NSERC Discovery Horizons (Pilot) Program

NSERC Discovery Horizons (Pilot) Program is sponsored by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Discovery Horizons | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Value: From $50,000 to $100,000 per year Duration: Up to five years Opens: May 1, 2026, 8:00 am (ET) Deadline: June 15, 2026, 8:00 pm (ET) Your LOI application is sent directly to NSERC.

Opens: August 18, 2026, 8:00 am (ET) Deadline: Octobre 19, 2026, 8:00 pm (ET) The Discovery Horizons program provides support for interdisciplinary research activities that advance at least two intertwined research disciplines with at least one of them outside the natural sciences and engineering (NSE).

The program supports innovative research that bridges disciplines, fosters collaboration across academic fields and provides training opportunities for highly qualified personnel (HQP). Regulations, policies and guidelines Discovery Horizons grants support investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in the NSE.

Established in 2021 by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review (TAIPR) committee is dedicated to the review of interdisciplinary research.

This jointly administered tri-agency peer review committee will assess all full applications submitted to NSERC’s Discovery Horizons program, as well as relevant applications submitted to SSHRC’s Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants programs and CIHR’s Project Grants program.

In the context of this funding opportunity, the term “interdisciplinary” should be understood to fully encompass all research that connects, crosses or falls between the traditional disciplines of the three agencies, including transdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, convergence research and other approaches at the interface.

Discovery Horizons grants are expected to be valued from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and will be commensurate with the size of the research team (as indicated in the Team composition table). For this competition, NSERC is expecting to award approximately 10 to 20 grants this year.

Team composition Maximum yearly value Single applicant $50K Applicant and one co-applicant $75K Applicant and two or more co-applicants $100K The Discovery Horizons program provides NSERC’s entry point to the TAIPR mechanism.

It supports Discovery research projects that would significantly benefit from being assessed by the TAIPR committee and aims to: answer NSE research questions that are best addressed through interdisciplinary approaches advance NSE disciplines through cross-fertilization and new ways of thinking about research questions, ideas and frameworks, approaches and methods, platforms, tools and infrastructure, and people, partners and trainees provide leading-edge NSE training for highly qualified personnel (HQP) in interdisciplinary research environments Applicants and co-applicants One person must be designated to administer the grant; this person is the “applicant” and is responsible for completing and submitting the full application on behalf of the team.

While the research team is expected to have significant expertise in NSE research, not all members need to engage in research in the NSE. Canadian university researchers who are eligible to receive NSERC funds can apply on their own or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers.

Consult NSERC’s eligibility requirements for Individual eligibility (for university faculty) to ensure that you can participate in this grant program as an applicant or a co-applicant. If you are an adjunct professor, see the Access to funds by adjunct professors ’ section.

Adjunct professors working in the private, public, or not-for-profit sector in Canada may apply as applicants if applying on their own, but only as a co-applicant if they apply as a team. College faculty members who meet the relevant eligibility criteria can participate in Discovery Horizons as co-applicants.

If your offer of a position is pending approval at the time of application, you must take up your faculty position no later than September 1 st 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. There are no requirements with respect to team size or composition.

However, as of the 2024 competition, applicants or co-applicants for the Discovery Horizons 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. In addition, individuals are only allowed to hold or apply for one Discovery Horizons grant as either an applicant or co-applicant.

Note that the applicant may add or remove invitations to co-applicants and collaborators at both phases of the application process (LOI and full application). Collaborators Collaborators contribute to the execution of research activities but do not have access to grant funds.

Any individual whose contributions to the project will be supervised by a member of the research team and/or by another collaborator cannot be considered a collaborator. Applicant categories Applicants and co-applicants to the Discovery Horizons program are categorized as either early career researchers or established researchers. Refer to the Discovery Grants applicant categories page for more information.

Applicant categorization is the responsibility of NSERC staff and is done based on the information provided in the application.

Subject matter eligibility An eligible proposal must meet both of the following criteria : Its primary objective must be to advance knowledge in the NSE It must integrate or transcend disciplines in ways that would significantly benefit from peer review by a TAIPR committee Note that proposals that solely rely on the use of existing NSE methods and/or tools, while not advancing knowledge within an NSE field, are not eligible for Discovery Horizons.

