Discovery Horizons (Pilot)

Discovery Horizons grants support investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE).

Established in 2021 by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Tri-agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee (TAIPR) is dedicated to the review of interdisciplinary research. This jointly administered tri-agency peer review committee will assess all full applications submitted to NSERC’s Discovery Horizons pilot program, as well as relevant applications submitted to SSHRC’s Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants and CIHR’s Project Grants programs.

In the context of this funding opportunity, the term “interdisciplinary” should be understood to fully encompass all research that connects, crosses or falls in between the traditional disciplines of the three agencies, including transdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, convergence research and other approaches at the interface.

Discovery Horizons grants are expected to be valued from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and will be commensurate to the size of the research team (applicant and co-applicant(s), as indicated in the Team composition table). For this competition, NSERC is expecting to award approximately 10 to 20 grants this year.