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Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) grants are institutional grants; the institution is identified as the grant recipient. Therefore, the applicant prepares the application and is responsible for administering the grant on behalf of the institution.
Note: Colleges are invited to submit a limited number of applications per competition. The maximum allowable applications per college will vary from competition to competition based on a number of factors including budget availability. It is the responsibility of the college to ensure that the number of applications submitted to NSERC does not exceed the permitted limit. For the 2024 ARTI competition, a maximum of two applications can be submitted per college.
The applicant must hold a remunerated position at an
Participants (optional) are typically faculty or professional/technical or other staff from the college and/or from another CCI-eligible institution who will contribute to the research activities associated with the equipment. Only expected major (frequent) users of the equipment should be listed.
Contributors (optional) are individuals designated by the applying college who have access to edit the application and who typically help the applicant complete the application, but do not participate in the research activities. The information of contributors is, therefore, not captured in the application.
For additional information, please visit the
The research grants officer (RGO) is the authorized institutional contact. This role is called Research Administrator in Convergence. They approve and submit the grant application on behalf of the college.
- For program-related information, contact
colleges@nserc-crsng.gc.ca . - For questions about the Convergence Portal, email
websupport@convergence.gc.ca or call613-995-4273 .
The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the
Your application must be received at NSERC before 8:00 pm (ET) on . If the deadline falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the application must reach NSERC before 8:00 pm (ET) the following working day.
You will not be able to edit your application once it has been submitted. You may not send material or updates separately before or after the deadline date.
As the applicant, you must create and submit your application in the
Follow the instructions provided in Convergence to complete your application. Details on the information needed to complete an application are outlined below.
You are responsible for submitting a complete application that conforms to the presentation standards established by NSERC. You must check the page length and formatting of any attachments uploaded to
- Sign in to the
Convergence Portal . If you already have an account, use your existing account. - Select Funding Opportunities.
- Select CCI Applied Research Tools and Instruments grants, then Create Application.
- Complete steps 1 to 5 detailed below and agree to the terms and conditions of applying.
The applicant and participant(s) will be required to complete enrolment steps when creating (applicant) or accepting an invitation to participate in an application (participant[s], steps 2 to 5 below). If you have previously completed the enrolment steps in Convergence, some fields may be pre-populated. At this point, you can also update any information you have previously provided.
Step 1 – Eligibility: Confirm the eligibility of your position.
Step 2 – Affiliations: List all of your current affiliations and identify your primary affiliation (select your current affiliation associated with the application).
Step 3 – Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI): Completion of the self-identification form is mandatory however, you may select "Prefer not to answer" for any or all questions; see the self-identification information section below for more information.
Step 4 – Fields of research: List at least two fields of research and indicate at least one as a primary area of research. These do not need to be directly related to the application.
Step 5 – Keywords: Provide a minimum of five keywords that best describe, overall, your areas of research. They do not need to be directly related to a specific application and will not be used for evaluation purposes.
Terms and conditions: Accept the terms and conditions to access the application.
Self-identification information
The applicants and participant(s) must complete the self-identification form to apply for NSERC funding. However, you may select "Prefer not to answer" for any or all questions. NSERC appreciates your participation, which supports the granting agencies in monitoring the equity of their programs and strengthening EDI in the research enterprise.
Self-identification information is collected as part of your profile when you register in
Select View application from the Applications tab to access the application.
Note: You can access the My profile section by selecting your name from the navigation menu in the top-right corner; however, it is not necessary to complete your entire profile in Convergence. More specifically, the Funding, and the personal circumstances sections do not need to be completed as they are not captured in the application nor used in the assessment of applications.
The applicant and participant(s) must complete the My information section of the application.
Once these sub-sections are completed and finalized, the information cannot be edited.
CV education: You must provide at least one academic experience in a postsecondary program.
If you are completing your My information section for the first time in Convergence, add past and current education, if applicable, by selecting Add new education. If you have previously completed your profile, you may add previously recorded education information by selecting Associate education.
CV affiliation and employment: You must provide at least one employment experience that is a postsecondary, research, professional or industrial position you have held.
If you are completing your My information section for the first time in Convergence, add past and current affiliations by selecting Add new affiliation. If you previously completed your profile, you may add previously recorded affiliations by selecting Add existing affiliation.
CV documents (PDF attachment): You must attach a
The applicant and contributor(s) (as applicable) must complete the Shared information section of the application.
