Public Impact Value Proposition (PIVP) Selection Committee review instructions

The goal of your review is to determine whether the proposed project demonstrates the potential for public impact that justifies the need for a higher level (up to 100% of project costs) of investment of public funds.

Each Alliance Society application has passed an administrative review before being assigned to PIVP Selection Committee members.

In the first step of the process, you must review the PIVP section of the proposal (three pages, or 3.6 pages for French content). The PIVP must be assessed against three criteria: societal impact, making connections, and broad outputs. The project must meet all three criteria to justify the request for a higher NSERC contribution permitted in Alliance Society. Refer to the evaluation guidelines in Table 1 below when making your pass/fail evaluation.

Please be prepared to justify your evaluation of each of the three criteria and explain whether the proposal provides a convincing summary of why the higher level of investment is needed.

Applications that fit the objectives of Alliance Society and are meritorious will return to the PIVP Selection Committee to be ranked using the peer review assessment and the ranking guidelines in Table 2.

Alliance Society is part of a pilot in which applicants are asked to submit a data management plan (DMP) with their application. The results of this pilot will be used to inform NSERC’s implementation of the Tri-agency Research Data Management Policy’s DMP requirement. The DMP is not part of the scoring or the formal evaluation of the application; however, during this pilot, PIVP committee members are asked to provide feedback on submitted DMPs to help support applicants.

NSERC expects reviewers to consistently guard against the possibility of unconscious bias influencing the decision-making process, whether these biases are based on schools of thought, the perceived value of fundamental versus applied research, areas of research or research approaches (including emerging ones), size or reputation of an institution, age, gender, and/or other personal factors associated with the applicant and/or co-applicants. NSERC cautions reviewers against any judgment of an application based on such factors. To assist reviewers in recognizing both conscious and unconscious bias, all reviewers are asked to complete the 20-minute Bias in Peer Review online learning module.

Evaluation guidelines

Societal impact

Review answers to these PIVP questions

Describe the issue the project aims to address and explain the societal impact the project results will have. Describe the new technical knowledge that will be generated.

Describe the current barriers impeding a solution and the proposed novel strategy for addressing the issue. Explain why and how the research team and partner organizations are positioned to address the challenge.

Meet

Focuses on relevant and important regional, national or global issues or opportunities that could positively affect or benefit Canadian end users and society*

AND

Outlines the new knowledge to be generated by the project while including an approach involving science and engineering research

AND

Aims for benefits that align with the needs of societal end users and go beyond the direct interests of participating partner organizations, and aims to remove or lower the barriers to help achieve what would otherwise not be possible, such as:
Improvements to a category of product or service that has potential to transform a sector
Providing the evidence needed to support new policies or regulations or to improve them
Solving an issue affecting an entire sector
Creating a new area of the economy

Does not meet

Primarily focuses on the specific priorities of the partner(s) involved

Primarily focuses on the long-term goals of the partner(s), such as increasing profitability, market share, efficiency, visibility, reputation, etc.

Marginal or incremental improvements to knowledge, a product, a service process, policies, regulations or standards

The project may solve a challenge or take a first step toward achieving the proposed ultimate societal goals. The proposal should demonstrate how NSERC’s contribution allows crucial advances toward longer-term benefits. Benefits can be realized in collaboration with any sector—private, public or not-for-profit.

* Issues and opportunities include priorities of Indigenous communities or nations.

Making connections

Review answers to these PIVP questions

Describe how the project is designed to take into account the needs of end users and implementers. Outline the project’s plan to involve groups in your partner organizations’ network to achieve optimal results and impact.

Meet

Identifies partner organizations and societal groups affected by—or interested in—the problem, including those outside natural sciences and engineering, when appropriate

AND

Engages these partner organizations and societal groups incorporate their knowledge to the research design and implementation

AND

Involves these partner organizations and groups integrating the solutions within and across sectors

Does not meet

Partner(s) and researcher fail to demonstrate connections with key end users and implementers

Project shows insufficient opportunities or an insufficient justification on the approach to connect beyond partner organization(s)

Inadequate evidence of consultation with relevant groups and limited input and commitment from them

Low degree of participation from partner organizations and unclear intent to share results beyond the project’s partner organizations

The approach should bring together academic, partner organizations and societal groups throughout the collaboration—from design through execution to implementation. The partner organizations can advance the project through a high level of participation and sharing results beyond their own organizations. The application must explain how the partner organizations’ involvement will encourage adoption.

Broad outputs

Review answers to these PIVP questions

Explain how the project outcomes will reach beyond the partner organizations to impact society. Describe the ways in which interested individuals or groups will be able to learn about and use the products, services or policies that stem from this research.

Meet

Has a clear plan to communicate progress and the resulting products, services or policies beyond the academic world

AND

Uses appropriate non-technical and innovative formats that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and that help exchange knowledge with these organizations and groups

AND

Demonstrates how the management of intellectual property (IP) the project generates allows organizations and groups affected by the societal challenge to use the results without any obstacles

Does not meet

Project outcomes flow to partner organizations only

Knowledge mobilization beyond partners is solely through journal articles

No plan to transfer the knowledge to the relevant groups

Provides an IP management plan that would limit access to the outcomes

The project must aim for outcomes that are more than a product or service improvement. The project may advance a sector and its practices, or it may provide evidence leading to new policies or regulations. Outcomes are any activities undertaken as a result of new insights from the project. These outcomes must contribute to the societal impact promised in the application.

