STRATEGIC PROJECT GRANTS

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STRATEGICPROJECT GRANTS
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What We Do at NSERC

• We invest more than 950 million every year in
  people, discovery and innovation

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People
NSERC supports about 12,000 science and
engineering students earning Masters and Ph.D.
degrees
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Discovery
NSERC supports the research of more than 11,000
university college professors
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Innovation
20 of NSERCs budget goes to funding
university-industry research partnerships
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NSERC Budget 2007-08(millions of dollars)
Total 957
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Innovation Programs Budget 2007-08(millions of
dollars)
Total 193
1. Includes College and Community Innovation
Program (0.3M).
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Research Partnerships Programs (RPP)

• Strategic Project Grants (SPG)
• Collaborative RD Grants (CRD)
• Idea to Innovation (I2I)
• Industrial Research Chairs (IRC)
• Research Partnership Agreements (RPA)
• Strategic Networks Grants (SNG)
• Intellectual Property Mobilization Program (IPM)
• Strategic Workshops Program (SWP)

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Our Track Record

• 1,300 partner firms since 1983
• Over 60 of Canadas Top 50 RD firms
• Average of 100 new firms every year
• Broad range of eligible partners
• Large companies with RD departments
• Start-up firms with nascent in-house capacity

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Why Participate in Research Partnerships
Programs?

• See the results of your research reach an
  application outside of the university
• Gain access to industry facilities, personnel,
  valuable advice
• Create student training opportunity, access to
  equipment and market knowledge
• Beneficial collaborations that result in
  industrial or economic benefits to Canada

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Strategic Project Grants (SPG)

• Objective
• Increase research and training in targeted areas
  that could strongly influence Canadas economy,
  society and/or environment within the next 10
  years.

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Anticipated Results

• New knowledge/technology with strong potential to
  strengthen Canadas industrial base, generate
  wealth, create employment and/or influence
  Canadian public policy
• Highly qualified personnel trained in the
  identified target areas
• Increased participation of companies and/or
  government organizations in academic research
• Knowledge/technology and expertise transferred to
  Canadian-based organizations that are well
  positioned to apply the results for economic gain
  or to government organizations to strengthen
  public policy

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Requirements

• The research must fall within one of the target
  areas identified for support
• The project must be well defined in duration,
  objectives and scope duration may be from one to
  three years
• One or more supporting organizations that can
  apply the results must collaborate in the project
• Supporting organization must be actively involved
  in all stages of the project. Therefore, in-kind
  contributions are required, but cash is not.

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Collaborations

• Outside NSE applicants are encouraged to
  collaborate with experts outside the natural
  sciences and engineering, where appropriate, up
  to 30 of the project costs
• International applicants are encouraged to
  incorporate international collaborations into
  their proposals

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Seven Target Areas

• Advanced Communications and Management of
  Information
• Biomedical Technologies
• Competitive Manufacturing and Value-Added
  Products and Processes
• Healthy Environment and Ecosystems
• Quality Foods and Novel Bioproducts
• Safety and Security
• Sustainable Energy Systems

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Focused Research

• 3-8 priority research topics identified within
  each target area (80)
• Exceptional opportunities outside the research
  topics but within the target area (up to 20)
• Research outside the 7 priority target areas will
  not be considered for funding

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Research Topics

• Advanced Communications and Management of
  Information
• Network-Intensive Applications
• Ubiquitous Networks
• Management of Information in a Networked
  Environment
• Adaptive/Cognitive Networks
• Advanced Materials, Devices and Supporting Tools
• Software and Computing Systems
• highlighted in national ST Strategy

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Research Topics (continued)

• Biomedical Technologies
• Detection Methods for Use in Whole Organisms
• Computational Tools for Real-Time Signal
  Processing and Analysis
• Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
• Technologies for Independent Living and in-Home
  Care

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Research Topics (continued)

• Competitive Manufacturing and Value-Added
  Products and Processes
• Value-Added Wood Products
• Near-Net-Shape Processes
• Process Models and Integrated Production Models
• Functional Materials
• Lightweight Materials for Transportation

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Research Topics (continued)

