NSERC Discovery Grants (Individual) Program

NSERC Discovery Grants (Individual) Program is sponsored by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals in the natural and engineering sciences, including software development.

Discovery Grants program (individual) | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants program (individual) Opens: May 1, 2026 8:00 am (ET) Deadline: August 4, 2026 8:00 pm (ET) Opens: August 12, 2026 8:00 am (ET) Deadline: November 2, 2026 8:00 pm (ET) The Discovery Grants program supports the development and sustainability of a diverse, high-quality research base in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE) at Canadian universities, fosters research excellence and strengthens the research training environment.

Regulations, policies and guidelines The Discovery Grants (DG) program supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances.

Discovery Grants are typically five years in duration and are considered “grants in aid” of research, as they provide long-term operating funds and can facilitate access to funding from other programs but are not meant to support the full costs of a research program.

DG recipients are not restricted to the specific activities described in their applications and may pursue new research interests, provided they are within NSERC’s mandate and adhere to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of funds as outlined in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration .

This provides researchers with the flexibility to pursue promising research avenues as they emerge and the opportunity to address higher-risk (higher-reward) topics. Researchers can use their grants to participate in collaborative efforts. General eligibility principles Applicants to the DG program must meet NSERC’s Individual eligibility (for university faculty) to ensure that they can participate in this grant program as an applicant.

If you are an adjunct professor, see the Access to funds by adjunct professors ’ section. If your offer of a position is still pending approval at the time of application, you must take up your faculty position no later than September 1st of the year of the grant before any funds can be released. This appointment must be confirmed in writing to NSERC once you have taken up your position.

Researchers can apply for and hold only one DG at a time. Researchers who currently hold a DG cannot reapply for another until the last year of their current award. Applicants to the DG program cannot simultaneously hold a Discovery Grant and a Discovery Horizons grant .

Individuals who submit a Discovery Horizons letter of intent (LOI), whether as applicant or co-applicant, for the current competition may also submit a Discovery Grants notification of intent to apply (NOI). However, they will need to choose which program they wish to pursue before proceeding to the full application stage, as a full application may be submitted only to one program.

Subject matter eligibility and funding from other sources Applicants to the DG program must present a program of research that is eligible under NSERC’s mandate, which is to promote and assist research in the natural sciences and engineering, other than health. The objectives of the research program must be to advance knowledge in the natural sciences or engineering.

The application will be rejected if NSERC determines, at any time during the review cycle, that the subject matter is outside of its mandate.

Refer to Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency , the Addendum to the guidelines for the eligibility of applications related to health , the Peer Review Manual , and the NSERC Discovery Grants Process for Decisions on Mandate Eligibility for further information on the eligibility of subject matter.

Applicants to the DG program must present a program of research that is conceptually distinct from research supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Researchers whose program of research is inter-agency interdisciplinary in nature are invited to apply to Discovery Horizons as a mechanism to access Discovery funding.

NSERC encourages researchers to obtain funds from other sources to support the full costs of the research program presented in their DG application, as long as the funding source is not CIHR or SSHRC, and as long as the funds cover different expenses from those proposed in the DG application.

Discovery Grants – Northern Research Supplements program Discovery Launch Supplements Joint initiative supplements DND/NSERC Discovery Grant supplement NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance Program NSERC Geoffrey Hinton Prizes All expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds as outlined in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration .

To apply for a DG, applicants must first submit a notification of intent to apply (NOI) by the deadline date. The NOI is a mandatory step in the application process. Applicants who do not submit an NOI will not be able to submit a full application.

The information contained in the NOI allows NSERC to start some aspects of the review process, including the preliminary assignment to an evaluation group, the selection of external reviewers, and the verification of the eligibility of the subject matter. Applicants must then complete and submit the application by the full application deadline date .

Applicants are required to complete and submit the NSERC version of the Canadian Common CV (CCV) at both the NOI and full application stages for this program. The CCV can be updated following the NOI submission, but updates must be made prior to the submission of the full application.

Personal information The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act .

The collection, use, disclosure, retention, and disposal of your information are outlined in the following policy statements: Transpency - Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act Data retention information For more information, refer to the Personal Information Banks described in NSERC’s Info Source .

Self-identification information You must complete the self-identification questionnaire found in the person profile of the Research Portal when applying for funding. This data provides information on the diversity of the population applying for and receiving agency funds.

This information increases NSERC’s capacity to monitor its progress on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in its programs, to recognize and remove barriers, and to design new measures to achieve greater EDI in the research enterprise.

