NSERC Overview March 23-24/2011

NSERC Key Facts Arms-length research funding agency of the federal government Does not conduct research itself and has no research laboratories; supports research carried out in universities/colleges Governed by an 18 member Council appointed by government with representation from academia, industry and government Over 400 employees Headquarters in Ottawa and five regional offices across Canada

Federal S&T Structure PARLIAMENT Prime Minister Prime Minister CABINET Minister of Industry Science, Technology and Innovation Council Science, Technology and Innovation Council Research Performed in Labs National Research Council (NRC) Science-Based Department and Agencies e.g., Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Health Canada Research Performed in Labs National Research Council (NRC) Science-Based Department and Agencies e.g., Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Health Canada Research Funding National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) Canada Revenue Agency’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits Research Funding National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) Canada Revenue Agency’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits Research Funding Granting Agencies: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Foundations: Canada Foundation For Innovation (CFI), Genome Canada, Post-secondary research in universities, colleges and teaching hospitals Post-secondary research in universities, colleges and teaching hospitals Industry Industry Canada Minister of State (S&T)

Canada’s Research and Development Priority Areas and Sub-Priority Areas

NSERC Budget Total: $1.07 billion

NSERC’s Priorities People Building our human capital in the natural sciences and engineering Discovery Unleashing the creative power of our researchers Innovation Connecting and applying the strength of our research capacity to the challenges and needs of industry and society Total budget in $1.07B

NSERC International Strategy Approach Enabling an open research environment International collaborations pervasive across all NSERC programs Ensure policies, rules and criteria do not create barriers to international collaboration Focusing on priority initiatives Internationalization of Canadian NSE research for initiatives in priority areas

(2007) Percentage of Canadian Papers in the Natural Sciences and Engineering with International Collaborators, by selected country in 1998 and % Source: Observatoire des Sciences et Technologies (SCI Expanded) : US ranks first at 20.6% (17% in 1998)

Strategic Project Grants Early-stage project research that could strongly enhance Canada’s economy, society and environment in the next 10 years Average SPG awards are $120,000 over three years Application success rate is typically 25 – 30% Although there must be significant involvement from the partners, a cash contribution is not required Foreign universities or companies can collaborate on projects – applicants are encouraged to incorporate international collaborations into their proposals Innovation

Strategic Target Areas ( )

Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) Projects Partnerships between Canadian companies and Canadian researchers in universities/colleges 1 to 5 years duration, usually 2 to 3 years Average grant $65K per year, but can vary from $10K/year to > $400K/year Industry responsible for at least 1/2 costs & must exploit results Flexible leverage: cash and in-kind 80-85% success rate No fixed application deadlines Can now include project management costs

Support for International Collaboration International Researchers: Encouraged to work in partnership with Canadians either in peer-to-peer collaborations or as members of international research teams Must bring their own resources to the collaboration In , over 8400 experts (37% from outside Canada) acted as external referees and provided detailed, written evaluations of the merit of applications

Support for International Collaboration Canadian researchers can use their NSERC Discovery research grants to support a range of international activities: Fieldwork Stipends for visiting researchers, students and fellows Travel and subsistence allowances for visiting researchers, students and fellows Attendance at international conferences, workshops and planning sessions

What’s new?

NSERC Frontiers Initiatives Discovery and Innovation Frontiers Larger-scale research projects lasting up to five years, worth at least $1 million per year Addressing national research priorities with a one-time injection of funding Teams of top Canadian researchers will carry out large, potentially transformative projects with top international teams

Innovation Frontiers To fund exceptional, solution-driven research opportunities of large scope and scale Focused on enabling transformative industrial innovation and addressing issues of national importance Industrial Contribution: at least $500K (1/3 of direct project costs) International partnerships required

G8 Research Councils Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding Consortia consist of at least three partners from separate participating countries Topics of global relevance which can best be tackled by a multinational approach First call: Application Software towards Exascale Computing for Global Scale Issues Estimated that 8-10 research consortia will be funded in this call 2011 and 2012 will launch separate calls in other themes of global relevance

Finding Canadian Expertise… NSERC Awards Search Engine: contains the results of NSERC competitions and information on its funding since This allows foreign researchers to identify Canadian researchers that received NSERC funds in specific fields of research ( NSERC Chairholder Database: is designed to connect you with some of Canada’s leading scientists and engineers. Each profile includes a summary of the Chairholders’ activities, relevant key words, partnering organizations and contact information ( Canada Research Chairs: this database contains short profiles of each of the Canada Research Chairs to date ( Canada Excellence Research Chairholder Profiles (

Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation Canadian industry needs to realize more value from the Government’s investment in post-secondary R&D capabilities. The Strategy: Builds on our base of world-class research Emphasizes making connections and applying research to create prosperity Expands the reach and impact of our partnerships programs

Igniting New Research Partnerships Through Engage Grants 445 new collaborations in first year, 88% with SMEs 272 companies new to NSERC Partnerships (>10% increase) 187 researchers new to Partnerships Programs Decisions in 4 to 6 weeks

Partnership Workshops Program Seed new collaborations between academic researchers, industry and government ≤ $25,000 (1 year) Foreign universities or companies can join these workshops Innovation

Strategic Network Grants Large scale multi-disciplinary networks that could strongly enhance Canada’s economy, society or environment within the next 10 years $500,000 to $1 million annually for up to five years 10% application success rate Partners must be actively involved in all stages Foreign universities or companies can join these networks – applicants are encouraged to incorporate international collaborations into their proposals Innovation