NSERC Update: Highlights of the 2014 Federal Budget and Discovery Grants Program Evaluation in Geosciences

1. NSERC Update University of Ottawa October 31, 2014 Dave Bowen – Team Leader NSERC

2. Outline • 2014 NSERC News • 2014 Federal Budget • Updates and New Initiatives • 2014 Discovery Grants Competition Results • Geosciences (EG 1506) • Questions

3. Budget 2014: The Highlights • Good news for research, training and innovation • $15 million per year to NSERC to support advanced research in the natural sciences and engineering • $9 million per year for the Indirect Costs Program • Industrial R&D Fellowships program funds redeployed to other priorities within NSERC ($7 million) • Canada First Research Excellence Fund: $200 million per year by 2018-19

4. Discovery Grants Budget Allocation • The new funding is being phased into the Discovery Grants program over a five-year cycle • The first allocation of the new funds is in the 2014-15 fiscal year; additional funding is being distributed to a selection of researchers who applied in the 2014 Discovery Grants competition • Researchers who are receiving additional funds have been notified • NSERC plans to allocate the $15M investment(Budget 2014) to Discovery Grants • An opportunity to introduce new factors to allocate funds among the 12 Evaluation Groups

5. Budget Allocation for Geosciences 2014 • $218k allocated to Geosciences for 2014 competition • Funds distributed to the bins as they were established in February, with increases to all bins • No new awards in Geosciences

6. Budget Allocation for Geosciences

7. Discovery Grants Program Evaluation • Key question: is the program achieving its 3 objectives and outcomes given changes to peer review process? • Multiple lines of evidence: surveys, consultations, interviews, bibliometric data analysis • Recommendations by International Committee • Key finding: Discovery Grants continue to be Canada’s most important support mechanism for foundational research

8. Discovery Grants Program Evaluation No major changes recommended— all recommendations reflect refinements to the existing system: • Refine intent and nature of the Discovery Accelerator Supplement • Consider allowing early-stage researchers to apply for a first renewal sooner than 5 years • Better communicate how the conference model works and consider further refinements to the review process • Retain use of application budget information and of the research cost factor • Maintain the three criteria currently used, but consider revising the HQP criterion • Explore options to reduce the workload of Evaluation Group members.

9. Open Access • Global trend • Tri-agency harmonized approach (Green route) • Public consultations held in Fall 2013 • Final version of policy released Fall 2014 • Continued monitoring

10. Discovery Grants Program 2014 Results Geosciences Evaluation Group EG1506

11. EVALUATION GROUP A Group Chair ~ 40 members 4 Section Chairs EVALUATION GROUP B Group Chair ~35 members 4 Section Chairs EVALUATION GROUP C Group Chair ~25 members 3 Section Chairs Section C1-1 Research Topics C1 and B5 Section B1-1 Research Topic B1 Section C3-1 Research Topic C4 Section A3-1 Research Topic A5 Section A1-1 Research Topic A1 Section A4-1 Research Topics A7 and A8 Section B3-1 Research Topic B4 Section B4-1 Research Topics B2 and B6 Section B2 Research Topic B3 Section C2 Research Topic C3 Section A2 Research Topic A3 Section C1-2 Research Topic C2 Section A1-2 Research Topics A2 and A4 Section C3-2 Research Topics C5 and A5 Section A3-2 Research Topic A6 Section A4-2 Research Topics A9 and B5 Section B3-2 Research Topics B1 and B5 Section B4-2 Research Topics B7 and C6 Section B1-2 Research Topics B2 and A10 How Does the Conference Model Work?

12. EG1506 Research Topics • GS10 - Surface Processess • GS11 - Paleo-environmental Sciences • GS12 - Biogeosciences • GS13 - Global Geological Processes • GS14 - Atmospheric Sciences • GS15 - Hydrology • GS16 - Oceanography • GS17 - Soil Sciences • GS18 - Geomatics & Earth Systems Observations • GS19 - Cryology • GS01 - Petrology & Mineralogy • GS02 - Sedimentology & Stratigraphy • GS03 - Paleontology & Paleobiology • GS04 - Geophysics • GS05 - Economic Geology • GS06 - Tectonics & Structural Geology • GS07 - Geochemistry & Geochronology • GS08 - Volcanology • GS09 - Planetary Sciences

13. Joint Reviews with EG1506

14. Geosciences DG ResultsCompetition 2014

15. Results and Statistics – Geosciences2014 Discovery Grants Competition ER- Established Researcher ECR – Early Career Researcher

16. Results and Statistics – Geosciences2014 DG Competition

17. Discovery Grants Overall Results – 2014 Competition Note: Non-official results

18. Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS) results • 125 DAS wereawardedamong all EGs • Geosciences EG reviewed all applications and recommended 21 applicants for a DAS supplement • Executive Committee used EG recommendations to reduce the list to the given quota of 14 awards • Nominees who best met the objectives of the program recommended to NSERC President for a DAS award

19. Discovery Accelerator Supplements 2014 Competition

20. Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) 2014 Competition

21. Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) 2014 Competition – Environmental Sciences Note: Non-official results 21