About the program

Read the following documents before completing your letter of intent (LOI):

• Program description
• CREATE program frequently asked questions (FAQ)

You are responsible for submitting a completed LOI that conforms to the presentation standards established by NSERC. LOIs that are incomplete or do not meet the presentation standards may be rejected or may be at a disadvantage compared to those that have followed the guidelines. For more information, read the NSERC online presentation and attachment standards.

Where page limits are specified, any pages exceeding the maximum allowed will be removed. Additionally, any information not required according to the LOI instructions will also be removed.

Your LOI should be written in either English or in French, rather than in a mix of both official languages.

Your LOI must be received at your institution’s research grants office by its internal deadline date; contact your research grants office for the deadline.

Your LOI must be received at NSERC before 8:00 p.m. (ET) on the deadline date.

• Contact the CREATE team at CREATE@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

• Check the FAQ for information on how to use the online system
• Review the instructions available in the LOI
• Contact the Online Services Helpdesk by email at webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca; by telephone at 1-855-275-2861, select Technical Support when prompted and provide your email address and telephone number in your message; or complete an online services support request.

The information you provide in the application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act. The collection, use, disclosure, retention, and disposal of your personal information are outlined in the following policy statements:

• 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 Info Source.

NSERC collects self-identification data from all applicants and co-applicants, which provides information on the diversity of the population applying for and receiving agency funds. This information will be collected as part of the full application.

Please refer to the Guidance on the use of Artificial Intelligence in the development and review of research grant proposals and associated FAQs pages for more information. 

Eligibility conditions apply to applicants, co-applicants and institutions. CREATE grants are tenable only at NSERC-eligible Canadian universities, and the applicant must hold an eligible full-time position at that university. Researchers at non-eligible organizations may participate as collaborators. Adjunct professors are not eligible to be applicants but may be co-applicants. Ensure that you review the eligibility requirements for applicants, co-applicants and collaborators described on NSERC’s website under Eligibility criteria for faculty.

For CREATE initiatives that were awarded in 2020 or earlier, the one-year COVID-19 extension is added to the grant duration and affects the eligibility of applicants or co-applicants for new LOIs to the CREATE program.

A researcher can participate in a maximum of two CREATE grants/LOIs at any given time and a maximum of one as the lead applicant or grantee. Consult the CREATE FAQ Eligibility section for more information.

Contact the CREATE team if you are unsure about an initiative’s end date or the eligibility of applicants, co-applicants or institutions.

Applicants must complete and submit the LOI (Form 187) using NSERC’s online system. For the international stream, only applicants whose research collaborators in Germany have achieved a successful Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) International Research Training Group (IRTG) pre-proposal can submit an LOI. International stream applicants must submit an LOI with a title that references the international stream. 

Please refer to the CREATE program description and the CREATE FAQ international collaborations section for more information on international stream applications.

Before submitting Form 187, you must receive confirmation of your university’s endorsement of your LOI. This applies to both the regular and international streams. If you submit an LOI that is not endorsed by the university, it will be rejected.

An earlier deadline may be established by the university to review proposals and select those it will put forward to NSERC. The vice-president of research, or equivalent, must provide a letter that clearly confirms that the applicant’s proposal is endorsed by the university. It should not describe the university’s support and commitment for the new initiative, as this will be done at the application stage. The support letter is provided for administrative purposes only and is not part of the adjudication process. This applies to all institutions, irrespective of the number of LOIs that they submit.

Title of proposal

The title must follow the format “NSERC CREATE in/for [the discipline of the training program].” Spell out scientific symbols and acronyms. The title must not contain a company or trade name and must be the same between the LOI and full application stage. For international stream applications, the title must reference the international stream.

Research subject codes

Consult the NSERC code tables. All applicants are required to select a primary area application code.

Keywords

Provide a maximum of 10 keywords that describe this proposal.

