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NSERC Research Tools and Instruments

Sponsor/Agency: NSERC

Program: Research Tools and Instruments (RTI)

Description 

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. The vendor discount cannot be offered in exchange for services from users benefiting the vendor company. The research community is also encouraged to explore other avenues for funding research tools and instruments, including NSERC’s other programs that allow the purchase of equipment as eligible expenses.

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.

Program Summary 

Deadlines:

  • October 2, 2025: Internal NOI form (mandatory) 
    • 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.   
  • October 2, 2025: ORS Comprehensive Review (optional) 
    • A Grants Officer will comprehensively review all submitted application components (application form, budget, proposal, CV, etc.).
  • October 13, 2025: ORS Administrative Review + RGA (mandatory) 
    • 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 Amber Zapletal

October 27, 2025: NSERC deadline

Value: Up to $150,000

Duration: 1 year

How to Apply:

  1. Notify Amber Zapletal of your intent to apply.
  2. Review the program guidelines and application instructions, including applicant and co-applicant eligibility criteria.
  3. Complete the mandatory internal NOI form and submit to Amber Zapletal by October 2, 2025.
  4. *New value for quotation requirements* Request at least two recent quotations for any individual item(s) over $40,000 net. If the required number of quotations cannot reasonably be submitted, applicants must provide a clear justification in the Budget justification section. NSERC indicates, however, that applicants are encouraged to provide quotations for all equipment. Getting quotations can take time so it’s best to start requesting these well in advance.
  5. Create and complete an application in Research Portal. Update and link your NSERC Canadian Common CV (each co-applicant must also link their NSERC CCV).
  6. If applicable, collect attestation forms from the applicant, co-applicants and collaborators and upload to the Research Portal applications (see STRAC section below for details).

Contact: ORS Grants Officer: Amber Zapletal

Agency Program Contact: resgrant@nserc-crsng.gc.ca 

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

Program information:

Webinars


Internal NOI (Mandatory)

The internal NOI is mandatory for all researchers interested in submitting an application to the October 2025 NSERC RTI competition. 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.   

Please submit your completed NOI form to Amber Zapletal by October 2, 2025. Please note that the forms may be shared with the Ontario Tech Office of Campus Infrastructure and Sustainability (OCIS) to determine whether any renovations will be required to accommodate the requested equipment. The information collected in the NOIs is for internal university purposes only.

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 individuals to apply for or hold NSERC grant funds (Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 for university faculty).
  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.

 

Note: 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.

Additional Information 

STRAC Policy and Applicant Attestation Forms

If you selected Yes to the question regarding Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRA) in the Activity Details section of your application, you must complete and attach attestation forms to your grant application to comply with the policy. By using the attestation form template, you and your co-applicant(s), if applicable, must each complete an attestation form certifying that you have read, understood and are compliant with this policy. You must collect and compile all the completed attestation forms and save them as a single PDF file. The attestation forms must include the current date, first and last name, primary affiliation (institution), email address, public profile link (optional) and attestation statement check. Your response to the STRA question and your submitted attestation form(s) are not accessible to, nor shared with, external reviewers and/or committee members.

Should the application be successful, you and your research team will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant. For more information, please read the Tri-Agency’s detailed guidance for this policy.

Procurement Policy

Please be advised that the Ontario Procurement Restriction Policy will apply. Grants that request equipment from U.S. vendors will only be considered if there are no suitable Canadian or alternate international vendors able to supply equipment with similar functionality. Applicants should identify potential vendors early to determine whether the equipment is only available from a U.S source. If the RTI grant is awarded, all procurement must follow the appropriate Procurement of Goods and Services Procedures (Threshold Values and Means of Procurement) and the rationale for purchase from a U.S. vendor must be clearly documented and defensible.

Budget Justification Notes

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). 

  • For the institutional tax rate, please be sure to use 3.41% - as this is the equivalent HST rate that Ontario Tech pays after our tax rebates.To calculate the exchange rate, use the monthly Bank of Canada Exchange Rates

Resources 

For examples of previously successful applications, please contact Amber Zapletal.