The applicant is the individual mandated by the college responsible for preparing and submitting the CCI grant application through their research office. The applicant is also accountable to the host college for coordinating the financial and administrative aspects of the application and grant.

The principal investigator of a project or research activity may be the applicant.

Before applying for a CCI grant, applicants are expected to consult with the relevant research administrators at their college (e.g., research office) and discuss relevant responsibilities and accountabilities. The applicant’s level of responsibility in administering a grant may vary based on the host college’s internal policies.

To be considered an applicant:

• You must hold or have a firm offer1 of a remunerated position at an eligible Canadian college2 at the time of your application. This may include a faculty appointment, a position as a research administrator or technical/professional staff. Applicants holding a position at a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the college are not eligible;
• You must not be currently declared ineligible3 to apply for and hold funding in any role for reasons of breach of responsible conduct of research policies, such as ethics, integrity, or financial management policies; and
• You must accept and comply with the Terms and conditions of applying for applicants and Terms and conditions of award of any resulting grant.

The applicant cannot be the same individual as the college’s research grants officer on the same CCI application and grant.

In the event of the applicant’s departure from their college or a change in their eligibility status (pre- or post-award), the host college may name an eligible replacement, subject to NSERC approval.

The applicant is referred to as ‘primary applicant’ in the Convergence Portal.

A co-applicant is an individual participating in a CCI application and grant who plays a significant role in the overall intellectual leadership or in the conduct of research and related activities. A co-applicant may be responsible for some financial aspects of the research and related activities.

The applicant is expected to discuss with the co-applicant how the grant’s financial responsibilities will be shared (i.e., through access to grant funds). For multi-institutional applications, a Transfer of funds agreement should be in place before the start of any collaboration.

The principal investigator of a project or research activity may be the co-applicant.

To be considered a co-applicant:

• You must hold a remunerated position at, or be affiliated with, an eligible Canadian college 2 or university4, at the time of the application. For college co-applicants, this may include a full- or part-time position, such as a faculty appointment, a position as a research administrator or technical/professional staff. Co-applicants holding a position at a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the college are eligible;
• You must not be currently declared ineligible 3 to apply for and hold funding, in any role, for reasons of breach of responsible conduct of research policies, such as ethics, integrity, or financial management policies;
• College co-applicants with part-time positions are expected to conduct the proposed research and related activities in addition to their regular responsibilities;
• University co-applicants must meet the Eligibility requirements for individuals to apply for or hold grant funds; and
• You must accept and comply with the Terms and conditions of applying for co-applicants and Terms and conditions of award of any resulting grant.

A collaborator is usually an individual from a partner organization participating in a CCI application and grant. They may also be from another post-secondary institution. A collaborator’s expertise complements the core research team; they contribute to the overall intellectual direction of the research and participate in research-related activities.

A collaborator’s participation is self-funded, as collaborators do not have access to grant funds, nor play a role in the financial aspects of the grant. Furthermore, grant funds may not flow back to the partner organization and cannot be used to cover collaborator expenses. With the exception of travel and travel-related subsistence expenses, expenses that collaborators incur in the conduct of research or research-related activity will not be covered.

Collaborators do not create an account or have a dedicated role in the Convergence Portal; their individual information is included as part of the CCI grant application itself.

Please consult the relevant funding opportunity instructions for completing a grant application for further information.

A contributor is an individual designated by the applicant to help complete and edit the CCI grant application.

A contributor does not participate in the research and related activities, so their information is not needed or captured in the CCI grant application.

A participant is an individual participating in a CCI application and grant, who contributes to the overall intellectual direction by conducting research and related activities. The participant does not have responsibility for the financial aspects of the application and grant.

To be considered a participant:

• You must hold a remunerated position at, or be affiliated with, an eligible Canadian college 2 or university4 at the time of the application. For a college participant, this may include a full- or part-time position, such as a faculty appointment, a position as a research administrator or technical/professional staff; and
• You must accept and comply with the Terms and conditions of applying for participants.

A partner is a private, public or not-for-profit organization that actively participates in the research and related activities of a CCI application and grant and makes cash and/or in-kind contributions. The authorized contact from the organization represents the partner organization and completes the partner module in the Convergence Portal.

The CCI program’s partnership guidelines provide more information on the roles and responsibilities of partner organizations.

The research grants officer is the authorized institutional contact who confirms the host college will take responsibility for the administration of the grant funds, should the application be awarded funding. The research grants officer is expected to guide the applicant on using grant funds, as per the terms and conditions of the respective CCI funding opportunity and the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration. Other terms may be used to refer to the research grants officer, including RGO, authorized representative, research administrator and institutional representative.

The research grants officer confirms and certifies that:

• the applicant and other members of the research team meet the eligibility requirements;
• any co-applicants from other institutions meet the eligibility requirements, and that authorized representatives from those institutions have confirmed that the co-applicants have approval to participate in the proposed activities;
• the proposed research projects or activities meet the funding opportunities’ requirements; and
• the college will meet its obligations and responsibilities, including its compliance with the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions, the Tri-agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research, the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration and the relevant CCI program grant literature.

As part of their pre-award responsibilities, the research grants officer is authorized to access, browse, approve and forward the college’s CCI grant application to NSERC. This includes returning an application to the applicant should it be deemed incomplete or unsatisfactory, along with the required changes, if applicable.

Further roles and responsibilities of the research grants officer are detailed in the Administering institutions section of the Tri-agency financial administration page.

The research grants officer cannot be the applicant on the same CCI application and grant.

To register as a research grants officer, please contact your institution’s Principal Research Administrator as they are granted the ability to oversee and manage administrative roles within an institution on the Convergence Portal.

Once registered, the research grants officer will be able to access the Convergence Portal and will have to read, accept and comply with the Terms and conditions for applying for research administrators in the Convergence Portal before being able to submit an application to the granting agency.

The research grants officer is referred to as ‘research administrator’ in the Convergence Portal.

In a CCI application and grant, college students are considered students while enrolled in a pedagogical program offered by the college and 12 months after program completion.

The participation of college students and a college student training component are required per the relevant CCI funding opportunity (unless otherwise specified). It is the intention of the CCI program that the funds allocated to student salaries be used primarily for college students.

University students and post-doctoral fellows are:

• to be remunerated as technical or professional university staff or as consultants in the budget table;
• considered research trainees for reporting purposes.

Students do not create an account or have a dedicated role in the Convergence Portal; therefore, their individual information is not needed or captured in the CCI grant application.

The table below indicates if a role in an application is mandatory, optional or unavailable for the following CCI grants:

• Applied Research and Development (ARD) grants
• Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) grants
• College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) grants
• Mobilize grants
• Technology Access Centres (TAC) grants

*This individual must be from the host college

Permission to submit, edit or view specific parts of an application in the Convergence Portal will vary depending on an individual’s role in the application.

* If a not-for-profit organization asks for a research salary allowance