Strategic Partnership Grants for Networks

Active Networks
Previous Networks

Strategic Partnership Grants for Networks (SPG‑N) fund large-scale, multidisciplinary research projects in targeted research areas that require a network approach and that involve collaboration between academic researchers and Canadian-based organizations. The applicant should be an established researcher with a solid track record in collaborative research, student training and grant management, and who demonstrates the leadership and other skills necessary for managing a complex, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional project.

Strategic Networks may be national, regional or, under exceptional circumstances, local. NSERC has two application categories—A and B.

1. The proposed network will investigate a new collection of research objectives that do not build on previous network-scale activities and that have never been funded through a NSERC network grant, a Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) grant, or other federal or provincial network-scale granting programs. The application must include a one page justification for the fit to Category A.  In this case, the network applies for SPG‑N funds between $500,000 and $1 million in Year 1, and $500,000 and $1.125 million per year in Years 2 through 5, for a maximum request of $5.5 million.
   
   
2. The proposed network will build upon a collection of research objectives that have been previously funded through a NSERC network grant, an NCE grant, or other federal or provincial network-scale granting programs. To be eligible to compete in Category B, the network partners must collectively assume more responsibility for funding the network (compared to the previously funded network) to support its research and administration activities. For every dollar contributed to the network by eligible industry and government partners, up to three dollars can be requested from NSERC (e.g., $300,000 per year of partner cash would allow for a request of up to $900,000 per year of NSERC funding). Other contributions to the network are encouraged (e.g., other funding agencies, university support), but are not included in the leveraging of NSERC funds. The network can request NSERC funding between $500,000 and $1 million in Year 1, and between $500,000 and $1.125 million per year in Years 2 through 5, for a maximum request of $5.5 million.

Applicants must identify where similar networks exist and justify, in the preliminary application, the fit to the appropriate category for their application; and commit to fulfill the requirements of that category if invited to submit a full application. To be funded, a SPG‑N proposal must meet the following requirements:

• The network must support the goal of Strategic Partnership Grants and fall within the context of the identified target areas of the competition year.
• The objectives and scope of the network must be well-defined and the research results achievable within a five-year time frame.
• The network must involve a minimum of five academic researchers who are eligible to receive NSERC funding, from at least three separate departments, faculties or institutions.
• The network must have the strong commitment and active involvement of Canadian-based partners from relevant sectors (industrial, government), as appropriate for the research area. These organizations must be involved in all stages of the network, from development of the proposal to exploitation of the research results for the benefit of Canada.
• The network must have a strategy for international collaboration, which may involve establishing or enhancing Canada’s leadership role, leveraging international partners’ expertise and/or facilitating dialogue for international collaboration in areas of mutually beneficial interest to further network goals.
• The network must offer opportunities for enhanced training of highly qualified personnel that takes advantage of the multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral environment of a network.
• The network must have an appropriate management structure to direct, manage and integrate its activities.
• The network must have a strategy for knowledge and technology transfer to all stakeholders and the general public, as appropriate, that conforms to NSERC’s Policy on Intellectual Property (IP).

Cash contributed before the full application is submitted may be recognized as an eligible contribution; however, NSERC will not recognize partner funds spent prior to the date of invitation to submit a full application. NSERC funds cannot be applied to expenses incurred before an award was approved.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Strategic Networks are expected to promote approaches that increase the inclusion and advancement of women and other under-represented groups in the natural sciences and engineering, as one means to foster excellence in research and training. Network applicants must strive for diversity and increased gender equity when developing their group of co-applicants, collaborators and trainees.

Networks applicants must outline the measures that will be implemented to advance diversity and gender equity within the structure of the proposed network and its activities. Examples include strategies for any of the following:

• increasing diversity and gender equity in the composition of the research team and group of trainees;
• ensuring equitable mentorship of all trainees;
• initiatives aimed at ensuring an equitable and inclusive research and work environment;
• the implementation of networking and leadership training events within the network that highlight diversity and gender equity. 

Refer to the instructions for completing a SPG-N application and the Guide for Applicants: Considering equity, diversity and inclusion in your application for further guidance on how to incorporate these diversity and gender equity measures within the full proposal.

Application and review procedures

Preliminary application

For the preliminary application competition, only proposals in the following target areas will be accepted:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Environment and Agriculture
• Information and Communications Technologies
• Natural Resources and Energy

Read the Active Networks Web page to ensure that your network proposal does not overlap with any existing or previous networks.

NSERC must receive the preliminary application by the deadline date at 4:00 p.m. (ET).