• Healthy Environment and Ecosystems
• Ecosystem Adaptation, Interventions and Modeling
• Water Resources
• Waste Management and Site Remediation
• highlighted in national ST Strategy

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Research Topics (continued)

• Quality Foods and Novel Bioproducts
• Food Quality and Safety
• Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals
• Novel Bioproducts
• Aquaculture

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Research Topics (continued)

• Safety and Security
• Risk and Vulnerability
• Resiliency of Systems
• Event Detection

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Research Topics (continued)

• Sustainable Energy Systems
• Integrated Systems Approach to Electrical Power
  Grids
• Energy Storage
• Fuel Cells and Clean Transportation Systems
• Biomass Conversion and Co-product Optimization
• Systems Engineering Approach to the Extraction,
  Conversion and Utilization of Fossil Fuels
• Clean Coal and Carbon Capture and Storage
• Low Emission Industrial Systems
• Other Renewable Energy Sources
• highlighted in national ST Strategy

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Typical Strategic Project Grant

• Average grant 130,000/year for three years
• Often involves several team members, from the
  same or different institutions
• Some grants with single applicant
• Collaborators (researchers from the supporting
  organization, government scientist, foreign
  research scientist) may be members of the team

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Competition Timetable

• Applications due April 15
• Pre-selection process, if necessary
• External peer review Summer
• Panel evaluation September
• Results announced October

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Guidelines for Applicants

• Applicants must
• Select a target area and a research topic from a
  list provided
• Explain in Proposal module (under Introduction
  / one additional page is provided) (1) why the
  proposed research is strategic and (2) how it
  addresses the research topic selected
• Provide a compelling case for consideration if
  the research falls outside the research topics
  but within the target areas listed (Exceptional
  Opportunity outside the Research Topics)

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Application Process

• Application for a Grant (Form 101)Parts I and II
• Personal Data Forms (Form 100) CVs of
  collaborators
• Company profile
• Form 183A (partners information and
  contributions)
• Letter of support describing partners
  involvement in the project (see instructions for
  specific items to be addressed)

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Eligibility of Applicants

• Applicant and Co-applicants
• Must hold, or have a firm offer of, an academic
  appointment at an eligible Canadian university,
  for
• A tenured, tenure-track or life-time professor
  emeritus position or
• A term position of no less than three years
• College Faculty can be co-applicants (see NSERC
  Website for list of eligible colleges)
• Co-applicants outside NSE must meet NSERC
  eligibility requirements

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Eligibility of Applicants (continued)

• Collaborator
• Government scientist, company staff member,
  research scientist from another country
• Not eligible to hold NSERC grants
• Qualified to undertake research independently
• Expected to contribute to the overall
  intellectual direction of the research project
• Expected to bring their own resources

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Evaluation Process

• External referees
• Typically three per application
• Technical expertise to aid the committee
• Appendix C your suggestions
• Internal selection committee
• Proposal is assigned to three internal reviewers
• Discussion amongst the whole group

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Evaluation Process (continued)

• Projects are evaluated against seven criteria
• Each criterion is graded from 1 (lowest score) to
  4 (highest score)
• Each criterion is of equal value
• Only projects that are strong in all 7 criteria
  are eligible for funding

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Evaluation Process (continued)

• Selection criteria
• Originality of the research
• Quality of the research
• Project work plan
• Quality of the applicants as researchers
• Training potential
• Interactions with the supporting organizations
• Benefits to Canada and the supporting
  organizations

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Originality

• Novelty
• How the research relates to current state of
  knowledge
• Potential for developing new knowledge, products
  or processes
• Extent to which research will impact the field
• Potential for major scientific breakthrough

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Quality of Research

• Focus and clarity of short- and long-term
  objectives
• Appropriate methodology
• Justification for approach based on existing
  knowledge
• Feasibility of research planned
• Does the research fit the Strategic Projects
  target areas?

