To better meet the evolving needs of researchers, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) are working together to introduce two key updates to the Convergence platform: integration with Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) and the addition of the principal research administrator role.

ORCID is a global, not-for-profit organization with an online international researcher registry. Researchers can register for ORCID iD for free and can add career information such as education details (degree, institution, dates of attendance) and employment history, and provide permanent links to their funding and research activities (publications, peer reviews, patents, etc.).

Using ORCID, applicants can easily pull their affiliation and education information into Convergence, reducing the time and administrative burden associated with research grant applications. This is a part of NSERC and SSHRC’s ongoing commitment to adapt to the needs of the research community, streamline the research experience, and improve the accessibility and accuracy of researcher data. Leveraging the ORCID integration in Convergence is not mandatory, but researchers can use it if they wish. To participate, researchers will have to create an ORCID account (if they do not already have one) and ensure that their information is up to date in the platform.

The integration of ORCID will be piloted in Convergence, as it is the most modern granting system at NSERC and SSHRC. This phase will allow the assessment of the benefits of integrating this tool into the new grant management system. At this time, only funding opportunities in Convergence offer this feature.

NSERC and SSHRC will also be introducing the principal research administrator role in the Convergence platform in the coming months. This addition aims to improve administrative efficiency and information accuracy by addressing current challenges with maintaining contact lists and authorizations linked to roles.

This role already exists in other platforms such as the NSERC On-line System, the SSHRC On-line System and the Research Portal. Stakeholder engagement activities have started and are ongoing to identify who within institutions will hold this role in Convergence.

If you have any questions regarding the ORCID integration pilot, please reach out to:

NSERC: z-cdo@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
SSHRC: zscorporatedata@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

For questions regarding the principal administrator role, please contact:

Convergence: websupport@convergence.gc.ca