The TAIPR committee will assess projects submitted to all three federal granting agencies. Applications should be submitted to the agency that is responsible for the dominant research discipline(s) or area(s). Refer to Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency and the Addendum to the guidelines for the eligibility of applications related to health for further information.

Indigenous research Research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities is especially welcome in projects supported by Discovery Horizons grants.

NSERC specifies Indigenous research as research in any field or discipline related to the natural sciences or engineering that is conducted by, grounded in, or meaningfully engaged with First Nations, Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous Peoples and nations, communities, societies or individuals, and their wisdom, cultures, experiences or knowledge systems, as expressed in their dynamic forms, past and present.

Value: From $50,000 to $100,000 per year Duration: Up to five years 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 . The Discovery Horizons application process has two stages: the LOI stage and the full application stage. All stages of the application must be submitted through the Convergence Portal .

A limited number of applicants will be invited to submit a full application based on a relevance review of their LOIs. 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: 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 are required to complete the self-identification questionnaire in order to apply for NSERC funding; however, you may select “I prefer not to answer” for any or all questions. NSERC appreciates your participation, which supports the granting agencies in monitoring the equity of their programs and strengthening equity, diversity and inclusion in the research enterprise.

Self-identification information is collected as part of your user profile when you register in the Convergence Portal . It is not part of your application and is neither accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or selection committee members.

Discovery Horizons applicants and co-applicants will also be asked to provide consent for NSERC to potentially use their self-identification information to improve equity and diversity in funding decisions. Priority may be given to letters of intent and/or applications from those who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups, among similarly ranked LOIs and applications.

For more information, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions about the Self-identification Questionnaire . Instructions for completing the LOI Create your LOI As the applicant, you must create, complete and submit your LOI using the Convergence Portal . If you currently have an account on the Convergence Portal, please use your existing credentials.

You can only access the Convergence Portal with the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox.

When creating or updating your Personal Profile Record, you can now import the CV information (Affiliation/Employment, Education, Funding, Interruptions and Personal Circumstances) directly from your ORCID account, if applicable Select the Discovery Horizons funding opportunity labelled Stage: Letter of intent and select Create Application Participant eligibility If you have previously completed an eligibility profile on Convergence, some fields will be pre-populated.

You will be asked to review each screen and will have the opportunity to update any information you have previously provided. Step 1 – Applicant eligibility : Answer the series of questions confirming the eligibility of your position and whether you fit NSERC’s definition of an early career researcher. Step 2 – Affiliations : List all of your current affiliations and identify your primary affiliation.

Select the organization that will administer the grant, even if you have not started the position yet. Step 3 – Equity, diversity and inclusion : Complete the self-identification questionnaire, as required, in order to apply for NSERC funding. You may select “I prefer not to answer” for any or all questions; see the Self-identification information section above for more information.

Step 4 – Fields of research : List your fields of research and indicate at least one as a primary area of research. These do not need to be directly related to the application . Step 5 – Keywords : Provide a minimum of five keywords that best describe your areas of research.

They do not need to be directly related to a specific application and will not be used for evaluation purposes. Step 6 – Summary : Review the content submitted and click Create Application . Step 7 – Terms and conditions : Accept the terms and conditions to begin the application process.

Completing your LOI Please note that some information provided in your LOI will flow through to pre-populate the relevant sections of your full application. You will be able to revise and/or modify certain fields at the full application stage, as indicated below. Application details Application title : Provide a short and descriptive title.

It may be used for publication purposes. Limit the use of abbreviated forms (e.g., 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 your application should be written in either English or French, rather than in a mix of both official languages. Indigenous research : You must indicate if your proposed research involves Indigenous communities, societies or individuals and meets the specifications below to qualify as Indigenous research according to NSERC.

NSERC specifies Indigenous research as research in any field or discipline related to the natural sciences or engineering that is conducted by, grounded in, or meaningfully engaged with First Nations, Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous Peoples and nations, communities, societies or individuals, and their wisdom, cultures, experiences or knowledge systems, as expressed in their dynamic forms, past and present.

