Sponsor

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

Program

Subatomic Physics Discovery Grant

Description

The Subatomic Physics (SAP) Discovery Grants Program assists in:

• promoting and maintaining a diversified base of high-quality research capability in the natural sciences and engineering in Canadian universities;
• fostering research excellence; and
• providing a stimulating environment for research training.

The SAP Discovery Grants Program supports ongoing programs of research (with long-term goals) rather than a single short-term project or a collection of unrelated projects that do not contribute to a cohesive program of research. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances, whether made individually or in teams. Researchers are free to work in the mode most appropriate for the research area.

NSERC recognizes that while being of a grant-in-aid nature, SAP Discovery Grants must be sufficient to support a program of quality research that can have a meaningful impact on the field of study.

NSERC does not consider requests for supplements to existing SAP Discovery Grants, except for Steacie Fellows. Grant recipients may, however, apply for all other types of NSERC grants.

There are two types of SAP-DG: 

• Individual: up to five years
• Project: up to three years

Eligibility

Please refer to NSERC’s Overall Eligibility Criteria [1] for more information. 

Individual Grants

• Researchers can apply for only one Individual Discovery Grant (in Subatomic Physics or not) at a time.
• Recipients of SAP Individual Discovery Grants are not restricted to the specific activities described in the application, but may pursue new research interests, provided they are within NSERC’s mandate.
• Researchers who hold an Individual Discovery Grant cannot reapply for another Individual Discovery Grant until the last year of their current award.
• SAP Individual Discovery Grants are awarded for one to five years, the normal duration being five years.

Project Grants

• Researchers can apply to a SAP Project Grant, as an applicant or co-applicant, at the same time as an Individual Discovery Grant.
• SAP Project Grants can be held concurrently with an Individual Discovery Grant.
• Also, researchers can hold concurrently several SAP Project Grants, as an applicant or co-applicant. SAP Collaborations that hold a Project Discovery Grant cannot reapply for another Project Discovery Grant that relates to the same research program until the last year of their current award.
• Members of a SAP Collaboration, which is applying for a SAP Project Grant, cannot normally apply for another SAP Discovery Grant to support research activities that are part of the Collaboration’s program of research. If you wish to submit such a concurrent application, please consult NSERC.
• When joining a SAP Collaboration that is supported by an ongoing SAP Project Grant, researchers can apply for a SAP Individual or Project Grant for a duration that would allow their participation in the Collaboration’s subsequent application.
• SAP Project Grants are awarded for one to three years, the normal duration being three years.

Project Duration

• Although the Project Grants typically run one to three years and Individual Grants run five years, a shorter duration can be requested, at the time of application, by researchers phasing out their research program or joining a Collaboration that holds an existing grant.
• Applicants requesting a shorter duration for other reasons must provide a strong justification. NSERC may award a grant of the normal duration, even if a shorter period is requested.

How to Apply