NSERC SPG | 2015 Competition University of Calgary – Application Checklist 7 of 7
NSERC Strategic Project Grants
2015 Competition
Application Checklist
General Information
The Strategic Project Grants Program aims to increase research and training in targeted areas of national interest that could strongly enhance Canada’s economy, society and/or environment within the next 10 years. Research must be proposed in one of four target areas:
1. Environmental Science and Technologies
2. Information and Communications Technologies
3. Manufacturing
4. Natural Resources and Energy
Award Amount
· No limits are set on the amounts requested. The average annual award in 2014 was $163,000.
Duration
· Strategic Project Grants are awarded for one to three years.
Application Deadlines
· Deadlines:
o December 10: Notice of Intent
o February 4: Draft Application
o March 26: Final Application
· The University of Calgary instituted an extensive internal review process for SPG applications in 2014, and doubled its success rate compared to previous years (30% versus the national average of 26%). The 2015 process includes the submission of: (1) a Notice of Intent; and (2) a complete draft for review by anonymous referees and an internal Review Committee. Applicants who make the required submissions in advance of both deadlines will have the opportunity to work with a professional grant writer.
o Applications that do not meet internal deadlines will not be eligible for any subsequent reviews, including access to a professional grant writer.
· The final application package must be submitted to Research Services by March 26 at 4:00 pm. This includes:
o Electronic submission of the application on the NSERC On-line system;
o A completed Research Funding Application Approval form, signed by the applicant, U of C co-applicants, the applicant’s Department Head, and the applicant’s Dean or Associate Dean (Research).
Required Signatures
· Research Funding Application Approval form: applicant, U of C co-applicant(s), the applicant’s Department Head, and the applicant’s Dean or Associate Dean (Research). Email to as part of your application package.
· Form 101: co-applicants do not need to physically sign the application, since they “link” to it electronically in the NSERC On-line system.
o The authorized institutional representative(s) of co-applicant(s) external to the University of Calgary must sign a copy of pg. 2-2. Email this page to as part of your application package.
· Form 183A: a representative of the supporting organization who is authorized to commit resources. A similar representative should also sign the Letter of Support. Send an original ink signature of this Form and the Letter of Support to the attention of Tiago Lier, Research Services Office (address in letterhead above).
o For government organizations, the signature must be provided by the Director General or equivalent.
Links to Additional Information
· Program Guidelines
· Form 101 Instructions (see also Instructions for International Collaborations)
· Form 100 Instructions
· Form 183A Instructions
· Frequently Asked Questions
Overview: Application Forms and AttachmentsForm 101 (Application for a Grant)
Budget Justification (attachment)
Contributions from Supporting Organizations (attachment)
Proposal (attachment)
References (attachment)
Intellectual Property – optional (attachment)
Curriculum Vitae (maximum of 6 pages) for each collaborator – if applicable (attachment)
Appendix A (Environmental Impact) – if required (attachment)
Appendix B (CEAA Pre-Screening Checklist) – if required (attachment)
Appendix C (Referee Suggestions)
Form 100 (Personal Data Form) – one for applicant and each co-applicant
Contributions (attachment)
Appendix A (Personal Data)
Appendix B (Eligibility Questionnaire) – if required
Appendix C (Description of Applicant’s Activities) – if required
Form 183A (Information Required from Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships Programs) – one for each supporting organization
Letter of Support from each supporting organization (attachment)
Company Profile (attachment)
Statement on Ownership – if applicable (attachment)
1. Form 101 (Application for a Grant)
Application profile
· Select a target area and research topic from the lists provided. Use the Proposal section to explain why the research you propose is strategic and how it addresses the research topic. If the research you propose falls outside the priority research topics listed, select “Exceptional Opportunity Outside the Research Topics” and provide an explanation in the Proposal section.
Areas of research
Certification requirements
Co-applicants
· To invite co-applicants to link their Personal Data Form (Form 100) to the application, enter the e-mail address of the co-applicant as it appears in the co-applicant’s Form 100, as well as the family name. When you select Save, an automated e-mail message will be sent to the person(s) to whom you have granted access to your application, informing them that they have been invited to participate in your application.
