• As the applicant, you must create, complete and submit your LOI using the Convergence Portal. If you currently have an account on the Convergence Portal, please use your existing credentials. You can only access the Convergence Portal with the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox. When creating or updating your Personal Profile Record, you can now import the CV information (Affiliation/Employment, Education, Funding, Interruptions and Personal Circumstances) directly from your ORCID account, if applicable
• Select Funding Opportunities
• Select the Discovery Horizons funding opportunity labelled Stage: Letter of intent and select Create Application

If you have previously completed an eligibility profile on Convergence, some fields will be pre-populated. You will be asked to review each screen and will have the opportunity to update any information you have previously provided.

Step 1 – Applicant eligibility: Answer the series of questions confirming the eligibility of your position and whether you fit NSERC’s definition of an early career researcher.

Step 2 – Affiliations: List all of your current affiliations and identify your primary affiliation. Select the organization that will administer the grant, even if you have not started the position yet.

Step 3 – Equity, diversity and inclusion: Complete the self-identification questionnaire, as required, in order to apply for NSERC funding. You may select “I prefer not to answer” for any or all questions; see the Self-identification information section above for more information.

Step 4 – Fields of research: List your fields of research and indicate at least one as a primary area of research. These do not need to be directly related to the application.

Step 5 – Keywords: Provide a minimum of five keywords that best describe your areas of research. They do not need to be directly related to a specific application and will not be used for evaluation purposes.

Step 6 – Summary: Review the content submitted and click Create Application.

Step 7 – Terms and conditions: Accept the terms and conditions to begin the application process.

Please note that some information provided in your LOI will flow through to pre-populate the relevant sections of your full application. You will be able to revise and/or modify certain fields at the full application stage, as indicated below.

Application title: Provide a short and descriptive title. It may be used for publication purposes. Limit the use of abbreviated forms (e.g., DNA, NATO, etc.) and avoid company or trade names.

Note: You may edit the application title at the full application stage.

Language of the application: Indicate the language in which the application will be submitted. The main body of your application should be written in either English or French, rather than in a mix of both official languages.

Indigenous research: You must indicate if your proposed research involves Indigenous communities, societies or individuals and meets the specifications below to qualify as Indigenous research according to NSERC.

NSERC specifies Indigenous research as research in any field or discipline related to the natural sciences or engineering that is conducted by, grounded in, or meaningfully engaged with First Nations, Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous Peoples and nations, communities, societies or individuals, and their wisdom, cultures, experiences or knowledge systems, as expressed in their dynamic forms, past and present.

Meaningful engagement means engagement at all stages of the process, “ensuring that various world views are represented in planning and decision making from the earlier stages of conception and design of projects through to the analysis and dissemination of results” (Tri-council Policy Statement 2 – Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada). Indigenous research requires that research activities respond to community needs and priorities. This may involve:

• contributing to the enhancement of community members’ skills and/or community capacity
• exploring opportunities for reciprocal learning and transfer of skills and knowledge between the community and the research team
• supporting a community in maintaining its culture, language and/or identity, as well as supporting its self-determination

For additional guidance on NSERC’s expectations, read the CCI guide for research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities.

List the fields of research that best describe this specific application according to the Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) 2020 Version 2.0. You must name one primary field of research, and you may list up to a total of five fields of research.

List a minimum of five keywords that best describe this specific application. You may list up to a maximum of ten keywords.

Invite the co-applicants for this project. Note that co-applicants can be added or removed at both stages of the application (LOI or full application).

Those invited will receive an email, which will include your name (as the applicant), your email address and the project title, as well as a link to the Convergence Portal. Once they have selected Accept Invitation and completed their own eligibility profile, co-applicants’ names will be displayed in the Participants section of your application.

Consult the eligibility requirements for Individual eligibility to ensure that potential co-applicants can participate in your project. Co-applicants at the interdisciplinary frontier between NSE and the areas covered under the umbrella of SSHRC and CIHR may be included in your application. College faculty members who meet the relevant eligibility criteria can participate in Discovery Horizons as co-applicants. NSERC verifies the eligibility of researchers only at the full application stage; however, it is important that potential applicants consult the eligibility criteria now and discuss any concerns with their institution’s research office.

