NSERC CREATE

Panelists:

Queen’s CREATE grant awardees:
Dr. Brian Amsden (Professor, Chemical Engineering & the Donald and Joan McGeachy Chain in Biomedical Engineering at Queen’s University)
Dr. David Skillicorn (Professor, School of Computing at Queen’s University and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the Royal Military College)
Dr. Parvin Mousavi (Professor, School of Computing & Canada CIFAR AI chair, Vector at Queen’s University)

CREATE program management:
Leone Ploeg (Executive Manager, Centre for Health Innovation at Queen's University, has managed three CREATE programs in 2009; 2015; 2021)

Moderators:

Dr. Brian Amsden (Associate Vice-Principal Research)
Dr. Aleksandra Bergier (Research Advisor, EDII)
Dr. Merline Fonkwe (Research Projects Advisor - Natural Sciences and Engineering)

Registration – COMPLETE FOR THE 2025 COMPETITION YEAR

Interested applicants are required to provide the below information. This will be used for identifying and composing the multidisciplinary review panel.

• Lead applicant name
• Title of the project and a 100-word description of the training program
• Proposed co-applicants
• Potential collaborators and/or partner organizations (if applicable)
• Submission stream (regular, international)

Please send to Dr. Merline Fonkwe  merline.fonkwe@queensu.ca (Subject Line: NSERC CREATE – Registration) by Friday, February 16, 2024.

Internal Expression of Interest (iEOI) – COMPLETE FOR THE 2025 COMPETITION YEAR

1. The iEOI must be submitted by all interested applicants. The following three (3) documents are required for the internal review:

• A maximum of two-page description of the CREATE program that includes the following:
  • The objectives, approach, novelty, gap to be filled, sustainability and expected significance of the proposed research training program
  • The rationale for the team composition and how it has the necessary expertise for the successful execution of the training program  
  • The outline of the training program that the trainees will be involved in, and the approximate number of students and postdoctoral fellows planned to train on an annual basis
  • The opportunities for the trainees participate in academic exchanges, either within Canada, or abroad, and conduct internships
  • How the proposed training program would better prepare students for their future careers
  • Anticipated annual budget for the program (indicating other sources of funding, if applicable)
  • The sustainability plan of the training program beyond the term of the grant (i.e. address what will be retained, revised and/or ended, and possible future funding sources)
• Lead applicant’s CV (Canadian Common CV or NSERC Form 100 format is acceptable)
• Email or letter support from Associate Dean of Research

Submit these documents in one attachment file via email to Dr. Merline Fonkwe  merline.fonkwe@queensu.ca, (Subject Line: NSERC CREATE – iEOI) by Monday, March 4, 2024

2. The internal review panel (composition to follow) will evaluate the iEOIs and the pitch sessions and communicate feedback and decisions to all iEOI applicants. Queen’s internal evaluation criteria for iEOIs and pitches will be similar to those of NSERC for full applications:

a) Merit of the proposed training program (50%)

b) Excellence of the team of researchers (25%)—see NSERC's policy and guidelines on contributions to research and training.

c) Program management and long-term sustainability (25%)

Internal Review: Draft Letter of Intent (LOI) and Draft Full Application – OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED

The content and administrative review will be performed by a Research Projects Advisor (RPA) on a first-come, first-serve basis to ensure that application is complete and complies with the agency requirements. If you wish to have your draft LOI and full application reviewed, please email your application to  merline.fonkwe@queensu.ca. The more complete the application, the more useful the review process will be. 

This is not a scientific review (i.e., a review by a researcher in your discipline). The RPA will:

• Perform a detailed reading and content review of your full application (including editing suggestions)
• Perform a budget review
• Provide detailed comments/feedback

Letter of Intent (LOI) - COMPLETE FOR THE 2025 COMPETITION YEAR

• LOI submission by the selected applicants directly to NSERC – Deadline: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 8:00 pm (EST)

The entire LOI application process is performed using NSERC's On-Line System. A complete LOI includes the following:

1. Form 187 - Letter of intent to apply for a Collaborative Research and Training Experience program

2. Form 100 - Personal data form, for the applicant

3. 300-word summary, including the objective(s), originality, novelty, and significance of the proposed training program.

