• General information
• Completing the application
• Attachments
• Co-applicants
• Uploading your NSERC CCV
• Submitting the application to NSERC
• Signatures

About the program

Read the program description before you complete the application.

Am I eligible to apply?

Consult the Eligibility requirements for faculty to apply for or hold grant funds (for university faculty) to ensure that you can participate in this grant program as an applicant or a co-applicant.

Who completes the application?

The applicant and co-applicant(s) must complete their respective sections of the application according to the instructions using the Research Portal. In addition, they must each complete the Canadian Common CV (CCV) and link it to the application.

Presentation standards

You must submit all requested information in the application, and the submitted application must meet the Research Portal presentation and attachment standards. Incomplete applications and applications that do not meet the presentation standards may be rejected, or be at a disadvantage, in comparison with those that are complete and respect the presentation standards. Where page limits are stated, pages in excess of the number permitted will be removed. Information that is not required, based on the application instructions, will also be removed.

Application deadlines

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

The application must be received at NSERC by 8:00 p.m. (ET) on the deadline date. The application deadline is indicated on the program description page.

In instances of systems interruptions, refer to the Service standards for NSERC and SSHRC’s online application systems policy on sustained interruptions.

Once an application has been submitted to NSERC, it cannot be updated or modified, either before or after the deadline.

Personal information

The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act. The collection, use, disclosure, retention, and disposal of your 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.

Self-identification information (research team)

You must complete the self-identification questionnaire found in the person profile of the Research Portal when applying for funding. This data provides information on the diversity of the population applying for and receiving agency funds. This information increases NSERC’s capacity to monitor its progress on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in its programs, to recognize and remove barriers, and to design new measures to achieve greater EDI in the research enterprise. If you do not want to self-identify, you have the option to choose “I prefer not to answer” for each question, but you are required to select a response for the questionnaire to be marked as complete. Self-identification information is not part of the application and will be neither accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or selection committee members. The self-identification questionnaire should be reviewed and updated, if required, every time you apply to the program.

For more information, refer to the Frequently asked questions about the self-identification questionnaire.

Whom should I contact for help?

• For program-related information, contact Subatomic@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.
• For matters related to the Research Portal, contact the online services helpdesk by email at webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca, by phone at 613-995-4273, or complete an online services support request.

You must complete the application according to the instructions, using the Research Portal. In addition, you must complete and link the NSERC Canadian Common CV (CCV) to your application.

Note: If you have not submitted a notification of intent (NOI) for this program, you cannot create or submit an application. Consult the program description for more information.

• Sign in to the Research Portal.
• Select the funding opportunity and click Create.
• Select your notification of intent (NOI) to apply; it will form the basis for your application.
• Complete your eligibility profile and click on Validate.
• Click on Continue and Create Application.
• Under Applications, open the application.
• Click on Edit to complete the different sections.

Some fields are pre-populated based on the information provided in your NOI. You may edit some of these fields as needed.

Administering organization

Organization – Select the organization that will administer the grant.

Department – If your department is not in the list, select “head office.”

Application

Application title - The title must be short and descriptive. It may be used for publication purposes. Restrict the use of acronyms (e.g., DNA, NATO, etc.), and avoid company or trade names. The title of the application can differ from the title provided on the NOI.

Language of the application – Indicate the language in which the application will be submitted. The main body of the application must be written in either English or French, rather than a mix of both official languages. All NSERC CCVs (for the applicant and all co-applicants) must be submitted in the same language as the application.

Suggested Evaluation Group (not editable) – Only researchers undertaking research in subatomic physics at a Canadian university can apply to the Subatomic Physics Research Tools and Instruments (SAP-RTI) program. Applications that do not meet this requirement will be rejected.

Hours per month to be devoted to research/activity or use of equipment or facility – Enter the number of hours per month you, the applicant, plan to devote to the proposed research/activity or use of equipment or facility. Do not include hours contributed by others (e.g., highly qualified personnel).

A maximum of 3,000 characters is allowed in the text box.

Provide a summary of the proposal in plain language that the public can understand. It will be made available to the public if your proposal is funded.

Using simple terms, briefly describe the equipment or the facility that is requested, what it will be used for, and the research activities it will enable. Indicate why and to whom the research activities are important, their anticipated outcomes and the benefits to the research field and to Canada.

If you wish, you may also provide a summary in the other official language in the text box identified for that purpose.

