Funding opportunity
Overview
Category 1: $7,001 to $150,000
One year
Category 2: $150,001 to $325,000
Up to five years
Category 3: More than $325,000
Up to five years
NOI applications (SAP-RTI category 2 and 3):
Opens: May 1, 2026 8:00 am (ET)
Deadline: August 4, 2026 8:00 pm (ET)
Full applications (SAP-RTI category 1, 2 and 3):
Opens: August 12, 2026 8:00 am (ET)
Deadline: October 26, 2026 8:00 pm (ET)
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The Subatomic Physics Research Tools and Instruments (SAP-RTI) grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of researchers in the field of subatomic physics at a Canadian university by supporting the purchase of research equipment and installations.
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Description -
Eligibility -
Funding -
Application -
Review -
Award -
Results -
Regulations, policies and guidelines -
Resources
The SAP-RTI grants program assists researchers in buying or developing research equipment with a net cost of more than $7,000. Net cost is defined as the purchase cost of the equipment after any discount from the vendor and before taxes, customs and importation fees, transportation and shipping charges, and assembly and installation costs. SAP-RTI grants are divided into three categories according to the total net cost of the equipment.
If the applicant can secure funding from other sources to complement the requested support from NSERC, this funding must be in place and confirmed at the time the application is submitted. Other sources may include contributions from NSERC Discovery Grants held by the applicant or co-applicants. The use of other types of NSERC grants is permitted, provided that prior written authorization is obtained from NSERC.
NSERC will only accept the following requests:
- for tools and instruments that form a comprehensive system intended to support NSERC-funded research in the field of subatomic physics
- a comprehensive system is one in which each tool or instrument forms part of an integrated system of operation to support the research program(s)
- requests that bundle unrelated tools and instruments together will not be accepted
- for the purchase of new, used or refurbished equipment; the repair, upgrade or rental of equipment; or the fabrication of equipment that is not readily available off the shelf
- for equipment that is purchased or rented after the application deadline.
Equipment and items that are part of laboratory infrastructure or intended to render other equipment compliant with health and safety standards are ineligible for SAP-RTI support.
Applicants to the SAP-RTI program must meet NSERC’s
Additionally, applicants and co-applicants must each hold at least one of the following NSERC research grants (either as an applicant or co-applicant):
- Alliance grant
- Canada Excellence Research Chairs (NSERC)
- Canada 150 Research Chairs (NSERC)
- Canada Research Chairs (NSERC)
- Discovery Development grant
- Discovery Horizons grant
- Subatomic Physics Discovery Grants
Applicants and co-applicants may apply for any of the above grants while concurrently applying to the SAP-RTI program. However, if an applicant or co-applicant does not hold one of the above grants by the SAP-RTI award start date, or is not successful in obtaining one of these grants while concurrently applying to the SAP-RTI program, that applicant or co-applicant will be deemed ineligible and removed from the application.
Category 1: $7,001 to $150,000
One year
Category 2: $150,001 to $325,000
Up to five years
Category 3: More than $325,000
Up to five years
SAP-RTI grants must be used only for the specific type of equipment for which the grant was awarded through the peer review process. Grantees who wish to purchase equipment different from that specified in the application must obtain written permission from NSERC prior to its purchase. Grantees may, however, buy a model different from that requested in the application without prior NSERC approval (e.g., newer or upgraded model).
| Type of expenditures | SAP-RTI category 1 | SAP-RTI categories 2 and 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Salaries and benefits | Not eligible | Salaries and training costs of technical support personnel for the initial phase-in period of operations (up to two years) |
| Equipment or facility | Purchase or rental | Purchase or rental |
| Travel | Not eligible | Travel costs to visit manufacturers to select equipment |
| Others (transportation costs for purchased equipment, extended warranty, brokerage and customs charges for the importation of equipment and supplies) | Eligible | Eligible |
Costs that are not eligible for any categories of SAP-RTI include:
- insurance costs for equipment and research vehicles
- costs of the construction, renovation or rental of laboratories or supporting facilities
- items that are part of laboratory infrastructure or intended to render other equipment compliant with health and safety standards
- software licensing or upgrades for subsequent years
All project expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds, as outlined in the
To apply for SAP-RTI categories 2 or 3, applicants must first submit a notification of intent to apply (NOI) by the
An NOI is not required to apply for SAP-RTI category 1. Applicants must complete and submit the application by the full application deadline date.
