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Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
ERA-Can+ Information Session
Richard Isnor
Manager, NSERC Atlantic Regional Office
Fredericton, NB March 18, 2014
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In a nutshell…
NSERC helps make Canada a country of discoverers
and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians
Priorities
Total NSERC Budget $1.11 B
People:
Building our human capital in the natural
sciences and engineering
Discovery:
Unleashing the creative power of our
researchers
Innovation:
Connecting and applying the strength of
our research capacity to the challenges and
needs of industry and society
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NSERC’s International Strategy
A.
Attract and retain the best minds
B.
Expose students to training outside of Canada
C.
Stimulate global collaboration in priority areas
D.
Stimulate global academic-business collaboration
A. Attraction: become a
magnet for top talent…
Canada Excellence Research Chairs
Canada Research Chairs
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships
Vanier Canada Graduate
Scholarships
Competitive Discovery Grants
Discovery Research
Discovery Grants – A Unique Program
• Dynamic program based on excellence and peer review
• Supports on-going programs of research, rather than
projects – continuity and stability in funding
• Can be used to collaborate with colleagues abroad in a
variety of ways including fieldwork, research conferences,
collaborative trips and stipends for students and visiting
researchers.
• Typically 5 years duration
• Approx. 65% of applicants are supported
NSERC Discovery Grant Projects
• Jeff Dahn - Professor
Department of Physics and
Atmospheric Science,
Dalhousie University
• NSERC/3M Canada Industrial
Research Chair in Materials
for Advanced Batteries
• Tier 1 Canada Research
Chair in Battery and Fuel Cell
Materials
Discovery Grant – Physics and Chemistry of Materials for Energy
Storage; $620,800 over 5 years
Discovery Grant Accelerator in 2012 – 3 year supplement @
$40,000/yr
Linking Discovery to Innovation
NSERC Collaborative Research & Development Grants (CRD)
2012 – $199,000 over three years
2011 – $88,000 over two years
Dr. Yonghao Ni
Professor, Chemical Engineering, UNB
Limerick Pulp & Paper Director
NSERC Engage Grants
2012 – Two $25,000 awards
2011 – One $24,350 award
2011 – NSERC Discovery Grant
$200,000 over five years
Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) Cat. 1
2012 – Co-applicant $99, 515 (applicant: C. Adam Dyker)
2010 – Applicant $77,000
2010 – Co-applicant $30,132 (applicant: Gerard Sean McGrady)
*ACOA AIF
May 2013 – $1.5 million
Support for Mathematics & Statistics
• Collaborative and Thematic Resources Support
in Mathematics and Statistics (CTRMS)
• Targeted funding for thematic resources to promote
partnerships (national and international) within the
mathematical and statistical sciences
• Provides a place where researchers meet,
collaborate and exchange ideas
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B. Provide students with
international experience…
Students exposed to opportunities to study/research abroad
establish important lifetime connections, as well as gaining
access to specialized facilities and knowledge
Main support vehicles available for students to study abroad:
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships
CREATE (Collaborative Research and Training Experience)
CGS - Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships (PGS)
By Country of Tenure: 2010-11
United Kingdom, 74
414
Thailand, 1
148
1,288
Switzerland, 8
Australia, 18
Sweden, 3
Austria, 1
Belgium, 1
Columbia, 1
Czech Rep., 1
Denmark, 1
South Africa, 2
New Zealand, 12
Netherlands, 5
Israel, 2
Canada
United States
Other International
Ireland, 1
France, 5
Germany, 12
Facilitating the mobility of
students: NSERC CREATE
NSERC CREATE Program in Photovoltaics
• John Preston, McMaster University
• $1.65 M over 6 years
• One of the program’s goal is to offer each participant an international
experience
• Partner countries include: US, Italy, Germany, Australia, India and China
C. Focus on priority areas
As a global research community, we share many of the same
research challenges – working together we can accelerate
finding the solutions
Some of the tools:
• NSERC Discovery Frontiers
• Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence
• G8 Funding Initiative on Multilateral Research Funding
• International Research Initiative on Adaption to Climate
Change (2011)
• ERA Can+ Horizon 2020
Discovery Frontiers
•
•
•
•
•
•
Addresses national priorities and global
challenges
Transformative, Integrative science with the
potential for substantial impact
International linkages required with Canada
taking the leadership role
Teams of top Canadian researchers
No annual competition cycle, periodic calls –
based on advice from COGS
$1M/yr for 4 years
1st successful DF : Arctic
Development and
Adaptation to Permafrost
in Transition (ADAPT) –
led by W. Vincent, U of
Laval.