Provide the application title and the language of the application. The title should describe the requested equipment and will be used for publication purposes. It should not contain a company or trade name. Spell out scientific symbols and acronyms. The main body of your application should be written in either English or French rather than in a mix of both official languages.
Click Invite participant to invite participants and/or contributors to complete their sections in the application. A maximum of ten participants, excluding the applicant and contributors, can be invited.
This sub-section lists all the participants and contributors who have accepted your invitation and accessed Convergence. If an individual has not accepted your invitation follow up with them to confirm they have received it.
If an invited participant has a status of Pending Eligibility, they have accepted your invitation, but have not completed their enrolment (steps 1 to 4 in Convergence and agreeing to the terms and conditions of applying) to access the application.
If an invited participant has a status of Information not finalized, verify that they have completed the My information section (CV documents, CV affiliation and employment, and CV education) by selecting View Information.
Once you (as the applicant) and all participants have completed the respective sections, you (the applicant) must finalize each record by selecting Finalize information from the Actions menu, which changes the status to Complete. Once finalized, the information cannot be edited by the applicant or participant(s). You must email
Note: Only the applicant can finalize information entered by participants.
Provide at least one primary
Note: Socioeconomic objectives were previously referred to as "areas of application."
List at least one primary
List at least five keywords that best describe this specific application. You may list a maximum of ten keywords.
The summary is intended to explain the proposal in language that the public can understand. Briefly describe the equipment requested and the nature of the applied research to be supported. Indicate why and to whom the applied research is important, the anticipated outcomes, and the benefits to the college’s applied research capabilities, community organizations and Canada. This plain-language summary will be available to the public if your proposal is funded.
The maximum character count is 2,500.
Answer the questions in the Certification requirements sub-section, ensuring that your responses are relevant to the proposed research activities. Depending on the answers you provide in the questionnaire, you may be asked to submit an
Before completing this sub-section, consult the
Use the ARTI
In the Proposed budget section of Convergence, enter the amount requested from NSERC.
Use the
Note: Overhead and administration costs equivalent to 20% of the annual grant amount are automatically calculated.
Prepare your attachments following the details below.
Presentation and attachment standards:
- Any acronyms and abbreviations must be explained.
- Pages must be 8 ½ inches x 11 inches (216 mm x 279 mm).
- Text must be single-spaced, with no more than six lines of type per inch.
- All text must be in black, using the 11 pt Arial font; condensed fonts will not be accepted.
- Tables and figures: the font type and size requirements do not apply to text inside tables and figures. However, for text inside tables and figures, you must use a font type and size that are clearly legible. Ensure tables have a header row or column and figures have alternative text to describe the content of the figure. Note that figures and tables count toward the specified page limits.
- Margins must be set at a minimum of ¾ inch (1.87 cm).
- In multi-page attachments, pages must be numbered sequentially.
- For non-CV attachments, your name must appear in the top-right margin of each page.
- The name of the document must appear at the top (e.g., Proposal, Budget justification).
All attachments must be converted to portable document format (PDF) before they can be attached to the application. The conversion process varies with the operating system and word processing or spreadsheet software you are using. If you have questions about converting your documents to PDF, contact your institution's technical support staff. If you do not have a PDF conversion program, you may download a free version of
The following supporting documents must be attached to the application. The File column in the Supporting documents section indicates which documents are required.
If applicable, download the Impact assessment form (
Proposals requesting $40,000 or less should be up to three pages if written in English and 3.6 pages in French, those requesting between $40,001 and $100,000 should be up to five pages if written in English and six pages in French and those requesting over $100,000 should be up to eight pages if written in English and 9.6 pages in French. These page limits do not include references.
Your proposal will be evaluated according to the evaluation criteria detailed in the ARTI grants description. Using the three headings below, describe the proposed research in enough detail to allow reviewers to make an informed assessment. Write the proposal in clear, plain language. Avoid jargon, acronyms and highly technical terms. The proposal must address, in order, all of the criteria and sub-criteria listed below to be considered for funding.