Proposed expenditures

SAP-RTI category 2 and 3 grants can be single or multi-year awards, however the onus is on the applicant to clearly explain the proposed duration in the Budget justification section. If you do not request support for certain years, you must enter 0 for each of those years.

Verify all of your entries carefully. The Total Amount Requested from NSERC is calculated automatically by subtracting the Total Cash Contributions, if any, from the Total Proposed Expenditures.

All project expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds, as outlined in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration.

Review and take into account the eligible and ineligible costs specific to the SAP-RTI – categories 2 and 3 grants in the program description.

Applications for computing equipment are considered on the same basis as all other equipment applications. RTI grant funds may be used to purchase hardware and/or to pay for the acquisition of software.

Expenses covered by the Research Support Fund (RSF) are ineligible for funding through the RTI program. Refer to the RSF website for information on the indirect costs covered by this program.

Cash contributions

Indicate any cash contributions, if applicable. A cash contribution is financial support provided by another source of funding, such as a university, industry or other sources. A vendor discount is not a cash contribution.

For SAP-RTI category 2 and 3 grants, the amount requested in the application should not differ by more than 20% from that included in the NOI. Should there be a deviation larger than 20%, you will need to justify the difference and obtain NSERC's approval before submitting your full application. The distribution of the requested funds over the years can be changed with respect to what was submitted in the NOI (i.e., different values in each year, different duration).

Use the Budget justification section (explained below under Attachments) to explain and justify each budget item and any contributions from other sources towards the purchase of the equipment or facility.

Certification requirements

Before completing this section, consult the Requirements for certain types of research.

Research involving humans: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution's administration with the appropriate certification indicating that research involving humans has been reviewed and has received the required approval.

Research involving the use of animals: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution's administration with the certification from the animal care committee at the institution that the experimental procedures proposed have been approved and that the care and treatment of animals are in accordance with the principles outlined in the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guide.

Research involving human pluripotent and/or totipotent stem cells: If you select Yes, or if through peer review the application is found to fall into this category and is recommended for funding, it will be forwarded to CIHR’s Stem Cell Oversight Committee (SCOC) to ensure compliance with Chapter 12, Section F of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2). The SCOC review is in addition to the normal review by local research ethics boards (REBs). Funding will not be released until approval has been obtained from the SCOC.

Research involving hazardous substances: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution’s administration with the certification from the biosafety committee at the institution that the laboratory procedures being used comply with the safety precautions necessary for the level of containment required by the research.

Environmental impact: For more information, consult NSERC’s Guidelines on impact assessment.

Sensitive Technology Research Areas: If you select Yes, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application – in the STRAC Attestation Attachment section – to comply with the policy. In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern, all researchers involved in the activities supported by a research grant that aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the List of Named Research Organizations.

Research subject codes:

Consult the Research subject codes table. All applicants are required to select a primary research code.

Area of application codes:

Consult the Area of application codes table. All applicants are required to select a primary area of application code.

Keywords:

Modify, as required, the keywords to best describe your proposal. A maximum of 10 keywords are permitted.

You must re-validate your eligibility profile. Review your information and ensure it accurately reflects the details of your eligible position. If your position is not in the list provided, enter free-form text. Click on Save and validate. 

On the Application Overview page, click Attach to include each required document. Attachments are free-form and must respect Research Portal presentation and attachment standards and page limits, where appropriate.

Important note: You must preview all of your attachments in the Research Portal to ensure that the documents have been uploaded correctly and that the content is viewable. NSERC will not accept corrupted or protected files that cannot be opened or viewed.

This is a free-form PDF attachment.

The following page limits apply:

• For SAP-RTI – category 2 grant applications (total net cost of equipment between $150,001 and $324,999), a maximum of 10 pages is allowed.
• For SAP-RTI – category 3 grant applications (total net cost of equipment of $325,000 or more), a maximum of 15 pages is allowed.

Refer to the selection criteria section of the SAP-RTI Grants program description and address each of the criteria. The applicant prepares the proposal with input from the co-applicants, as required.

This is a free-form PDF attachment.

There is no page limit. The file size limit is 10MB.

Provide a detailed explanation and justification for each budget item identified on the Proposed Expenditure page. Provide sufficient information to allow reviewers to assess whether the items requested are appropriate, including details on models and manufacturers.

In a table format like the one below, give a clear cost breakdown of the items requested indicating the subtotal(s), the institutional tax rate, the total tax and, if applicable, the currency exchange rate(s) and the converted currency total(s).

