Sponsor
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Fonds de recherche du Quebec (FRQ)
For More Information
Please visit Program Rules Website for additional details on the call for funding, resources and application process.
Description
Offered as a partnership between NSERC and the FRQ, the main objective of the NOVA program is to support research projects led by early-career researchers in Quebec in collaboration with researchers from other Canadian provinces and territories. These projects must fall within the fields of natural sciences, mathematics and engineering (NSE).
The NOVA program has the following specific objectives:
- Increase and stimulate the research collaboration capacity of Quebec early-career researchers with other researchers from Canadian provinces and territories
- Strengthen the international competitiveness of researchers from Quebec and from other Canadian provinces and territories
- Generate new knowledge or applications of knowledge likely to produce social, environmental, technological or economic benefits or to have an impact on public policy in Quebec and/or across Canada, on issues of importance to the community
- Create a plan for mobilizing knowledge and results both in Quebec and across Canada
Eligibility
The team must include, at a minimum, an early-career principal investigator from Quebec, at least one co-investigator from Quebec and at least one co-investigator from another Canadian province or territory outside Quebec. All team members must comply with the eligibility conditions as set out in the program rules and in the Common General Rules at the time the funding application is submitted, as well as with NSERC eligibility rules, throughout the entire award period covered by the grant.
Please note that only funding applications falling within the research areas covered by the Nature and Technologies sector and NSERC are eligible. The FRQ and NSERC encourage applicants to include university and college Co-Investigators from fields outside NSE on the team. Research costs associated with work not covered by NSE fields may not represent more than 30% of the NSERC financial portion.
Maximum Project Value
Grants have a maximum amount of $75,000 per year ($45,000 from NSERC and $30,000 from FRQ). An additional maximum amount of $50,000 (including taxes) may be requested by the principal investigator for the purchase of scientific equipment. The unit cost of each piece of equipment must be $7,001 or more. This amount is awarded based on the quality of the research project, the identified needs and the limits of the budget envelope.
Indirect Costs
Indirect costs on the NSERC portion of the award are 0%. Indirect research costs (IRCs) of 27% are paid to the managing institution on the FRQ financial portion and are added to this amount.
Project Duration
Grants have a maximum duration of 3 years
Special Notes
The PI and all Co-Is, including Co-Is outside Quebec, must attach the narrative FRQ CV to the application form.
The research team is responsible for creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable research environment, where the climate and culture allow everyone to feel supported and respected. The concrete actions and practices that will be implemented to integrate EDI principles must be described in the training plan, with reference to NSERC guides. The implementation of EDI principles in the training plan is an eliminatory step in determining the eligibility of the funding application.
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Internal Deadline | Please submit a copy of the proposal along with a completed OR-5 to: research.services@uoguelph.ca. | |
External Deadline | Full proposals are due to the sponsor by 4:00pm on September 10, 2026. |
How to Apply
All members of a NOVA team (PI and COIs from Quebec and from other Canadian provinces and territories) must have an FRQnet account. All members of a NOVA team (PI and COIs from Quebec and from other Canadian provinces and territories) must also have an account in the NSERC online system. More information is available in the Registration and Login section of the NSERC frequently asked questions.
Please see the Program Guidelines for more details on how to apply.
Attachment(s)
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Program Guide | 597.84 KB |
| Webinar Information (French) | 3.04 MB |