Note: Email addresses are not verified and bounce back emails are not registered. We strongly recommend that you follow up directly with invited co-applicants if an individual has not accepted your invitation in a timely manner.

This section lists all co-applicants who have successfully joined the project. If an individual has not accepted your invitation, follow up with them to confirm they have received it. If an invited co-applicant is listed as Pending Eligibility, they have accepted your invitation but not yet completed their eligibility profile. Before submitting your application, you must remove any invited participant(s) who have not completed their enrollment.

List the collaborators that will contribute to the execution of research activities, but who will not have access to grant funds.

Any individual whose contributions to the project will be supervised by a member of the research team and/or another collaborator cannot be considered a collaborator.

Provide the contact information for a minimum of seven external reviewers for your full application who:

• are not in a conflict of interest (see below for the guidelines surrounding conflicts of interest)
• are not from your own institution
• are from different institutions from one another
• can provide an independent assessment of your application
• are capable of reviewing your application in the language in which it is written

You are encouraged to suggest a diverse cross-section of potential reviewers with appropriate expertise (including Canadian, international, established and early career researchers, women and other underrepresented groups, those from both academic and non-academic institutions).

Applicants should avoid proposing reviewers who, to the best of their knowledge, are currently affiliated with or are in receipt of funding or in-kind support from a Named Research Organization (NRO), especially if the proposed research aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA). Note: In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy), applicants will be asked to identify whether their research aims to advance a STRA at the full application stage.

You must not contact suggested external reviewers in advance.

A conflict of interest may be deemed to exist or perceived as such when external reviewers:

• are a relative or close friend, or have a personal relationship with the applicant or co-applicants
• are in a position to gain or lose financially or materially from the funding of the application
• have had long-standing scientific or personal differences with the applicant or co-applicants
• are currently affiliated with the applicant or co-applicants’ institutions, organizations or companies, including research hospitals and research institutes
• are closely affiliated professionally with the applicant or co-applicants, as a result of having in the last six years
  • frequent and regular interactions with the applicant or co-applicants in the course of their duties at their department, institution, organization or company
  • been a supervisor or a trainee of the applicant or co-applicants
  • collaborated, published or shared funding with the applicant or co-applicants, or have plans to do so in the immediate future
  • been employed by the institution, when an institution is the applicant
• feel, for any reason, unable to provide an impartial review of the application

NSERC reserves the right to resolve areas of uncertainty and to determine if a conflict of interest exists. For more information on conflicts of interest, refer to the Conflict of interest and confidentiality policy of the federal research funding organizations.

You may request that some researchers, organizations or large collaborations not be involved in the review of your application. While NSERC cannot be bound by this information, the agency will take it into consideration when selecting reviewers. NSERC may also exclude reviewers because of conflicts of interest, as described in the Conflict of interest and confidentiality policy of the federal research funding organizations.

Information concerning exclusions may be accessible to those individuals named in this section, under the Privacy Act.

If you wish to exclude a research collaboration, whole department or institution, please contact the Discovery Horizons program staff at horizons@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

The LOI is mandatory and will be assessed by peer reviewers who evaluate the project’s relevance and fit to the Discovery Horizons program. Reviewers will identify a limited number of LOI applicants who will be invited (no later than August 18) to submit a full application. The LOI includes a brief summary (2,500 characters max) and responses to the four points below.

• Explain how your project would benefit from being assessed by a TAIPR committee, as opposed to a joint review by NSERC’s Discovery Grants evaluation groups (1,000 characters max)
• Demonstrate that the interdisciplinary approach is essential to achieving the project goals (1,000 characters max)
• Describe how the interdisciplinary approach enriches HQP training (1,000 characters max)
• Demonstrate that the interdisciplinary elements are integrated and inseparable (i.e., not sub-projects that could be reviewed on their own merit) (1,000 characters max)

Complete the sections identified by an exclamation mark before submitting.