· When completing Form 100, academic researchers outside the natural sciences and engineering may provide the requested information related to “Contributions” in an alternate format within the five-page limit.
Supporting organizations
· Includes: co-applicant institutions (if different from the University of Calgary) and supporting organizations (Canadian-based companies or government organizations that can apply the results of the research).
· Enter information about each co-applicant organization's signing officer. For supporting organizations such as an industrial partner or a government department, enter information about the authorized representative(s) (this should correspond to the representative signing the Form 183A and Letter of Support).
· The applicant must ensure that the co-applicants from other institutions obtain the appropriate signature on pg. 2 of Form 101 from the authorized officer of their organization prior to submitting the application to NSERC.
· IMPORTANT: The signed forms can be emailed to or faxed to Research Services at (403) 289-0693.
Collaborators
· List each collaborator’s name, personal identification number (if known) and organization name, as well as the time (in hours per month) each collaborator will devote to the proposed research/activity or the use of equipment or facility.
· A collaborator is a member of the research team that is applying for a group grant. The collaborator will not have access to the grant funds and must be qualified to undertake research independently. Collaborators are expected to contribute to the overall intellectual direction of the research project or program of research and to bring their own resources to the collaboration. Examples of collaborators are: government scientists, academic researchers, company staff members or research scientists.
· Only identify collaborators in this section if their role in the project is similar to that of a co-applicant. Use the Other Documents section to attach a curriculum vitae (maximum six pages) for each collaborator. Other researchers providing specialized expertise can be briefly described in the Proposal section.
Summary of proposal (text box)
· The summary is intended to explain the proposal in language that the public can understand. Using simple terms, briefly describe the nature of the work to be done. Indicate why and to whom the research is important, the anticipated outcomes and how your field and Canada will benefit. Your summary must not exceed twenty-one lines on the printed copy.
Activity schedule
· List the activities/steps required to achieve the objectives for each year of the grant. A project planning chart (e.g., Gantt chart) may be included in the Budget Justification section.
· Indicate the start and end dates for the activities leading to the milestones, as well as the major results expected.
· ROLE IN EVALUATION: This section is assessed under Criterion 3 - Project Work Plan, in conjunction with the Proposal attachment.
Proposed expenditures
· Before completing this page, read the instructions and consult the “Use of Grant Funds” in the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide.
· Provide a separate budget page for each major theme area or sub-project (if applicable). The budget for the entire project will print automatically.
· Applicants who require equipment to conduct the research must incorporate their request for equipment (up to a maximum of $150,000 for major items or systems) into the research proposal and justify the need for the equipment to conduct the research.
· Certain expenditures related to project management are now eligible as a direct cost of research up to a maximum of 10 percent of the total direct costs (see the Guidelines for Research Partnerships Programs Project Management Expenses).
· ROLE IN EVALUATION: This section is assessed under Criterion 3 - Project Work Plan, in conjunction with the Budget Justification and Proposal attachments.
Contributions from supporting organizations
· List the resources the supporting organization will provide to support the proposed activities including:
o the cash contribution to direct costs of research. This amount will be transferred to the appropriate line on the Proposed Expenditures page;
o the in-kind contribution to direct costs of research (donations of services, materials and equipment). This amount will be transferred to the Proposed Expenditures page (if applicable);
o the in-kind contributions to indirect costs. This amount is not transferred to the Proposed Expenditures page; and
o an indication of the amount paid to the institution for overhead (25% for NSERC partnerships; see University of Calgary Policy & Procedures)
· ROLE IN EVALUATION: This section is assessed under Criterion 6 – Interactions with the Supporting Organizations, in conjunction with the Proposal attachment.
Formatting of all attachments meets NSERC presentation standards for free-form attachments
· Margins must be a minimum of ¾”; text is single-spaced; font is 12 pt. Times New Roman; pages are numbered sequentially; the applicant’s name is in the top right-hand corner of each page; images are in black and white (colour images will be reproduced in black and white for reviewers).