If you do not want to self-identify, you have the option to choose “I prefer not to answer” for each question, but you are required to select a response for the questionnaire to be marked as complete. Self-identification information is not part of your application and will be neither accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or selection committee members.

The self-identification questionnaire should be reviewed and updated, if required, every time you apply to the program. In the full application, you will be asked to provide consent for NSERC to potentially use your self-identification information to improve equity, diversity and inclusivity in funding decisions.

All self-identification information, including the consent, is not accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or committee members. The self-identification questionnaire should be reviewed and updated, if required, every time you apply to the program. For more information, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions about the Self-identification Questionnaire .

Instructions for completing the NOI You must complete the NOI according to the instructions, using the Research Portal . You must also complete and link a Canadian Common CV (CCV) to the NOI. Refer to the resource video for a demonstration.

Click Create application. Select the funding opportunity under Stage: NOI and select Create. Under Applications , open the NOI.

Click Edit to complete the different sections. Identification Administering organization Organization – Select the organization that will administer the grant. Department – Enter the department where you hold your eligible position.

If your department is not in the list, select Head office . Application title – Provide a short and descriptive title. It may be used for publication purposes.

Limit the use of acronyms (for example, DNA, NATO, etc.) and avoid company or trade names. Note: you may edit the application title at the full application stage. Language of the application – Indicate the language in which the application will be submitted.

The main body of the application must be written in either English or French, rather than a mix of both official languages. The NSERC CCV should be in the same language as the application. Suggested evaluation group – You must select the evaluation group you consider most appropriate to review your application.

Refer to the list of research topics covered by each evaluation group . NSERC reserves the right to make the final evaluation group assignment.

If you intend to apply to the Subatomic Physics (SAP) Discovery Grants program (individual) rather than the Discovery Grants program (evaluation group 1505 – Physics), you will need to first select the appropriate funding opportunity in the Research Portal and then refer to the relevant instructions on how to complete an NOI . Indigenous research – You must indicate if your proposed research includes Indigenous research.

In answering this question, applicants should review and use NSERC’s definition of Indigenous research for its programs. Note that you will be asked to confirm whether your research includes Indigenous research at the full application stage. If it does, you will be required to submit an Indigenous Engagement and Collaboration Agreement template at that stage.

For guidance on NSERC’s expectations related to Indigenous research, including its definition and guiding principles, applicants should review the CCI guide for research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities and consult NSERC’s Indigenous research resources . Activity details Proposed research topics The first research topic must be within the evaluation group you have suggested.

You may select, in order of relevance, up to four additional research topics as required. Refer to the examples in the List of evaluation groups and research topics . Provide up to 10 keywords that best describe this proposal.

It is important to separate the keywords by commas.

Summary of proposal The summary of proposal must not exceed 6,000 characters and should: state the objectives of the proposed research program summarize the scientific approach highlight the novelty and expected significance of the work to a field(s) in the natural sciences and engineering Should your proposed research program change substantially from the time you submit your NOI to the time you submit your application, please contact the program officer responsible for the evaluation group you have selected.

External reviewer suggestions (mandatory) Provide five external reviewers who: are not in a conflict of interest are not from your own institution are from different institutions from one another can provide an independent assessment of your application are capable of reviewing your application in the language in which it is written Applicants are encouraged to suggest a diverse cross-section of potential reviewers with appropriate expertise (Canadian, international, established and early–career, women and other underrepresented groups from academic and non-academic institutions).

Avoid proposing reviewers who, to the best of your knowledge, are currently affiliated with or are in receipt of funding or in-kind support from a Named Research Organization (NRO), especially if your proposed research aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) .

Note: In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy), applicants will be asked to identify whether their research aims to advance a STRA at the full-application stage. Applicants must not contact suggested external reviewers in advance. Applicants should note that NSERC will not select members currently serving on an NSERC evaluation group.

Conflict of interest guidelines A conflict of interest may be deemed to exist, or perceived as such, when external reviewers: are a relative or close friend, or have a personal relationship with the applicant are in a position to gain or lose financially/materially from the funding of the application have had long-standing scientific or personal differences with the applicant are currently affiliated with the applicant’s institutions, organizations or companies—including research hospitals and research institutes are closely professionally affiliated with the applicant, as a result of having in the last six years frequent and regular interactions with the applicant in the course of their duties at their department, institution, organization or company been a supervisor or a trainee of the applicant collaborated, published or shared funding with the applicant, or have plans to do so in the immediate future been employed by the institution feel for any reason unable to provide an impartial review of the application NSERC reserves the right to resolve areas of uncertainty and to determine if a conflict exists.