Click on the Submit button at the bottom of the Finalize Application page and accept the terms and conditions.

You will receive a confirmation message on the web page. To verify the status of your submission, return to the home page. The status will be Received by Agency.

You must include all requested information in your application, and the submitted application must meet the Research Portal presentation and attachment standards. Incomplete applications and applications that do not meet the presentation standards may be rejected or be at a disadvantage in comparison with those that are complete and respect the presentation standards. Information that is not required, based on the application instructions, will be removed.

If you have not submitted an LOI for this program or if your LOI was not selected to participate in the subsequent stage, you cannot create or submit an application.

Create an application

As the applicant, you must create, complete and submit your application using the Convergence Portal. If you currently have an account on the Convergence Portal, please use your existing credentials. Convergence is only supported on the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. When creating or updating your Personal Profile Record, you can now import the CV information (Affiliation/Employment, Education, Funding, Interruptions and Personal Circumstances) directly from your ORCID account, if applicable.

In the Applications tab, select the application that was submitted to NSERC and click Application.

CV interruptions

Provide any interruptions in the last six years for formal leaves and personal circumstances, and clearly explain any circumstances that affected your research productivity. To enter interruptions, select Add new interruptions, then select the type of interruption from the menu. Follow the instructions and enter the level of activity maintained (%) and start and end dates if requested. If interruptions have already been entered in the Convergence Portal, you can associate them to this application using Associate interruption. Information from the CV interruptions section will be shared “as is” with committee members and external reviewers; personal information will not be redacted.

Eligible leaves of absence (e.g., maternity and parental leave, personal illness, chronic illness, mental illness, or disability associated with reduced research activity, leave taken for family-related illness or bereavement, extraordinary administrative duties) are those taken within the last six years. For further guidance on how to describe and consider the impacts of COVID-19 delays, refer to Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on research: Guidelines for NSERC’s community.

CV documents

Tri-agency CV

Follow the tri-agency CV instructions and complete the tri-agency CV template. Consult the tri-agency CV landing page for more information and a list of resources. Applicants should review the Evaluation criteria used by the TAIPR Committee when preparing their tri-agency CVs.

Highly Qualified Personnel

Indicate the number of individuals you currently supervise or co-supervise at the application deadline. Also include the number of individuals you have supervised or co-supervised over the past six years before the application deadline, excluding students you are currently supervising or co-supervising.

Notes:

Include only HQP whose research training was under your direct and formal supervision. Do not include students supervised as part of an undergraduate course, a postdoctoral position, a thesis advisory committee, or normal teaching duties, such as undergraduate courses or capstone design projects.

If, for example, you supervised the same student during their full master’s and doctoral degrees, you may include two supervision entries.

Finalize (applicant only)

Applicants must finalize their own My information section. Applicants will need to finalize the co-applicants’ My information in the Participant section of the Shared information.

Application details

This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable.

Application title: Provide a short and descriptive title. It may be used for publication purposes. Limit the use of abbreviated forms (e.g., DNA, NATO, etc.) and avoid company or trade names.

Language of the application: Indicate the language in which the application will be submitted. The main body of your application should be written in either English or French, rather than in a mix of both official languages. The tri-agency CV must be in the same language as the application. If you intend to change the language of application from the LOI, contact horizons@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

Research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities: If your project involves Indigenous Peoples or communities, you must answer Yes in this module.

Consult the Eligibility section to ensure that potential co-applicants can participate in this grant.

This section will be pre-populated from the LOI. You can still invite or remove co-applicants at the full application stage.

Those invited will receive an email, which will include the applicant’s name, email address and the project title, as well as a link to the Convergence Portal. Once they have selected Accept invitation and completed their own eligibility profile, co-applicants’ names will be displayed in the Participants section of your application.

Note: Email addresses are not verified, and bounce-backs are not registered. We strongly recommend that you follow up directly with invited co-applicants if an individual has not accepted your invitation in a timely manner.

