Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE)

Sponsor’s Website

View the NSERC CREATE website but note that it will not be updated with the new program details for the 2027 round until mid-February 2026.

About NSERC CREATE

The Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program supports the training and mentoring of teams of highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad through the development of innovative training programs that: 

• Encourage collaborative and integrative approaches, and address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada’s research priorities.

• Facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce. 

These innovative programs must foster the acquisition and development of important professional skills among students and postdoctoral fellows that complement their qualifications and technical skills, and improve their job readiness for careers in industry, government, non-governmental organizations and/or academia. 

Value and Duration

CREATEs are funded for six years at up to $150,000 in the first year and up to $300,000 for up to five subsequent years, for a maximum of $1.65M over six years.

Eligibility

CREATE grants are tenable only at NSERC-eligible Canadian universities, and the applicant must hold an eligible position at that university. Researchers at non-eligible organizations may participate as collaborators. View more information regarding eligibility in the program description. 

External Deadlines

Special Requirements

Carleton is allowed to submit an unlimited number of Letters of Intent (LOI), but only two regular stream LOIs will be invited forward to full proposal.  

For the 2027 competition, NSERC will fund one additional CREATE initiative through quantum funding announced in Budget 2025 as part of the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). The initiative will help advance the strategy’s workforce development priorities by supporting training opportunities that result in skilled and technologically proficient research trainees in areas including, but not limited to, quantum communications, quantum sensing, quantum materials, quantum computing and quantum software. Applications will be evaluated through the normal CREATE peer review process, but applications should include “Quantum” in the title. LOIs submitted to the Quantum call are not included in each university’s allotment of LOIs advancing to the application stage. Each university can submit up to one LOI for the Quantum call.

Information Sessions

NSERC will be holding an information session on Monday, February 9th from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Please contact Kate Swan (kate.swan@carleton.ca), Institutional Research Facilitator, for details.

How to Apply

Internal Process

There is a mandatory multi-phase process: 

Phase 1: Internal Expression of Interest (EOI) – ASAP or by February 27, 2026 

Please complete the internal EOI form.

Phase 2: Carleton-adjudicated NSERC CREATE Letter of Intent (LOI) – March 23, 2026 

An internal LOI form is developed each year that mirrors the NSERC CREATE Form 187 – Letter of Intent form. Details on LOI requirements will be available in late February 2026.

Internal Evaluation

A multi-disciplinary internal review committee is established each year to review the internal Letters of Intent (LOI) submitted for consideration. Committee members will review each LOI against the NSERC evaluation criteria described related to Merit of the Training Program (60%) and Excellence of the Team (40%) described in the NSERC program guide and then meet to discuss the merits of each proposal.

For applications in the regular stream, the committee will share feedback with CORIS and the applicants regarding strengths and weaknesses of each LOI and make recommendations as to whether they are sufficiently developed to submit for consideration for the current round of CREATE or would benefit from additional time in development. As there is no mandatory quota, teams may choose to go forward and submit the LOI to NSERC for formal adjudication.

Each university is allowed to submit one LOI to the quantum stream. If more than one LOI is submitted for internal evaluation, the committee will make recommendations to the Vice-President (Research, Innovation and International) who will decide which LOI will be submitted to NSERC as a part of the quantum funding call. 

External Evaluation

The NSERC CREATE selection committee will adjudicate all Letters of Intent (LOI) and select the two strongest regular-stream LOIs led by Carleton to invite forward to the full proposal. The LOI selected through the university selection process to the quantum call submitted within the university allocation to the quantum call will automatically be invited forward to the full proposal stage. 

External Submission Steps

1. Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database cuResearch by April 24, 2026.  
2. Submit the Letter of Intent (LOI) through the NSERC online portal by May 1, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. N.B., It is not a two-stage submission at the LOI phase (i.e., when you hit submit, your application proceeds directly to NSERC rather than through CORIS).

Contact Us

Kate Swan: kate.swan@carleton.ca