An Application for a Grant (Form 101, pages 1, 2 and 3) can be prepared using the On-line System, but cannot be submitted online. To submit the application, prepare an electronic copy of the preliminary application. All pages should be included in a single PDF file. Page 1 of Form 101 must be signed by the required approvers, scanned and included in the PDF file. The PDF file must then be saved on a USB key and sent by courier to NSERC. All preliminary applications must follow the NSERC On-line Presentation and Attachment Standards.

Preliminary application review

Preliminary applications are reviewed by Strategic Partnership Grants selection committee(s). Subsequent to committee recommendations, NSERC will invite full applications based on the proposal's strength in the following criteria:

• the strategic importance of the proposed research;
• the need for a network approach to conduct the research;
• the scientific merit of the proposed research;
• the potential for international collaboration;
• the proposed leadership skills and expertise of the Principal Investigator and theme leaders.

Full proposal

Applicants invited to submit a full proposal must do so within approximately six months of the notification of acceptance of the preliminary application. NSERC will review requests for up to $25,000 to assist in defraying the costs of preparing a full Network proposal. This should be sent to the NSERC contact person assigned to the file in the form of a two page itemized request estimating the preparation costs and the portion to be paid by NSERC and the partners.

A full application includes:

• An Application for a Grant (Form 101)
• A Personal Data Form (Form 100) for the applicant and each co-applicant
• An Information Required from Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships form (Form 183A) and a letter of support from each partner detailing how the results of the proposed network will benefit their organization and the amount of cash or in-kind they will contribute to aid network activities. (Refer to the instructions for completing Form 183A for details.) Letters from federal government departments must be signed at the Director General-level or equivalent.
• Letters of support from International Collaborators. Each letter should include details of how the parties would work together and benefit both countries. Details regarding training and networking should be included.

Refer to the instructions for completing a SPG-N application.

Full proposal review procedures

Each Network proposal is reviewed by external reviewers and a Site Visit Committee. In addition, NSERC will assemble a committee of appropriate experts to evaluate the applications (taking into account the comments from external reviewers and the Site Visit Committee report) and make funding recommendations to NSERC. Decisions on Networks are usually made within four months of receipt of the full application.

Selection criteria

SPG-N proposals are evaluated according to the following criteria:

Merit of the research proposal

• Originality of the research – The network research must promise to generate new knowledge or apply existing knowledge in an innovative manner.
• Quality of the research – The network research must be scientifically sound and technically feasible. It must fall within one or more of the NSERC Strategic target areas and their research topics.
• Network work plan – The network must have a clear and coherent work plan that demonstrates a high probability of achieving the objectives within the five-year time frame.
• Quality of the applicants as researchers –The research team must have all the expertise to address the defined objectives competently and complete the network research successfully. The contributions of individuals to the research effort must be clear. The rationale for the team composition with regards to diversity and gender equity must be explained.
• For Category B applications – The demonstrated impacts for the past partners from previously funded work.

Need for a network approach – The proposal must demonstrate the need for a network approach to conduct the research and achieve the objectives. The proposal must discuss the links between themes and projects and the plans for integration of the research results.

Training (see Policy and Guidelines on the Assessment of Contributions to Research and Training)

• Training potential –The network must provide enhanced opportunities to train students and other highly qualified personnel with skills relevant to the needs of Canadian organizations. There must be a training plan that facilitates interaction of trainees with other network participants from all sectors to encourage collaboration and interdisciplinary training. Outline the measures that will be implemented to advance diversity and gender equity within the network’s training activities. Where possible and relevant, international experiences for trainees are encouraged.
• Partners – The network must encourage the active participation of the partners in training highly qualified personnel through, for example, opportunities for work terms, co-supervision of students, reciprocal laboratory visits and joint workshops.

Interactions and partnerships

• Interactions with the partners – The partners must have the capacity to apply the results of the research and must be actively involved in all stages of the network.
• Interactions among participants – The network must have a communication plan in place to ensure effective interaction and information exchange among all participants.
• Knowledge/technology transfer – The network must have a strategy for knowledge and technology transfer to all stakeholders and the general public, as appropriate.
• International collaboration - The network must have a strategy to develop or reinforce partnerships with international research groups or experts in areas of mutually beneficial interest to meet the overall objectives of the Network.

Management and budget

• Management – The applicant must have the leadership and other skills necessary to manage a complex, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional project. The network must have an appropriate management structure to direct, manage and integrate the activities of the network (Board of Directors, Scientific Advisory Committee, Network Manager) (see Guidelines for Research Partnerships Programs Project Management Expenses). The host institution, applicant, co-applicants and partners must be committed to the effective management of the network. Including international members, as well as women and other under-represented groups, on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Committee is encouraged.
• Budget – The budget must be justified vis-à-vis the proposed research and administrative costs. The appropriateness of the overall budget, including the partners’ in-kind and cash, if any, will also be evaluated. If more than 10% of the NSERC budget request (i.e., more than $550,000) is being used for equipment, prior discussion with NSERC staff is required.