This section lists all co-applicants who have successfully joined the application. If an individual has not accepted your invitation, follow up with them to confirm they have received it. If an invited co-applicant is listed as Pending eligibility, they have accepted your invitation but have not yet completed their eligibility profile. Before submitting your application, you need to Finalize each of the co-applicants’ sections or remove any invited participant who has not completed their My information section.

This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable. Applicants can add and remove collaborators at the full application stage. List the collaborators who will contribute to the execution of research activities, but who will not have access to grant funds. Collaborators do not have to provide CV documents.

Any individual whose contributions to the project will be supervised by a member of the research team and/or another collaborator cannot be considered a collaborator.

This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable. List the fields of research that best describe this specific application according to the Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) 2020 Version 2.0. You must provide at least one primary field of research, and you may list up to five fields of research.

This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable. List a minimum of five keywords that best describe this specific application. You may list up to 10 keywords.

These sections cannot be updated at this stage.

These sections cannot be updated at this stage.

Maximum of 2,500 characters

Provide a summary of the proposal in language that the public can understand. Using simple terms, state the objectives of the proposed research program, summarize the research approach and highlight the novelty and expected significance of the work.

This summary may be shared with potential external reviewers and used for promotional purposes outside the research community to inform the government, the media and members of the public.

Discovery Horizons grants are expected to be valued from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and will be commensurate with the size of the research team. The duration of the grant will be up to five years.

In this module, you need to enter the requested amount for each year of the grant. The total requested amount should not exceed $250,000, $375,000 or $500,000, depending on the team composition. The yearly values must correspond to the amounts calculated in the Proposed expenditures supporting document.

Certification requirements: Before completing this section, consult the Requirements for certain types of research.

Research involving the use of animals: If you indicate that your research involves animals, you must provide your institution’s administration with the certification from the animal care committee at the institution that the experimental procedures proposed have been approved and that the care and treatment of animals are in accordance with the principles outlined in the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guide.

Research involving biohazards: If you indicate that your research involves biohazards, you must provide your institution’s administration with the certification from the biosafety committee at the institution that the laboratory procedures being used comply with the safety precautions necessary for the level of containment required by the research.

Research involving human subjects: If you indicate that your research involves human subjects, you must provide your institution’s administration with the appropriate certification indicating that research involving humans has been reviewed and has received the required approval.

Research involving human pluripotent and/or totipotent stem cells: If you indicate that your research involves human pluripotent and/or totipotent stem cells, or if the application is found to fall into this category through peer review and is recommended for funding, it will be forwarded, with your consent, to CIHR’s Stem Cell Oversight Committee (SCOC) to ensure compliance with Chapter 12, Section F of the Tri-council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2). The SCOC review is in addition to the normal review by local research ethics boards (REBs). Funding will not be released until approval has been obtained from the SCOC.

Environmental impact: For more information, consult NSERC’s Guidelines on impact assessment.

Sensitive Technology Research Areas : If you select Yes, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application – in the Supporting Documents section – to comply with the policy. In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern, all researchers involved in the activities supported by a research grant that aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the List of Named Research Organizations.

All files must adhere to the Research Portal presentation and attachment standards and must be uploaded as PDF documents. Individual PDF documents must not exceed 5 MB each. Any attachments that do not adhere to these instructions will be removed.

Maximum of 10 pages

The TAIPR Committee is composed of members who have broad expertise overlapping all disciplines supported by the three agencies and who are knowledgeable about interdisciplinary research and methods. Accordingly, NSERC expects Discovery Horizons proposals to be written so that the proposed research and the importance of the objectives and unresolved issues can be understood by all members of the committee. The research proposal must also contain sufficient details so that experts in the disciplines involved can evaluate the proposal adequately.

Elements outside the NSE must be included in the proposal. The interdisciplinary aspects of the research must be well integrated and inseparable (i.e., not sub-projects that could be reviewed on their own merit). It is not sufficient to incorporate non-NSE research activities into the proposal; these non-NSE elements must be intertwined with the NSE research.