For more information, refer to the Conflict of interest and confidentiality policy of the federal research funding organizations . How to enter your external reviewer suggestions in the Research Portal To enter the organization, click on the Edit button. Using the drop-down menu, select the country where the organization is located.

Then, select the state or province (for organizations in the United States or Canada). Then, search for the organization. If the organization cannot be found, enter the organization name in free-form text.

The system will accept it. Certain Canadian universities are listed under “The”, such as The University of British Columbia. Reviewer exclusion (optional) You may request that some researchers, organizations or large collaborations not be involved in the review of your application.

While NSERC cannot be bound by this information, the agency will take it into consideration when selecting reviewers. NSERC may also exclude reviewers because of conflicts of interest, as described in the Conflict of interest and confidentiality policy of the federal research funding organizations . Information concerning exclusions may be accessible to those individuals named in this section under the Privacy Act .

Note that the exclusion type Collaboration refers to large research groups that work on specific projects. Uploading your NSERC CCV To upload your CCV successfully, the first name and family name used to create your CCV site account must match the names used to create your Research Portal account. The email address used to create your Research Portal account must also match at least one of the emails listed in your CCV account.

In the Application Overview page, click Attach . Enter your CCV confirmation number (see the NSERC CCV instructions for professors for details on how to obtain your confirmation number). Click Back to Application Overview .

Preview your CCV in the Research Portal to make sure it was uploaded correctly and includes all the records you want to submit for peer review. Your CCV must be in the same language as your NOI . You may update your CCV at the full application stage.

Submitting the NOI Click on the Submit button at the bottom of the Application Overview page. A pop-up message will appear. You will be required to extract and review your NOI to ensure that it is complete.

The CCV will not appear in the extracted application. Save a copy of your NOI for your records. Once you have checked the confirmation box, click Submit in the pop-up message.

To complete submitting your NOI, you must read and accept the terms and conditions by clicking the I Accept button. You will see a confirmation message on the screen and receive a confirmation email that your NOI was received and that the status of your submission is Received by Agency . You can verify the status of your submission on the home page.

The status will be Received by Agency . Instructions for completing the full application Presentation standards You must include all requested information in your application, and the submitted application must meet the Research Portal presentation and attachment standards .

Incomplete applications and applications that do not meet the presentation standards may be rejected, or be at a disadvantage, in comparison with those that are complete and respect the presentation standards. Information that is not required, based on the application instructions, will be removed. Completing the application You must complete the application according to the instructions, using the Research Portal.

In addition, you must complete and link the NSERC Canadian Common CV (CCV) to your application. Refer to the resource video for a demonstration. Note: If you have not submitted a notification of intent to apply (NOI) for this program, you cannot create or submit an application.

For guidance on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), see Guidance on the use of Artificial Intelligence in the development and review of research grant proposals . Select the funding opportunity and click Create . Select your notification of intent (NOI) to apply; it will form the basis for your application.

Complete your eligibility profile and click on Validate . Note: On the eligibility profile page, if your official title of position does not appear in the dropdown menu, enter it as freeform text. The system will accept it.

Click on Continue and Create Application . Under Applications , open the application. Click on Edit to complete the different sections.

Some fields are pre-populated based on the information provided in your NOI. You may edit these fields as needed. Identification Administering organization Organization – Select the organization that will administer the grant.

Department – If your department is not in the list, select “head office. ” Suggested applicant category – Select the applicant category that fits your profile as a researcher based on the Discovery Grants – applicant categories defined by NSERC. If early career researcher (ECR) is selected, you must identify all positions that meet NSERC’s requirements for an independent academic position in the text box provided.

If applicable, you should also justify why the positions previous to your first academic position did not meet the NSERC requirements. NSERC will make the final decision on the applicant category. The information provided in this section will not be shared with evaluation group members or external reviewers.

Application title – Provide a short and descriptive title. It may be used for publication purposes. Limit the use of acronyms (for example, DNA, NATO, etc.) and avoid company or trade names.

The title of the application can differ from the title provided on the NOI. Language of the application – Indicate the language in which the application will be submitted. The main body of the application must be written in either English or French, rather than a mix of both official languages.

The NSERC CCV must be in the same language as the application. Note: To ensure linguistic equity, applicants submitting in French are eligible for a 20% increase in the space available for key narrative sections, as French text typically requires more space than English.