Ranking Guidelines

Alliance Society - Public Impact Rubric
Funding is recommended The proposal	Focuses on extremely relevant and important regional, national or global issues or opportunities that are expected to positively affect or benefit Canadian end users and society. Outlines impactful new knowledge (according to the external reviewer reports) to be generated by the project, while including an approach with the potential for innovative application of, and/or breakthrough in natural science and engineering research. Aims for benefits that show strong alignment with the needs of societal end users and clearly go beyond the direct interests of participating partner organizations, and have strong potential to remove or lower the barriers to help achieve what would otherwise not be possible. Has a very strong plan to communicate progress and enable the resulting products, services or policies for impact beyond the academic world. Strong emphasis on appropriate non-technical and innovative knowledge translation/mobilization efforts that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and apply results. Potential success of these efforts is expected to be high. Therefore, societal impact is expected to occur, or the opportunity to de-risk this work is seen as valuable for Canada, according to the peer reviewers and the PIVP Selection Committee.
Funding could be offered if budget permits The proposal	Focuses on relevant and important regional, national or global issues or opportunities that could positively affect or benefit Canadian end users and society. Outlines new knowledge (according to the external reviewer reports) to be generated by the project, while including an approach involving a sufficient focus on natural science and engineering research. Aims for benefits that align with the needs of societal end users and go beyond the direct interests of participating partner organizations, and aims to remove or lower the barriers to help achieve what would otherwise not be possible. Has a plan to communicate progress and enable the resulting products, services or policies for impact beyond the academic world. Includes appropriate non-technical and innovative knowledge translation/mobilization efforts that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and apply results. Therefore, societal impact is likely to occur or the opportunity to de-risk this work is seen as useful for Canada, according to the peer reviewers and the PIVP Selection Committee.
Do not fund The proposal	Focuses on regional, national or global issues or opportunities that may or may not positively affect or benefit Canadian end users and society. Outlines the knowledge, which may or may not be new (according to the external reviewer reports), to be generated by the project, while possibly including an approach insufficiently focused on natural science and engineering research; the use of NSE tools is not sufficient NSE content. Aims for benefits that may not sufficiently align with the needs of societal end users and/or appear more focused on the direct interests of participating partner organizations, and/or are unlikely to remove or lower the barriers. Lacks detail on the plan to communicate progress and the resulting products, services or policies for impact beyond the academic world. Needs more effort to include appropriate non-technical and innovative knowledge translation/mobilization efforts that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and apply results. Therefore, societal impact seems weaker in comparison to other applications or the opportunity for Canada is not seen as sufficiently valuable as other applications, according to the peer reviewers and PIVP Selection Committee.

Alliance Society - Public Impact Rubric

Funding is recommended

The proposal

Focuses on extremely relevant and important regional, national or global issues or opportunities that are expected to positively affect or benefit Canadian end users and society.
Outlines impactful new knowledge (according to the external reviewer reports) to be generated by the project, while including an approach with the potential for innovative application of, and/or breakthrough in natural science and engineering research.
Aims for benefits that show strong alignment with the needs of societal end users and clearly go beyond the direct interests of participating partner organizations, and have strong potential to remove or lower the barriers to help achieve what would otherwise not be possible.
Has a very strong plan to communicate progress and enable the resulting products, services or policies for impact beyond the academic world.
Strong emphasis on appropriate non-technical and innovative knowledge translation/mobilization efforts that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and apply results. Potential success of these efforts is expected to be high.

Therefore, societal impact is expected to occur, or the opportunity to de-risk this work is seen as valuable for Canada, according to the peer reviewers and the PIVP Selection Committee.

Funding could be offered if budget permits

The proposal

Focuses on relevant and important regional, national or global issues or opportunities that could positively affect or benefit Canadian end users and society.
Outlines new knowledge (according to the external reviewer reports) to be generated by the project, while including an approach involving a sufficient focus on natural science and engineering research.
Aims for benefits that align with the needs of societal end users and go beyond the direct interests of participating partner organizations, and aims to remove or lower the barriers to help achieve what would otherwise not be possible.
Has a plan to communicate progress and enable the resulting products, services or policies for impact beyond the academic world.
Includes appropriate non-technical and innovative knowledge translation/mobilization efforts that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and apply results.

Therefore, societal impact is likely to occur or the opportunity to de-risk this work is seen as useful for Canada, according to the peer reviewers and the PIVP Selection Committee.

Do not fund

The proposal

Focuses on regional, national or global issues or opportunities that may or may not positively affect or benefit Canadian end users and society.
Outlines the knowledge, which may or may not be new (according to the external reviewer reports), to be generated by the project, while possibly including an approach insufficiently focused on natural science and engineering research; the use of NSE tools is not sufficient NSE content.
Aims for benefits that may not sufficiently align with the needs of societal end users and/or appear more focused on the direct interests of participating partner organizations, and/or are unlikely to remove or lower the barriers.
Lacks detail on the plan to communicate progress and the resulting products, services or policies for impact beyond the academic world.
Needs more effort to include appropriate non-technical and innovative knowledge translation/mobilization efforts that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and apply results.

Therefore, societal impact seems weaker in comparison to other applications or the opportunity for Canada is not seen as sufficiently valuable as other applications, according to the peer reviewers and PIVP Selection Committee.