Summary of changes

2023–24 Program guide for professors

NSERC has revised the Program guide for professors .

This summary is meant only to help you focus on the main changes. Read the program descriptions that are relevant to you, and the appropriate instructions, to review all the changes.

Programs (in alphabetical order)
Discovery Grants (DG) Revised: July 31, 2023 Greater resources on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring have been made available to applicants. This includes the addition of the following resources for applicants: Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research Secondary consent – NSERC has undertaken several initiatives to better support research through addressing systemic barriers that limit the full participation of all talented individuals. For the Discovery Grants program, self-identification information may be used to adjust the proportion of funded applications from those who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups to be similar to the proportion of applications received from these groups. These adjustments would only be made amongst meritorious applications. Applicants will be asked to provide consent for NSERC to potentially use their self-identification information to improve equity and diversity in funding decisions. Indigenous research – NSERC defines Indigenous research as research in any field or discipline related to the natural sciences and engineering that is conducted by, grounded in, or meaningfully engaged with First Nations, Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous Nations, communities, societies or individuals, and their wisdom, cultures, experiences or knowledge systems, as expressed in their dynamic forms, past and present. Applicants will need to indicate in the first paragraph of their summary of proposal if their research involves Indigenous communities, societies or individuals, and therefore qualifies as Indigenous research according to NSERC’s definition.
Discovery Horizons (DH) pilot program Revised: May 18, 2023 New for the 2024 competition (i.e., with a deadline of October 2023): Applicants and co-applicants cannot hold both a Discovery Grant and a Discovery Horizons grant. As of competition year 2023, the narrative CV (nCV) replaced the Canadian Common CV (CCV). The nCV must be completed in the Convergence Portal by all applicants and co-applicants. Also as of competition year 2023, the Discovery Horizons grant awarded is commensurate to the size of the research team.
Northern Research Supplements (NRS) Revised: July 19, 2022 Greater resources on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring have been made available to applicants. This includes the addition of the following resources for applicants: Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams
Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) grants Revised: July 31, 2023 As of last competition year (i.e., competition 2023, with a deadline of October 2022) RTI applicants and co-applicants who were successful in the previous year’s RTI competition will be ineligible to apply for one year. Eligibility will be reinstated the following competition year. This change is being implemented to increase access to the RTI program to the largest number of eligible researchers. This decision, as well as the changes to the selection criterion last year were informed by the recent Discovery Research Evaluation and the results of the GBA+ analysis of the RTI program. Greater resources on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring have been made available to applicants. This includes the addition of the following resources for applicants: Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams
Ship Time (ST) grants Revised: July 31, 2023 The personal data form (Form 100) was replaced with the Canadian Common CV (CCV). The CCV must be completed by applicants and co-applicants and attached to the application form as a single PDF attachment. Applicants and co-applicants must complete the self-identification form found in the Maintain user profile section of the online system. Greater resources on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring have been made available to applicants. This includes the addition of the following resources for applicants: Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams
Subatomic Physics Discovery Grant (SAP) grants Revised: July 31, 2023 Greater resources on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring have been made available to applicants. This includes the addition of the following resources for applicants: Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams Data management plan – NSERC is committed to supporting Canadian research excellence by promoting sound research data management and data stewardship practices. The SAP Discovery Grants program (individual and project) is piloting the data management plan (DMP) requirement of the  Tri-agency Research Data Management Policy. A DMP will be required at the time of the full application.