Canadian Mathematical Society Edmonton, AB June, 2011 Anne-Marie Thompson, Director

1. Canadian Mathematical Society Edmonton, AB June, 2011 Anne-Marie Thompson, Director Madeleine Bastien, Team Leader Physical and Mathematical Sciences Research Grants

2. Outline 2011 Discovery Grants Competition Results NSERC News Questions & Discussions

3. 2011 Discovery Grants CompetitionGeneral Context Second year of implementation of Conference model, as recommended by the Grant Selection Committee Structure Review 12 Evaluation Groups of which Mathematics & Statistics is one Flexible composition of Sections to ensure comprehensive review of applications Members from different Evaluation Groups joined various Sections to review applications covering topics that cross the traditional boundaries between disciplines

4. 2011 Discovery Grants CompetitionGeneral Context Two-stage review process as recommended by the International Review of the Discovery Grants Program Process separates the merit assessment from the funding recommendation Evaluation Groups do not make direct funding recommendations for any individual application Executive Committee makes final funding recommendation to NSERC which balances bin values and success rates, within available budget Merit assessment of applications decoupled from the previous grant held by applicants

5. Mathematics and Statistics Evaluation Group Membership (2011) - Group Chair: Gail Ivanoff (Ottawa) - Section Chairs: - Matthias Neufang (Carleton) - David Stephens (McGill) - John Stockie (SFU) - Michael Bennett (UBC) - Benoit Collins (Ottawa) Rudolph Beran (U.C. Davis) - Richard Cook (Waterloo) Octavian Cornea (Montréal) - Robert McCann (Toronto) Alan Dow (UNC, Charlotte) - Alexander Melnikov (Alberta) Hermann Eberl (Guelph) - Duncan Murdoch (UWO) Nantel Bergeron (York) - Lia Bronsard (McMaster)

6. Mathematics and Statistics Evaluation Group Membership (2011) Holger Teismann (Acadia) - Peter Song (U. Michigan) Frederi Viens (Purdue) - Olivier Collin (UQAM) Liqun Wang (Manitoba) - Xiao Zhao (MUN) Christopher Godsil (Waterloo) - Alejandro Murua (Montréal) Eyal Goren (McGill)-Sheldon Lin (Toronto) Julie Zhou (Victoria) - Thomas Brustle (Bishop’s) Alexandra Shlapentokh (East Carolina U.)

7. 1. Includes returning unfunded applicants and experienced researchers submitting a first application.

8. Mathematics & Statistics Competition Results for 2011 (2010) 1. Includes returning unfunded applicants and experienced researchers submitting a first application.

9. 2011 Discovery Grants Competition –Mathematics and Statistics

10. 2011 Discovery Grants Competition –Mathematics and Statistics Multiple calibration sessions leading up to competition Differences in interpretation in merit indicators between Mathematics and Statistics Sections Example includes assessment of training plan Distinguishing between Insufficient vs Moderate vs Strong Still thinking about expected outcome Difference in distribution between Sections Led to separation of budgets Desire to fund up to Quality Bin J (SSS) for both Math and Statistics; peak is at J

11. 2011 Discovery Grants Competition –Mathematics and Statistics

12. 2010 Discovery Grants Competition –Mathematics and Statistics

13. 2011 Discovery Grants Competition –Mathematics and Statistics

14. Options Considered Challenge was number of applications in Bins A-D (13) and in Bin J (48 Established Researchers) Same levels as 2010 Bin H for Established Researchers (ERs) with Success Rate (SR) under 40% Moderate reductions in bin levels Bin I for ERs with SR under 50% Considered Split Budgets Minor adjustments to levels for Stats to fund to Bin J for ERs (15) Moderate adjustments in Math still resulted in funding to Bin I Recommendation was to maintain SR and therefore reduce amounts for 66 applicants in Bins D-I to allow for funding of Bin J (33)

15. For Next Year Clarifying HQP instructions and other points in Peer Review Manual Working with NSERC-Math&Stats Liaison Committee to identify new members Rotating Section Chairs during competition & daily meetings of the Group and Section Chairs Scheduling of reviews between Sections early in competition week Members observing deliberations of other Sections Focus on calibration – cases used, tools

16. Discovery Accelerator Supplements2011 Competition Provide timely resources to outstanding researchers who: have a well-established research program who demonstrate strong potential to become international leaders in their respective area of research $120,000 over three years 8 supplements awarded in Mathematics and Statistics

17. Research Tools & Instruments2011 Competition Results Reminder: The budget of the RTI program comes mostly from year-end funds

18. Other Information from NSERC

19. Canadian Council of Academies Assessment Performance Indicators and best practices in the NSE Qualitative and quantitative indicators and metrics relevant to budget allocation International best practices in the construction, methodological review, and use of indicators for research evaluation and budget allocation Key considerations and principles for the appropriate use and balance / weighting of performance indicators / metrics for budget allocation Timeline – report in late spring 2012

20. NSERC Frontiers Initiative includes two elements: Discovery Frontiers, focused on discovery research Innovation Frontiers, focused on research partnerships with industry All funded projects will include an international partnership component that taps into global expertise Discovery Frontiers’ first call for proposals (2010): Northern Earth System Research - $4 million over a four-year period Work is ongoing to identify potential new themes for next fall.

21. Communication Tools for the Discovery Grants Program New ways to communicate program information and details about the peer review process to prospective applicants Two videos have been finalized and are now available in the Professors section of NSERC’s Web site Tips on applying for an NSERC Discovery Grant Demystifying the review process for NSERC Discovery Grants

22. Description of HQP Training in Discovery Grant Applications New! Additional page added to the section “Proposal” of Form 101 – to be used to address the criterion “Contributions to the training of Highly Qualified Personnel” Applicants are asked to describe their plans for the training of HQP in that page Instructions on how to complete Form 101 are being updated (available on NSERC’s Web site as of August 5, 2011) – important that applicants consult instructions before preparing their proposals

23. Budget Description in Discovery Grant Applications New! A maximum of two (2) pages can be used for the section “Budget Justification” in which applicants provide the explanation and justification for the budget items identified in the “Proposed Expenditures” page Instructions on how to complete Form 101 will be updated in this respect as well - important that applicants consult instructions before preparing their proposals

24. NSERC-Mathematics and Statistics Liaison Committee Members • Richard Cook (University of Waterloo) • Walter Craig (McMaster University) • Rachel Kuske (University of British Columbia) • Anthony Lau (University of Alberta) • Louis-Paul Rivest (Université Laval) • John Stockie (Simon Fraser University)

25. To contact us…

26. Questions and Discussion