Applicants and all co-applicants are required to complete and submit the NSERC version of the
While applicants are encouraged to provide quotations for all equipment, applicants must include two (2) recent quotations for any individual item(s) over $40,000 net. If the required number of quotations cannot reasonably be submitted, applicants must provide a clear justification in the Budget justification section.
SAP-RTI category 2 and 3 applications must include:
- a letter from the applicant’s head of department. The letter must indicate the importance and priority that the department places on the proposed equipment and the extent to which the department will provide support
SAP-RTI category 3 applications must also include:
- a letter from the president of the university or delegated representative. The letter should explain the extent to which the university will provide support, such as the provision of space, financial contributions to the purchase and installation, the purchase of ancillary equipment, funding of technical support staff, etc.
The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the
Transparency - Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act Data retention information Privacy notice
For more information, refer to the Personal Information Banks described in NSERC’s
Create an application
- Sign in to the
Research Portal - Click Create application
- Select the funding opportunity under Stage: NOI and select Create
- Under Applications, open the NOI
- Click Edit to complete the different sections
Organization – Select the organization that will administer the grant.
Department – Enter the department where you hold your eligible position. If your department is not in the list, select Head office.
Application title – Provide a short and descriptive title. It may be used for publication purposes. Limit the use of acronyms (for example, 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 the application must be written in either English, or French, rather than a mix of both official languages. The NSERC CCV must be in the same language as the application.
Suggested evaluation group – The Subatomic physics evaluation section will be selected by default, and you cannot change this selection.
Proposed research topics - The first research topic is Subatomic physics by default, and you cannot change this selection. You may select, in order of relevance, up to four additional research topics in any evaluation group, as required.
Keywords - Provide up to 10 keywords that best describe this proposal. It is important to separate the keywords by commas.
SAP-RTI category 2 or 3 grants can be single or multi-year awards; however, the onus is on the applicant to clearly explain the proposed duration in the application. If you do not request support for some years, you must enter 0 for each of those years.
The estimated amounts should be as close as possible to those that will be requested in the application. Should the amounts requested in the full application differ by more than 20% from those that were included in the NOI, the applicant should notify NSERC as soon as possible.
Consult the eligible costs section above and the
The summary of proposal must not exceed 6,000 characters and should provide:
- a short description of the equipment or facility
- an overview of the research programs that depend on access to the equipment or facility
- a brief explanation of the requested budget
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
Information concerning exclusions may be accessible to those individuals named in this section under the
Note that the exclusion type Collaboration refers to large research groups that work on specific projects.
To upload your CCV successfully, the first name and family name used to create your CCV site account must match the names used to create your Research Portal account. The email address used to create your Research Portal account must also match at least one of the emails listed in your CCV account.
- In the Application Overview page, click Attach.
- Enter your CCV confirmation number (see the NSERC CCV
instructions for professors for details on how to obtain your confirmation number). - Click Upload.
- Click Back to Application Overview.
- Preview your CCV in the Research Portal to make sure it was uploaded correctly and includes all the records you want to submit for peer review. Your CCV must be in the same language as your NOI. You may update your CCV at the full application stage.
While the NSERC
Include only those who frequently use the equipment as co-applicants. There is no typical number of co-applicants for an SAP-RTI category 2 or 3 grant application.
From the Application Overview page in the Invitations section, select Manage Invitations. Provide the name and email address of each co-applicant. An email will be sent to each participant with instructions on how to accept the invitation.
In addition to information that must be provided to the applicant for the proposal, co-applicants must accept the invitation as specified in the invitation email. In the Research Portal, complete the Eligibility profile, provide the number of hours per month to be devoted to the use of the equipment and upload your NSERC CCV.
A Submit button will be displayed once you have validated the information and uploaded your NSERC CCV. Select Submit to send your part of the application to the applicant.
Once co-applicants complete their portions and select Submit, the applicant will see the status of the co-applicant invitations change from Invitation sent to Invitation accepted and completed and a green check mark will appear in the Status column.
