Competition

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

Discovery Horizons grants support investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in the NSE. Established in 2021 by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review (TAIPR) committee is dedicated to the review of interdisciplinary research. This jointly administered tri-agency 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 Insight Development Grants programs and CIHR’s Project Grants program.

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

Discovery Horizons grants are expected to be valued from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and will be commensurate with the size of the research team (as indicated in the Team composition table). For this competition, NSERC is expecting to award approximately 10 to 20 grants this year.

Application Process

The Discovery Horizons application process has two stages: the LOI stage and the full application stage. All stages of the application must be submitted through the Convergence Portal. A limited number of applicants will be invited to submit a full application based on a relevance review of their LOIs.

• LOI application: 

  Opens May 1, 2026, 8:00 am (ET). Deadline June 15, 2026, 8:00 pm (ET)

• Full application: 

  Opens August 18, 2026, 8:00 am (ET). Deadline October 19, 2026, 8:00 pm (ET)

Faculty of HSS Advanced Draft Feedback (optional): 

For this competition, Memorial applicants may request detailed feedback on the LOI and/or the full draft application or on application components. This typoe of review is optional. Normally, HSS Research Support Services would require draft applications to be submitted a minimum of 45 business days ahead of the external deadline (see above for all deadlines). Please note that Advanced Draft Feedback deadlines may vary depending on the workflow of the HSS Research Support Services office. If you wish to request this service, please contact Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050) as soon as possible.

Submission Procedures (mandatory):

LOI: This application’s Letter of Intent (LOI) does not require review by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) or Research Initiatives and Services (RIS), but please email a copy of your LOI to your Grants Facilitator.

Full: 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.