The primary objective of the Discovery Horizons proposal must be to advance knowledge in the NSE.

• If NSERC determines that the subject matter is outside of its mandate at any time during the review cycle, the application will be rejected. See Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency for more information.

Addressing the points below, describe the proposed research to be supported. Images and graphics are included in the page limit. Applications are rated according to the following selection criteria. The onus is on applicants to address these explicitly in their application.

Merit of the proposed research

• Quality of the proposal
  • clarity, scope and originality of research questions and objectives
  • extent to which the proposed research advances disciplines across the mandate areas of at least two funding agencies
• Methods and approaches
  • appropriateness of the proposed methods and approaches, including the integration of the interdisciplinary approaches to achieve the project goals
  • appropriate incorporation of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) considerations in the research proposal, if applicable
  • evidence of commitment to the development of active and meaningful partnerships with appropriate individuals and organizations, if applicable
• Feasibility
  • appropriateness and justification of the budget in relation to the proposed activities
  • appropriateness of the environment (academic institution and/or other organization) to enable the conduct and success of the proposed activities

Anticipated outcomes

• Impact
  • potential for the outcomes of the proposed activities to have influence and impact
• Knowledge mobilization and dissemination
  • quality and appropriateness of knowledge mobilization plans, including effective dissemination, exchange and engagement with stakeholders within and/or beyond the research community, where applicable
• Training plan
  • extent to which the proposed activities incorporate plans for the training and development of HQP
  • appropriate inclusion of EDI considerations in the training plan

Record of the applicant(s)

• Expertise and experience
  • appropriate expertise to undertake the proposed research, including complementary and interdisciplinary knowledge, expertise and experience
  • experience and track record of the applicant(s)—importance, originality, quality and impact of past research
• Past contribution to the training of HQP
  • quality and extent of past contributions to the training of HQP

Additional considerations when preparing your proposal

Within the 10-page limit of the proposal, applicants should dedicate appropriate space to describing the appropriateness of the research team, including the applicant, co-applicants, collaborators and trainees, to achieve the research objectives. Roles and responsibilities of team members within the research project should be clearly described.

Applicants are expected to increase the inclusion and advancement of underrepresented groups in the NSE as one means to enhance excellence in research and training. Considering EDI in the research process promotes research excellence by making research outcomes more ethically sound, rigorous, reproducible and useful. It is important to consider EDI through each stage of the research process (research questions, study design, methodology and data collection, analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of results) and integrate these considerations where relevant. EDI considerations should be developed into the rationale for the composition of research teams, including trainees. For more information, consult the Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process and a new video series on Strengthening research by integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in the research process.

NSERC specifies Indigenous research as being research in any field or discipline related to the natural sciences or engineering that is conducted by, grounded in, or meaningfully engaged with First Nations, Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous Peoples and Nations, communities, societies or individuals, and their wisdom, cultures, experiences or knowledge systems, as expressed in their dynamic forms, past and present.

Meaningful engagement means engagement at all stages of the process, “ensuring that various world views are represented in planning and decision-making from the earlier stages of conception and design of projects through to the analysis and dissemination of results” (Tri-council Policy Statement 2).

Indigenous research requires that research activities respond to community needs and priorities. This may involve:

• contributing to the enhancement of community members’ skills and/or community capacity
• exploring opportunities for reciprocal learning and transfer of skills and knowledge between the community and the research team
• supporting a community in maintaining its culture, language and/or identity, as well as supporting its self-determination

The following elements, which align with best practices outlined in the relevant literature, are important to consider when developing a research program that includes Indigenous research and should be discussed, as appropriate, within the proposal:

• Ensure that the proposed research aligns with and contributes to the current goals, needs, and priorities of the Indigenous communities involved. Outline strategies for promoting the participation of community members, including students, trainees, and research personnel, within the research team. Efforts should be made to establish a culturally safe, equitable, inclusive and accessible research environment for all involved.
• Integrate Indigenous concepts, principles and protocols into the research methodology at each stage of the process. This may involve engaging with existing research processes and protocols within Indigenous communities while respecting the validity and value of Indigenous ways of knowing and perspectives. Implement methodologies for co-creating knowledge, including interpretive approaches jointly developed, reviewed and confirmed by community members or their delegated organizations.
• Develop plans for engaging and appropriately recognizing the role of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and/or Knowledge Holders in the research process. This may include identifying and involving recognized individuals from the community in the design, execution and interpretation of the research, as well as demonstrating reciprocity through appropriate remuneration for their contributions.
• Take into consideration community expectations regarding authorship, management and governance of research outputs. Ensure that the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including self-determination, self-governance and ownership of knowledge and data resulting from the research will be upheld by adhering to principles, such as OCAP® and/or any other relevant guidelines determined by Indigenous partners.

For additional guidance on NSERC’s expectations, read the CCI guide for research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities.

For more information, please consult the following resources:

• Tri-council Policy Statement 2: Chapter 9: Research involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada
• Setting new directions to support Indigenous research and research training in Canada
• SSHRC: Guidelines for the merit review of Indigenous research
• CIHR: Defining Indigenous Health Research
• FACETS: Towards reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists working in Canada
• Tri-agency guideline on remuneration for Indigenous people participating in funded projects

The research proposal should reflect that you are aware of and referring to relevant principles and protocols established for this kind of research, such as following the principles of OCAP® (i.e., ownership, control, access and possession/protection), the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance and/or other principles as determined by relevant communities.

Maximum of two pages

Use this section to provide a list of literature references. Do not refer reviewers to websites for additional information on your proposal or include hyperlinks in your list of references.

A mandatory template is downloadable from the Convergence Portal. You must provide a five-year budget. Verify all of your entries carefully. The total amount requested from NSERC is calculated automatically by subtracting the total cash contributions, if any, from the total proposed expenditures.

Use the Budget justification (attachment) section to explain and justify each budget item and any contributions from other sources toward the support of the proposed research activities.

In the case of adjunct professors whose primary position is in industry or government or not-for-profit sector in Canada, NSERC will award funds only for the direct support of students (salaries or stipends and student travel costs). All other costs must be covered through other sources of funding.

All project expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds as outlined in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration.

Salaries and benefits

Provide the names (if known), categories of employment and proposed salaries (with explicit indication of the non-discretionary benefits) of students, postdoctoral researchers and research staff. Briefly describe the responsibilities for each position and indicate the percentage of time they will be spending on this project over its lifespan. Do not include salaries of faculty in project costs. Refer to the NSERC CCV instructions for information on obtaining consent to name individuals in your proposal.

Equipment or facility

Provide a breakdown of the requested items, models, manufacturers, prices and applicable taxes. Justify the need for each requested item.

Note: While the Research Tools and Instruments grants program provides the primary avenue to obtain support for tools and instruments with a net cost between $7,001 and $250,000, equipment of any value can be purchased using a Discovery Horizons grant.

Fees to be paid for the use of equipment or a facility should be described (e.g., hours and rate).

The need for beam time or other special facilities and whether time has been allocated for these should also be reported.

Materials and supplies

Provide details of the budget requested for materials and supplies and explain major items.

Travel

Explain briefly how each travel activity relates to the proposed research.

Dissemination

Provide details of publication costs, user workshops or other activities.

Other expenses

List all items not covered in previous categories and provide a brief explanation for major items.

Contributions from other sources (if applicable)

If appropriate, explain any financial contributions from other sources.

Maximum of two pages

Provide a detailed explanation and justification for each budget item identified on the Proposed expenditures page. Provide sufficient information to allow reviewers to assess whether the resources requested are appropriate. Applicants must only use this section for the purpose of justifying the proposed budget.

Maximum of 10 pages

This section refers only to other research support that will be or may be active during the funding period of the proposed Discovery Horizons grant by the applicant and co-applicant. Do not include information concerning previous applications or grants that ended or will end before the funding period of the proposed Discovery Horizons grant.