The applicant must hold an eligible full-time position at their university. The applicant must be from a natural sciences and engineering (NSE) field. Consult the CREATE FAQ Eligibility section for more information about determining the NSE status of a researcher. Contact the CREATE team if you require assistance in determining the NSE status of a researcher.

The applicant must submit a Form 100 CV. No other CV formats are permissible.

List a minimum of one and a maximum of 10 co-applicants’ names and email addresses, the time in hours per month each will devote to the proposed training program, and their institution/department. At least 70% of the co-applicants must be from an NSE field. Up to 30% of co-applicants can be non-NSE researchers from areas covered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Consult the CREATE FAQ Eligibility section for more information about determining the NSE status of a researcher. Contact the CREATE team if you require assistance in determining the NSE status of a researcher.

Teams should strive for a diverse group of co-applicants. Please consult the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) section in the program description for more information.

For multi-institutional applications, you must include at least one co-applicant from each participating university.

By submitting this form, 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.

At the time of LOI submission, the applicant team composition must be finalized, meaning that the individuals listed as applicants and co-applicants should remain the same throughout both the LOI and application stages. Applicants and co-applicants are expected to remain part of an initiative until its end. They cannot resign simply to make themselves eligible to apply for a new CREATE grant.

If changes to the team composition are required between the two stages due to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, please contact the CREATE team at CREATE@nserc-crsng.gc.ca for approval.

The role of a CREATE collaborator is distinct from the typical “collaborator” role defined by NSERC’s eligibility requirements for faculty to apply for or hold grant funds. A CREATE collaborator is an individual or organization that supports the CREATE leadership team in delivering a CREATE training program. Examples of CREATE collaborator roles include giving a special guest lecture, helping to develop or deliver CREATE training activities, supervising trainees, hosting academic exchanges or internships, providing financial or in-kind contributions to support the program’s activities, co-authoring publications resulting from activities supported by the CREATE program, and/or providing access to facilities, equipment, or materials. A CREATE collaborator does not have access to CREATE funds and may be added to a CREATE program without requiring approval from NSERC throughout the grant period.

For the regular stream, a list of collaborators is not required at the LOI stage but can be included if they are already known. For the international stream, a list of research collaborators in Germany is required. If applicable, list each collaborator’s name, the time in hours per month each will devote to the proposed training program, and their organization/department. The collaborator list should include key participants in your proposed CREATE training initiative and may include, as appropriate, other academics who are not listed as co-applicants but have a supportive role to play, research scientists from other research institutions who will actively participate in the training, and/or representatives from other stakeholders, including government or industry, who are potential employers of the CREATE trained graduates.

Listed collaborators must have confirmed their willingness to participate. By submitting this form, the applicant certifies that the individuals listed as collaborators 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. Collaborators do not have access to the grant funds and are expected to contribute their own resources, cash or in-kind, to the CREATE training program. Trainees supervised by collaborators at one of the partner universities are eligible for CREATE stipends and expenses.

(Three-page maximum)

State the short- and longer-term objectives of the proposed research and training program, and summarize the pedagogic approach, originality, novelty, as well as the expected significance of the proposed program. Briefly indicate the type of research that the trainees will be involved in during the program. As appropriate to the proposal’s subject matter, describe the degree to which the training program, while focused on the NSE, also fosters research and training at the interface between the NSE and health or the social sciences and humanities. Proposals that include Indigenous research activities must describe the measures that will be taken to respond to community and partner needs and priorities. Consult the Indigenous research web page for more information.

Describe the technical and professional skills training and the mobility experiences that will be offered to the trainees. Please refer to the CREATE program description for more information on professional and technical skills training and mobility experiences. Your proposal must describe how the training program, including the role of mentoring, will better prepare students and/or postdoctoral researchers for their future careers. Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of Mitacs programs that support internships in industry and to increase opportunities for student training and engagement.

The proposal should indicate how future employers in industry, government and academia will be involved in guiding the training program. A description of the potential employers and a qualitative assessment of the job prospects for the trainees should be included.

