Form 101 should be used to complete this section.

Time devoted to the proposed research or activity: Enter the time devoted by the applicant (in hours per month) to the proposed research or activity.

Title of proposal: The title must be short and descriptive. It will be used for publication purposes. It should indicate the name of the institute to be supported and should not contain a company or trade name. Spell out scientific symbols and acronyms.

Keywords: Provide up to 10 keywords that describe the proposed research or activity.

Research Subject Codes: Consult the NSERC code tables. All applicants are required to select a primary research code.

Area of Application Codes: Consult the NSERC code tables. All applicants are required to select a primary area of application code from the list of Area of Application Codes.

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

Research involving humans: If you select Yes, 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 select Yes, or if through peer review the application is found to fall into this category 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 (2022). 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.

Research involving the use of animals: If you select Yes, 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 hazardous substances: If you select Yes, 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.

Impact assessment: The Impact assessment form (Appendix A) may be required. 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 STRAC Attestation Attachment section – to comply with the policy. In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), all applicants and co-applicants 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.

• For the duration of the grant, all researchers involved in the institute’s research activities will be required to comply with STRAC Policy and will be individually responsible for ensuring that they do not hold an active affiliation or receive funding or in-kind support from any of the listed Named Research Organizations. Note that, for this funding opportunity, the activities supported by the grant refer to the institute’s research activities.
• In accordance with FAQ #14 of the STRAC Policy, if any project supported by the grant will advance a listed STRA, then the grant application must be identified as such.

If you select No and the application is successful, in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Award and this FAQ, grant recipients must inform NSERC and officials at their institutions, including Research Grant Offices, of any changes in the nature of the research that may require the submission of attestation forms.

Enter the total amount requested from NSERC for the DIS grant over five years.

Identify co-applicants to the proposed research program who will participate on your application. Enter the time devoted by each co-applicant (in hours per month) to the proposed research/activity. All applicants and co-applicants must complete the Terms and conditions of applying form and the NSERC version of the Canadian Common CV. A Terms and conditions of research administrators form must be completed by the authorized officer for all applicant and co-applicant institutions. These must all be included with the application.

By submitting these forms, the applicant certifies that the individuals listed as co-applicants have been informed of the precise uses and disclosures of their personal information by NSERC (see Use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC) and have authorized the release of the information by the applicant.

The summary is intended to explain the proposal in language that the public can understand.

Using simple terms, briefly describe the institute, what it aims to achieve, and the major programs/initiatives it supports. Indicate why and to whom it is important, the anticipated outcomes of the research programs supported, and how Canada and the fields supported by the institute will benefit.

This plain language summary will be available to the public if your proposal is funded. If you wish, you may also provide a summary in the other official language in the text box for that purpose.

Expected revenues from the institute

Under Other contributions to direct costs, do not include current or requested NSERC grant amounts. Complete the previous year, current year and years 1-5 for the DIS grant.

Proposed expenditures

Read the Eligible expenses section and consult the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration for information about the eligibility of expenditures for the direct costs of research and the regulations governing the use/node/943of grant funds.

Use the budget justification and relationship to other research support sections to explain and justify budget items and any contributions from other sources toward the support of the proposed research activities.

For each expense listed in the Institute costs section, report the total direct costs to be paid from all sources, and the direct costs to be paid from NSERC funding toward operating the institute. The applicant must give the costs corresponding to the fiscal year for which funds are requested and any future year commitments.

Salaries and benefits

In this category, provide the total proposed salaries (with explicit indication of the non-discretionary benefits) of professional and technical staff employed to provide support to users, or to operate and maintain the institute. Eligible remuneration of any other nature that is required as part of the activities of the institute must be reported under category (b), to which an appropriate name of your choosing should be assigned. Furthermore, provide the category of employment and proposed salary (with explicit indication of the non-discretionary benefits) for each remuneration beneficiary.

Institute

Costs for materials, supplies and activities related to the operation and maintenance of the institute should be included under “Operating costs” and “Maintenance” as appropriate. Include costs for minor equipment/upgrades that are essential to the operation and maintenance of the institute. Provide details on any other institute-related eligible expenses under category (d).

Travel

Costs of travel related to the operation or maintenance of the institute should be given under the categories “Conferences,” “Field work,” or category (c).

Dissemination costs

Provide costs related to outreach activities whose objectives are to increase awareness of potential user communities of the activities and opportunities offered by the institute under the category “Outreach to user communities.” Any other eligible dissemination costs, including translation, should be listed under category (b).

Other costs

List all items not relevant to previous categories and provide a brief explanation for major items.

Totals

Sum the total costs for all expenses in the previous year, current year and years 1-5 of the DIS grant.

Input the total revenues for the previous year, current year and years 1-5 of the DIS grant.

Sum all requested DIS grant funds received by the institute for the previous year, current year and years 1-5 of the DIS grant.

Use the guidelines in the NSERC Online presentation and attachment standards to provide the requested information in a document to be attached to the application.

For uploading purposes, all the documents in this section must be saved into a single PDF file.

Maximum of 25 free-form pages if written in English and 30 pages if written in French.

Refer to the Selection criteria section and address each of the criteria. Prepare the proposal with input from co-applicants, as required.

Maximum of 4 pages if written in English and 5 pages if written in French.

• Provide a list of literature references in support of your proposal. Do not include hyperlinks or footnotes.
• Do not refer readers to Web sites for additional information on your proposal.

Maximum of 4 pages if written in English and 5 pages if written in French.

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

Maximum of 2 pages if written in English and 2.5 pages if written in French.

See Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency and Relationship Between NSERC Proposals and Other Sources of Funds.

Any relationship and/or overlap, conceptual or financial, between proposed activities and activities supported by other funding sources must be explained.

Provide the following information:

• Information on the conceptual and budgetary relationship or difference between this application and all other support for similar research currently held or applied for.
• For each grant currently held or applied for that supports similar research, briefly describe the main objectives.

Note: If you are applying for support for infrastructure or equipment funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), indicate the approximate date on which the infrastructure or equipment will be operational.

If you selected Yes to the question regarding Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRA) in the Activity Details section of your application, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application to comply with the policy.

By using the Attestation for Research Aiming to Advance Sensitive Technology Research Areas, you and your co-applicant(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 all of the researchers involved in the institute’s research activities 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.

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

• Application for a DIS grant (Form 101)
• Proposal (max 25 pages in English, 30 pages in French)
• References (max 4 pages in English, 5 pages in French)
• Budget justification (max 4 pages in English, 5 pages in French)
• Relationship to other research support (max 2 pages in English, 2.5 pages in French)
• NSERC version of the Canadian Common CV (CCV) for the applicant and each co-applicant
• Terms and conditions of applying form for the applicant and each co-applicant
• Terms and conditions of research administrators form for all applicant and co-applicant institutions