NSERC – Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE)

The NSERC CREATE website can be found HERE; however, the literature on the NSERC website has not been updated with the 2025 changes to the CREATE program.

About

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:

• Raise the standards in graduate training
• Encourage collaborative and integrative approaches, and address significant scientific challenges
• 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. More information regarding eligibility can be found in the program description HERE.

External Deadline

Letter of Intent deadline – May 1, Annually

Full Proposal deadline – September 22, Annually

New This Year – Genomics Stream

NSERC will fund four CREATE initiatives in genomics this round as a part of the Canadian Genomics Strategy. Each institution is allowed to submit up to two LOIs to the genomics stream; these must be identified in the title.

Special Requirements

All Letters of Intent submitted to NSERC must be included in Carleton’s quota (see below). CREATEs require institutional commitments from multiple units across Canada. The research facilitators assigned to support the LOIs selected through the internal review process will support the teams to secure these commitments.

Institutional Quota

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

Information Sessions

An information session for interested Carleton applicants will be held on March 6, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 12:30pm, in ARISE 4th floor and on Zoom. Please sign up here if you would like to join the meeting in person or virtually; a recording and slides will also be available after the meeting.

NSERC held an information session in early February. Please contact Kate Swan to request the slides and recording.

How to Apply

Internal Process:

There is a mandatory multi-phase process. Proposals going forward as a part of Carleton’s quota for the 2024 round have already been selected. The anticipated timeline for the 2025 round is as follows:

Phase 1: Internal Expression of Interest – February 24, 2025

Please complete this online form.

Phase 2: Carleton-adjudicated NSERC CREATE Letter of Intent (LOI) – March 17, 2025

Please submit the following to kate.swan@carleton.ca:

• 6 page proposal:
  • 3 pages covering Outline of Training Program
    • Value-added opportunities for HQP
    • Opportunities for mentorship, mobility, internships, etc.
    • Description of potential employers and how this program positions HQP for transition to workforce
    • Novel and interesting approaches to training HQP
    • Focus and clarity of the research program and how they relate to literature
    • Fosters studies at the NSE/non-NSE interface, where applicable
  • 3 pages covering Excellence of Proposed Team
    • Quality and impact of team’s past contributions
    • Complementarity of team
    • Consideration of EDI
    • Past contributions to HQP training
  • Form 100 of Lead Applicant

Internal Evaluation

A multi-disciplinary internal review committee is established each year to review the internal Letters of Intent 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 found HERE and then meet to discuss the merits of each proposal and advise the teams on how the Letters of Intent might be strengthened. In addition, if more than two LOIs are received for consideration in the genomics stream, the review committee will advise the VP Research on which two should be submitted to NSERC.

External Submission Steps

Step 1) Submit an internal Carleton Approval Form (April 24, 2025)

Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database CUResearch:

Step 2) Submit an external application to the granting agency

Letters of Intent are submitted through the NSERC online portal. N.B., It is not a two-stage submission at the LOI phase, i.e., when you hit submit proceeds directly to NSERC rather than through CORIS.

VPRI Contact

Kate Swan, Research Facilitator, Institutional Initiatives