Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Discovery Grant

Support for Researchers

Research Partner Network provides personalized support and expert guidance on how to apply for this grant and how to manage the funds should you be successful.

For questions about applying for a Discovery Grant, please reach out to the designated Research Partner: Grant Kemp

Please notify the affiliated Research Partner if you decide to withdraw from the competition after submitting your NOI.

summary

Intended Recipients

Researchers conducting an ongoing, long-term research program within the n atural sciences and engineering (NSE)

Value

Variable

Duration

Up to five years

Additional Information

Discovery Grants website

Deadlines

Notification of Intent (NOI)

No RAS Internal Review Deadline
- Sign up/in to the NSERC Research Portal to submit your NOI
NSERC Deadline
- August 1, 2024, at 6 p.m. MST.

Full Application

RAS Internal Review Deadline
- October 22, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. MST
- Submit your complete proposal in Researcher Homepage
Final Version Submission Deadline
- October 31, 2024 at 10 a.m. MST
- Submit your final approved version in the NSERC Research portal
NSERC Deadline (when RAS must forward the application to NSERC)
- November 1, 2024 at 6 p.m. MST

Supports and resources

Roundtable Sessions with NSERC Evaluators

Discover valuable insights into the NSERC Discovery Grant evaluation process through roundtable discussions hosted by the Research Partner Network. During these sessions, experienced U of A researchers, who are active members of NSERC Discovery Grant Evaluation Groups, will share their knowledge and experience on:

How the NSERC Discovery Grant evaluation process works
What constitutes a successful application
Best practices to potentially increase your ranking
Pitfalls to avoid in writing a successful Discovery Grant

2024 roundtable sessions will be scheduled between June and early October.

Wednesday Aug 21st, 2024 - 9:30-11:00 pm in CAB 369 with Drs. Herbert Yang and Michael Li on the Computer Science (1507) and Mathematics and Statistics (1508) panels respectively. Register here

Thursday Sept 5th, 2024 - 11:00-12:30 pm on Google Meet with Drs. Afsaneh Lavasanifar and Duane Froese on the Materials and Chemical Engineering (1511) and Geosciences (1506) panels, respectively. Register here

Monday October 7th, 2024 - 1:00-2:30 pm on Google Meet with Drs. Patrick Hanington and Chris Sturdy on the Genes, Cells, and Molecules (1501) and Biological Systems and Functions (1502) panels respectively. Register here

PAST Monday June 3rd, 2024 - 10 - 11:30 a.m. in SAB 3-21 with Drs. Patrick Hanington and Harley Kurata on the Genes, Cells, and Molecules panel (1501).

View the slides

PAST Tuesday June 25th, 2024 - 10 - 11:30 a.m. on Google Meet with Drs. Afsaneh Lavasanifar and Duane Froese on the Materials and Chemical Engineering (1511) and Geosciences (1506) panels, respectively. Calendar event »

Navigating the NSERC Discovery Grant proposal; key differences from CIHR Project Grants

The Research Partner Network presents a Tips and Q&A session with Drs. Greg Funk (Professor, Physiology) and Richard Fahlman (Professor, Biochemistry) on what makes a great NSERC Discovery Grant. In particular:

How it differs from CIHR proposals
How to communicate your basic biomedical/health sciences research as natural science
What are the common mistakes that researchers make

This session will be particularly helpful to health science researchers to improve their proposal, but it will also be useful to any applicants, especially first timers.

Monday September 16th, 2024 - 1:30-3:00 pm in Katz 4-003. Register here

PAST June 13th, 2024, 11:00-12:30 online. This session was recorded.

Access the recording Download the slides

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) for NSERC Discovery Grants

The Research Partner Network has invited UofA faculty members who are passionate about incorporating EDI principles in research and Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) training to speak from their own experience in applying this to the NSERC Discovery grants program. They will speak from their own experience and provide researchers some food for thought as they look at EDI and HQP training in their own research programs.

PAST Tuesday August 13th, 2024 - 1:00-2:30 pm in CAB 369 with Enrico Scarpella who has a grant from the Genes, Cells, and Molecules (1501) panel. Access the slides here.

Friday October 4th, 2024 - 12:00-1:30 pm in BioSci CW 410 with Lisa Willis who has a grant from the Genes, Cells, and Molecules (1501) panel. Register here to receive presentation materials following the session.

Information Session with NSERC Program Officer

The Research Partner Network is happy to be hosting NSERC Program Officer Skyler Mooney for an information session on the NSERC Discovery Grant program. Researchers and senior leadership will have the opportunity to learn about the program and to ask questions directly to Skyler. The Research Partner supporting NSERC Discovery Grants, Grant Kemp, and a faculty member who is currently sitting on an Evaluation Group panel will also be present to answer questions or comment on tips and strategies.

PAST Wednesday June 26th, 2024, 2:00-3:30 pm, SAB 3-21 Access the slides from the event here.

NSERC Q&A sessions: How to submit the full application

NSERC offers a series of pre-recorded videos followed by live Q&A sessions to assist researchers to complete an application using the Research Portal and the NSERC Canadian Common CV (CCV). Note: please view videos prior to attending a live Q&A session, as the material will not be repeated.

New this year is the ability to ask questions ahead of each live Q&A session by filling in a questionnaire (linked below or each session). Note that the questionnaire will close at midnight (E.T.) two business days before the session.

Pre-registration is not required to attend, but high attendance might result in NSERC staff not being able to respond to all individual questions. Any additional questions should be directed to the NSERC support team.

Sessions in English:

Thursday, August 22, 2024 at 11:00 am on MS Teams (link to join meeting)
Submit questions beforehand using this questionnaire
Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 11:00 am on MS Teams (link to join meeting)
Submit questions beforehand using this questionnaire

Sessions in French:

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 11:00 am on MS Teams (link to join meeting)
Submit questions beforehand using this questionnaire
Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 11:00 am on MS Teams (link to join meeting)
Submit questions beforehand using this questionnaire

Consult NSERC’s Live Q&A sessions to learn about other upcoming sessions.

NSERC CCV Workshop

Do you need help preparing your Canadian Common CV (CCV) for the NSERC Discovery Grant competition? This workshop will go over how to navigate the CCV website, enter details, import data, and export of CCV to attach it properly to your application package. You are encouraged to bring your laptop with you and work on your own CCV during the session and test out the tips and get live hands-on help.

September 9th, 2024 in Business 3-10. Register here to receive the presentation materials following the session.

PAST Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 1:00 – 2:30pm in SAB 3-36 Access the slides here.

How to submit your NSERC Discovery Grant (tips from RAS)

Join the UofA’s Research Facilitator, Martine Desrochers, for an online session on how to submit your full application for approval in Researcher Homepage as well as some tips on the most common comments the RAS review team has for applicants or why they have to send back the application for changes

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024 at 12:00 – 1:00pm on Zoom (link to the calendar event). Register here to receive the presentation materials following the session.

NSERC CCV tip sheet (RPNet)

Making sure your CCV is properly filled in and up-to-date is becoming increasingly scrutinized by the NSERC Program Offices. The Research Partner Network has created a tip sheet to help you avoid some common mistakes.

Download the tip sheet

Samples of Successful Discovery Grants

Samples of successful full applications from previous Discovery Grant competitions are available. To receive access to these samples, please fill out the request form.

Note that these samples reflect past competitions, so it's important to check the latest NSERC guidelines for current requirements. Please refrain from duplicating or distributing the sample applications.