Competition

* Unless explicitly noted, all times indicated for deadlines are for the appropriate NL timezone (NST or NDT)

See attached pdf regarding MEMORIAL’S INTERNAL PROCESS FOR NSERC CREATE

Objectives

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.

In addition, these programs should encourage the following as appropriate:

• student mobility, nationally or internationally, between individual universities and between universities and other sectors

• interdisciplinary research within the natural sciences and engineering (NSE), or at the interface between the NSE and health or between the NSE and the social sciences and humanities—however, the main focus of the training must still lie within the NSE

• increased collaboration between industry and academia

MEMORIAL’S INTERNAL PROCESS

Generally, for the LOI process:

􀁸 NSERC has confirmed that there are no LOI quotas for eligible institutions.

􀁸 While an unlimited number of LOIs can be submitted by an institution, each institution has a maximum number of LOIs that can advance to the application stage.

􀁸 NSERC has confirmed that Memorial University will have an allotment of one (1) application that may proceed to the application stage of the NSERC CREATE Program opportunity.

􀁸 Only when an institution submits a number of LOIs greater than this allotment will their LOIs be evaluated to determine which will advance to the application stage.

For the LOI process at Memorial:

While there will be no internal selection process for LOI submission, NSERC requires every LOI to include (in their VPR letter) the total number of LOIs the university will be submitting this competition year. As such, there will be a registration process through Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) PRIOR TO THE NSERC DEADLINE to facilitate the processing of these VPR letters.

MEMORIAL’S INTERNAL DEADLINES FOR NSERC CREATE

If you are intending to submit an LOI, please initiate a discussion with your Associate Dean (Research) and Grants Facilitator(s) as soon as possible. As this program is intended to support training programs which are self-sustaining beyond the period of the grant it is critical that Faculties are in support of the program being proposed.

REGISTRATION AND LETTER OF INTENT (LOI) INTERNAL PROCESS

Phase 1 – Registration (required) Deadline: Thursday, April 17, 2025

***Note that this is HSS's internal deadline for Phase 2 - please hit submit on Memorial's Researcher Portal on this date to begin HSS review; also email RIS to register and cc GFOs on your email to RIS).

For the purpose of determining the number of LOIs being led by Memorial applicants, interested applicants are required to notify RIS of their intent to submit a LOI. This is due to NSERC’s requirement that the VPR letter for every LOI must include the total number of LOIs being submitted by Memorial. Upon registration, RIS staff will assist applicants with the preparation of their draft VPR letter. Please forward the title and a draft version of your LOI (“outline of training program” and “excellence of proposed team” sections only) to Research Initiatives and Services by email via ris@mun.ca, copying Dr. Jennifer Stevens (v5js@mun.ca) and Dr. Amanda Crompton (ajcrompt@mun.ca) (and cc'ing HSS GFOs) - Subject Line: NSERC CREATE – Registration. Applicants shall be permitted to make edits to their LOI during the period between this registration and their Researcher Portal submission. Failure to notify RIS of your intent to submit a LOI may result in an inability to secure a VPR letter that meets NSERC’s requirements. As per previous competitions, individuals may be involved as an Applicant or Co-applicant on a maximum of 2 CREATE projects (e.g. one awarded project plus the current application, or two proposed applications), and an individual can only be the Applicant on one application at any given time. Where an individual is involved in two (2) CREATE projects, the projects must be distinct from each other.

Phase 2 – LOI for Institutional (RIS) Review (required) Deadline: Thursday, April 24, 2025; internal HSS deadline Apr. 17, 2025

The applicant submits the LOI using NSERC’s online system. A complete LOI includes the following:

• Form 187

• Form 100 for the applicant

• A statement of support from the applicant’s university vice-president of research

• A list of potential external reviewers

As the VPR letter for every LOI must include the total number of LOIs being submitted by Memorial, LOIs must be submitted to RIS with sufficient time to coordinate the required VPR letters.

**Please note: NSERC CREATE website is currently in the process of being updated to reflect this current competition. Please check back to the site for updates. LOIs must be submitted to RIS through the Researcher Portal. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for Faculty Approval to be given via the Researcher Portal in order to meet the internal deadline. Once approved by RIS, the applicant will receive the signed VPR letter and will submit their finalized LOI via the NSERC portal to meet the NSERC deadline of May 1, 2025.

For Phase 3-Full Application, see separate entry in this Research Funding Tracker here: https://www.hss.mun.ca/funding/competitions/3649

RIS will be offering additional support to applicants preparing CREATE LOIs. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Jennifer Stevens (v5js@mun.ca) and/or Dr. Amanda Crompton (ajcrompt@mun.ca) in advance of the internal deadline for preliminary discussions regarding their LOI.

In addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, this opportunity must also be submitted for Departmental, HSS Faculty, and Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) institutional reviews and approvals via Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP). In order to facilitate the HSS Faculty’s administrative review, please ensure "Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)" and “Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)” are added as "Team Members" on your RP file. 

In accordance with University-wide approval protocols, all tabs of the RP file must be completed, the completed application must be uploaded to the “Attachments” tab, all supporting documentation including support for cash and in-kind commitments and/or letters of support must also be uploaded, and “Submit” must be pressed prior to the HSS internal deadline listed below. HSS cannot guarantee completion of an administrative review for application files that are incomplete and/or are submitted after the HSS deadline. For more detailed submission instructions and information, please consult the HSS Research Support Services website.

If you plan to apply to this competition or other research funding opportunities (as either PI or CI), e-mail an HSS Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050), to notify the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of your intent to apply. E-mailing the intent to apply as early as possible will help to facilitate an efficient review. A Grants Facilitator can answer any questions you may have about internal or external submission procedures and may also be able to help with proposal development.

• NSERC CREATE LOI 2026 dissemination - final.pdf