Relevance to applied research at the College (4 points)
- A demonstrated need for the proposed equipment and evidence that it will increase the college’s capacity for applied research in the area(s) of the proposal
- The fit of the proposed applied research equipment with the college’s applied research strategic plan and existing infrastructure and equipment
- The researcher(s)’ relevant experience and demonstrated ability to fully use the proposed equipment
- The impact on the applied research program of any delay in acquiring the proposed equipment
Partnerships and innovation impacts (3 points)
- The potential for the proposed equipment to foster, stimulate or enable collaborations with partners from industry, public, not-for-profit and/or health organizations
- The innovation impact of the proposed equipment on current and potential partner-focused projects
- The availability and access to similar applied research equipment within the region for the college and partner organizations
Training (3 points)
- Appropriateness of the equipment training plan to provide college students and other trainees with enriched hands-on applied research training opportunities and marketable skills
- The quality and extent of training
- Identification of at least one concrete action in the equipment training plan to promote a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible training environment
References
If needed, you may also include one additional page if written in English and 1.2 pages in French for literature references. Use this section to provide a list of the most relevant literature references. Do not refer readers to websites for additional information on your proposal. Do not introduce hyperlinks in the list of references. Include the reference page in the PDF file with the research proposal.
Download a copy of the
Do not alter the template (font type and size, margins or line spacing), as the budget table must fit on a letter-size page (portrait orientation).
Save the completed budget table in portable document format (PDF) and upload it to the Supporting documents section under Budget table supporting file.
In a maximum of two pages if written in English and 2.4 in French, provide a detailed explanation and justification for each budget item identified in the Proposed budget section. Provide sufficient information for reviewers to assess whether the resources requested are appropriate. These pages should only contain information pertinent to the budget.
Using the following headings, please describe:
Equipment or facility
Give a breakdown of the items requested in Canadian dollars. Provide details on models and manufacturers, and include applicable taxes. Clearly state the rationale for the model and manufacturer selected. Justify the need for each item requested.
Provide details about associated costs, if applicable, including:
- transportation costs, shipping and handling, extended warranty, brokerage and customs charges
- installation
- training fees provided by a third party
Travel
Briefly explain how each activity relates to the proposal. Only activities related to the purchase of the equipment are eligible to be included.
Other expenses
List all other items not relevant to the previous categories and provide a brief explanation for major items.
Note: Overhead and administration costs equivalent to 20% of the annual grant amount are included automatically; such costs include expenditures eligible under the
Provide two recent quotations for items or systems costing more than $40,000 before taxes. Provide justification if two quotations are not available.
Note: For upload purposes, all the quotations must be saved into a single PDF document.
You must provide a minimum of one letter of support from a private, public and/or not-for-profit sector organization outlining their interest in the requested applied research equipment as well as, if applicable, their anticipated involvement in applied research and innovation activities with the college using the proposed equipment. The supporting organization may be a current or future potential partner who will benefit through the acquisition of the equipment but can also be a key organization from the college’s community (e.g., municipal, regional, provincial, territorial and/or federal organizations, as well as associations) who may not require the equipment for their own organization but would like to support the acquisition of the equipment to benefit their regions, members, and other organizations within their communities.
The letter(s) should be on company letterhead and should describe the need for the equipment and the impact on current or potential projects. Letters from organizations from whom the college plans to purchase equipment or services are not considered letters of support. Applications without at least one letter of support will be deemed ineligible and removed from the competition.
There is no maximum number of support letters that can be provided. However, multiple letters comprised of similar or repeated general text will not necessarily strengthen a proposal. Impactful letters need to clearly articulate the specifics of how the organization will benefit through the acquisition of the proposed equipment.
Although contributions from supporting organizations (cash or in-kind) are not required for ARTI proposals, these may strengthen the proposal by demonstrating the relevance and importance of the equipment to the stakeholders of the college’s community. If a cash contribution towards the purchase of the equipment is provided by an organization (other than the applicant's institution), a letter of support is required from the organization confirming this commitment.
If you have more than one letter, you must combine them into one document and save the document as a PDF file.
The applicant must review the application to ensure that it is complete.
In the Finalize and Submit section, follow the prompts to submit your application to your RGO.
After you accept the terms and conditions, the status of your submission will change to Received by Administrator. If you want to make any changes at this point, you may request that your RGO return the application to you.
Once your RGO has approved and submitted your application, the application status will change to Received by Agency. No changes can be made after that point.
This section is for research grant officers.
When you, as the research grants officer, receive an application submitted by an applicant at your institution, you will be asked to approve and submit the application. By submitting the application, you confirm and certify that:
- the applicant, applicants and participants meet the eligibility requirements
- the applicant has the necessary time and resources to carry out the activities
- the proposed research project meets the funding opportunity's requirements
- 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 , theTri-agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research (2021) and theTri-agency Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA) - you or the applicant will contact NSERC (
colleges@nserc-crsng.gc.ca ) if there are any changes during the tenure of the grant, including changes to the composition of the research team (applicants and co-applicants), partnership or collaborators