NSERC - Special Research Opportunity (SRO) program

1. NSERC - Special Research Opportunity (SRO) program University of Regina September 4, 2008 Sandra O’Connor, Program officer

2. We invest in: Discovery Innovation EXCELLENCE Competitive research in science and engineering, providing access to new knowledge from around the world Productive use of new knowledge in all sectors of the economy and society People Highly skilled,well educatedand capable oflifelong learning Our goal is Canadianexcellence in: CREATING KNOWLEDGE Research Grants for basic researchin the universities We do this throughpeer-reviewedcompetitionsin three programs Prosperity and high quality of life for Canadians NSERC USING NEW KNOWLEDGE Partnerships of universities with industry and other sectors for project research WORKING IN ALL AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate students, postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and some university faculty NSERCalso works towards its goals by exertingINFLUENCE beyond our program reach

3. NSERC Budget 2008-09(millions of dollars) Total: $999

4. Discovery Programs Budget 2008-09 (millions of dollars) 1. Includes Canadian Light Source funding from NRC ($3M) and Budget 2004 ($6M). Excludes $37M increase from the 2007 Federal Budget.. Total: $413

5. SRO Program Key Features • Enables researchers to pursue new and emerging national or internationalresearch opportunities, and to accelerate time-sensitive research • Collaborative one- to three-year research projects • Funding of $9.6 million per year • Individual team of researchers orresearcher

6. Types of proposals SRO Program • Investigator-initiated • Research project that responds to a special opportunity • Pre-research activities • In response to an NSERC Request for Proposals • Inter-American Collaboration in Materials Research (CIAM) • International Polar Year (IPY)

7. Program Objectives SRO Program • Support unique, emerging research opportunities that are timely, urgent, high-risk or with a strong potential for breakthrough that will be of substantial benefit to Canada SRO-PJ • Support pre-research activities to investigate and develop potential new collaborative projects necessary to respond to these national and international opportunities SRO-PR

8. Selection Criteria SRO Program • Special opportunity • Quality of the proposal • Excellence of the participant(s) • Need for funds and suitability for SRO funding • Quality of the work plan • Nature and extent of the collaboration • Training of highly qualified personnel

9. Special Opportunity Criteria SRO Program • Unique, unforeseen • Timely and linked to a clear window of opportunity that did not exist a year ago, and will not exist in the future • Outside the normal evolution and advancement of a longer term research program

10. Special Opportunity Criteria SRO Program • Research projects must be novel or high risk or with a strong potential for breakthrough • Pre-research activities must have the potential to lead to a significant new research collaboration of benefit to Canada

11. Special Opportunity Criteria SRO Program • What makes this a special research opportunity? • How did this opportunity arise? Is there a clear window of opportunity? • How does this particular initiative fit with what is being done internationally?

12. Special Opportunity Criteria SRO Program • Is there the potential for a significant benefit to Canada? Is this a niche area for Canada? • Why is this initiative not appropriate for consideration under other NSERC programs?

13. In conjunction with a specific and unusual world event To plan Canadian participation in a major international research initiative To address an emerging problem of importance to Canada To reach a breakthrough discovery which establishes Canada’s international leadership position in a niche area A novel, high risk project with the potential to change the direction of thought or open up new areas of discovery Types of projects: SRO Program

14. SRO Program Awarded SRO project

15. SRO Program Awarded SRO project

16. SRO at a glance SRO Program Overall success rate approximately 24%

17. Budget Situation SRO Program • Total budget approximately $9.6 M • Approximately $2.2M/per year available for new awards • Commitments to Requests for Proposals: • $2M/year for the International Polar Year • $0.5M/year to CIAM (Inter-American Collaboration in Materials Research)

18. Proposals Per Discipline(December 2003 to June 1, 2008) SRO Program

19. Total number of awarded SRO-PJ & SRO-PR Grants by Region Total: 103 grants (December 2003 to June 1, 2008)

20. Total $ amount of SRO-PJ & SRO-PR Awards by Region Total: $34,627,642 (December 2003 to June 1, 2008)

21. Geographical layout collaborators - SROPJ

22. Geographical layout collaborators - SROPR

23. Tips to applicants: SRO Program • “Wow” factor • Beating an international competitor to a breakthrough does not make it special • Large, multi-lateral vs bilateral 1:1 • Writing for 2 audiences • LOI - program fit • Talk to a SRO Program Officer about your project

24. NSERC’s Web site: www.nserc.ca SRO team: Director: Mario Lamarca Team Leader: Marie Claude Caron Program Officers: Sandra O’Connor, Thomas Ryan Contact SRO: sro.inquiries@nserc.ca firstname.lastname@nserc.ca Sandra.Oconnor@nserc.ca 613-996-4463 For Future Reference

25. SRO Program SRO Steering Committee • Mario Lamarca, SRO Director and Chair of SC • Pierre Bilodeau, Director, Research Partnership Programs • Tony Durst, University of Ottawa • George Forester, National Research Council • Denis Leclerc, Policy and International Relations • Norman Marcotte, Director, Research Grants • Serge Villemure, Director, Research Grants Role: Recommends awards; provides policy and procedures advice.