Note: Before submitting the application to NSERC, any co-applicant outside the applicant’s institution must inform their organization’s authorized officer that the applicant or their institution will be requesting the officer’s agreement and signature for the co-applicant’s participation.
Click on the Submit button at the bottom of the Application Overview page. A pop-up message will appear. You will be required to extract and review your NOI to ensure that it is complete. The CCV will not appear in the extracted application. Save a copy of your NOI for your records. Once you have checked the confirmation box, click Submit in the pop-up message.
To complete the submission process, you will need to read and accept the terms and conditions by clicking on the I Accept button. You will receive a confirmation message on the web page, as well as a confirmation email that your NOI was received and that the status of your submission is Received by Agency.
To verify the status of your submission, return to the home page. The status will be Received by Agency.
Your application must be received at your institution’s research grants office by its internal deadline date; contact your research grants office for that deadline.
Unless specified otherwise, your application must be received at NSERC by 8:00 pm (ET) on the deadline date. If it is not received by NSERC by the deadline, it will be rejected.
In cases of systems interruptions, refer to the Service standards for NSERC and SSHRC’s online application systems policy on
Once an application has been submitted to NSERC, it cannot be updated or modified, either before or after the deadline date.
NOI applications (SAP-RTI category 2 and 3):
Opens: May 1, 2026 8:00 am (ET)
Deadline: August 4, 2026 8:00 pm (ET)
Full applications (SAP-RTI category 1, 2 and 3):
Opens: August 12, 2026 8:00 am (ET)
Deadline: October 26, 2026 8:00 pm (ET)
All applications for SAP-RTI grants are reviewed by the Subatomic Physics Evaluation Section. No external input is usually sought, however, the Section may request expert input from individual referees, if necessary. For SAP-RTI category 3 applications, the Subatomic Physics Evaluation Section may also receive input from an expert ad hoc committee that would perform an evaluation and review of the application. Applicants submitting SAP-RTI category 3 applications may be invited to make a presentation during the Large Project Day held every year by the Section.
All SAP-RTI applications are assessed on the basis of the following selection criteria. The onus is on the applicant to thoroughly address each criterion in the application and provide detailed information.
- Need, urgency and suitability
- demonstration that the equipment is essential for the research and that there are no other more cost-effective ways of obtaining results
- availability of similar equipment/facilities/services in the vicinity
- impact of a delay in the acquisition of the equipment on the research and pace of research progress
- need to upgrade or replace obsolete or failed equipment
- degree of utilization of the equipment by the applicant(s) and other users
- Feasibility and impact
- quality and significance of the research program(s), including potential for major advances and impact in the discipline as a result of the equipment
- feasibility of the plan to use the equipment
- extent to which the applicant(s) has relevant experience or has presented a training
- plan to demonstrate how they will gain the ability to fully use the equipment
- consideration of EDI in the rationale of the team composition
- Training of highly qualified personnel (HQP)
- quality and extent of training
- opportunity for hands-on training
- potential to provide marketable skills for students trained on the equipment
- consideration of EDI in the training of HQP
For SAP-RTI categories 2 and 3 grant applications, the following additional criterion is also taken into account:
- Organizational structure and accessibility—applicant(s) must demonstrate a clearly defined organizational structure to ensure that the equipment can be operated and maintained efficiently and effectively, as well as providing access for other users; examples of elements to be addressed include
- suitability and effectiveness of the oversight/management structure and the users’ representative body
- policies and practices to support equity, diversity and inclusion within the team (e.g., recruitment of team members, management of the team, mentorship)—for more information, refer to the
EDI considerations for research teams - plans for effective operation and maintenance of the equipment
- accessibility for other users—a transparent and fair process to grant access
Expected mid-April
For grants whose average award is $500,000 per year or higher, the payment of the second and any subsequent yearly instalment is conditional on the submission of an annual activity report to NSERC. The submission deadline for this report is mid-January. NSERC reserves the right to request an activity report for any SAP-RTI category 3, even for grants that are less than an average of $500,000 per year.
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View funding decisions
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Review committee – Subatomic Physics -
Memo to potential applicants - Notification of intent to apply for a Subatomic Physics grant
For program-related information, email
For technical matters related to the Research Portal, contact the online services helpdesk by email at