4. Support Letter signed by VPR (confirmation that LOI is part of Queen’s quota).

5. List of suggested external reviewers.

TRAQ DSS Form

A TRAQ DSS is required at the full application stage – Deadline Monday, September 02, 2024

The TRAQs must include:

• Draft of the research proposal;
• Draft of the budget/budget justification; and
• Copy of the hospital-impact form (if the research would be considered hospital-based).

See the TRAQ Resources section in the "Information & Resources" tab below for more information.

Full Application

• Full application submission forwarded by URS to NSERC – Deadline: Monday, September 20, 2024 at 8:00 pm (EST)

The entire application process is performed using NSERC's On-Line System. A complete Full application includes the following:

• Form 102, including all free form sections
• Form 100 for the applicant
• Form 100, CCV, or regular CV for up to ten co-applicants (Co-applicants who submit a CCV or regular CV will not be able to see the application on the online system)
• Institutional letter of support by the Vice-Principal Research
• A maximum of three support letters from collaborators

Objectives: The CREATE program is designed to improve the mentoring and training environment for the Canadian researchers of tomorrow by improving training in areas such as professional skills, communication and collaboration, as well as providing experience relevant to both academic and non-academic research environments.

The training initiative should be focused on providing a value-added experience to the university training environment to better prepare research trainees for their future careers in industry, government or academia.

The innovative training program should:

• encourage collaborative and integrative approaches, and address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada’s research priorities;
• facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce.

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;
• for 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.

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.

Note: NSERC and Mitacs have formalized their existing relationship. Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of Mitacs programs that support internships in industry as well as other opportunities to increase the number of trainees.

Funds Available: Up to \$1.65 million per project: Funding of up to \$150,000 in the first year, and up to \$300,000 annually in subsequent years (± \$50,000 per year variation allowed), will be provided by NSERC for a maximum period of six years. At least 80 percent of the CREATE grant must be used for trainees’ stipends. Up to 30 percent of this portion can be distributed to trainees who are not enrolled in the NSE.

Grant duration: Up to 6 years.

Relevant Research Areas: All areas of natural science and engineering.

Eligibility:

In the case of multi-organization collaborations (academic, industrial, government or not-for-profit sectors), the applicant must be from an NSERC-supported field at an NSERC-eligible university. One person must be designated to administer the grant. This person is the “applicant” and is responsible for completing and submitting the Letter of Intent (LOI) and the application (if invited) on behalf of the group. The applicant’s university will be the lead university.

• Each researcher can only be involved in 2 active CREATE grants. Each researcher can only be the applicant on one CREATE per year.
• At least 70% of the group must be from NSE fields, but co-applicants at the interdisciplinary frontier between NSE and the areas covered under the umbrella of SSHRC and CIHR may be incorporated into proposals. 
• Each training program will have a program committee responsible for overseeing the progress of the program and its future directions. The applicant may not be the Chair of the Program Committee.
• The focus should be on new training initiatives. Existing initiatives must justify the incremental value that will accrue from the CREATE Program.
• A yearly quota has been established for each university, and only those researchers selected at their university can submit LOIs.
• For applicants who have previously held a CREATE Grant, the proposed initiative must differ from the previous one. This must be clearly explained in the Letter of Intent.

Recent program changes:

• Research Coordinators can now receive their salary from the grant for all 6 years, not just the first 2 years (as was the rule in the past). This also applies to any existing active CREATEs. 
• The amounts requested per year can now vary by +/- \$50K from the default amounts of \$150K/y in year 1 and \$300K/y in years 2-6 so long as the total still sums to \$1.65M. 
• Applicants should consider gender diversity in the applicant team and in their plans for recruiting students. This is especially true for disciplines where there is a recognized gender imbalance.
• A start date of September 1 is now able to be requested (or the default start date of April 1). 