This additional space applies to the following sections: HQP Training (Training Plan and Past Contributions), Most Significant Contributions to Research (Research Contributions and Additional Information), and Proposal. To access this additional space, applicants submitting in French may upload three Optional Supplemental Attachments when submitting their application through the Research Portal.

These attachments are only available when “French” is selected as the application language in the Portal. Suggested evaluation group (not editable) – If the evaluation group is not what you had suggested in your NOI, or if your proposed research program has changed substantially from the time when you submitted your NOI, and you consider that a different evaluation group should review your application, contact resgrant@nserc-crsng. gc.

ca . Hours per month to be devoted to the research/activity, or use of equipment or facility – Enter the number of hours per month you, the applicant, plan to devote to the proposed research/activity. Do not include hours contributed by others (e.g., highly qualified personnel).

Secondary consent – Indicate if you consent to the use of your self-identification information found in the Person Profile of the Research Portal. NSERC has undertaken several initiatives to better support research through addressing systemic barriers that limit the full participation of all talented individuals.

For the Discovery Grants program, self-identification information may be used to adjust the proportion of funded applications from those who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups to be similar to the proportion of applications received from these groups. These adjustments would only be made amongst meritorious applications.

Indigenous Research – You must indicate if your proposed research involves Indigenous Peoples, Nations, communities, societies or individuals or involves activities on lands or waters where Indigenous Peoples, Nations or communities may have an interest in, or Indigenous rights over. For the purpose of the Discovery Grants application, if you answer “yes” to any of these, your proposed research is considered Indigenous research.

If your proposed research involves Indigenous research , you must complete and attach the Indigenous Engagement and Collaboration Agreement template . This agreement is a required part of the application and serves to demonstrate meaningful engagement and shared understanding between the applicant and the Indigenous community partner.

Supplements/joint initiatives If you wish to be considered for the DND/NSERC Discovery Grant supplement or the Discovery Grants - Northern Research Supplement (NRS), check this section of the application. The information you provide for these supplements will not be shared with evaluation group members or external reviewers; it will be used solely for the review of the supplement.

DND/NSERC Discovery Grant supplement Supplement(s) or joint initiative(s) – Select the DND/NSERC Discovery Grant supplement . Department of National Defence (DND) defence and security target area(s) – Select up to six target areas and associated topics. Statement of relevance – In a maximum of 3,000 characters, describe how your research fits within the target area(s) you have selected.

Northern Research Supplement (NRS) Supplement(s) or joint initiative(s) – Select the Northern Research Supplement (NRS). Note : By selecting NRS, you will be given access to a budget table and two additional attachments for the submission of your NRS Budget justification and Proposal and references documents. The NRS Selection Committee will not see all DG application material submitted.

Refer to the NRS’ List for a complete application for more information. The DG review committee does not have access to any of the information contained in the NRS application. Summary of proposal A maximum of 3,000 characters is allowed in the text box.

Provide a plain-language summary of the proposal that will be available to the public. Using simple terms, briefly describe the nature of the work to be done. Indicate why and to whom the research is important, the anticipated outcomes and the benefits to the research field and to Canada.

If you wish, you may also provide a summary in the other official language in the text box for that purpose. Proposed expenditures A maximum of 450 characters is allowed per field. You must provide a five-year budget.

Keep in mind when preparing your budget that NSERC will not award annual Discovery Grant instalments greater than the average amount requested by the applicant over five years, in agreement with the Directive on Transfer Payments policy. The need for a five-year budget applies to all applicants, regardless of the amount of time you plan to hold the award if successful (e.g., retirement, researchers under contract).

Verify all of your entries carefully. The total amount requested from NSERC is calculated automatically by subtracting the total cash contributions, if any, from the total proposed expenditures. Note : In this section, the quantity and the amount fields are not linked.

If you increase the quantity of students, you must also increase the amount. The system will not do this automatically. Important : You must validate your total amount requested from NSERC by clicking on the Calculate totals button.

Use the Budget justification attachment section to explain and justify each budget item and any contributions from other sources toward the support of the proposed research activities. In the case of adjunct professors whose primary place of employment is outside the university sector (e.g., government, industry or colleges), NSERC will award funds only for the direct support of students (salaries or stipends and student travel costs).

All other costs must be covered through other sources of funding. All project expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds as outlined in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration . Give the names (if known), categories of employment and proposed salaries (with explicit indication of the non-discretionary benefits) of students, postdoctoral researchers and research staff.