International Research Initiative on
Adaption to Climate Change (2011)
• 6 awards resulting from a special competition involving teams of
Canadian and international researchers from low and middle income
countries.
• Each team received $2.5 million over five years to study how best to
protect people, communities and vital economic sectors, like agriculture
and tourism, that are most at risk from the effects of climate change.
Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Extremes in the
Americas
Fernando Santibañez, Universidad de Chile
David J. Sauchyn, University of Regina
Understanding of the vulnerability of rural agricultural and indigenous
communities to climate variability and extreme climate events in Canada,
Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia.
D. Collaborate with industry and other
partners…
Fertile ground…academic-industry collaborations
benefit Canadian researchers and companies;
linking these to international collaborations builds
even greater strength and accelerates innovation
SNG
NSERC Strategic Project Grants
•
NSERC Strategic Research Project “Aggregated load
control using electric domestic water heaters and smart
meters” involving Liuchen Chang, Howard Li, and Julian
Meng, UNB.
– NSERC Strategic Project Grant investment $100,000; NB
Power investment of $32,000
•
Powershift Atlantic - Four year research project led by
UNB in partnership with the 3 Maritime electrical utilities
(NS Power, NB Power, PEI Maritime Electric). Total
investment of $32M. $15.9M from the federal Clean
Energy Fund, $16M from the three participating utilities.
– Study changing patterns of power consumption, help
electricity companies alter energy production to reduce GHG
emissions.
Liuchen Chang, UNB
NSERC Magnesium Network (MagNEt)
International Linkages:
• Korea: Research Institute of Science and Technology,
Korean Institute of Material Science, Pohang University of
Science and Technology
• China: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• USA: Cornell University
• Australia: University of Sydney
• Norway: Institute for Energy Technology
• Japan: Osaka University
NSERC Engage Grants
Pandurang Ashrit: Dept of Physics, Université de
Moncton
Engage Grant: Advanced Thermal Effusivity and
Conductivity Sensor Based on Thin Films
Company Partner: C-Therm Inc., Fredericton, NB
Amount: NSERC $25,000 cash; C-Therm:$16,900 (inkind)
Project Objective: To develop a new generation of
thermal sensors based on thin film technology for use in
C-Therm’s thermal analyzer.
NSERC Collaborative R&D Projects
Matthew Litvak, Department of Biology, Mount Allison
University + Amanda Cockshutt, Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mount Allison University
Project: Development of efficient techniques for
promoting early maturation, detection of sex and
maximization of growth in shortnose sturgeon for
aquaculture production.
Company Partners: Breviro Caviar Ltd.
$50,000 cash per year for 3 years + in-kind support
Amount Requested: $299,902 over 3 years
NSERC Award: $299,902 over 3 years
NSERC Collaborative R&D (CRD)
Funding Trends
National CRD Funding Paid by NSERC ($)
70000000
60000000
50000000
40000000
30000000
20000000
10000000
0
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Regional Opportunities Fund &
Partnership Workshop Grants
•
•
•
•
Help with bringing academic, government and industry research
partners together – research planning, development of new research
collaborations
ROF: Used to support regional events and activities tied to
development of academic-industry partnerships or industrial student
training
PWG - $25K awards for national research planning events that can
lead to new collaborations.
NSERC support normally helps pay for academic travel, workshop
logistics, hospitality, room rental, AV support etc.
Partnerships Workshops Grants
• Grants of up to $25,000 for:
 R&D planning workshops that will lead to new
collaborations between Canadian academics
and end user organizations (e.g. government,
industry).
 Can include international linkages and
participation, travel costs can include 1-2
international partners.
NSERC-Atlantic
For More Information Contact
Richard Isnor, Manager
Tel: 506-854-8756
Richard.Isnor@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Location: Université de Moncton,
Moncton NB
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca