COVID-19: Update on 2020 Innovation Fund Competition and Other CFI Activities

The current global pandemic underlines the necessity of diligently keeping Canada’s research facilities at the leading edge. Recognizing the importance of delivering research funding programs to all areas of research in a timely way, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is striving to continue conducting its regular business as much as possible.

As of March 16, CFI staff are working remotely but are endeavouring to provide the same high-quality service to its funded institutions and other stakeholders.

2020 Innovation Fund competition

To protect the health and safety of our staff and valued reviewers under these exceptional circumstances, and to comply with the advice of public health officials, the CFI will reconfigure the merit-review process for the 2020 Innovation Fund competition to avoid in-person meetings.

Upholding the integrity and high standard of excellence that are the foundations of our well-regarded merit-review process remains a priority, and we will strive to preserve that in any new procedure we introduce.

Given the rapidly changing recommendations and the accompanying challenges of implementing new systems of communicating virtually, we anticipate that changes to the process at this stage may lead to delays in the competition schedule. This could include a delay in funding decisions.

As we reschedule some of the review activities, we will continue to keep the research offices of the affected institutions up to date. If you are a researcher and you have questions, please contact your institution’s CFI liaison for more information. We will work directly with them. For all other stakeholders in the 2020 Innovation Fund, please write to if-fi.2020@innovation.ca if you have questions.

If you are an expert reviewer, we would like to emphasize the immeasurable value you bring to this process, and to express our sincere gratitude for your flexibility as we work to adapt to these challenging circumstances.

We are committed to the institutions we fund and to the cutting-edge research our programs support.  

Genome Canada’s statement on COVID-19

Friday, March 20, 2020

Ottawa, ON

Stemming the spread of COVID-19

Dear friends and colleagues, 

At Genome Canada, our management team is closely monitoring the evolution of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The situation is fluid and changing daily across the country, and Genome Canada will continue to make adjustments as more is learned about the virus and its impacts on our community and our stakeholders. 

The organization has proactively taken measures to help prevent further spread of the virus, including the implementation of a mandatory work-from-home policy to prioritize the health and well-being of staff and their families. Until further notice, all face-to-face meetings and conferences have been postponed or replaced with virtual options to promote social distancing. In order to stay in touch, we are actively tapping into various video and chat technology options at our disposal.

With regard to funded projects, we are taking action to support the research teams we work with. Specifically: 

• We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely slow or inhibit the ability of teams to conduct certain research, to complete progress reports, to prepare financial reports, or to publish research results as planned. As such, we will make allowances for delays caused by the pandemic. 
• We understand that most travel now requires cancellation or postponement. Any travel cancellation/rescheduling costs resulting from the spread of COVID-19 will be considered as eligible Genome Canada project expenditures. We continue to assess what other unanticipated project costs will be considered eligible.
• We will offer greater flexibility with no-cost extensions for all currently funded research teams should they experience delays due to COVID-19. 
• We are looking closely at processes for competitions that are now in progress to ensure fairness and equity across all such competitions. 
• We are working with the regional Genome Centres and any relevant partners to assess current competition deadlines and other key dates.

Flexibility is the key principle we are keeping in mind as we work with our research teams during this difficult time. We are here to support our community, to keep everyone safe, and to keep the research we have the privilege of being involved in moving ahead as much as possible. 

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your host institution, the regional Genome Centre through which you are funded, or directly to a member of the Genome Canada Management Team.

Wishing you and your families continued good health, 
Rob Annan
President and CEO

Given the global response to the COVID-19 health emergency and specific actions being taken by the Canadian, Ontario and Toronto governments, Ontario Genomics is taking the following proactive measures to reduce the potential spread of the virus, prioritizing the health and safety of our staff and the broader community:

• All Ontario Genomics staff are working from home until April 3*
• All in-person workshops and meetings currently scheduled are moving online or have been postponed until further notice. If you have a meeting or event scheduled, we will coordinate with you to develop an alternative arrangement.
• We are no longer taking face-to-face meetings at our office and will instead be setting up virtual meetings and teleconference calls, where appropriate.
• All business travel has been suspended.
• The Canada SynBio 2020 Organizing Committee has postponed the Canada SynBio 2020 conference originally planned for June 3, 2020, in Montreal. We are currently working to find a new date and will communicate the details with you as soon as we have this confirmed.

*All dates subject to change.

As the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and the Government of Ontario has declared a provincial emergency, we are closely monitoring the situation and adjusting our business operations based on the recommendations of Public Health Officials.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we will direct your email to the appropriate team member.

Update on COVID-19 (coronavirus) – March 19, 2020

03/19/2020

Vancouver, BC — As the landscape around COVID-19 continues to change, our priority of supporting global public health remains steadfast.

We are monitoring this unprecedented situation and are taking action to support our staff, participants, and stakeholders. In response to federal and provincial directives, we have made a number of changes to our business operations.

Globalink Research Internship (GRI)

• We are cancelling the Globalink Research Internship program this summer and, unfortunately, will not have the opportunity to welcome senior undergraduates from our partner countries to Canadian universities. We are working with participants on immediate actions, including covering incurred, non-refundable costs.
• Questions may be directed to helpdesk@mitacs.ca.
• We are continuing with the 2021 Globalink Research Internship Faculty call.

Globalink Research Awards (GRA) and Accelerate International

• For inbound Globalink Research Awards and Accelerate International participants who are currently in Canada, we strongly advise them to make immediate arrangements to consult with their home and host universities, end their project activities, and return home.
• For outbound participants who are currently abroad, we strongly advise them to make immediate arrangements to consult with their home and host universities, end their project activities, and return home.
• For Accelerate International interns who are requesting work-from-home options, we are examining them on a case-by-case basis.
• We are working toward alternatives for those GRA and Accelerate International students who have been approved recently, but have not yet travelled.
• GRA questions may be directed to international@mitacs.ca and Accelerate International questions to accelerate@mitacs.ca.

Mitacs Entrepreneur International

• We are working with Mitacs Entrepreneur International participants through one-on-one means.
• The contact for related questions is an online form.

Courses

• We are moving all courses online.

Accelerate and Elevate

• We are continuing with the Elevate call, as scheduled.
• We are looking at how Accelerate and Elevate programs are currently being affected and will be affected in the future.
• We expect that interns and fellows are following partner and university work-from-home procedures.
• We will share more updates on these programs soon.

All Mitacs staff members have moved to work-from-home protocols and are using supporting technology. Our teams remain operational and reachable.

We thank the community for their patience and will continue to adapt as the situation evolves.

Statement from the National Research Council of Canada - Business continuity during COVID-19 - March 17, 2020

As Canada and the world deals with COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), the National Research Council’s (NRC) top priority is to protect the health and safety of our employees, colleagues and stakeholders while working with our clients to achieve mutual business objectives and deliver on our mandate.

Along with our employees, we want our clients and stakeholders to be informed of the precautions the NRC is taking to mitigate impact on our operations and service delivery.

On March 15, NRC employees were advised to telework until further notice, unless they are needed on the premises for critical tasks. Directing our employees to telework will allow the NRC to contribute to the collective effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.

All NRC business travel has been suspended. Meetings, including with clients and stakeholders, will be conducted electronically. Our employees will determine if meetings can be conducted virtually or whether the meeting can be reschedule.

With all of the above in mind, we are ensuring that the NRC maintains project delivery through business continuity and back-up resources. We will also ask for flexibility from our clients when alternate resources or arrangements are required.

A connected community, a coordinated response - March 16, 2020

With the increasing spread of COVID-19 and a rapidly evolving global response, the health and safety of our staff, partners and the broader public is our top priority.  We are taking proactive actions to support global, national, provincial and local efforts being undertaken on the ground as we work together to “flatten the curve.” OCE is dedicated to ensuring our actions are informed by the best expert advice available and we will continue to coordinate our response with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Ontario’s Ministry of Health, and Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

We are implementing these immediate safety measures to help reduce the potential spread of the virus, while ensuring business continuity:

• All OCE staff are working from home.
• All in-person events, workshops and meetings currently scheduled have been suspended until further notice. If you have a meeting or event scheduled, we will coordinate with you to develop an alternative arrangement.
• We are no longer taking meetings at our main office (325 Front Street W.) and will be instead setting up virtual meetings and teleconference calls, where appropriate.
  • Be advised that if you are a current tenant of our main office, building access is still possible for those with security passes and fixed hand-sanitizer stations remain available throughout the building.
• All business travel has been suspended.
• For those using the ENCQOR and NGNP testbeds and the AVIN Regional Technology Development Sites (RTDS), please consult with the appropriate innovation hub for their approach to building/on-site access.

With the World Health Organization recognizing COVID-19 as a public health emergency, the emphasis must be on each of our individual actions as we work together, in a coordinated effort, to contain the spread of the virus.

Please be assured that we are virtually connected to our systems, answering calls and emails, in-taking and reviewing applications, issuing awards, and processing claims.  Our Business Development (BD) Team is working virtually with clients, developing proposals and assisting with applications. To borrow from the wise words of our partner Communitech, it’s “business as virtual” in the innovation ecosystem.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Braden Root-McCaig, Director of Communications & Strategy at braden.root-mccaig@oce-ontario.org.

We also recognize the importance of access to quality information sources and encourage individuals seeking additional information about the virus to visit Health Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and Toronto Public Health.

Sincerely,
Claudia Krywiak
President & CEO
OCE

Covid-19 - Program Update - Updated March 26, 2020

Dear Valued Partners,As this unprecedented global situation unfolds, we recognize that this is a uniquely challenging period for you – not only personally, but also due to the disruption to your business, research and projects.
 
Whether you are a researcher or a company, early-stage or scaling, if you currently have a project with OCE, we fully appreciate how the impacts of COVID-19 may affect your business, your ability to conduct research, your access to research labs and equipment, as well as your ability to prepare and submit applications and reports. We view every program that we offer and every project that we support as a partnership, and take an active role in ensuring your success. As a result, we are exploring all avenues, including project extensions and accelerated payments, to support you during this difficult time.
 
We continue to make adjustments as we monitor the evolution and impact of COVID-19, and we look forward to keeping you informed as we respond to rapidly changing circumstances.
 
OCE is working across our many partners and stakeholders to ensure timely updates are available and we encourage you to visit the Program Updates section of the OCE website for program-specific updates as new information becomes available. For urgent requests related to projects that are within 30 days of completion, please contact the Program Lead assigned to your project.
 
As always, do not hesitate to reach out to your Business Development Manager. We’re here to help.
 
Finally, thank you again for being a valued part of Ontario’s innovation ecosystem – now, more than ever, we must be adaptable, responsive and collaborative, as we work together in common interest with innovators from across the province.

Sincerely,
Claudia Krywiak
President and CEO,
OCE

Program Extension Requests

To alleviate disruptions to your project caused by the ongoing Covid-19 situation, OCE will approve, on request, project activities and expenditures for the programs listed below.

To request an extension, the Project Lead must follow the steps below:

1. Log on to AccessOCE 30 days before the original project end date
2. Select the project from your project list
3. Select the "Project Administration" tab
4. Select "Project Change Request" and complete the information

​​Programs that may request extensions include:

• ASCIP
• AVIN
• CARDF
• ENCQOR 5G
• I3 Demonstration Program, ending after April 1, 2020
• International Programs
• Market Readiness
• NGNP
• Small Business Innovation Challenge (SBIC)
• TalentEdge
• TargetGHG
• Voucher for Innovation and Productivity (VIP)

​​For all other programs, please reach out to your OCE Business Development Manager for support.

 

Tri-Agency Message on COVID-19

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC are closely monitoring the evolution and impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and are taking action to support our grants, scholarships and awards recipients, as well applicants, peer reviewers and employees. We are also contributing to the efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and, like other organizations in Canada, are putting in place appropriate social distancing measures and other modifications to our business operations. The situation continues to evolve rapidly, and we will make further adjustments as needed.

The granting agencies recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic may affect your work, your ability to conduct and to review research, and your ability to prepare and submit publications or grant and scholarship applications. We understand that some research could be jeopardized or slowed down; the preparation of research and financial reports may be delayed; and meetings, events, and travel plans might also be affected. The granting agencies will continue to support the research community as we adapt to these challenges.

As previously communicated, if you must cancel or postpone travel or events paid through agency funds, we will consider the costs associated with the changes as allowable project expenses, provided they align with agency policies. The Agencies are also canceling or postponing non-essential events and travel at least until early April (more details to come).

Over the coming days and weeks, the Tri-agency will provide agency-specific information (program by program), as we continue to monitor and evaluate adjustments to program application deadlines and reporting due dates, as needed. These will be communicated by each agency, for each program, as we make those adjustments. Please consult the CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC websites regularly for updates.

We will continue to make adjustments and put in place additional measures. If you have already submitted a grant application, we will strive to provide you with a timely response; however we do anticipate that the coronavirus will have an impact on the ability of reviewers to participate in planned peer review activities. We will advise you if significant delays are foreseen. Grant and grant application extensions are part of the measures being considered due to the exceptional circumstances. The details for each program will be shared in the coming days.

Once again, we encourage you to regularly consult the relevant agency webpages for further updates. Please do not hesitate to contact your university administration or the Agencies if you have any questions.

CIHR - Updated March 19, 2020

CIHR Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) Update - We are all in this Together - March 19, 2020

A message from CIHR President Dr. Michael Strong

Dear members of the Canadian health research community,

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with a health crisis and grave disruptions the likes of which most of us have never seen before. I know that you are facing many challenges: our labs have been temporarily closed, you’re adjusting to teaching your courses online, and many of you who are clinicians have heeded the call to lend a hand as resources on the ground are stretched thin. Above and beyond this, you’re occupied with the most important job of all: watching out for the health and safety of your family and loved ones.

I know that you have questions about what the disruptions caused by COVID-19 mean for CIHR’s programs. Many of you are in the course of applying, have applied, or will be applying for funding competitions, or you’ve volunteered to peer review, and you’re wondering about the status of those competitions.  
 

As you may imagine, this issue has been a critical priority for my senior team and I to address while we assess the evolving challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. While I acknowledge that you would like answers right now, the fact of the matter is that this is not going to be business as usual for any of us and our tools to address these challenges are limited. Given this, we have been consulting carefully in order to understand not only the critical needs to be addressed, but also the long-term implications of any approach we use. We recognize that we will need to address not only the ability to offer grant competitions at this time, but also the implications for the current closure of labs across the country. Any package that we will bring forward, and indeed there will be one, will look to mitigate the many impacts on researchers, trainees, lab staff, and research administrators, among others – including ensuring that staff paid from grants will continue to be paid. I can assure you that we will provide the initial aspects of this approach in the next few days.

In the meantime, please regularly consult the COVID-19 webpage on CIHR’s website. It will be updated regularly as more information becomes available.

These are extraordinary times, but we will get through them together.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Strong, MD, FRCP, FCAHS, FAAN
President, CIHR

Cancelling the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition - Updated April 2, 2020

A message from CIHR President Dr. Michael Strong

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to you today to announce that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, CIHR has cancelled the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition.

CIHR made the decision to cancel the spring competition following consultations with Governing Council, Science Council, partners at the U-15, Universities Canada, HealthCareCAN, and the University Delegates Network, among others. While the decision to cancel the competition was a difficult one, our priority right now is to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the health and safety of our staff and the research community.

After considering all available options, the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition was cancelled for the following key reasons:

• Many of our peer reviewers are clinician scientists and health professionals who have heeded the call to lend a hand, as our country’s health care resources are stretched thin on the ground. It would have been irresponsible for CIHR to divert their attention at this critical time of need.
• With researchers following public health advice to curtail travel and self-isolate, carrying out face-to-face peer review for the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition would have been contrary to all public health advice.
• Our pool of peer reviewers is comprised of many professors who are now faced with the task of modifying their courses and final exams to an online format. This shift will entail a great deal of work, and we do not want to add to their burden.
• The researchers who would typically provide peer review for this competition – and the CIHR staff who would deliver it – are presently occupied with a more important duty: caring for the health and safety of their families and loved ones, which must remain their top priority.
• Last, but not least, in keeping with government-wide initiatives to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, CIHR’s physical offices are closed and all work is being done from home.  Our priority is to direct our resources to efforts to tackle the government of Canada’s response to COVID-19.

Given the extraordinary circumstances, CIHR did consider virtual peer review for the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition. However, such a move would not have resolved many of the challenges mentioned above. Furthermore, with the situation continuing to evolve, we could not be certain about the reliability of the critical infrastructure required to deliver a high-quality competition. For these reasons, we are not pursuing virtual peer review for the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition. Delaying the competition until this summer was also not a viable option, as there is a possibility that CIHR’s normal business operations will not resume in time to successfully deliver a Project Grant competition this summer. That said, CIHR remains on track to deliver the Fall 2020 Project Grant competition.

We acknowledge that cancelling the competition will have significant impacts on those who applied as well as on future competitions. CIHR will implement the following measures to help mitigate these impacts:

• Similar to what was done when the Spring 2017 competition was delayed, CIHR will financially extend all existing Investigator-Initiated Research grants scheduled to expire between June 30, 2020 and March 30, 2021, for one year.
  • This includes providing an extension to all Nominated Principal Applicants (NPAs) with a grant expiring within the date range who applied to the Spring 2020 competition, as these applicants were applying for a grant to replace one that was expiring.
  • The amount provided will be equivalent to one year of the grant’s average annual value.
  • Those who accept the extension will not be allowed to apply as an NPA to the Fall 2020 competition to help ease some of the pressure on this competition.
• Additionally, CIHR will financially extend all bridge grants provided to Nominated Principal Investigators (NPIs) in the Fall 2019 Project Grant competition.
  • This extension will be provided to all NPIs who received a bridge grant in the Fall 2019 competition and applied to the Spring 2020 competition.
  • The amount provided will be the equivalent of 6 months of their bridge grant amount.
  • NPIs who are provided this bridge grant extension will be allowed to apply in the role of NPA to the Fall 2020 competition.
• NPAs from the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition will be given the option to bring their submission forward automatically to the Fall 2020 Project Grant competition, including the ability to provide a one-page supplement for additional support data or publications. NPAs will also have the option to withdraw their application and resubmit a new or updated application to the Fall competition.

More broadly, CIHR is considering measures to help the health research community weather the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following measures will be implemented immediately

• An automatic one-year extension to the authority-to-use-funds date for all active grants. This will give researchers an additional full year to use any residual funds not yet spent to compensate for disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• CIHR will place a moratorium on all existing and any new strategic/institute-driven funding opportunities during the next three months. The exception is that any funding competitions related to COVID-19 will continue to go forward.
• Relatedly, throughout this process, we have worked closely with our colleagues at the U15 and Universities Canada, who are currently considering our proposal to provide a full-year extension to all those individuals who are within the probationary period and tenure stream.

CIHR will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves, and stands ready to take more action as needed to help mitigate any impacts and delays caused by COVID-19.

I know that you likely have many questions. CIHR will follow up with all applicants and peer reviewers for the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition through targeted communications in order to assist you as you navigate next steps and consider your options. We will also be holding webinars in the lead up to the Fall 2020 Project Grant competition to answer your questions. In the meantime, please visit CIHR’s COVID-19 webpage, which will be updated regularly, and continue to email your questions to support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Rest assured that we will continue to do everything in our power to minimize disruption to the research community. These are extraordinary times and these are extraordinary measures, but we will get through them together.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Strong, MD, FRCP, FCAHS, FAAN
President, CIHR

CIHR FAQs

Is CIHR closed? Is it business as usual?

No, CIHR is not closed. The agency is continuing to operate and carry out some of its business activities. In order to facilitate social distancing, CIHR employees are working remotely from home. It should be noted that this is not business as usual. For the foreseeable future, CIHR is refocusing its resources to concentrate on the COVID-19 pandemic, including mitigating its effects on the research community.

What is happening with the Spring Project Grant competition?

CIHR has cancelled the Spring 2020 Project Grant competition. See above for details.

Is CIHR moving to virtual peer review?

Face-to-face peer review continues to be CIHR’s standard for peer review. The agency is currently assessing ways of mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on planned peer review activities, and more information will be provided to the community on a competition-by-competition basis.

What is CIHR doing to support researchers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?

CIHR is committed to supporting grant- and scholarship-holders, applicants, and peer reviewers as we adjust, together, to these extraordinary circumstances. This could include adjusting program application and reporting dates, extensions to grants, etc. We are currently reviewing the list of all competitions that were recently launched, are in progress, or were to be launched in the coming months, and coming up with mitigation strategies for each one.

Decisions will be made on a competition-by-competition basis and will be communicated early and widely to affected researchers. The Tri-Agencies have also moved to include as eligible expenses
the reimbursement of non-refundable travel fees from agency funds when travel is cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is CIHR still participating in conferences and events?

The Tri-Agencies are cancelling or postponing non-essential in-person events and travel at least until the end of April. As the situation is still evolving, there is a possibility that events in the spring and summer may also be affected. More information will be available shortly. However, CIHR may still participate in events and conferences where virtual participation is an option.

Furthermore, CIHR’s Institutes are determining how to proceed (postponing, cancelling, or moving to a virtual format) on an event-by-event basis in close collaboration with CIHR and their respective host institutions (whose policies they are expected to follow).

Will there be an effect on the development, finalization, and launch of CIHR's Strategic Plan?

While a great deal of progress has been made on the development and finalization of CIHR’s new Strategic Plan, the next step in the process – review of the latest draft by several bodies internal and external to CIHR – may be impacted by COVID-19. CIHR will make every effort to avoid disruption to the process. CIHR will postpone the Strategic Plan launch event that had been scheduled for June in Ottawa.

How di I get more information?

We encourage the community to consult the relevant Tri-Agency websites and Twitter accounts on a regular basis as we will be providing frequent updates. Individuals may also wish to contact their university administration, or the funding agencies directly. CIHR’s Contact Centre remains operational and staff, who are working remotely, can be reached at support-soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

NSERC - Updated April 13, 2020

NSERC Program Information in Relation to COVID-19 - April 9, 2020

NSERC continues to make adjustments to its operations as we monitor the evolution and impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We will continue to support our grants, scholarships and awards recipients, as well applicants, peer reviewers and employees. The situation continues to evolve rapidly, and we will make further adjustments as needed.

The granting agencies recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic may affect your work, your ability to conduct and review research, and your ability to prepare and submit publications or grant and scholarship applications. We understand that some research could be jeopardized or slowed down; the preparation of research and financial reports may be delayed; and meetings, events, and travel plans may also be affected. The Agencies will continue to support the research community as we adapt to these challenges.

Over the coming days and weeks, we will provide program-by-program specific information as we continue to monitor and evaluate adjustments to program application deadlines and the reporting of due dates, as needed. These will be communicated through the NSERC website with regular updates. We will continue to make adjustments and put in place additional measures as necessary. 

The information below will be updated on a regular basis. If you have any questions, please refer to NSERC’s Contact Us page.

Program-Specific Details

Extension of Discovery Grants (new)
To lessen the impact due to COVID-19 and to support all of our researchers and highly qualified personnel, all active Discovery Grants can elect to receive a one-year extension with funds at their current funding level. This includes grants from the recent 2020 competition. Grantees due to apply in competition 2021 can elect not to apply for funding this summer/fall during these tumultuous times.

This one year extension will be granted for the following programs: Discovery Grants, Discovery Grants – Subatomic Physics (Individual, Project and Major Resources), Discovery Grants – Northern Research Supplements and Discovery Development Grants. NSERC will contact grantees and universities with details on how to confirm their grant extensions.

In light of these extensions, the 2021 Discovery Grants competition will be for new applicants (those not currently holding a Discovery Grant) and those who choose not to accept the extension. As we develop the necessary mechanisms to support this initiative, additional details will be communicated.

In the meantime, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions and continue to visit this webpage, which is updated regularly. You may also continue to contact NSERC Research Grants at resgrant@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

Tri-agency college grants: Applied Research Rapid Response to COVID-19 (new)

Through the College and Community Innovation program, this funding opportunity will leverage the expertise and infrastructure in Canada’s colleges and polytechnics to rapidly mobilize support and expertise related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Support for up to $75,000 for one-year projects is being made available on expedited timelines.

Please visit the Applied Research Rapid Response to COVID-19 webpage for more information.

NSERC Alliance COVID-19 grants (new)

NSERC is providing up to $15 million in total support to stimulate collaborations between academic researchers at Canadian universities and the public and not-for-profit sectors, and industry to address pandemic-related research and technical challenges. Support for up to $50,000 for one-year projects is being made available immediately.

Please visit the NSERC Alliance COVID-19 grants webpage for more information.

Call for joint Canada-UK projects on quantum technologies (QT)
The expression of interest deadline has been extended to June 8, 2020. The two funding agencies will respond jointly to expressions of interest by June 12, 2020.

Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)
The application deadline has been suspended. NSERC will continue to accept applications past May 1, 2020, without penalty.

Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) – letter of intent
The application deadline for the letter of intent has been extended to June 1, 2020.

Science Communication Skills grant (pilot)
The application deadline has been extended to June 15, 2020.

E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship
The application deadline has been extended to July 7, 2020.

Canada Graduate Scholarships – Masters (CGS M)
The opening of the Research Portal for students to accept or decline awards has been delayed until April 15, 2020. Applicants requiring an extension to the 21 day window to accept or decline their award should contact the relevant agency.

CGS M allocations by institution extended to next competition cycle. No change to December 1, 2020 application deadline at this time.

NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (PGS/CGS-D)
The release of results from the 2020 PGS/CGS–D competition is proceeding as planned. Results are expected in April. Should delays be experienced, they will be communicated as soon as possible. 

Discovery Grants
The release of results from the 2020 Discovery Grants competition is proceeding as planned.  Results are expected to be posted on the Research Portal by mid-April. Should delays be experienced, they will be communicated as soon as possible. 

Results posted include Discovery Grants – Individual, Discovery Grants – Subatomic Physics, Discovery Grants – Northern Research Supplements, Discovery Launch Supplements, Discovery Accelerator Supplements and the Discovery Development Grants.

Discovery Grants appeals process
The deadline to submit an appeal has been extended till June 30, 2020.

Research Tools and Instruments (RTI)
The release of results from the 2020 RTI competition is proceeding as planned. Results are expected to be posted on the Research Portal by mid-April. Should delays be experienced, they will be communicated as soon as possible. 

Collaborative Research and Development grants
All grant applications: Results will be communicated shortly, only minor delays are expected.

Alliance grants (option 1)
NSERC continues to accept applications. Applicants can expect delays in processing times, depending on the capacity of peer reviewers and of NSERC personnel.

Applications for which external reviews were received by March 12, 2020, should receive answers from NSERC in April.

Alliance grants (option 2)
The first meeting of the review panel is postponed until June 2020.

Synergy Awards
The application deadline has been moved to June 1, 2020.

Idea to Innovation (I2I) grants
The March 30, 2020 I2I application deadline has been postponed to June 22, 2020.
The evaluation of I2I applications submitted in January 2020 will not be affected by these changes.

College Engage and Applied Research and Development (ARD) grants
NSERC will continue to receive applications, but processing times will be partly
dependent on the availability of external reviewers, notably for ARDs.

College and Community Innovation program
The 2020 competition for the Innovation Enhancement grants has been postponed until further notice.

Science Odyssey
Science Odyssey has cancelled the celebration planned from May 2 to 17, 2020.

The Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering 
The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research
The John C. Polanyi Award
The deadline for these programs has been extended to May 1, 2020.

All programs:  Research reports due to NSERC have all been granted an extension of four weeks (to be revised as appropriate).

SSHRC - Updated April 13, 2020

A message from SSHRC's President and Vice-President, Research in response to COVID-19 - March 20, 2020

Dear members of the social sciences and humanities research community:

In this time of unprecedented disruption, we wanted to reassure you that we recognize the COVID-19 pandemic may affect you and your loved ones’ physical and/or mental health. We understand that you may be facing many challenges, including delays or interruptions in your ability to conduct and review research; teach and mentor students; supervise postdoctoral researchers; prepare and submit publications or grant and scholarship applications, among other things. We understand that some research could be jeopardized or slowed down, the preparation of research and financial reports may be delayed, and meetings, events, and travel plans may also be affected. SSHRC will continue to support the community as we adapt to these challenges.

Our strength in the social sciences and humanities research community is our understanding of the human aspect of such crises. We recognize the priority to ensure your health and safety, and that of your families, students, employees, friends and colleagues. Here at SSHRC, we are likewise involved in supporting our staff as we all adapt to a new way of working. 

We appreciate your patience as SSHRC is taking appropriate measures to analyze and implement necessary adjustments to its operations as we monitor the evolving impact of COVID-19. The situation continues to evolve rapidly, and we will make further adjustments as needed.

Over the coming days and weeks, we will provide program-specific information, noting adjustments to application deadlines and reporting due dates, as needed. Check out this webpage regularly to learn more about the impacts of COVID-19 on SSHRC’s programs.

Sincerely,

Ted Hewitt, president and Dominique Bérubé, vice-president, research

SSHRC Programs

Aid to Scholarly Journals

There are no changes to program deadlines at this time.

Connection Grants

There are no changes to program deadlines at this time.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC): CMHC–SSHRC Housing Research Training Awards Program

The final adjudication committee meeting was successfully held on March 11, 2020. While no delays are expected in communicating results to postsecondary institutions, there may be some delays in providing results packages, including assessment forms, to individual applicants.

Healthy Cities Research Training Platform—2nd Stage

There are no changes to program deadlines at this time.

Horizon 2020 Migration Call

There are no changes to funding opportunity deadlines at this time. However, Canadian researchers who are part of a European team and need to submit a proposal to SSHRC can request an extension. Send requests to Jacques.critchley@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca.

Insight Development Grants

There are no changes to program deadlines at this time.

Insight Grants

The release of the 2019-20 competition results is delayed; results will be announced to institutions by mid-April. There may also be delays in providing results packages to individual applicants (including committee evaluation forms and external reviews, where applicable) given that these are sent by mail.

International Policy Ideas Challenge 2020

The application deadline has been extended to May 15, 2020.

Joint initiatives and supplements for the Talent Program

Application and adjudication processes will proceed as planned.

Knowledge Synthesis Grants: Living Within the Earth's Carrying Capacity

The adjudication process is proceeding as planned and results will be announced to institutions by the end of March 2020. There may be some delays in providing results packages, including assessment forms, to individual applicants.

Open Research Area 6

There are no changes to program deadlines at this time.

Partnership Engage Grants

While the deadline was extended to March 19, 2020, we do not expect any delays to the adjudication and announcement of results to universities. However, there may be delays in providing results packages, including assessment forms to individual applicants.

Partnership Development Grants

There are no changes to program deadlines at this time.

Partnership Grants - Stage 1

The adjudication process is proceeding as planned and results will be announced to institutions in June 2020. There may be some delays in providing results packages, including assessment forms, to individual applicants.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships 2020 Competition

Application and adjudication processes will proceed as planned.

SSHRC Impact Awards

The deadline for nominations has been extended to Friday, May 1, 2020. We expect a minor delay to the adjudication process and the release of results.

SSHRC Institutional Grants (SIG)

Small institutions due to submit an activity report by April 30, 2020, may contact SSHRC if an extension is required.

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships 2020 Competition

Application and adjudication processes will proceed as planned.

Temporary Changes to Peer Review by SSHRC - April 9, 2020

These last weeks have been a time of unprecedented disruption as we all work to address the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in our professional and personal lives. SSHRC remains committed to serving the social sciences and humanities research community during these exceptional times. We are working to limit the impact of the pandemic on SSHRC funding opportunities and we’d like to give you an update on some of the steps we are taking. 

 

Our priority is to maintain our core programs. We do not want to cancel competitions and plan to continue with the current funding opportunities’ schedule to the greatest extent possible. We also intend to ensure that support for young and emerging researchers continues to be available. Under the Insight Development Grants, for example, approximately 65% of submissions to the 2020 competition came from first time applicants. We are working to ensure that the adjudication of their applications can proceed, although the usual peer review process will need to be adjusted. 

 

Like many of you, SSHRC employees are working remotely from their homes. We also recognize that volunteer peer reviewers―who are a key part of the adjudication process―are also teleworking and managing the impacts of pandemic measures where they live. This presents unique challenges for peer review committees that typically meet in-person or by videoconference, supported by the SSHRC IT systems at our offices. 

As we try to deliver programs remotely, we will be implementing temporary changes to peer review adjudication. These changes include reduced feedback for applicants, who will only receive scores on the three merit criteria: Challenge, Feasibility and Capability. No narrative comments will be provided. In addition, committee meetings will be held via teleconference. These changes will be implemented for the following current and upcoming funding opportunities:

• Insight Development Grants;
• Partnership Engage Grants;
• Partnership Grants – Stage 1; and
• The upcoming Connection Grants.

While we know that this will come as disappointing news, we trust you understand that this is a compromise that allows delivery of the adjudication processes in a timely manner, without the risk of postponing or cancelling any of these funding opportunities.  

Thank you for your support and patience as we continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 on our programs. Additional updates about SSHRC programs can be found at : https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/news_room-salle_de_presse/covid-19-eng.aspx

Sincerely,

Tim Wilson, PhD

Associate vice-president, Research Programs

Tri-Agency Programs - Updated March 27, 2020

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

The launch of the 2020 competition is postponed until June 1, 2020. The application deadline is to be confirmed.

Canada 150 Research Chairs Program

The deadline for the submission of annual reports is moved to September 30, 2020.

Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program

The deadline for the submission of annual reports is moved to September 30, 2020.

Canada First Research Excellence Fund

The deadline for the submission of annual reports is moved to September 30, 2020.

Canada Graduate Scholarships Program—Doctoral Scholarships

Results of the 2019 competition will be released as planned in April 2020, as per agency schedules. There are no changes to the 2020 application deadlines at this time (October 17 for direct applicants and November 21 for university applicants).

Canada Graduate Scholarships—Master’s Program

The release of results in the Research Portal is postponed from April 1 to April 15, 2020. Applicants requiring an extension to the 21-day window to accept or decline their award should contact the relevant agency.

Canada Graduate Scholarships Program—Michael Smith Foreign Studies Supplements

No changes to June 10 and October 10, 2020 application deadlines at this time.

Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP)

The release of results for the October 2019 cycle (2019-2) is delayed until June, 2020. Start dates for renewals and new nominations will be backdated to April 1, 2020, where applicable.  

The CRCP is temporarily reverting back to a two-cycle model. The nomination deadline for the April intake has been postponed to June  8, 2020, and results will be available in December, 2020. The September and December intake cycles will be combined and will have a deadline of November 9, 2020, with results available in April, 2021.

The program continues to accept off-cycle nominations for foreign nominees, as well as nominations that will assist institutions in meeting their equity targets.

The deadline for Chairholder Annual Reports and Institutional Reports has been postponed to September 30, 2020.

New Frontiers in Research Fund - Exploration

The 2019 Exploration Competition will be finalized as planned. Applicants will receive Notices of Decision by March 31, 2020, and funds will be disbursed shortly after. The posting of the evaluation results for applicants (including ratings by criteria and messages to applicants, where applicable) may be delayed.

New Frontiers in Research Fund - International

There are no changes to the 2020 Horizon Global Platform competition.

New Frontiers in Research Fund - Transformation

While we finalize the review of the competition timeline, the Letter of Intent (LOI) deadline for the 2020 Transformation Competition has been extended to July 15, 2020, at 8 p.m. (eastern). This is the deadline for submission to the agency by the research administrators; institutions may have earlier internal deadline.

Research Support Fund

The notional grant amount for the 2020-21 cycle will be communicated to institutional contacts on April 23, 2020.

The deadline to submit applications is postponed to June 19, 2020.

The annual reporting of the Statement of Account (SOA) and the Outcomes Reports for 2019-20 is postponed until September 30, 2020.

The formula used to calculate the RSF grant amounts remains unchanged. The RSF’s budget remains unchanged, so any variance to the grant amount is related to the amount of funding the institution’s researchers received from the agencies in the three most recent years for which data is available. The budget for the Incremental Project Grants has increased to $46.3 million for 2020-21, as initially planned in Budget 2018.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Results of the 2019 competition will be released as planned in April 2020. There is no change to the November 3, 2020, nomination deadline at this time.

Other General Program Information - Updated April 22, 2020

Message from Tri-Agencies on funding ongoing and incremental costs of research activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic - April 22, 2020

The federal funding agencies have received a few questions about eligible expenses during this unprecedented time, so we wanted to take this opportunity to clarify a few things.

First and foremost, we would like to be clear about the agencies’ perspective on paying personnel with existing grant funds: Any members of the research team eligible to be paid from an agency grant continue to be eligible (and should continue to be paid) in the current context. This is our perspective, regardless whether those members of the research team are currently able to work directly on the originally planned project(s).

Given the ever-evolving circumstances caused by the pandemic, we also recognize that grant recipients and/or research team members may continue to incur ongoing research costs, as well as incremental costs that would not normally be incurred (for example, compensation and travel) related to agency- funded research activities. The agencies would like to remain as flexible as possible to support grant recipients during this time and acknowledge that some of these costs may be eligible to be paid from agency grant funds. The agencies will therefore defer to administering institutions to determine if incremental costs are consistent with the principles and directives set out in the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration (and if they are, then those expenses will still be eligible to be paid from grant funds).

We hope this information is helpful. We plan to post this information online shortly, as well.

Take care,

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Grant extensions

NSERC and SSHRC recognize that agency-funded research activities may be delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Academic institutions can immediately approve extensions requests up to 12 months for Agency grants with an end date between February 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 inclusively. This provision applies to all grants, regardless of whether they have received a previous time extension of any length for any reason (including, where applicable, automatic extensions). The intent of this provision is to allow grantees to continue spending grant funds, and institutions to delay the processing of residual grant funds (per the NSERC/SSHRC Guidelines for the General Research Fund). Institutions are to keep complete and accurate records on the grants being extended. The mechanism for institutions to notify the Agencies of the details of these extensions will be determined and communicated in the near future.

Financial reporting

The deadline for submitting financial reporting (Forms 300 and 301) for the 2019-20 (April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020) Annual Reconciliation of Active Awards has been postponed until September 30, 2020.

Travel and travel cancellations

NSERC confirms that in addition to the costs described in the earlier Tri-agency statement regarding cancelled travel plans of researchers and members of their teams, other non-refundable expenses may be incurred as a result of cancelled travel and/or meetings related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Provided the expenses would have been eligible had the travel/meeting taken place as planned, these non-refundable costs can be reimbursed out of existing grant funds.

Other exceptional expenditures

In addition to the reimbursement of non-refundable travel and meeting costs as previously described, NSERC recognizes that in some cases other costs may be incurred in relation to ongoing financial commitments, such as the remuneration of individuals paid out of agency grants. For example, individuals receiving a salary or stipend from grant funds may be recommended or required to self-isolate, and/or may be unable to work or telework for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. NSERC confirms that if the costs are not covered by other sources of funds within the institution, and provided these expenses would otherwise have been eligible to be paid out of the grant, these can be paid from existing grant funds.

Program deadlines extended - Updated March 25, 2020

We are monitoring the current global situation involving COVID-19 and the impact on the research community. As a result, we will be delaying deadlines for our current open programs by 4 weeks.  If you have already submitted an application for a 2020 program, your application will remain on our grants management system.

Updated LOI deadlines for open programs are as follows:

• Rapid Response: Canada 2020 (Alzheimer’s & Related Diseases) – April 24, 2020
• Transformational Research: Canada 2020 (Alzheimer’s & Related Diseases) – April 24, 2020
• Rapid Response: Canada 2020 (Parkinson’s & Related Diseases) – June 4, 2020
• Transformational Research: Canada 2020 (Parkinson’s & Related Diseases) – June 4, 2020
• Weston Brain Institute International Outstanding Achievement Award 2020 – June 25, 2020
• Early Phase Clinical Trials: Canada – no deadline

More information on each of these programs can be found on here.

Important Notice: Closure of Seeding Food Innovation 2020 Call - Updated April 8, 2020

These are unprecedented times.  As the enormity of the COVID-19 reality continues to impact every aspect of our lives, it is with regret that we have decided to close the Seeding Food Innovation 2020 Call for the moment and reopen it later in the year when more researchers can return to their offices and labs.

Please rest assured that all the current Draft and Submitted LOIs will remain in the system and new LOIs can be submitted when the Call is re-opened.

Thank you again for your interest in the Seeding Food Innovation program. We look forward to continuing our work together to make a more sustainable food system.

With good wishes,

Tamara Rebanks

Vice President, Community Investments