Discovery Grants

The Discovery Grants (DG) program supports high-quality research capability and excellence in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE).

Visit the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) website for more information on the Discovery Grants program.

Deadlines

• Faculty deadline: consult your Faculty Research Facilitator
• Mandatory application development period for ECRs, ARPs and resubmissions only: July 1 to August 30, 2026 (anticipated)
• Office of the Vice-President (Research, Innovation and International) (OVPRII) Approval Form deadline:
  October 25, 2026 (anticipated)
• Submission to sponsor: November 3, 2026 by 11a.m. (anticipated)

Please note that dates are currently anticipated and are subject to change.

Overview

The DG program assists in:

• promoting and maintaining a diversified base of high-quality research capability in NSE in Canadian universities;
• fostering research excellence; and
• providing a stimulating environment for research training.

DGs support 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 at the heart of all research advances. They 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.

Duration

Up to five years.

Eligibility

DGs are awarded to individual researchers, normally for five years. Researchers can apply for and hold only one DG at a time. Researchers who hold a DG cannot reapply for another until the last year of their current award.

Applicants to the DG program must meet NSERC’s eligibility requirements for faculty.

Subject Matter

DG applicants must present a program of research that is eligible under NSERC’s mandate, which is to promote and assist research in NSE, other than health. The application will be rejected if NSERC determines, at any time during the review cycle, that the subject matter is outside of its mandate.

Applicants 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).

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

For more information on subject matter, please refer to the following webpages:

• Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency
• NSERC Discovery Grants Process for Decisions on Mandate Eligibility
• Addendum to the Guidelines for the Eligibility of Applications Related to Health
• Peer Review Manual
• Instructions for Completing an Application

Applicants

Applicants to the DG program are categorized as either early career researchers or established researchers. Applicant categorization is the responsibility of NSERC staff and is based on the information provided by the applicant in the Canadian Common CV (CCV) and application.

Submitting Your Application

1. Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database cuResearch.
2. Submit an external application to NSERC by following their submission guidelines.

Contact Us

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss this funding opportunity with their Faculty Research Facilitator.

Interested faculty members in Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) should contact Kristin Bourassa: kristinbourassa@cunet.carleton.ca