NSERC Research Tools and Instruments

Sponsor/Agency: NSERC

Program: Research Grant

*Please notify Ewa Stewart if you are interested in applying*

*NEW THIS YEAR* Mandatory internal Notice of Intern (NOI) form due October 2. Please see below for details.

Description:

Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by supporting the purchase of research equipment.

The RTI grants program provides the primary avenue for university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering to obtain up to $150,000 in support for research tools and instruments with a net cost between $7,001 and $250,000. Net cost is defined as the purchase cost of the equipment after any discount from the vendor and before taxes, customs and importation fees, transportation and shipping charges, and assembly and installation costs.

NSERC will only accept the following requests:

for tools and instruments that form a comprehensive system intended to support NSERC-funded research in the natural sciences and engineering:
- a comprehensive system is one in which each tool or instrument forms part of an integrated system of operation to support the research program(s)
- requests that bundle unrelated tools and instruments together will not be accepted
for the purchase of new, used or refurbished equipment, for the repair, upgrade or rental of equipment or for the fabrication of equipment that is not readily available off the shelf
for equipment that is purchased or rented after the application deadline

Note: Equipment and items that are part of laboratory infrastructure or intended to render other equipment compliant with health and safety standards are ineligible for RTI support.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply for and to hold RTI funds, applicants and co-applicants must each

1) Meet NSERC’s eligibility requirements for faculty to apply for or hold grant funds

2) Hold at least one of the following NSERC research grants (either as an applicant or co-applicant): *

Alliance grant
Canada Excellence Research Chairs (NSERC)
Canada 150 Research Chairs (NSERC)
Canada Research Chairs (NSERC)
Collaborative Research and Development grant
Discovery Development grant
Discovery Grant
Discovery Horizons grant
Industrial Research Chairs grant
Strategic Partnership grant

3) Not hold an RTI grant from the previous year’s RTI competition. In other words, RTI grant applicants and co-applicants who were successful in the previous year’s RTI competition are ineligible to apply for one year. Eligibility will be reinstated the following competition year.

*Applicants and co-applicants may apply for any of the above grants while concurrently applying to the RTI program. However, if any applicant or co-applicant does not hold one of the above grants by the RTI award start date, or is not successful in obtaining one of these grants while concurrently applying to the RTI program, the applicant and/or co-applicant will be deemed ineligible and removed from the application.

Researchers can submit one RTI application per competition, either as an applicant or a co‑applicant but not both.

*NEW this year* STRAC Policy and Applicant Attestation forms

In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), all researchers involved in activities (applicant and/or co-applicants) funded by a grant that aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the List of Named Research Organizations (NROs) and attest that they are not affiliated with, or receiving funding or in-kind support from any listed NRO. If you check that your research is advancing one of the STRAs, you must submit attestation forms from the applicant, co-applicants and collaborators, as applicable, certifying that they have read, understand, and are compliant with this policy. Should your application be successful, you and your research team(s) will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant that aim to advance one or more STRAs. Please contact Ewa Stewart if you have any questions or concerns about this requirement.

Results Announced:

April 2025

Deadlines:

ORS will review applicants’ and co-applicants’ eligibility, as well as the location in which proposed equipment is to be housed, and any exceptional installation or compliance requirements.
ORS Comprehensive Review (optional): October 2, 2024
A Grants Officer will comprehensively review all submitted application components (application form, budget, proposal, CV, etc.).
ORS Administrative Review (mandatory): October 14, 2024
Administrative check of applications for completeness and to flag any issues that must be addressed prior to submission. Please submit the full application and all attachments, including STRAC attestation forms if applicable, and an RGA form signed by your Dean to Ewa Stewart.

NSERC Deadline: October 25, 2023

Value:

Up to $150,000

Duration:

1 year

You can submit an Alliance Advantage application, redeeming your ECR voucher, any time during the 12 months after the voucher is awarded.

How to Apply:

1)     Notify Ewa Stewart, Grant Officer, of your intention to apply.

2)     Review the program guidelines and application instructions, including applicant and co-applicant eligibility criteria.

3)    Complete mandatory internal NOI form (see attached) and submit to ewa.stewart@ontariotechu.ca by October 2, 2024.

4)     Request at least two vendor quotations for items over $25,000 (before taxes) or for any systems to be purchased from a single supplier and costing more than $25,000 (before taxes). If the required number of quotations cannot reasonably be submitted, applicants must provide a clear justification in the Budget justification section. Getting quotations can take time so it’s best to start requesting these in well advance.

5)     Create and complete an application in Research Portal. Update and link your Canadian Common CV (each co-applicant must also link their CCV).

6)     If applicable, collect attestation forms from the applicant, co-applicants and collaborators and upload to the Research Portal application (see STRAC section below for details).

Important: in the Budget Justification attachment, applicants provide a clear breakdown of the items requested indicating the subtotal(s), the institutional tax rate, the total tax and, if applicable, the currency exchange rate(s) and the converted currency total(s) in the table format shown below (as found in the application instructions).

Webinars:

English sessions:

Dates:

- Thursday, September 5, 2024
- Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Time: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (ET)

Open to: Members of the research community across Canada.

Links:

Live sessions

Submit questions in advance

Pre-recorded videos

Resources:

For More Information:

Ewa Stewart, Grants Officer.

NSERC Program Officer.

Research Portal tech assistance:
webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca or 1.855.275.2861