Benefits to Canada and the partners

• Benefit – The proposal must identify how the network results will benefit the partners, how the research will contribute to increasing the national and international visibility of the network, and how the exploitation of the research results will benefit Canada within a 10-year time frame.
• Archiving of research data – To encourage the sharing and dissemination of research data and its use by others within a reasonable period of time, an agreement regarding responsibility for the maintenance and preservation of large data sets must be in place at the outset of network activities. Details of this agreement must be provided in the proposal.

Reporting

Grantees must submit a mid-term progress report to NSERC, which will be reviewed by members of the original Site Visit Committee and, where appropriate, by members of the NSERC evaluation committee. Continuation of funding is contingent upon satisfactory progress. Partners are required to confirm their commitment to the network annually.

Three months after the completion of network funding, all grantees must submit a final report on the network’s achievements with respect to its objectives. Each partner in the network will be asked to evaluate it. Grantees are informed of the requirements for such reports at the appropriate time.

Strategic Partnership Grants for Projects

• Frequently Asked Questions

Strategic Partnership Grants for Projects (SPG‑P) fund early-stage project research in targeted areas. To be funded, a research project must meet the following requirements:

• The project must support the goal of Strategic Partnership Grants and fall within one of the target areas.
• The objectives and scope of the project must be well-defined. The duration may be from one to three years.
• At least one academic researcher and at least one supporting organization must collaborate in the project.
• The supporting organization must be actively involved in all stages of the project; therefore, in-kind contributions are required, but cash is not.

NSERC has signed a number of agreements with international agencies to foster international collaboration in research through concurrent calls for joint research projects, which are implemented through the SPG‑P competition. For more information refer to the Detailed Application Instructions for International Collaborations, or contact SPG_international@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

The research of most SPG‑P is at the early stage of the innovation spectrum where there are few issues related to intellectual property. Consequently, a signed research agreement is not usually required. However, if it is anticipated that the proposed research will lead to disclosure of intellectual property or if a research agreement already exists, then a copy of the research agreement between the supporting organization(s) and the university must be submitted to NSERC and reviewed for conformance to NSERC’s Policy on IP prior to the release of funds.

The competition budget is expected to be approximately $15 million for Year 1 of the projects, which could fund about 16 to 20 new awards in each target area. Priority will be given to applications that address the research topics identified in each target area. Projects that make a compelling case for research within the Context section of a target area description, but are outside the research topics, will be considered “exceptional” and may be funded subject to the availability of funds. No more than 20 percent of the budget will be allocated to “exceptional opportunities.”

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Applicants are encouraged to increase the inclusion and advancement of women and other under-represented groups in the natural sciences and engineering, as one means to enhance excellence in research and training. Applicants should strive for diversity and increased gender equity when developing their group of co-applicants, collaborators and trainees.

Applicants should refer to the NSERC Guide for Applicants: Considering equity, diversity and inclusion in your application for more information on integrating sex, diversity and gender equity considerations in research design, and equity and diversity among research personnel.

Application and review procedures

Letter of intent

NSERC must receive the application by the deadline date.

A complete letter of intent includes:

• an SPG-P Letter of Intent (Form 189);
• a personal data form (Form 100) for the applicant (co-applicants do not provide their NSERC Personal Data Form (Form 100) at this stage — their expertise should be briefly described in the letter of intent);
• an Information Required from Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships form (Form 183A) for each supporting organization (refer to the instructions for completing Form 183A for details). Where a government organization is a supporting organization, the letter of support must be signed by a director general (or equivalent level).

Please refer to the Instructions for Completing an SPG-P Letter of Intent.

Letter of intent review procedures

SPG-P letters of intent are reviewed by the selection panels for Strategic Partnership Grants for Projects based on the proposal’s strength on the following criteria:

• how well the project fits a strategic target area
• the originality of the research
• the quality of the applicants as researchers
• the training potential
• the relevance of the proposed research to the supporting organizations and their ability to exploit the results

All letters of intent are screened to ensure they are complete and adhere to program requirements. Letters that do not meet all program requirements will be rejected. NSERC reserves the right to assign a letter of intent to a target area that is different from the one selected by the applicant.

NSERC will invite full applications from the applicants whose letters of intent are most highly rated. The number of full applications invited will be approximately twice the number of anticipated awards. Letters submitted under an agreement with an international agency will automatically be invited to submit a full application, provided that all the requirements for an SPG-P grant have been met. No appeals of the results at this stage will be accepted.

