous Peoples or groups, you are encouraged to consult the Tri-agency Indigenous Research guidelines.

While climate change science has traditionally focused on the natural sciences, this initiative recognizes the need to include the social and behavioural sciences and the humanities fields, as these, often working alongside natural sciences and engineering, have important contributions to make in informing the transformation needed in society. We welcome researchers and research collaborations from outside the natural sciences and engineering fields who have relevant research topics. Such researchers may be either applicants or co-applicants, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.

Canada's participation in the inaugural NSF Global Centres competition is through NSERC and SSHRC. NSERC's total budget allocation for this call is expected to be CAN$15 million over five years, while SSHRC's total budget allocation is expected to be CAN$5 million over five years. NSERC will provide funding for the research undertaken by eligible Canadian applicants in the natural sciences and engineering fields, while SSHRC will support research in the social sciences and humanities fields. All expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds outlined in the Tri-agency guide on financial administration. You must only include NSERC- or SSHRC-eligible direct costs of research in the budget submitted to NSERC. Costs incurred by your international collaborator(s) are not eligible, and you do not need to include these in your budget submission to NSERC.

The funds from NSERC and SSHRC must be paid to eligible Canadian universities and cannot be used to buy equipment, products or services from any collaborating organization.

For Track 1 – Implementation proposals, you can request up to CAN$750,000 per year, for 4-5 years, from NSERC and SSHRC to support the costs of your participation in the Global Centre. The budget and justification details must be presented in Canadian funds.

For Track 2 – Design proposals, you can request up to CAN$100,000 per year, for up to two years, from NSERC and SSHRC to support the costs of your participation in coordination efforts to build partnerships, develop research questions and conduct exploratory research necessary to launch a Global Centre in the future. The budget and justification details must be presented in Canadian funds. Funding for Track 2 – Design is subject to the availability of funds.

Note that you must include a budget and budget justification for funds requested from the Canadian agencies in the Supplementary Documentation section of the application submitted to NSF.

You can only include NSERC- and SSHRC-eligible direct costs of research in your project budget. Examples of this include:

• salary support for research trainees (undergraduate and/or graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) to perform research and related training
• salary support for technicians and research professional personnel
• materials and supplies
• activities that support collaborations and knowledge mobilization related to the Global Centre
• activities to develop and grow the research collaborations with the international partner(s)

Refer to the guidelines on the use of grant funds in the Tri-agency guide on financial administration for more information.

You can also include the costs of equipment, provided that the equipment is:

• essential to achieving the objectives of the research project
• incremental to the equipment already available at your institution or your Canadian or international partner(s)

There should be no duplication of funding requests for the same items on budgets submitted to NSERC and SSHRC and budgets submitted to other funding agency partners.

Each team with Canadian involvement must also identify a Canadian researcher as the applicant. To be an applicant or co-applicant on a Global Centres application, you must be working in a research area supported by NSERC or SSHRC, and you must meet NSERC's eligibility requirements at the time of application.

The applicant must submit a simplified application package to NSERC on behalf of the Canadian members of the team, at the same time as the US PI submits the full application to NSF.

Track 1 – Implementation: May 10, 2023, 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Track 2 – Design: May 10, 2023, 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Every member of the Canadian research team who is participating in the Global Centres grant application (the applicant and all co-applicants) must create an account in the NSERC online system if they do not already have one. The applicant and all co-applicants must create and submit a Personal data form with CCV attachment (form 100A) with the application. Researchers working in the social sciences or humanities fields should use research subject code 8000 when indicating their expertise. For more information, please refer to the instructions for completing a personal data form with CCV attachment (form 100A) or the NSERC Frequently asked questions page.

As the applicant, you are responsible for providing the following documents and information to NSERC via the online system by the application deadline:

• A completed form 101 (application for a grant), containing a summary of your proposed research and keywords.
• A proposal document that includes only the title of the proposal submitted to NSF, the name of the US PI, and, if applicable, the names and affiliations of collaborators and/or partners on the Canadian team from the private sector.
• If applicable, the Impact assessment form (appendix A) must be completed and uploaded to the Impact assessment section of your application.
• A budget (in Canadian dollars) and accompanying justification for the funds you are requesting from NSERC or SSHRC.
• A completed personal data form with CCV attachment (form 100A) for yourself and all Canadian co-applicants.

Instructions for submitting the above-mentioned documents and information to NSERC on behalf of the Canadian research team:

• Log in to NSERC's online system and select Create a new form 101.
• Select Research partnerships programs, then Alliance grants.
• For the Proposal type field, select Letter of Intent.
• For the Type of call field, select NSF- Global Centres - Implementation or NSF- Global Centres - Design from the drop-down menu as appropriate.

By submitting an application, you, your co-applicants and partners (when applicable) agree to the Terms and conditions of applying for applicants and the Terms and conditions of applying for partners.

The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act. NSERC and SSHRC are subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The information you provide is stored in a series of NSERC data banks as described on the Information about programs and information holdings page. You must ensure that others listed on the application have agreed to be included.

