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NSERC Discovery Horizons Grants

Sponsor/Agency: NSERC

Program: Discovery Horizons Grants

Description:

The Discovery Horizons program provides NSERC’s entry-point to the tri-agency interdisciplinary peer-review mechanism. It supports Discovery research projects that would significantly benefit from being assessed by a tri-agency interdisciplinary peer review committee, and aims to:

  1. Answer NSE research questions that are best addressed through interdisciplinary approaches
  2. Advance NSE disciplines through cross fertilization and new ways of thinking about research questions; ideas and frameworks; approaches and methods; platforms, tools and infrastructure; people, partners and trainees
  3. Provide leading-edge NSE training for highly qualified personnel (HQP) in interdisciplinary research environments

Program Summary

Deadline:

June 2, 2025: ORS deadline for admin review + RGA (mandatory)

June 16, 2025: LOI Agency Deadline

TBD: ORS deadline for Full Application (by invitation only) administrative review 

October 20, 2025: Full Application Agency Deadline


Value:

From $50K to $100K per year (depending on team composition)

Indirect Costs:

N/A

Duration:

Up to five years

How to Apply:

Notify your grants officer of your intent to apply.

Letter of Intent

The LOI is mandatory and includes a brief summary (2,500 characters max) and responses to the four points below. Reviewers will assess program fit, to identify a limited number of LOI applicants who will be invited (no later than August 16) to submit a full application. The application is submitted by the applicant through the Convergence Portal.

  1. Explain how your project would benefit from being assessed by a tri-agency interdisciplinary peer review committee, as opposed to a joint review by NSERC's Discovery Grants evaluation groups (1,000 characters max)
  2. Demonstrate that the interdisciplinary approach is essential to achieving the project goals (1,000 characters max)
  3. Describe how the interdisciplinary approach enriches HQP training (1,000 characters max)
  4. Demonstrate that the interdisciplinary elements are integrated and inseparable (i.e., not sub-projects that could be reviewed on their own merit) (1,000 characters max)

See the instructions for completing a letter of intent for more details.

Full Application

Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal and will receive further guidance on application requirements with that invitation. Full applications will need to address the selection criteria in a 10-page (max) research proposal.

Contact: ORS Grants Officer
FEAS: Joanne Hui

FHS, FS: Raluca Dubrowski

FBIT, FSSH, FEd: Amber Zapletal  

NSERC Program Contact : horizons@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Program information:

Program Website

 

Eligibility:

Subject Matter

An eligible proposal must meet both of the following criteria:

  1. Its primary objective must be to advance knowledge in the natural sciences or engineering
  2. It must integrate or transcend disciplines in ways that would significantly benefit from peer review by a tri-agency interdisciplinary committee

Note that proposals that solely rely on the use of existing NSE methods and/or tools, while not advancing knowledge within an NSE field are not eligible for Discovery Horizons.

The tri-agency interdisciplinary peer review committee will assess projects submitted to all three federal granting agencies. Applications should be submitted to the agency that is responsible for the dominant research discipline(s) or area(s). Refer to  Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency, and the Addendum to the guidelines for the eligibility of applications related to health for further information.

Research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities is particularly welcome in Discovery Horizons. Such research can be in any field or discipline, but it must be conducted by, grounded in or engaged with First Nations, Inuit, Métis and/or urban Indigenous communities, societies and/or individuals.

Applications must indicate that the funds requested from the Discovery Horizons program will be for expenses that are distinct from those covered by support from other sources. For funding applied for, you must indicate that there will be no duplication of funding for the same expense(s) and explain how funds will be used if all applications are successful.

If you have any concerns about applicant or subject matter eligibility, please contact your Grants Officer.

Applicant and co-applicants

Individuals who plan on submitting a Discovery Grant NOI for the current competition may participate in a Discovery Horizons LOI as an applicant or co-applicant. However, they will need to choose which program they wish to pursue before proceeding to the full application stage, as a full application may be only submitted to one program.

Both individuals and teams may apply to the Discovery Horizons program. The applicant and any co-applicants must all be eligible to hold NSERC funding. One person must be designated to administer the grant; this person is the “applicant” and is responsible for completing and submitting the full application on behalf of the team.

Consult the Eligibility requirements for faculty to apply for or hold grant funds (Sections 1.1, 2.1, 3 and 4 for university faculty) to ensure that you can participate in this grant program as an applicant or a co-applicant. If you are an adjunct professor, see the Note on adjunct professors section.

While the research team is expected to have significant expertise in NSE research, not all members need to engage in research in the NSE. College faculty members who meet the relevant eligibility criteria can participate in Discovery Horizons as co-applicants. For an adjunct professor, the same eligibility requirements apply as the Discovery Grants program.

There are no requirements with respect to team size or composition. However, individuals are only allowed to hold or apply for one Discovery Horizons grant as either an applicant or co-applicant. Additionally, individuals participating in a Discovery Horizons grant as an applicant or co-applicant cannot hold both a Discovery Grant and Discovery Horizons grant.

