Discovery Grant

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The Discovery Grants program supports ongoing, long-term research programs within NSERC's mandate and funding principles. Recipients have the flexibility to expand and pursue new research interests. 

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)

Full Application

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.

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

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.

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

Access the recording Download the slides 

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.

Wednesday June 26th, 2024, 2:00-3:30 pm, SAB 3-21 (link to calendar event)
Please register using this link to receive slides and other resources after the session

NSERC Q&A sessions: How to submit the NOI and complete a CCV

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, June 20, 2024 at 11:00 am on MS Teams (link to join meeting)
Submit questions beforehand using this questionnaire
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 11:00 am on MS Teams (link to join meeting)
Submit questions beforehand using this questionnaire

Sessions in French:

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 11:00 am on MS Teams (link to join meeting)
Submit questions beforehand using this questionnaire
Thursday, July 11, 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.

Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 1:00 – 2:30pm in SAB 3-36

Please register using this link to receive slides and other resources after the session

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

Friday, September 27th, 2024 at 12:00 – 1:00pm on Google Meet (link to the calendar event)

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 Grant LOIs and Full Applications

Samples of successful LOIs and full applications from previous Discovery Grant competitions are available in the GRANT library for reference.  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. 

NSERC Resources

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