Instructions for completing the notification of intent to apply for a Category 2 or 3 Subatomic Physics Research Tools and Instruments grant

General information

About the program

Read the program description before you complete the application.

Am I eligible to apply?

Consult the Eligibility requirements for faculty to apply for or hold grant funds to ensure that you can participate in this grant program as an applicant or a co-applicant. NSERC verifies the eligibility of researchers only at the full application stage; however, it is important that you consult the eligibility criteria now and discuss any concerns with your institution’s research office.

Who completes the NOI?

The applicant must complete the NOI using the Research Portal. In addition, the  Canadian Common CV (CCV) must be completed by applicants and co-applicants and linked to the NOI.

Application deadline

Your notification of intent to apply (NOI) must be received at NSERC by 8:00 p.m. (ET) on August 1, 2023.

In instances of systems interruptions, refer to the Service standards for NSERC and SSHRC's online application systems policy on sustained interruptions.

Updates to an NOI that has been submitted will not be accepted either before or after the deadline date.

Collection and use of personal information

The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act and stored in a series of NSERC data banks described in  Information about programs and information holdings. Details on the use and disclosure of this information are described in Use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC, in the NSERC program literature and below. The information is used in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Self-identification information (research team)

You must complete the self-identification form found in the found in the person profile of the Research Portal when applying for funding. This data provides information on the diversity of the population applying for and receiving agency funds. This information increases NSERC’s capacity to monitor its progress on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in its programs, to recognize and remove barriers, and to design new measures to achieve greater EDI in the research enterprise. If you do not want to self-identify, you have the option to choose “I prefer not to answer” for each question, but you are required to select a response for the questionnaire to be marked as complete. Self-identification information is not part of the application and will be neither accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or selection committee members.

For more information, refer to the  Frequently asked questions about the self-identification questionnaire.

Whom should I contact for help?

• For program-related information, email subatomic@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.
• For technical matters related to the research portal, contact the online services helpdesk by email at webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca, by phone at 1-855-275-2861, or complete an online services support request.

Completing the NOI

Create application

1. Sign in to the  Research Portal.
2. Select Create application.
3. Select the funding opportunity under Stage: NOI and select Create.
4. Under Applications, open the NOI.
5. Select Edit to complete the different sections.

Identification

Application

Application title – The title must be short and descriptive. It may be used for publication purposes. Restrict use of abbreviated forms (for example, DNA, NATO, etc.), and avoid company or trade names.

Language of the application – Indicate the language in which the application will be submitted. The main body of the application should be written in either English or French, rather than a mix of both official languages. The NSERC CCV (for applicant and all co-applicants) must be submitted in the same language as the application.

Suggested evaluation group – The Subatomic physics evaluation section will be selected by default and you cannot change this selection.

Administering organization

Organization – Select the organization that will administer the grant.

Department – If your department is not in the list, select Head office.

Activity details

Proposed research topics

The first research topic is Subatomic physics by default and you cannot change this selection. You may select, in order of relevance, up to four additional research topics in any evaluation group, as required.  

Keywords

Provide up to ten keywords that best describe the proposal. It is important to separate the keywords by commas.

Budget

Under category 1, Subatomic Physics Research Tools and Instruments (SAP-RTI) grants are one-year awards. In exceptional cases, multi-year requests will be accepted. The onus is on the applicant to clearly explain the rationale. Under categories 2 and 3, SAP-RTI grants can be multi-year awards. Provide an estimate of the amounts that will be requested from NSERC for each of the five years. If you do not request support for some years, you must enter 0 for each of those years.

The estimated amounts should be as close as possible to those that will be requested in the application. Should the amounts requested in the full application differ by more than 20% from those that were included in the NOI, the applicant should notify NSERC as soon as possible.

Note that the following costs are not eligible for any category of SAP-RTI grants:

• insurance costs for equipment and research vehicles
• costs of the construction, renovation or rental of laboratories or supporting facilities
• software licensing or upgrades for subsequent years

Summary of proposal

The summary of proposal must not exceed 6,000 characters. It should provide

• a short description of the equipment or facility
• an overview of the research programs that depend on access to the equipment or facility
• a brief explanation of the requested budget

Reviewer exclusion

You may request that some researchers, organizations or large collaborations not be involved in the review of your application. Note that this request may be accessible to these researchers, organizations or collaborations under the Privacy Act.

Note that the exclusion type Collaboration refers to large research groups that work on specific projects.

Uploading your NSERC CCV (applicants and co-applicants)

To successfully upload your CCV, the first name and family name used to create your CCV site account must be identical to those used to create your Research Portal account. As well, the email address used to create your Research Portal account must be identical to at least one of the emails you listed on the CCV site.

• In the Application Overview page, click Attach.
• Enter your CCV confirmation number (refer to the NSERC CCV instructions for professors for details on how to obtain your confirmation number).
• Click Upload.
• Click Back to Application Overview.
• Preview your CCV in the Research Portal and verify that it was uploaded correctly and that it contains all of the records that you wish to submit for peer review. Your CCV should be in the same language as your application. You may update your CCV at the full application stage.

Note: While the  Canadian Common CV website is bilingual, you can only save your NSERC CCV in one official language at a time. For example, to save a French version of your NSERC CCV, you must sign into your account using the French platform.

Co-applicants

There is no typical number of co-applicants for SAP-RTI applications. The decision of which users of the equipment or facility to include as co-applicants is left to the discretion of the applicant.

NSERC recognizes that not all applications are the same and that the profile of co-applicants will vary accordingly. However, teams should strive for a diverse group of co-applicants and major users, including balanced gender representation. EDI considerations should be reflected in the rationale of the team composition and, where applicable, in the designated roles within the team. Moreover, applicants should describe how they have and/or will implement policies and practices to support EDI within the team (for example, recruitment of team members, management of the team, mentorship). For more information, refer to the  NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research. The decision of which major users to include as co-applicants is left to the discretion of the applicant.

Inviting co-applicants

From the Application Overview page in the Invitations section, select Manage Invitations.

Submitting the NOI

Click on the Submit button at the bottom of the Application Overview page. A pop-up message will appear. You will be required to extract and view your NOI to ensure that it is complete. Note that the CCV will not appear in the extracted application. Once the confirmation box has been checked, click on the Submit button displayed in the pop-up message.

To complete the submission process, you will need to read and accept the terms and conditions by clicking on the I Accept button. You will receive a confirmation message on the web page, as well as a confirmation email that your NOI was received and that the status of your submission is Received by Agency.

To verify the status of your submission, return to the home page. The status will be Received by Agency.