Note that the applicant may add or remove invitations to co-applicants and collaborators at both phases of the application process (LOI and full application).

Collaborators

Collaborators contribute to the execution of research activities but do not have access to grant funds.

Any individual whose contributions to the project will be supervised by a member of the research team and/or by another collaborator cannot be considered a collaborator.


Additional Information:

Answers to frequently asked questions:

1. Can applicants who hold a Discovery Grant submit a LOI to Discovery Horizons?
Given the hyper competition seen in the first 2 years of the Discovery Horizons pilot (842 and 411 Letters of Intent received in year 1 and year 2) and the overall goals of the program, we aligned the Discovery Horizons pilot with the Discovery Grants program in year 3. Active DG holders are therefore not eligible. However, if their DG expires in 2025 or are automatically extended without additional NSERC funds they can apply to DH.

2. Can applicant and co-applicant who hold a Discovery Horizons grant since 2022 and 2023 apply to Discovery Grants in future years? The change in eligibility is forward facing only, meaning that grantees from the 2022 and 2023 DH competition are still eligible to apply to the DG program while holding their DH grant.

3.Can applicants who are applying for a Discovery Grant in Fall 2025 submit a LOI to Discovery Horizons?
Individuals can apply to both programs, i.e. submit an LOI to DH and a NOI to DG, but those invited to submit a full proposal to DH will have to choose which program they would like to submit a full application, depending on the nature of the proposed research. 

4. Can applicants who hold a Discovery Development Grant submit a LOI to Discovery Horizons?
Yes, those holding a Discovery Development Grant are eligible to apply for Discovery Horizons. 

5. Can co-applicants be from non-NSE disciplines (Economics, Sociology …)
As long as the faculty members meet all eligibility requirements they can be from any departments. However, in the Discovery Horizons proposal, they must work towards advancing knowledge in the NSE.

6. Can outstanding Discovery Grant installments be declined to accept Discovery Horizons funding?
DG holders must terminate their DGs before the June 16 deadline for submission of a Letter of Intent to DH. Termination of a grant is final, should their DH LOI or application not be successful, they will not be able to reinstate their DG grant, nor will they be able to apply to the current DG competition. They will have to wait till next summer to apply to either DG or DH program again. 

7. Can applicants hold a Discovery Horizons and a Discovery Grant, Subatomic Physics (SAP) individual or SAP project fund? 
SAP Individual and SAP Project funds holders are not eligible to apply for DH.

8. Is it mandatory for applicants to have research activities involving Indigenous peoples and communities?
Applicants are welcome to submit applications involving Indigenous peoples and communities, but it is not a mandatory requirement for Discovery Horizons.

9. Does the application need to have all three components: (1) social sciences and humanities, (2) natural sciences and engineering, and (3) health and wellness?
No, Discovery Horizons applications must be rooted in the NSE and integrate elements from the social sciences and humanities and/or health and wellness.

10. How does the Discovery Horizons Program and the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review process differ from the interdisciplinary research funded under the New Frontiers in Research Fund?
Although the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) was also created to fund interdisciplinary research in response to the Fundamental Science Review’s recommendations, it is focused on high-risk, high-reward, and fast-breaking research and supports research that proposes novel interdisciplinary approaches that bring together disciplines that do not traditionally work together. Please see the New Frontiers in Research Fund website for more details. Discovery Horizons, as well the other funding opportunities reviewed by the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee will complement NFRF by focusing instead on investigator-initiated interdisciplinary research projects that are aligned with the core funding programs at each of the three major funding councils, including research projects that use existing interdisciplinary approaches.

11. Can I submit the same application to more than one of the funding opportunities participating in the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee?
No, applicants may not submit identical or essentially identical applications to more than one funding opportunity participating in the pilot of the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee, NSERC’s Discovery Horizons, SSHRC’s Insight Grants and CIHR’s Project Grants. In addition, all applications must meet the eligibility requirements and guidelines of the funding opportunity to which they apply, including those related to multiple applications. As a result, it is important to consult the funding opportunity’s webpage. 

12. How do I determine which funding opportunity to apply in order to have my application reviewed by the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee?
Applicants should apply to the agency funding opportunity that supports the dominant research area of the proposal. 

13. Will interdisciplinary applications that fall entirely within the research areas of one agency be considered by the Tri-Agency Interdisciplinary Peer Review Committee? 
No, applications that fall entirely within the research areas of one agency should be directed towards existing committees or evaluation groups, based on the practice and criteria of each agency. For example, interdisciplinary research solely within the natural sciences and engineering, with no social science, humanities, health, and/or wellness components should be directed towards another NSERC program, such as the Discovery Grants Program.

14. Can a non-NSE applicant be the lead applicant on the Discovery Horizons Application?
Assuming that they meet all the eligibility criteria, yes a non-NSE researcher together with NSE researcher(s) may be eligible to apply for an NSERC Discovery Horizons grant as long as the research activities proposed respond to the three objectives of the NSERC Discovery Horizons pilot Program. For eligibility related questions you may contact ELIGIBILITY@NSERC-CRSNG.GC.CA

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