Meaningful engagement means engagement at all stages of the process, “ensuring that various world views are represented in planning and decision making from the earlier stages of conception and design of projects through to the analysis and dissemination of results” ( Tri-council Policy Statement 2 – Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada ).

Indigenous research requires that research activities respond to community needs and priorities.

This may involve: contributing to the enhancement of community members’ skills and/or community capacity exploring opportunities for reciprocal learning and transfer of skills and knowledge between the community and the research team supporting a community in maintaining its culture, language and/or identity, as well as supporting its self-determination For additional guidance on NSERC’s expectations, read the CCI guide for research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities .

Fields of research List the fields of research that best describe this specific application according to the Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) 2020 Version 2. 0 . You must name one primary field of research, and you may list up to a total of five fields of research.

Keywords List a minimum of five keywords that best describe this specific application . You may list up to a maximum of ten keywords. Invitations Invite the co-applicants for this project.

Note that co-applicants can be added or removed at both stages of the application (LOI or full application). Those invited will receive an email, which will include your name (as the applicant), your email address and the project title, as well as a link to the Convergence Portal.

Once they have selected Accept Invitation and completed their own eligibility profile, co-applicants’ names will be displayed in the Participants section of your application. Consult the eligibility requirements for Individual eligibility to ensure that potential co-applicants can participate in your project.

Co-applicants at the interdisciplinary frontier between NSE and the areas covered under the umbrella of SSHRC and CIHR may be included in your application. College faculty members who meet the relevant eligibility criteria can participate in Discovery Horizons as co-applicants.

NSERC verifies the eligibility of researchers only at the full application stage; however, it is important that potential applicants consult the eligibility criteria now and discuss any concerns with their institution’s research office. Note : Email addresses are not verified and bounce back emails are not registered.

We strongly recommend that you follow up directly with invited co-applicants if an individual has not accepted your invitation in a timely manner. Participants This section lists all co-applicants who have successfully joined the project. If an individual has not accepted your invitation, follow up with them to confirm they have received it.

If an invited co-applicant is listed as Pending Eligibility , they have accepted your invitation but not yet completed their eligibility profile. Before submitting your application, you must remove any invited participant(s) who have not completed their enrollment . Collaborators List the collaborators that will contribute to the execution of research activities, but who will not have access to grant funds.

Any individual whose contributions to the project will be supervised by a member of the research team and/or another collaborator cannot be considered a collaborator.

Suggested reviewers Provide the contact information for a minimum of seven external reviewers for your full application who: are not in a conflict of interest (see below for the guidelines surrounding conflicts 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 You are encouraged to suggest a diverse cross-section of potential reviewers with appropriate expertise (including Canadian, international, established and early career researchers, women and other underrepresented groups, those from both academic and non-academic institutions).

Applicants should avoid proposing reviewers who, to the best of their knowledge, are currently affiliated with or are in receipt of funding or in-kind support from a Named Research Organization (NRO), especially if the 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. You must not contact suggested external reviewers in advance .

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 or co-applicants are in a position to gain or lose financially or materially from the funding of the application have had long-standing scientific or personal differences with the applicant or co-applicants are currently affiliated with the applicant or co-applicants’ institutions, organizations or companies, including research hospitals and research institutes are closely affiliated professionally with the applicant or co-applicants, as a result of having in the last six years frequent and regular interactions with the applicant or co-applicants in the course of their duties at their department, institution, organization or company been a supervisor or a trainee of the applicant or co-applicants collaborated, published or shared funding with the applicant or co-applicants, or have plans to do so in the immediate future been employed by the institution, when an institution is the applicant 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 of interest exists.

For more information on conflicts of interest, refer to the Conflict of interest and confidentiality policy of the federal research funding organizations . Reviewer exclusions 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 .

If you wish to exclude a research collaboration, whole department or institution, please contact the Discovery Horizons program staff at horizons@nserc-crsng. gc. ca .

Project summary and fit for program The LOI is mandatory and will be assessed by peer reviewers who evaluate the project’s relevance and fit to the Discovery Horizons program. Reviewers will identify a limited number of LOI applicants who will be invited (no later than August 18) to submit a full application. The LOI includes a brief summary (2,500 characters max) and responses to the four points below.