Applications must indicate that the funds requested from the Discovery Horizons program will be for expenses that are distinct from those covered by current support from other sources. For funding applied for, you must indicate that there will be no duplication of funding for the same expense(s) and explain how funds will be used if all applications are successful. Failure to meet these requirements may result in the application being rejected.

Other sources of research support include grants and contributions (held or applied for) from federal and provincial funding agencies, non-governmental organizations, private sector companies, universities (e.g., institution start-up funds), primary places of employment (for adjunct professors employed outside of academia) and others.

If you selected Yes to the question ‘Will the proposed research activities supported by this grant aim to advance any of the listed sensitive technology research areas?’ in the Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRA) module of your application, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application to comply with the policy. By using the attestation form template, you, your co-applicant(s), and collaborator(s), if applicable, must each complete an attestation form certifying that you have read, understood, and are compliant with this policy. You must collect and compile all the completed attestation forms and save them as a single PDF file. The attestation forms must include the current date, first and last name, primary affiliation (institution), email address, public profile link (optional) and attestation statement check. Your response to the STRA question and your submitted attestation form(s) are not accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or committee members.

Should the application be successful, you and your research team will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant. For more information, please read the Tri-agency’s detailed guidance for this policy.

Verify all sections are completed.

After clicking on Submit, your application is sent to your research administrator for approval and submission to NSERC. The status of your application will be changed to Received by administrator. Once your research administrator has approved and forwarded your application to NSERC, the application status will be changed to Received by agency.

To verify the status of your submission, return to the home page.

NSERC does not require original signatures on applications or other documents submitted electronically using Convergence. User ID/password-based “signatures” allow applicants, supporting organizations and authorized institutional representatives, such as research grants officers, scholarships liaison officers and business officers, to “sign” and submit online applications and other documents to NSERC. Refer to the frequently asked questions in the program guide for professors for more information.

What do the “signatures” mean?

For applicants 

Before you can submit your application to NSERC, you must read and agree to the terms and conditions of applying that appear during the submission process. It is your responsibility to retain a copy of the agreed terms and conditions for your records.

The “signatures” of the institutional authorities certify that:

• the institution will abide by the roles and responsibilities set out in the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions (“the Agreement”) with the three federal granting agencies, including the Tri-agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research, the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration and the relevant program literature
• as required by the agreement, the applicant meets the eligibility requirements for the relevant funding opportunity
• before submitting the application, the institution has obtained written approval from any other institutions involved in the application process
• you will not use or disclose any information that you obtain or view on the Convergence Portal for any purposes other than your participation in the agency’s process
• you understand that the agency reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to terminate or restrict your access to the Convergence Portal at any time, without notice

The “signatures” of authorized officers of other supporting organizations certify that the organization:

• agrees with the content of the application and will provide the committed resources
• agrees to the release of the public summary of the award and to the publication of the organization’s name as a supporter of the initiative

If you are both the applicant and a principal of a collaborating organization, another senior official must “sign” on behalf of the organization.

Use the following list to make sure your application is complete:

• Applicant’s and co-applicants’ (if appropriate) personal information:
  • CV Education (Convergence Portal)
  • CV Affiliation and Employment (Convergence Portal)
  • CV Interruptions (Convergence Portal)
  • CV Documents (attachment—five pages)
  • Highly Qualified Personal
• Application Details (Convergence Portal)
• Invitations (Convergence Portal)
• Participants (Convergence Portal)
• Collaborators (Convergence Portal)
• Fields of research (Convergence Portal)
• Keywords (Convergence Portal)
• Summary of proposal for public release (Convergence Portal—2,500 characters)
• Proposed budget (Convergence Portal)
• Certification, licences and permits (Convergence Portal)
• Sensitive Technology Research Areas (Convergence Portal)
• Supporting documents (attachments):
  • proposal (10 pages)
  • references (two pages)
  • proposed expenditures (downloadable template)
  • budget justification (two pages)
  • relationship to other research support (10 pages
  • STRAC Attestation Attachment (downloadable template))