Full application

NSERC must receive the application by the deadline date.

A complete application includes:

• an Application for a Grant (Form 101);
• a Personal Data Form (Form 100) for each applicant and co-applicant (when completing Form 100, academic researchers outside the natural sciences and engineering may provide the requested information related to “Contributions” in an alternate format within the five-page limit);
• a curriculum vitae of no more than six pages for each collaborator (refer to NSERC’s Eligibility Criteria – For Faculty section);
• an Information Required from Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships form (Form 183A) for each supporting organization (refer to the instructions for completing Form 183A for details). Where a government organization is a supporting organization, the letter of support must be signed by a director general (or equivalent level).

Please refer to the instructions for completing an SPG‑P application.

Applicants who require equipment to conduct the research must incorporate their request for equipment (up to a maximum of $150,000 for major items or systems) into the research proposal and justify the need for the equipment to conduct the research. Separate equipment requests will not be accepted.

Certain expenditures related to project management are now eligible as a direct cost of research up to a maximum of 10% of the total direct costs (see the Guidelines for Research Partnerships Programs Project Management Expenses).

Full application review procedures

NSERC evaluates applications in an annual competition. All applications are screened for completeness and adherence to program requirements. NSERC reserves the right to assign an application to a target area that is different from the one selected by the applicant.  Applications that do not meet all program requirements will be rejected. Applicants are notified in June if their proposal has been rejected.

External reviewers evaluate full applications. In late August, selection panels review the proposals and make recommendations to NSERC. The awards are announced in September.

NSERC and Environment and Climate Change Canada have entered into an agreement whereby Environment and Climate Change Canada will fund or co-fund selected Strategic Projects related to the environment. Environment and Climate Change Canada will flag successful proposals for funding under its Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) program. The agreement will continue to be in effect for the 2018 competition.

The EDF is a specified purpose account, administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada, to provide a mechanism for directing funds received as a result of fines, court orders, and voluntary payments to priority projects that will benefit our natural environment. More detailed information on the EDF program is available on the  Environmental Damages Fund page.

Applicants will be contacted to confirm their interest in being considered for these funds and to obtain their consent for the sharing of application material with representatives of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Following the selection panel meetings, NSERC will contact applicants whose proposals were identified for EDF support to discuss dispositions for receiving project funds from NSERC and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Note that Environment and Climate Change Canada representatives may attend selection panel meetings as observers and will have full access to funding applications during the meetings where consent has been attained. They will be required to sign NSERC’s  Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Agreement for Review Committee Members, External Reviewers and Observers . In the case where Environment and Climate Change Canada provides funds for a project, all administrative and financial terms (i.e., overhead, etc.) related to that funding must be negotiated between Environment and Climate Change Canada and the university, and captured in a funding agreement.

Selection criteria

Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria. More details on each criterion, along with a rating scale, are provided in the application instructions. Each criterion is given equal weight in the evaluation.

• Originality of the research – The project must promise to generate new knowledge or to apply existing knowledge in an innovative manner.
• Quality of the research – The project must be scientifically sound and technically feasible. It must fall within a specific target area.
• Project Work Plan – The project must have a clear and coherent work plan that demonstrates a high probability of achieving the objectives in the proposed time frame.
• Quality of the applicants as researchers – The research team must have all the expertise to address the defined objectives competently and to complete the project successfully.
• Training potential – The project must provide opportunities to train students and other highly qualified personnel with skills relevant to the needs of Canadian organizations.
• Interactions with the supporting organizations – The supporting organizations must have the capacity to apply the results of the research and must be actively involved in all stages of the project.
• Benefits to Canada and the supporting organizations – The proposal must identify how the work will benefit the supporting organization and must demonstrate that exploitation of the research results will benefit Canada within a ten-year time frame.

Reporting

During the second year of the project, all grantees must submit a progress report and supporting organizations will be asked for their feedback. NSERC will pay the final installment of the grant only if satisfactory progress and collaboration with the supporting organizations have been demonstrated.

Three months after the project end date, all grantees must submit a final report on the project’s achievements with respect to its objectives. Each supporting organization in the project will be asked to evaluate the project. NSERC may use the supporting organization’s evaluation when reviewing subsequent Strategic Partnership Grants for Projects applications from the same applicants.

During the five years after project completion, NSERC will collect information on the impacts of the funded research. Of particular interest is the fate of the trainees involved in the project, the benefits derived by users from outside the university sector and tangible evidence of knowledge and/or technology exploitation resulting from the research.