Explain how your project would benefit from being assessed by a TAIPR committee, as opposed to a joint review by NSERC’s Discovery Grants evaluation groups (1,000 characters max) Demonstrate that the interdisciplinary approach is essential to achieving the project goals (1,000 characters max) Describe how the interdisciplinary approach enriches HQP training (1,000 characters max) Demonstrate that the interdisciplinary elements are integrated and inseparable (i.e., not sub-projects that could be reviewed on their own merit) (1,000 characters max) Finalizing your LOI Complete the sections identified by an exclamation mark before submitting.

Click on the Submit button at the bottom of the Finalize Application page and accept the terms and conditions. You will receive a confirmation message on the web page. To verify the status of your submission, return to 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 If you have not submitted an LOI for this program or if your LOI was not selected to participate in the subsequent stage, you cannot create or submit an application. As the applicant, you must create, complete and submit your application using the Convergence Portal . If you currently have an account on the Convergence Portal, please use your existing credentials.

Convergence is only supported on the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. When creating or updating your Personal Profile Record, you can now import the CV information (Affiliation/Employment, Education, Funding, Interruptions and Personal Circumstances) directly from your ORCID account, if applicable.

In the Applications tab, select the application that was submitted to NSERC and click Application . My information (applicant and co-applicants) CV interruptions Provide any interruptions in the last six years for formal leaves and personal circumstances, and clearly explain any circumstances that affected your research productivity.

To enter interruptions, select Add new interruptions , then select the type of interruption from the menu. Follow the instructions and enter the level of activity maintained (%) and start and end dates if requested. If interruptions have already been entered in the Convergence Portal, you can associate them to this application using Associate interruption .

Information from the CV interruptions section will be shared “as is” with committee members and external reviewers; personal information will not be redacted.

Eligible leaves of absence (e.g., maternity and parental leave, personal illness, chronic illness, mental illness, or disability associated with reduced research activity, leave taken for family-related illness or bereavement, extraordinary administrative duties) are those taken within the last six years.

For further guidance on how to describe and consider the impacts of COVID-19 delays, refer to Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on research: Guidelines for NSERC’s community . Follow the tri-agency CV instructions and complete the tri-agency CV template . Consult the tri-agency CV landing page for more information and a list of resources.

Applicants should review the Evaluation criteria used by the TAIPR Committee when preparing their tri-agency CVs. Highly Qualified Personnel Indicate the number of individuals you currently supervise or co-supervise at the application deadline.

Also include the number of individuals you have supervised or co-supervised over the past six years before the application deadline, excluding students you are currently supervising or co-supervising. Include only HQP whose research training was under your direct and formal supervision.

Do not include students supervised as part of an undergraduate course, a postdoctoral position, a thesis advisory committee, or normal teaching duties, such as undergraduate courses or capstone design projects. If, for example, you supervised the same student during their full master’s and doctoral degrees, you may include two supervision entries. Finalize (applicant only) Applicants must finalize their own My information section.

Applicants will need to finalize the co-applicants’ My information in the Participant section of the Shared information . Shared information (applicant) Application details This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable. Application title: Provide a short and descriptive title.

It may be used for publication purposes. Limit the use of abbreviated forms (e.g., DNA, NATO, etc.) and avoid company or trade names. Language of the application: Indicate the language in which the application will be submitted.

The main body of your application should be written in either English or French, rather than in a mix of both official languages. The tri-agency CV must be in the same language as the application. If you intend to change the language of application from the LOI, contact horizons@nserc-crsng.

gc. ca . Research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities : If your project involves Indigenous Peoples or communities, you must answer Yes in this module.

Invitations — co-applicant(s) Consult the Eligibility section to ensure that potential co-applicants can participate in this grant. This section will be pre-populated from the LOI. You can still invite or remove co-applicants at the full application stage.

Those invited will receive an email, which will include the applicant’s name, email address and the project title, as well as a link to the Convergence Portal. Once they have selected Accept invitation and completed their own eligibility profile, co-applicants’ names will be displayed in the Participants section of your application. Note: Email addresses are not verified, and bounce-backs are not registered.

We strongly recommend that you follow up directly with invited co-applicants if an individual has not accepted your invitation in a timely manner. Participants This section lists all co-applicants who have successfully joined the application. If an individual has not accepted your invitation, follow up with them to confirm they have received it.