Briefly describe the responsibilities for each position and indicate the percentage of time they will be spending on this research program over its life span. Do not include salaries of faculty in project costs. Refer to the NSERC CCV instructions for information on obtaining consent to name individuals in your proposal.

Give a breakdown of the items requested, models, manufacturers, prices and applicable taxes. Justify each item requested. Note : While the Research Tools and Instruments grants program provides the primary avenue to obtain support for tools and instruments with a net cost between $7,001 and $250,000, equipment of any value can be purchased using a Discovery Grant.

Fees to be paid for the use of equipment or a facility should be described (e.g., hours and rate). The need for beam time or other special facilities and whether time has been allocated for these should also be reported. Provide details of the budget requested for materials and supplies and explain major items.

Explain briefly how each travel activity relates to the proposed research program. Provide details of publication costs, user workshops or other activities. List all items not covered in previous categories and provide a brief explanation for major items.

Contributions from other sources (if applicable) If appropriate, explain any financial contributions from other sources. Relationship to other research support – explanation A maximum of 12,000 characters is allowed in the text box. Refer to Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency for additional information.

This section refers only to other research support that will be or may be active during the funding period of the proposed Discovery Grant. Do not include information concerning previous applications or grants that ended or will end before the funding period of the proposed Discovery Grant.

Support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and/or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Discovery Grants support research programs that are distinct from research that is supported or applied for through CIHR and/or SSHRC.

When research funding is held or applied for from CIHR and/or SSHRC, you must clearly explain how the proposed ideas, objectives and expenditures of the Discovery Grant application are entirely distinct from those supported or applied for through CIHR and/or SSHRC how the anticipated contributions to research resulting from the proposed Discovery Grant will be distinct from those resulting from CIHR and/or SSHRC support Explanations of other research support (held or applied for) are considered in the evaluation of the merit of the proposal.

Therefore, you must provide sufficient information for the evaluation group to determine whether the application meets the requirements listed above. Failure to clearly demonstrate that the Discovery Grant application meets all these requirements will result in a rating of “Insufficient” for the merit of the proposal criterion.

Sources of research support other than CIHR or SSHRC You may hold funds from other sources for the same research ideas/objectives as long as they are used to cover different expenses and the funding sources are not CIHR and/or SSHRC .

Other sources of research support include grants and contributions (held or applied for) from federal and provincial funding agencies, non-governmental organizations, private sector companies, universities (e.g., institution start-up funds), primary places of employment (for adjunct professors employed outside of academia), and others.

You must indicate that the funds requested from the Discovery Grant program will be for expenses that are distinct from those covered by support from other sources. For funding applied for, you must indicate that there will be no duplication of funding for the same expense(s) and explain how funds will be used if all applications are successful.

Failure to meet these requirements may result in a rating of “Insufficient” for the merit of the proposal criterion, or the application may be rejected. Note : New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) is a tri-agency initiative and is considered a source of support other than CIHR or SSHRC.

Highly qualified personnel (HQP) training plan A maximum of 9,000 characters is allowed in the text box for Training Plan (including both Training philosophy and Research training plan components).

Note for applications submitted in French: To ensure linguistic equity, applicants submitting in French may include a one-page supplemental PDF attachment providing additional space for the Training Plan (including both Training philosophy and Research training plan components) and Past Contributions to the training of HQP . This attachment must not exceed 3,000 characters (including spaces).

The Training philosophy should describe your approach to training HQP, detailing the mentoring approach and the type of research training and development opportunities provided. Describe your planned approach to training and mentoring HQP and the type of research training and development opportunities provided.

Include your strategy for promoting participation from a diverse group of HQP, taking into account equity and inclusion in recruitment practices, mentorship approaches and initiatives aimed at ensuring an equitable and inclusive research and training environment and trainee growth. Describe qualitatively any challenges or barriers encountered in ensuring an equitable and inclusive research and training environment.

Applicants are expected to address barriers and increase the inclusion and advancement of underrepresented groups in the natural sciences and engineering as one way to enhance excellence in research and training.

An inclusive research training environment exists where all people are respected and have equitable access to the same inclusive opportunities and where each individual can reach their full potential unimpeded by inequitable or discriminatory practices or environments.

A commitment from all researchers to implement specific actions that acknowledge and address barriers to HQP participation (e.g., physical, procedural, visible, invisible, unintentional) is required to increase access to the full pool of qualified potential participants and the overall excellence of research, across all natural sciences and engineering disciplines.

For more information, refer to Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams . In the Research training plan