The application procedures have been streamlined for this 6th edition of the NSERC–FRQ NOVA call for proposals. It is important to carefully review the information provided in this section as the application requirements have changed.

An information webinar will be held on July 17, 2026, at 9:30 am (ET) to present this call and the application procedures. Refer to the NOVA program website for information on how to access the webinar.

To apply for a NOVA grant, you must submit the form in the Electronic Portfolio for researchers on the FRQnet portal. For more information on submitting applications, consult the NOVA program description.

As the applicant acting on behalf of your team, when you submit the application to the FRQ via the FRQnet portal, you must also submit a letter of intent (LOI) to NSERC. The LOI must be accompanied by a completed simplified Personal Data Form — Form 100A with the FRQ’s Eligibility Supplement form and the FRQ CV as attachments,   and a description of how EDI considerations have been integrated into the training plan. If applicable, the Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) must be completed and uploaded in the Impact Assessment section.

The applicant and all co-applicants participating in the NOVA grant application must create an account in NSERC’s online system. For more information, consult the Online System - Frequently Asked Questions web page.

As the applicant, you are responsible for providing all of the following documents and information in your LOI:

• A simplified Personal Data Form — Form 100A for each member of the research team. For this funding opportunity, the FRQ’s Eligibility Supplement form replaces the “Contributions to research and training explanation” attachment normally included with Form 100A, and the FRQ CV replaces the Canadian CV Attachment. Each co-applicant will automatically receive a message inviting them to complete a personal data form and explaining how to link it to Form 101.
• A description of how equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations have been integrated into the training plan (maximum one page) using the mandatory NSERC template  . Once completed, the NSERC template must be attached to the application in the “Other Documents” section.
  
  Consult the Equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan web page and the NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research for more information.
  
  Note: The integration of EDI considerations into the training plan is an eligibility requirement. If your application does not meet this criterion, it will be rejected during the eligibility review.
• If applicable, the Impact Assessment Form (Appendix A) must be completed and uploaded in the Impact Assessment section.
• Indicate whether the proposed research activities supported by this grant aim to advance any listed Sensitive Technology Research Areas.
  • The applicant must select “yes” or “no” in NSERC’s online system. For more information, consult the Tri-agency guidance on the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy).
  • If the applicant answers “yes”, every researcher with a named role in the grant application (applicant, co-applicant or collaborator) must submit an Attestation for Research Aiming to Advance Sensitive Technology Research Areas form (PDF file to be completed online), which must be attached to the application (for more information on the procedure for submitting the form, see the relevant frequently asked question).
    
    Note: The applicant must collect and compile all the completed attestation forms and save them as a single PDF file. Before attaching the file, the applicant must convert it from a fillable to a read-only PDF. To do this, one option is to click on Print in the form, select the PDF format as the printer, and save the file.

To create and submit an LOI:

• Open a session in NSERC’s online system and click Create a new Form 101.
• Select Research Partnerships Programs, then select Alliance Grants.
• In the Proposal Type field, select Letter of Intent.
• In the Type of Request for Proposals field, select FRQ-NOVA from the drop-down menu.
• Complete the required sections, provide the simplified Personal Data Form — Form 100A for the applicant and all co-applicants, and attach the completed EDI training plan template.