If an invited co-applicant is listed as Pending eligibility , they have accepted your invitation but have not yet completed their eligibility profile. Before submitting your application, you need to Finalize each of the co-applicants’ sections or remove any invited participant who has not completed their My information section. Collaborators This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable.

Applicants can add and remove collaborators at the full application stage. List the collaborators who will contribute to the execution of research activities, but who will not have access to grant funds. Collaborators do not have to provide CV documents.

Any individual whose contributions to the project will be supervised by a member of the research team and/or another collaborator cannot be considered a collaborator. Field of research This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable. List the fields of research that best describe this specific application according to the Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) 2020 Version 2.

0 . You must provide at least one primary field of research, and you may list up to five fields of research. Keywords This section will be pre-populated from the LOI but editable.

List a minimum of five keywords that best describe this specific application . You may list up to 10 keywords. Suggested reviewers and reviewer exclusions These sections cannot be updated at this stage.

Fit for program These sections cannot be updated at this stage. Project summary Maximum of 2,500 characters Provide a summary of the proposal in language that the public can understand. Using simple terms, state the objectives of the proposed research program, summarize the research approach and highlight the novelty and expected significance of the work.

This summary may be shared with potential external reviewers and used for promotional purposes outside the research community to inform the government, the media and members of the public. Proposed budget Discovery Horizons grants are expected to be valued from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and will be commensurate with the size of the research team. The duration of the grant will be up to five years.

Team composition Maximum yearly value Single applicant $50K Applicant and one co-applicant $75K Applicant and two or more co-applicants $100K In this module, you need to enter the requested amount for each year of the grant. The total requested amount should not exceed $250,000, $375,000 or $500,000, depending on the team composition.

The yearly values must correspond to the amounts calculated in the Proposed expenditures supporting document. Certification, licences and permits Certification requirements: Before completing this section, consult the Requirements for certain types of research.

Research involving the use of animals: If you indicate that your research involves animals, you must provide your institution’s administration with the certification from the animal care committee at the institution that the experimental procedures proposed have been approved and that the care and treatment of animals are in accordance with the principles outlined in the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guide.

Research involving biohazards: If you indicate that your research involves biohazards, you must provide your institution’s administration with the certification from the biosafety committee at the institution that the laboratory procedures being used comply with the safety precautions necessary for the level of containment required by the research.

Research involving human subjects: If you indicate that your research involves human subjects, you must provide your institution’s administration with the appropriate certification indicating that research involving humans has been reviewed and has received the required approval.

Research involving human pluripotent and/or totipotent stem cells: If you indicate that your research involves human pluripotent and/or totipotent stem cells, or if the application is found to fall into this category through peer review and is recommended for funding, it will be forwarded, with your consent, to CIHR’s Stem Cell Oversight Committee (SCOC) to ensure compliance with Chapter 12, Section F of the Tri-council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2).

The SCOC review is in addition to the normal review by local research ethics boards (REBs). Funding will not be released until approval has been obtained from the SCOC. Environmental impact: For more information, consult NSERC’s Guidelines on impact assessment .

Sensitive Technology Research Areas : If you select Yes, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application – in the Supporting Documents section – to comply with the policy.

In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern , all researchers involved in the activities supported by a research grant that aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the List of Named Research Organizations .

Supporting documents — attachments All files must adhere to the Research Portal presentation and attachment standards and must be uploaded as PDF documents. Individual PDF documents must not exceed 5 MB each. Any attachments that do not adhere to these instructions will be removed.

Proposal Maximum of 10 pages The TAIPR Committee is composed of members who have broad expertise overlapping all disciplines supported by the three agencies and who are knowledgeable about interdisciplinary research and methods. Accordingly, NSERC expects Discovery Horizons proposals to be written so that the proposed research and the importance of the objectives and unresolved issues can be understood by all members of the committee.

The research proposal must also contain sufficient details so that experts in the disciplines involved can evaluate the proposal adequately. Elements outside the NSE must be included in the proposal. The interdisciplinary aspects of the research must be well integrated and inseparable (i.e., not sub-projects that could be reviewed on