NSERC and SSHRC are acting on the evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-agency statement on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Applicants are encouraged to consider sex, gender and diversity in the project's research design. Diversity and gender equity should also be considered when developing the research team and considering how to promote and support a variety of forms of mentoring to ensure trainees' equitable participation and growth. Applicants should refer to the Guide for applicants: Considering equity, diversity and inclusion in your application for more information.

NSF Global Centres applicants must address EDI considerations in the NSF portion of their application, following NSF's guidelines.

The eligibility requirements of NSF and the partner funding agencies (NSERC, SSHRC, CSIRO and/or UKRI) are expected to be met for a submission to be deemed eligible. Each agency is responsible for reviewing the eligibility of their researchers, institutions and subject matter. NSERC and SSHRC will review the eligibility of Canadian participants on Global Centre proposals using the documentation submitted to NSERC and following NSERC’s eligibility requirements.

NSERC and SSHRC will review all proposals involving Canadian teams to determine whether they fall primarily under NSERC’s or SSHRC’s research areas. NSERC will provide funding for research projects primarily in the natural sciences and engineering fields, while SSHRC will support research primarily in the social sciences and humanities fields.

In supporting research partnerships that endeavour to obtain the greatest possible benefits to Canada and for Canadians, NSERC and SSHRC reserve the right to:

• determine the eligibility of proposals and request additional information from Canadian applicants, as may be required for the review of their application
• interpret the regulations and policies governing the national funding opportunities
• apply conditions to individual grants, as appropriate
• terminate, suspend, reduce the amount or duration, or change the terms and conditions of an award with due notice, in order to comply with Government of Canada laws, regulations, policies and directives, which are subject to change from time to time

NSF intends to return, without review, proposals that do not meet the eligibility requirements of any of the involved funding agencies. Only applications deemed eligible will proceed to merit assessment.

Your application will be reviewed in competition with other proposals using the NSF’s merit review process. NSERC, SSHRC and other funding agency partners will be invited to suggest reviewers, and NSERC and SSHRC representatives will observe the review process for Track 1 – Implementation proposals. NSERC and SSHRC will not conduct a parallel review. Track 2 – Design proposals will be reviewed by NSF alone.

The merit of your application will be assessed using the evaluation criteria outlined in the NSF solicitation (section VI. NSF PROPOSAL PROCESSING AND REVIEW PROCEDURES). These criteria apply to both Track 1 – Implementation and Track 2 – Design proposals.

Specifically, reviewers will be asked to assess proposals using the following National Science Board criteria:

• Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge.
• Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

In addition to the above, the following specific criteria will be used to assess Global Centre proposals:

Interdisciplinarity:

How will the Global Centre utilize interdisciplinary and/or convergence approaches to address a societal challenge related to climate change and/or clean energy?

Use-inspired nature:

What are the foreseeable societal benefits of the research outcomes?

International partnership:

Why is the international partnership required? What are the roles of the foreign partners in the Global Centre?

Roles of stakeholders:

What are the roles of the multi-sector stakeholders (e.g., academia, private or public sector, philanthropies, communities) in the Global Centre?

Fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA):

How will DEIA be integrated into the research and education efforts?

Vision for growth:

What is the vision and strategy for growth and for building a relevant community potentially able to carry out the work beyond the Global Centre’s funding period?

NSF, NSERC, SSHRC and, if applicable CSIRO UKRI and/or CSIRO, will determine recommendation outcomes for Track 1 – Implementation proposals. NSERC and SSHRC’s funding decision will take into consideration the NSF merit review. Where applicable, NSERC’s funding decision will consider the potential risks for Canada’s national security pursuant to the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships.

NSERC and SSHRC will decide upon the allocation of funds from each agency to successful Canadian research teams on Track 1 – Implementation proposals.

Funding for Track 2 – Design proposals is based on the availability of funds, and funding decisions will be made by NSERC and SSHRC after NSF’s selection of meritorious proposals.

Once a funding decision has been made, the US Principal Investigator (PI) will be provided feedback about their proposal. Copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying information, will be sent to the PI from the NSF. NSERC and SSHRC will provide separate notifications of awards to the Canada-based researchers on successful proposals.

If your application is approved for funding, you will receive an award letter from NSERC or SSHRC. You must adhere to the terms and conditions set out in it. NSF will inform your US Principal Investigator.

Your award letter will indicate the start date of your project. NSERC or SSHRC will normally transfer your grant funds to your university within 30 days of that start date. Please note that the partner funding agencies (NSF, CSIRO and UKRI) intend to coordinate award timing as much as possible. However, because each agency may have different funding cycles, it is possible that some projects have different start and end dates.

NSERC and SSHRC recommend that you and your university follow best practices by signing a research agreement that defines the intellectual property rights and obligations of all organizations involved in your research project. The agreement must be aligned with NSERC’s policy on intellectual property, which promotes the use and/or exploitation of knowledge and open access to results of research funded by NSERC.

Email: RP-Initiatives-PR@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Toll free: 1-855-275-2861