NSERC Faculty Workshop

1. NSERC Faculty Workshop Fall 2006 Discovery Grants and Research Tools and Instruments Adrienne Drobnies, Ph.D.

2. Workshop Agenda 9:30 am: Introductions 9:40 am: Nancy McNeil, Grants Officer, Office of Research Services Logistics of Grant Applications; Joining "nserc-list" email list; Registration (Form 180 or 181); Eligibility; SFU Signature Sheet and Esubmission or paper submission to NSERC 10:00 am: Writing an Effective Proposal How to Structure an NSERC Research Proposal Making Your Case Budgets and Justifications CV, Research Contributions How to get meaningful critique for your proposal Grant Writing Aids and Grants Facilitation 11:00 am: Internal Peer Review and Grants Facilitators to Work with Individual Applicants 11:45 am: Wrap Up

3. Which Agency? See “Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency and Addressing Other Sources of Funding” at http://www.nserc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=profnav&lbi=p8 Beware the summary .

4. Psychology Proposals NSERC considers applications that relate to fundamental psychological processes, their underlying neural mechanisms, their development within individuals, and their evolutionary and ecological context. Fundamental processes are understood to include: sensation and perception; sensorimotor integration; motivation, emotion, and reward; learning and memory; cognition and language; and sleep, arousal, and the chronobiological modulation of behaviour. NSERC also considers applications concerning statistical methods for analysis of psychological data. Clinical psychology programs are not normally eligible for NSERC support Social psychology and educational psychology are also ineligible

5. Discovery Grants To support research programs Scope should suit length of requested funding (5 years) Register by deadline if possible and decide on the GSC you want to request Look at the titles of applications in that GSC, membership, success rates, and the amounts funded Take note of Reallocations Process (soon extinct)

6. Discovery Grants (cont.) Templates Package Consists of Form 101 (Application), Form 100 (CV) and Sample Research Contributions Each form has a section that is filled in on line, with free form attachments for the proposal (101), budget justification (101), and research contributions (100) Weighting of Proposal vs Applicant 50:50

7. Making your Case Five pages to describe five years of proposed research plus one page for references Tailor your grant to the culture of your discipline and the GSC you are applying to

8. Making your Case From “How to Prepare a Winning Proposal” You need to convince the selection committee that: your research program promises a notable advancement or innovation in the discipline or results of importance to a broad range of applications; you have identified well-formulated short- and long-term goals; attaining these goals would be a significant contribution to the discipline; you have a good chance of attaining the goals with the resources available.

9. Discovery Grant ProposalsSections Progress Background Objectives Methods Training Significance

10. Discovery Grant ProposalsSections Progress Describe any preliminary results As a new applicant, explain how your previous research activities have established the basis for the proposed research program As a renewal applicant, explain how you have achieved the stated objectives in your previous application, and, if not, why not

11. Discovery Grant ProposalsSections Background Place your work in context Cite relevant literature, including your own. Analyze the work of others critically but in a balanced fashion. Don’t refer to web sites. Give enough information for both the expert and non-expert to evaluate the significance and feasibility of your proposed research

12. Discovery Grant ProposalsSections Objectives A few long-term goals, each with several more specific shorter term objectives Describe the questions that the proposed research will answer and state hypotheses where appropriate State expected results and what you are going to do if you don’t get them

13. Discovery Grant ProposalsSections Methods Give enough detail to clearly demonstrate what you plan to do, but avoid unnecessary detail that doesn’t contribute to your argument Organize methods so that they are linked to specific objectives Describe any anticipated methodological difficulties and possible alternatives Show that the resources needed will be available

14. Discovery Grant ProposalsSections Training (describe briefly) How does this proposal offer unique training opportunities to graduate students and other researchers in your lab? What opportunities will this research create for trainees to be employed in specific industries or sectors? The global value of this type of training If training opportunities are limited, explain why

15. Discovery Grant ProposalsSections Significance How will the anticipated results advance knowledge in a significant way in the field? Could the outcome have a major impact on the field? Stress what is truly innovative about your research. Global significance and benefits of the research

16. Discovery Grant Form 101 Basic info Time Commitment Budget

17. Sample Contributions See guide for how to package up to 4 publications or other sample contributions (and number of sets required by your GSC) To help reviewers assess the quality of your work