Describe the measures that will be implemented to promote participation from a diverse set of trainees. Describe how EDI will be considered in recruitment, mentorship, and training activities. Include information on the approximate number of students and postdoctoral researchers you are planning to train and mentor on an annual basis in a table similar to the example below. Include both NSE and non-NSE trainees in the table. Briefly indicate how the training and mentoring of each group will be handled. The focus of your CREATE initiative must be on graduate students, representing at least 60% of trainees. Provide an explanation of if a particular category of students will not receive funding or be included in the program (for example, if no master’s students will be supported, explain why).

Because CREATE initiatives are not renewable, previous CREATE grantees and co-grantees must clearly describe how this application differs from those previously funded in terms of participants, training approach, theme and subject matter.

(Three-page maximum)

Provide information on the core team involved and the impact of their past contributions to their respective areas of research. Indicate if each co-applicant is considered NSE or non-NSE. Explain the rationale for the team composition and how it has the necessary expertise for the successful execution of the training and mentorship program. Indicate if the members of the team will work together (for example, through collaborative research) and how they will do so. The applicant, co-applicants and collaborators’ roles and responsibilities within the training program and its management must be explained. EDI considerations should be reflected in the rationale of the team composition and in the designated roles within the team. For more information, refer to section 2 of the NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research. Moreover, the applicants should describe how they have implemented and/or will implement policies and practices to support equity, diversity and inclusion within the team (for example, recruitment of team members, management of the team, mentorship).

Provide information on the team’s past contributions to the training and mentoring of highly qualified personnel (HQP). Consult NSERC’s Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring for guidance. Describe specific actions implemented to support equity and inclusion in recruitment practices, mentorship approaches, and initiatives aimed at ensuring an inclusive research and training environment and trainee growth.

Participation of team members in previous or active CREATE initiatives should be mentioned, as well as how this will impact their contribution to the proposed initiative.

For both international and regular-stream LOIs, a letter from the lead university’s vice-president of research or their representative must be submitted with the LOI confirming the university’s support for your proposal. The letter must mention the total number of LOIs the university will be submitting this competition year. Do not provide support details, as these will be included in the support letter provided at the application stage. The letter is for NSERC administrative purposes only and should not be more than one page. The letter must be written on letterhead, signed and sent in a portable document format (PDF).

Suggest the name and address (mail and email) of six to eight individuals who could provide an independent assessment of your full application.

You are encouraged to suggest a diverse cross-section of potential reviewers with appropriate expertise, such as, Canadian and international, established and early-career, from academic and non-academic institutions, and taking EDI considerations into account.

Avoid proposing reviewers who, to the best of your knowledge, are currently affiliated with or in receipt of funding or in-kind support from a Named Research Organization (NRO), especially if the proposed research aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA). Note: In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern, applicants will be asked to identify whether their research aims to advance a STRA at the full application stage.

Requirements for choosing external reviewers:

• Must include at least two Canadians.
• Must conform with NSERC’s Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Agreement for Review Committee Members, External Reviewers, and Observers guidelines.
• May be from foreign universities, government or industry, as appropriate.
• Must be capable of reviewing your application in the language in which it is written.

These individuals could be approached by NSERC to conduct an impartial review of the application. NSERC will make the final selection of external reviewers and will be seeking reports on the applications. Selected external reviewers are required to agree to the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Agreement for Review Committee Members, External Reviewers, and Observers before they can access the application material.

Before submitting the LOI, ensure that all the required information is complete and validated. Note that the LOI is submitted directly to NSERC without involving the research grant office.

Once it has been submitted, your form will no longer be available for revision.

• Form 187: Letter of intent for a CREATE program grant
• Letter from the vice-president of research at the applicant’s university
• Ensure that the eligibility criteria for institutions, applicants and co-applicants are respected
• External reviewer suggestions are included
• Applicant’s Form 100