Table template

All proposed expenditures, including those taken from quotations, must be in Canadian dollars. To convert to Canadian currency, you must use an exchange rate consistent with the Bank of Canada rate at the time of application. Ensure that tax rates (i.e., applicable exemptions or rebates) used in the budget are consistent with the tax rates used by your institution. Failure to use the above described exchange rate and/or tax rate(s), or the addition of any other line item in the budget intended to cover fluctuations in cost, may result in a revised award amount.

Ensure that you include two quotations, when applicable. If you cannot provide the number of quotations required, provide a clear justification (refer to Quotations section, below).

Relationship to other research support – explanation

You must provide sufficient information to enable the reviewers to assess the relationship between the equipment requested in this application and in other relevant research funds held or applied for, including those of any co-applicants. These funds can include grants and contributions from funding agencies, organizations, the private sector, institution start-up funds, research chairs, the primary place of employment (for adjunct professors) and other institutional research support.

You must clearly demonstrate that the funds requested in the SAP-RTI application will be for expenses that are distinct from those covered by support (in kind or cash) from other sources. For funding applied for, you must demonstrate that there will be no duplication of funding for the same expense(s) by explaining how funds will be used if all applications are successful.

Two files with a size limit of 10 MB each.

While applicants are encouraged to provide quotations for all equipment, you must provide two (2) recent quotations for any individual item(s) over $40,000 net. If the required number of quotations cannot reasonably be submitted, you must provide a clear justification in the Budget justification section.

The application will be rejected if the quotations or the justification are not submitted with the application.

Note: Net cost is defined as the purchase cost of the equipment after any discount from the vendor and before taxes, customs and importation fees, transportation and shipping charges, and assembly and installation costs.

This is a free-form PDF attachment.

Limit of two pages.

• SAP-RTI – category 2 and 3 grant applications
  
  A letter from the applicant’s head of department is required. The letter must indicate the importance and priority that the department places on the proposed equipment and the extent to which the department will provide support.
  
  
• SAP-RTI – category 3 grant applications
  
  A letter from the president of the university or delegated representative is required. The letter should explain the extent to which the university will provide support, such as the provision of space, financial contributions to the purchase and installation, the purchase of ancillary equipment, funding of technical support staff, etc.

In the case of SAP-RTI – category 3 grant applications, each letter of support (head of department and president of the university or delegated representative) should each be on one page. The two letters must be combined in a single two-page PDF file.

If you selected Yes to the question regarding Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRA) in the Activity Details section of your application, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application to comply with the policy. By using the attestation form template, you and your co-applicant(s), if applicable, must each complete an attestation form certifying that you have read, understood, and are compliant with this policy. You must collect and compile all the completed attestation forms and save them as a single PDF file. The attestation forms must include the current date, first and last name, primary affiliation (institution), email address, public profile link (optional) and attestation statement check. Your response to the STRA question and your submitted attestation form(s) are not accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or committee members.

Should the application be successful, you and your research team will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant. For more information, please read the Tri-Agency’s detailed guidance for this policy.

Include only those who frequently use the equipment as co-applicants. There is no typical number of co-applicants for a SAP-RTI – category 2 or 3 grant application.

From the Application Overview page in the Invitations section, click on Manage Invitations.

Provide the email address and family name of each co-applicant. An email will be sent to each participant with instructions on how to accept the invitation. Co-applicants who were already invited at the NOI stage must accept it again at the application stage. The list of co-applicants may be modified from the time when the NOI was submitted.

In addition to information that must be provided to the applicant for the proposal, co-applicants must accept the invitation as specified in the invitation email (even if you previously accepted at the NOI stage). In the Research Portal, complete the eligibility profile, provide the number of hours per month to be devoted to the use of the equipment and upload your NSERC CCV.

A Submit button will be displayed once you have validated the information and uploaded your NSERC CCV. Select Submit to send your part of the application to the applicant.

Once co-applicants complete their portions and select Submit, the applicant will see the status of the co-applicant invitations change from Invitation sent to Invitation accepted and completed and a green check mark will appear in the Status column.

Note: Co-applicants (except those from the applicant’s institution) must advise the authorized officer of their organization that the applicant, or the applicant’s institution, will be seeking their authorized officer’s signature and agreement to the co-applicant(s)’s participation before the application is submitted to NSERC.