Budget justification (attachment)
· Before completing this page, read the instructions and consult the “Use of Grant Funds” in the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide.
· Provide a detailed explanation and justification for each budget item identified in the Proposed Expenditures page.
· Salaries and stipends:
o Student funding rates should be consistent with the typical levels of funding in your Department;
o Human Resources advises that benefits for AUPE staff generally fall in the range of 20%-25% of salary.
· The maximum request for major equipment or systems is $150,000. Quotations are no longer required for equipment over $25,000.
· Travel: the University of Calgary per diem rates are $45/day for domestic travel, $63/day for international travel
· Project management: up to 10% of the project’s budget may be allocated to project management expenses (e.g., a project coordinator).
· ROLE IN EVALUATION: This section is assessed under Criterion 3 - Project Work Plan, in conjunction with the Proposal attachment.
Contributions from supporting organizations (attachment)
· IMPORTANT: Your supporting organization must be engaged in the research. The valuation of the in-kind contributions should clearly illustrate this.
· Provide an explanation of the cash and/or eligible in-kind contributions committed by the supporting organization(s).
· Consult the Guidelines for Organizations Participating in Research Partnership Programs to determine the eligibility and value of in-kind contributions (e.g., for contributions of the time of staff, NSERC will recognize a maximum of $80/hour).
· ROLE IN EVALUATION: This section is assessed under Criterion 6 – Interactions with the Supporting Organizations, in conjunction with the Proposal attachment.
Proposal (maximum of 11 pages) (attachment)
· IMPORTANT: In the Introduction section of the proposal, you must explain why the research you propose is strategic and how it fits the target area description. Applications that do not fit a Strategic Target Area’s “context” description, or a specific research topic, will be removed from the competition in a pre-screening phase.
· Organize this part of the application in the sections described below, using a maximum of 11 pages. Any additional pages will be removed. Consult the full instructions for details of what to include in each section, and the selection criteria referenced.
o INTRODUCTION (approx. one page, addressing how the proposed research fits the target area);
o SECTION 1 (approx. seven pages, addressing Selection Criteria 1 to 4);
o SECTION 2 (approx. one page, addressing Selection Criterion 5);
o SECTION 3 (approx. one page, addressing Selection Criterion 6);
o SECTION 4 (approx. one page, addressing Selection Criterion 7).
References (maximum of 2 pages) (attachment)
Relationship to other research support (attachment)
· Explain any financial and conceptual overlap with other active or applied for sources of research funding (from NSERC or otherwise).
Intellectual Property – optional (attachment)
· If available, attach a copy of the research/IP agreement between the University of Calgary and any supporting organizations.
Other documents – if required (attachment)
Collaborators’ curriculum vitae (maximum of 6 pages each) – if required (one attachment)
o ROLE IN EVALUATION: This section is assessed under Criterion 4 – Quality of the Applicants as Researchers, in conjunction with the Proposal attachment and Form 100.
Appendix A (Environmental Impact) – if required (attachment)
Appendix B (CEAA Pre-Screening Checklist) – if required (attachment)
Appendix C (Referee Suggestions)
Cover letter – optional (attachment)
· Use a cover letter only if you wish to provide NSERC with additional information that will not be shared with external reviewers or selection panel members, e.g., to request that a certain individual or group not be involved in the review of your application.
2. Form 100 (Personal Data Form)
Personal profile
Current employment
Address
Academic background
Academic, research and industrial experience
Areas of expertise (research subject codes and keywords)
Research support
· List all sources of support (including NSERC grants and university start-up funds) held in the past four (4) years, currently held, or applied for, as an applicant or as a co-applicant.
Contributions (maximum five pages) (attachment)
· Before completing this section, read the full instructions.
· Using the headings below and a maximum of five (5) single-sided pages, describe your contributions to research, industrial R&D and highly qualified personnel training over the last six (6) years up to the deadline date for the submission of the current application.
· Most Significant Contributions to Research and/or to Practical Applications;
· Research Contributions and Practical Applications;