• NSERC CREATE Program description 
• Instructions for Form 187 (CREATE LOI) 
• Instructions for Form 102 (CREATE full application) 
• Instructions for Form 100 (Personal Data) 
• List of funded CREATE Programs 
• 2025 Competition – NSERC CREATE webinar for prospective applicants - English (Feb. 7, 2024)  Slide deck (PDF 2.58 MB)
• 2025 Competition – NSERC CREATE webinar for prospective applicants - French (Feb. 8, 2024)  Slide deck (PDF 1.81 MB)

  Queen's NetID required to access these documents

• Best Practices for CREATE LOIs 2024 
• CREATE LOI 2024 checklist 
• Queen’s information session (2024 Competition) by Dora Baczyk, Research Projects Advisor (Feb. 17, 2023)  Session Video

Previously Funded CREATE Program

Research summary from a previously successful application from Queen’s Parvin Mousavi: CREATE Training Program in Medical Informatics: Preparing Canada's Workforce for Health Data of Tomorrow:

(  Queen's NetID required to view the sample application)

•  View "Parvin Mousavi: CREATE Training Program in Medical Informatics: Preparing Canada's Workforce for Health Data of Tomorrow" (PDF 2.12 MB)

Note: This sample application is intended for internal use at Queen’s only. You must enter your Queen's NetID and password to access this file. It is prohibited to circulate the sample applications outside of Queen’s or to host the example applications elsewhere online. Similarly, it is strictly prohibited to duplicate any of the text provided.

Research – Network and Data Management

• Queen's Research Discovery Network (QRDN): A networking platform at Queen’s, which facilitates interdisciplinary connections among researchers, research groups and research resources (e.g., equipment)
• Queen's Partnerships and Innovation (QPI): QPI team offers to Queen’s faculty members numerous services and resources relating to the development and facilitation of partnerships with industry, governments, not-for-profit organizations, and other academic institutions.
• Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre (DDQIC): DDQIC is supporting Queen's students, staff, faculty, and Kingston community members to develop innovative ventures and create an impact.
• Research Data Management (RDM): From this Vice-Principal Research portal you may gain access to RDM resources, including data management plan (DMP) and DMP Assistant. Tri-agency funding programs (NSERC, SSHC, CIHR) are increasingly requiring applicants to submit DMPs, as outlined in their Research Data Management Policy.

Training Program Implementation

• Queen's Centre for Teaching and Learning: provides support and resources for the development of approaches to teaching, learning, curriculum, and educational technology practices.
• The Health Sciences Experiential Learning Program (HscELP): The HscELP provides experience hand-on learning opportunities.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization (EDII)

If you don’t have a clear EDII action plan in place, please reach out to Dr. Aleksandra Bergier ( a.bergier@queensu.ca) as soon as possible to initiate the conversation and the planning process. If you haven’t already, we also strongly recommend that you take the EDI in Research Training Modules.

• Natural Sciences & Engineering Council (NSERC) - Guide on equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process: This guide provides information and resources to help include EDI considerations in each stage of the research process and in the building of research teams.
• Natural Sciences & Engineering Council (NSERC) - Guide for Applicants: Considering EDI in your application: This guide provides applicants with resources regarding what equity, diversity and inclusion mean in natural sciences and engineering research teams and research design and how their incorporation contributes to research excellence.
• Alliance grants - Equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan: This guide is specific to Alliance grants, but it addresses EDI wise practices that can be applied in the context of the CREATE program.
• Integrating Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization (EDII) in Research: A “toolkit” created by the Vice-Principal Research of useful EDII resources to help our research and innovation community implement EDII policies and practices into their respective research programs, projects and research environments.
•   Queen's NetID required to view the Guide):  - An overview of EDI guidelines, best practices, and resources available to researchers at Queen’s.

•   Queen's NetID required to view the Guide): : This workbook provides a conceptual framework and practical exercises intended to guide you and your research team during the process of developing an EDII in research practice action plan.
• Canada Research Chairs' Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention: This guide is provided as a tool for individuals and institutions as they determine how best to address areas for improvement identified when assessing their recruitment practices and work environment.

Completing the TRAQ DSS for Research that is not Hospital-Based

•  TRAQ Checklist for Research that is not Hospital-Based (PDF 823 KB): Step-by-step instructions for how to complete the TRAQ DSS Form for research that is not hospital-based.

Completing the TRAQ DSS for Hospital-Based Research

• Hospital-Based Research - Tips for Completing the TRAQ DSS FORM: Step-by-step explanation for how to complete the TRAQ DSS Form for hospital-based research.
• Hospital Departmental Impact & Information Form: Mandatory form for all hospital-based research conducted at KGH, HDH, and Providence Care
• Hospital Departmental Impact & Information Form Tips: Explanation of how to complete the Hospital Impact form.
• Hospital-Based Research Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): FAQ for hospital-based research, including the definition of hospital-based research.