Discovery Horizons

Discovery Horizons grants support investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE).

Visit the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) website for more information on the Discovery Horizons grants program.

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

Value and Duration

Discovery Horizons grants are expected to be valued from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and will be commensurate to the size of the research team.

Overview

Discovery Horizons grants support investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in NSE. Full applications submitted to this NSERC program will be reviewed by a tri-agency interdisciplinary peer review committee.

In partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), NSERC is piloting this interdisciplinary peer review mechanism. The shared 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 CIHR’s Project Grants programs.

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

The Discovery Horizons program provides NSERC’s entry-point to the tri-agency interdisciplinary peer review mechanism. It supports Discovery research projects that would significantly benefit from being assessed by a tri-agency interdisciplinary peer review committee, and aims to:

1. answer NSE research questions that are best addressed through interdisciplinary approaches;
2. advance NSE disciplines through cross fertilization and new ways of thinking about research questions; ideas and frameworks; approaches and methods; platforms, tools and infrastructure; people, partners and trainees; and
3. provide leading-edge NSE training for highly qualified personnel in interdisciplinary research environments.

Eligibility

Applicants and Co-Applicants

Both individuals and teams may apply to the Discovery Horizons program. The applicant and any co-applicants must all be eligible to hold NSERC funding. 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. NSERC’s eligibility requirements for faculty can provide more information on the role of applicants and co-applicants. While the research team is expected to have significant expertise in NSE research, not all members need to engage in research in those fields. College faculty members who meet the relevant eligibility criteria can participate in Discovery Horizons as co-applicants.

There are no requirements with respect to team size or composition. However, individuals are only allowed to hold or apply for one Discovery Horizons grant as either an applicant or co-applicant. Additionally, individuals participating in a Discovery Horizons grant as an applicant or co-applicant cannot hold both a Discovery Grant and Discovery Horizons grant.

Note that the applicant may add or remove invitations to co-applicants and collaborators at both phases of the application process (i.e., Letter of Intent (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. Applicant categorization is the responsibility of NSERC staff and is done based on the information provided in the application.

Subject Matter

An eligible proposal must meet both of the following criteria:

1. Its primary objective must be to advance knowledge in the NSE.
2. It must integrate or transcend disciplines in ways that would significantly benefit from peer review by a tri-agency interdisciplinary committee.

The tri-agency interdisciplinary peer review 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).

For more information:

• Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency
• Addendum to the guidelines for the eligibility of applications related to health

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 NSE 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.

Information Sessions

Discovery Horizons & Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee

English webinar

Programme Horizons de la découverte & le comité d’évaluation par les pairs interdisciplinaire des trois organismes

French webinar

Deadlines

• Faculty deadline: consult your Faculty Research Facilitator
• Office of the Vice-President (Research, Innovation and International) (OVPRII) Approval Form and application deadline: October 13, 2025
• Submission to sponsor:
  • LOI deadline: June 16, 2025
  • Full application deadline: October 20, 2025

How to Apply

1. Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database cuResearch.
2. Submit an external application to NSERC.

Contact Us

Please contact your Faculty Research Facilitator to discuss this funding opportunity.