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Work Plan

• Clarity of project description
• Coherence of deliverables in work plan
• Probability of success within proposed time frame
• Availability of necessary equipment
• Roles and time commitment of research
  co-applicants (collaborative roles)
• Collaboration and communication plans
• Justification and need for funds
• Demonstrated management plan

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Quality of Applicants

• Does the team (including company researchers, if
  applicable) have all the required expertise?
• Form 100 very important
• Recognition of researchers achievements and
  contributions
• Appropriateness of skill sets of individual
  researchers in the proposed areas
• Roles and time commitment of research
  co-applicants (collaborative roles)

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Training Potential

• Who will do the work? Graduate, undergradsand
  co-op students technicians, post-docs and
  research associates
• Is the training relevant to the needs of Canadian
  organizations?
• Will the HQP have the opportunity to work in the
  non-academic partners facility?
• Workshops and training of industrial personnel at
  the applicants lab
• Track record of applicants in training HQP
• Suitability of the training environment

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Interactions with Supporting Organization

• Is the supporting organization a good partner?
• Do the project objectives fit with the priorities
  of the non-academic partner? Remember that the
  partner organization will have to prepare a
  progress report midway through the project!
• How will the technology be transferred?
• Is the non-academic partner able to assimilate
  new technology?
• What is the degree of involvement of the
  non-academic partner in developing the proposal
  and throughout the project?
• What kind of a track record do the applicants
  have in transferring technologies?

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Benefits to Canada and Partner(s)

• Delineate probable socio/economic/health benefits
  in a quantitative wayfar more convincing!
• Is there a potential benefit in creating
  significant public policy as a result of the
  research?
• Is there potential to increase the numbers and/or
  quality of personnel working in an area of
  strategic importance?

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Supporting Organizations

• Private sector
• Canadian-based companies with Canadian operations
  (RD or manufacturing) that can apply the
  research results for economic gain
• Non-academic public sector
• Canadian government organizations that can apply
  the research results to strengthen policies
• Do not qualify as supporting organizations
• NGOs, venture capitalists, government research
  labs, foreign research institutions,
  implementation sites, potential customers.

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Supporting Organizations (continued)

• A supporting organization must also
• Have a demonstrated interest in the project
  (letters of support, in-kind and/or financial
  support, etc.)
• Be involved at all stage of the research (Help to
  develop the proposal, interact with researchers
  and students, provide input to the project)
• Validate the results of the research
• Provide guidance concerning the exploitation of
  the results

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Whats in it for the Partners?

• Access to
• Team of researchers with expertise in a desired
  area to solve a problem
• Technology/idea of commercial interest
• Research facilities and infrastructure that the
  industry lacks
• Potential access to a source of highly qualified
  personnel
• Give companies a competitive edge in global
  markets

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The Winning Proposal

• Get partners involved early on to help develop
  the project strategy
• Clear demonstration of the benefits to Canada and
  partner organization
• Multi-disciplinary research is a plus but not
  essential all participants must have a
  demonstrated role in the project!

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The Winning Proposal, (continued)

• FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY!
• Make the proposal and Form 100 easy to read and
  digest use colleagues in non-related disciplines
  to proofread and evaluate
• Objective and work plan must be crystal clear
• If applying for a second or third time, pay
  careful attention to comments of reviewers.
  Address the issues and clearly state how the
  application has been changed!

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Summary

• New target areas with specific research topics
• Funding for proposals in the research area, but
  outside the research topics is limited to 20 of
  the budget allocated to the area
• Applicants must explain why the proposed research
  is strategic and how it addresses the research
  topic
• Supporting Organizations
• Active involvement is essential
• Government fulfilling the Supporting Organization
  requirement Proposal must clearly show how the
  project relates to their public policy
  responsibility (i.e. applying the results to
  strengthen public policy)

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Conclusion

• Strategic grants fund projects, not programs
• They provide an opportunity for university
  researchers to carry out innovative science and
  engineering work with potential for
  commercialization
• They provide a unique opportunity to introduce
  students to potential employers and an
  opportunity for non-academic partners to access
  scientific expertise and specialized research
  equipment

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Comments/Questions??
Contact NSERC RPP Denis Godin, Account
Manager [phone] Denis.Godin_at_nserc.ca
RPP_at_nserc.ca