• Objective
• Description
• Inter-agency Interdisciplinary Research
• Equity, diversity and inclusion
• Research security
• General eligibility principles
• Application procedures
• Review procedures and selection criteria
• Funding decisions
• Resources

The Discovery Grants (DG) program assists in

• promoting and maintaining a diversified base of high-quality research capability in the natural sciences and engineering in Canadian universities
• fostering research excellence
• providing a stimulating environment for research training

The DG program supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances. DGs are typically five years in duration and are considered “grants in aid” of research, as they provide long-term operating funds and can facilitate access to funding from other programs but are not meant to support the full costs of a research program.

DG recipients are not restricted to the specific activities described in their applications and may pursue new research interests, provided they are within NSERC’s mandate and adhere to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of funds as outlined in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration. This provides researchers with the flexibility to pursue promising research avenues as they emerge and the opportunity to address higher-risk (higher reward) topics. Researchers can use their grants to participate in collaborative efforts.

Researchers whose program of research is interdisciplinary in nature are invited to apply to Discovery Horizons (DH) as a mechanism to access Discovery funding. DH grants support investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE). This contrasts with DG, which funds individual programs of research within the NSE. Full applications submitted to NSERC’s DH program will be reviewed by a Tri-agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee. A Discovery Horizons grant is not meant to supplement existing DG funding.

In the context of Discovery Horizons, the term “interdisciplinary” should be understood to fully encompass all research that connects, crosses, or falls in between the traditional disciplines of the three granting agencies (natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities, and health and wellness), including transdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, convergence research and other approaches at the interface. Research that connects, crosses or falls within the disciplines of NSE continues to be eligible for DG funding.

NSERC is 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 expected to increase the inclu