NSERC: 2024 Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program

Eligibility

*This posting was updated following the NSERC CREATE Informational Webinar for Prospective Applicants on February 7, 2024; presentations from that session are in the "Resources" section below.

For a full record of NSERC’s Eligibility Criteria, please refer to its website: http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/Eligibility-Admissibilite/faculty-corpsprof_eng.asp

Summary

**Note: in early December 2023, NSERC shared a number of planned revisions to the NSERC CREATE program. A summary of changes follow:

1. The Letter of Intent (LOI) stage will now be non-competitive, meaning that the LOIs are not adjudicated by the selection committee and proceed directly to the application stage.

• LOI submissions are still required by the May 1 deadline, but the information to be provided will be reduced.

2. The Industrial stream has been eliminated. Industrial participation in CREATE initiatives is encouraged, but the extent and nature of industrial participation is determined by the applicants and their industrial partners.
3. Mobility experiences are now mandatory for all M.Sc. and Ph.D. trainees, with a minimum duration of 1 month for M.Sc. and 2 months for Ph.D.
4. NSERC CREATE is an institutional program, requiring institutional support and with institutions limited in the total number of LOIs and full applications which may be submitted. NSERC has communicated that the institutional quota will remain at six in the 2024 application year.

___________

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program supports the training and mentoring of teams of highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad through the development of innovative training programs.

There are several streams of opportunity within the CREATE program:

1. Regular Stream

REMOVED IN 2024 - Industrial stream

3. International Collaboration – An agreement between the German Research Foundation Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and NSERC is in place to support bilateral training programs that involve the exchange of students between Germany and Canada.

Please note that NSERC has not yet updated the competition information on their website for the 2025 competition (intake in 2024). We will provide notification and additional information as necessary. 

SUBMISSION PROCESS

The University of Calgary is limited in the number of Letters of Intent (LOI) that can be submitted to the CREATE program and will be carrying out an internal selection process conducted by SUPPORT and the Vice-President (Research).

Faculty members who would like to participate in the 2024 intake for the 2025 CREATE program must submit an internal Notice of Intent (iNOI) to their Associate Dean (Research) by January 10, 2024, or as determined by their ADR.

Timeline

Phase: optional Test Your Concept session

• Activity: Participate in optional Test Your Concept – NSERC CREATE session
  • Notify of interest in participating by emailing ipd@ucalgary.ca by 9:00 am October 11, 2023

         Date:          10:00 am – 12:00 pm November 7, 2023

Phase: mandatory internal Notice of Intent (iNOI)

• PI/team submits iNOI* to ADR

         Deadline:          As determined by faculties; typically by January 10, 2024

• ADR office submits iNOI to Research Services (email ipd@ucalgary.ca)

          Deadline:          By  9am January 17, 2024

• Notification of decision and distribution of feedback to PI

         Date:          By approximately February 19, 2024

*iNOI template available in “Resources” section below

Specific application process information for the LOI stage of the 2024 NSERC CREATE competition will be distributed to those groups selected to move forward in the competition.

LOIs, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) will be required by RSO by 9am, April 24, 2024. Complete the Pre-Award/LOI record in RMS (login at https://research.ucalgary.ca/rms). Please use the “NSERC – Collaborative Research and Training Experience” funding opportunity and be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. A step sheet for creating an application record in RMS is available in the Resources section below.

Note: If you plan to participate in the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) stream, please let Research Services know as soon as possible. 

RESOURCES

For projects involving Indigenous Research, support with the development of your grant application is available internally through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST). Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

For assistance in identifying international partners, contact the International Research Team at UCIresearch@ucalgary.ca.

CREATE iNOI template

NSERC CREATE information session for potential applicants 2024-02-08

NSERC CREATE session d'information pour demandeurs potentiels 2024-02-08

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI

Overhead

Not applicable

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

Application deadlines

iNOI

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via RMS, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Please use the internal Notice of Intent template form attached.

Projects being led elsewhere: faculty members participating in CREATE initiatives being led elsewhere are asked to contact Research Services (ipd@ucalgary.ca) by March 31, 2024.

Changes to the LOI instructions and other program elements were communicated in more detail by NSERC at information sessions for potential applicants. Presentation materials can be found in the Resources section.

RMS Training

As the full application will run through RMS, we encourage applicants to view the step sheets available at the RMS Training page. 

For training or technical support, you can contact RMS at: rms@ucalgary.ca and 403.210.9309.