18. Budgets Discovery Grants Allowed amounts for salaries and stipends $16,500 M.Sc. Maximum $19,000 Ph.D. Maximum $25,000 post-doc minimum for each of two years Amount for non-discretionary benefits should be added to each of the above Usually salaries are largest component Each piece of equipment requested must be <$7000 (but NSERC will not prevent you from using your funding however you wish in your research program)

19. Budget Justification Structure According to Budget Form Show how each item relates to proposal Give names of trainees and roles and describe other sources of support - external and internal

20. Explain Relationship to Other Support Use “Other Documents” section if you need to include budget from other applications to explain this

21. Letters of Support Don’t include general letters of support for Discovery Grants Include letters only if necessary to explain significance of specific contributions (e.g., tech reports) Only include letters of commitment for matching funding for RTIs.

22. Form 100 CV Five most significant Contributions Can be statement about areas of research (preferred), including reference to one or more publications (numbered), or you can simply cite the publications themselves and explain their significance to the field In each case, be sure to show impact on your field

23. Form 100 CV Other Contributions (5 pages for past 6 years) Highlight names of trainees in bold Note in parentheses main funding sources for cited work (Suggest giving a key at the start of the section) Other Evidence of Impact - lectures, awards, consulting, editorial boards and reviewer Delays in Research Activity Training

24. Form 100 CV HQP Table - get permissions As a new applicant, use training section to describe your contributions to training during post-doc, industrial experience, etc. Emphasize any particularly noteworthy aspects of your training record. Link Form 100 to 101

25. RTIs Must hold or have applied for Discovery Grant Equipment and systems up to 150 K from NSERC before taxes, shipping, and handling (new this year up to 250 K with matching funds). Include a letter of commitment from SFU or other source supplying matching funding. Help for new investigators to set up their labs

26. RTIs (cont.) You must get quotes for equipment (2 quotes for equipment over 25 K) If there are multiple users of the equipment, this is beneficial to your application. You may consider having one or more co-applicants. The onus is on you to demonstrate need, to show lack of duplication or accessibility, and to explain the impact of delay in funding

27. RTIs Two page proposal including references - Discuss research supported by the requested equipment and how that equipment is essential to it Reason for the proposed configuration Training opportunities afforded by the requested equipment

28. Explain how this is complementary or relates to other equipment funding - CFI new op or Innovation Fund award Why wasn’t this included in the CFI request? How is this integrated into a larger research program? What is unique about the proposed system? Why this particular system? If asking for high performance computer equipment, other than to CS GSC, explain why you can’t use available shared facilities

29. Budget Justification for RTI Give detailed configuration of major components of the system. Use a diagram if that is more descriptive. Justify need for system as a whole and for each component Model numbers, prices, other fees associated with acquisition of the equipment Explain need for extended warranties if they are requested

30. Some Final Thoughts When you begin to write, you simply need to get your thoughts down in whatever way works best for you. As you progress through your drafts, focus on organizing and refining the material according to NSERC guidelines.

31. Next view the proposal from the perspective of The tired primary and secondary reviewers on the GSC who have just read 50 - 100 other proposals in past 3 days The non-expert reviewer The expert reviewer

32. If new to the process, make an appointment with your GF as early as possible to design a strategy to develop and review the application. Get critique from individuals in the same GSC, especially if they have been members of that GSC. Consult your Dept. Chair and/or FRLO about who would be a good internal reviewer, who to contact for an example of a good grant application in your field. (GFs may also aid you here.) Contact your faculty mentor for advice.

33. Be specific when asking for critique Are the methods well explained? What is the most serious weakness? Is the budget appropriate? Justified adequately? One specific suggestion for improving the proposal

34. Get critique if possible from colleagues outside SFU (disinterested parties). Proofread, proofread, proofread. Get at least one other person to proofread your application.

35. The NSERC Web Site Home page http://www.nserc.ca What’s New http://www.nserc.gc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=profnav&lbi=summ On Line Services http://www.nserc.gc.ca/forms/formtable_e.htm Programs http://www.nserc.gc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=pg

36. The NSERC Web Site Awards Search http://www.ost.uqam.ca/CRSNG/Outil.aspx?Langue=Anglais Grant Selection Committees http://www.nserc.gc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=profnav&lbi=gsc GSC Members http://www.nserc.gc.ca/commit/gsc_e.htm Proposal Writing Guide http://www.nserc.gc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=profnav&lbi=winprop Reallocations Exercise http://www.nserc.gc.ca/programs/real2000/report_final_e.htm