Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research

Eligibility

Candidates may be nominated by any individual or group. Self-nominations will not be accepted. Current NSERC Council members are not eligible for nomination.

NSERC strongly encourages nominators and university officials to consider equity, diversity and inclusion in their nomination processes.

Research teams nominated for the Brockhouse Canada Prize must have at least two members who are independent researchers, one of whom must hold an NSERC research grant. The team can be part of an international effort, but the majority of the nominated team members must be employed at a Canadian university or public or private organization. NSERC recognizes that teams may change between the time of the specific research achievements and the time of nomination. Nominations will be accepted when changes have occurred, but only where the core of the team remains intact. Contributions must be primarily in the natural sciences and engineering, and of an interdisciplinary and collaborative nature (consult NSERC's Guidelines for the preparation and review of applications in interdisciplinary research for a definition of interdisciplinary research). NSERC reserves the right to rule on the eligibility of nominations.

A team may be nominated for the NSERC Brockhouse Canada Prize and other NSERC prizes (Herzberg, Polanyi, McDonald, Synergy or Strickland) in the same year, but can only receive one prize in a given year. Nominees may not receive more than one of the following prizes for the same achievement: Brockhouse, Polanyi or Strickland.

Summary

The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering recognizes highly collaborative Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who have combined their expertise to produce achievements of outstanding significance in the natural sciences and engineering.

The Brockhouse Canada Prize competition is held annually. The prize is accompanied by a team research grant of up to $250,000, which may be used to support the direct costs of university-based research and/or the enhancement of research facilities. The grant will be paid in three annual instalments. Research grant funds associated with this prize are subject to the Tri-agency guide on financial administration.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the prize, nominators should consult NSERC's Guidelines for the preparation and review of applications in interdisciplinary research when preparing the nomination package. Nominators should also consult NSERC's Guidelines for the preparation and review of applications in engineering and the applied sciences, if appropriate.

NSERC Final Deadline: November 28, 2024 8pm EDT

Nomination Materials

The nomination package must include

1. a letter (four pages maximum; use the following points as headings) that clearly describes
    
   1. the team’s achievements built on
       
      1. contributions to research, highlighting their significance, novelty and impact; contributions may include advancing knowledge, using existing knowledge to develop novel solutions to practical problems, transferring knowledge, communicating research to non-specialist audiences and engaging in public outreach activities, among other things (refer to Contributions to research and their impact below for additional examples)
          
      2. contributions to the training and mentoring of highly qualified personnel in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting, emphasizing their impact, extent and importance; also describe the co-supervision provided by the various members of the team, and how equity, diversity and inclusion were considered in the training and mentoring of highly qualified personnel
         
         Note: The achievements must have been made jointly by the members of the nominated team and not realized before joining the team, or as individual researchers separate from the team's activities.
          
   2. the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the team and its achievements, including the complementarities of expertise between members of the group; the interdisciplinary nature of the team must be clearly defined, particularly in cases where it may not be immediately obvious—if the interdisciplinary nature of a team is not evident, the nomination may be ruled ineligible
       
2. a description of the team's five most important joint contributions; provide bibliographic information where relevant (maximum one page).
    
3. the names and email addresses of six researchers who, in the opinion of the nominators, could be approached by NSERC to conduct an impartial review of the nomination, and who are not in conflict of interest (see  Conflict of interest and confidentiality policy of the federal research funding organizations)
    
   1. NSERC strongly recommends that nominators suggest a cross-section of reviewers with expertise in the nominee’s area of research (i.e., Canadian and/or international researchers; from a range of career stages; members of under-represented and marginalized groups, including women; researchers at a variety of academic and non-academic institutions)
       
   2. Nominees must not contact suggested external reviewers in advance; please note that NSERC reserves the right to select all or none of the suggested reviewers
       
4. a brief letter from the team identifying one of the members as the spokesperson of the group; this spokesperson must be eligible to hold an NSERC grant and will be the contact person for NSERC on any matter related to the outcome of the competition (refer to NSERC's Eligibility criteria for faculty)
    
5. identification of any eligible leaves of absence (optional one-page) in consultation with NSERC’s Interruptions in research, training and mentoring webpage. In the case of medical leave, it is not necessary to explain the illness or the treatment but rather its impact on your research activity. Please:
   1. provide the duration of the circumstances
   2. include the impact of the interruption(s)
6. a terms and conditions form for nominees signed by each nominee
    
7. a terms and conditions form for nominators signed by each nominator

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Institutional Nominations (Optional)

Candidates may be nominated by any individual or group (Canadian citizens or permanent residents). Candidates may also be nominated by the President of the University of Calgary.

Candidates seeking an institutional nomination must submit a request for consideration by the Vice-President (Research) and President that includes: 

• a 1-page abstract of the proposed nomination, describing how the team's achievements meet the criteria for the Brockhouse Canada Prize, OR, in the case of re-nominations, a copy of the previous nomination; 
• and the candidate's CV (NSERC Common CV or Form 100).

The Faculty's lead for awards (e.g., chair of awards committee) or Associate Dean (Research) must submit both documents to the Research Services Office (researchawards@ucalgary.ca) by September 6, 2024

SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee

The SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee is now available to review and provide feedback to strengthen nominations for major research prizes and awards and advise on the suitability of award nominations. SUPPORT will also review the CV of a potential nominee and advise on their suitability for nomination at this time. If you wish for the SUPPORT: Research Awards committee to review and provide feedback on a nomination package, please include:

1. a letter of nomination (see above - item 1)
2. a description of the team's five most important joint contributions over the last six years (see above - item 2)
3. an up-to-date CV for each member of the team 

If additional components of the nomination package are available by the SUPPORT deadline, the committee would be pleased to review all available materials.

SUPPORT Nomination Review Deadline: October 14, 2024 at NOON