NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program: 2014 Competition - Internal Call for Proposals
1. Goals of the CREATE Program
NSERC's CREATE Program supports the training of teams of highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad through the development of innovative training programs that:
•encourage collaborative and integrative approaches that address significant scientific challenges
•facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce
These innovative programs must include the acquisition and development of important professional skills among students and postdoctoral fellows that complement their qualifications and technical skills.
In addition, these programs should encourage the following as appropriate:
- student mobility, nationally or internationally, between individual universities and between universities and other sectors;
- interdisciplinary research within the natural sciences and engineering (NSE), or at the interface between the NSE and health, or the social sciences and humanities. However, the main focus of the training must still lie within the NSE;
- increased collaboration between industry and academia; and
- with the addition of the industrial stream, an additional objective is to support improved job-readiness within the industrial sector by exposing participants to the specific challenges of this sector and training people with the skills identified by industry.
2. The CREATE Program encourages:
•Job readiness – prepare for an easier transition
•Industrial collaboration
•Student mobility between universities (even internationally) or to industry/government settings to gain valuable experience
•Interdisciplinary research
3. CREATE Program Priority Areas
To build on Canada’s research strengths and priorities and to enhance our success, at least 60 percent of the CREATE funding will be directed to the following priority areas:
*Environmental science and technologies;
*Natural resources and energy;
*Manufacturing, and
*Information and communications technologies.
4. General CREATE Program Information
Successful applicants will consist of a group of accomplished researchers, who will work collaboratively to offer a defined research training program to a group of trainees. This environment will provide trainees with experience relevant to both academic and non-academic careers.
The research training experience should focus on providing an enriched training experience for graduate (master’s and doctoral) students. Undergraduate students can be supported and integrated into the training program as potential future graduate students, but a proposal that is focused solely on support of undergraduate students will not be considered.
CREATE projects should be recognized for:
-Innovative nature
-Excellence of the researchers and their training success
-Capacity to raise the standard for best practices in training
-Encouraging student mobility
Eligibility conditions for applicants, co-applicants and institutions apply. CREATE grants are tenable only at NSERC-eligible Canadian universities and the applicant must hold an eligible position at that university. Researchers at non-eligible organizations may participate as collaborators. As with last year's competition, applicants can submit proposals through the industrial stream.
5. How to Apply/Internal Deadline/Additional Requirements
Applying to the CREATE program involves a two phase application process:
Phase 1: Letter of Intent
Phase 2: Application (if invited only)
The CREATE program is highly selective, with pre-screening based on the Letter of Intent. Only applicants successful at the Letter of Intent stage will be invited to submit a full application.
Internal Process/Quota
A yearly quota has been established for each university and only those researchers selected at their university can submit Letters of Intent. Under its assigned quota, Lakehead University can submit up to two letters of intent to the CREATE program. Therefore, researchers are asked by March 15 to indicate to the Office of Research Services (e-mail to ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca) if they plan to submit a letter of intent to NSERC. If more than two applicants indicate that they intend to submit a letter of intent, an internal competition will need to be held to determine which two LOIs are submitted by the NSERC deadline of May 1. competition.
More information on the program can be found at: http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/professors-professeurs/grants-subs/create-foncer_eng.asp
Please note the CREATE program guidelines for the 2014 competition have not yet been posted. The updated guidelines will be posted on during March 2013. Researchers should consult the new guidelines and LOI Form/Instructions once NSERC has posted them to ensure that they have completed their LOIs properly.
