Sponsor

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) 

For More Information

This Research Alert is an overview of the upcoming NSERC Discovery Grant (DG) competition period. 

It contains a variety of resources, deadlines and relevant information for anyone submitting an application under the upcoming competition. 

Separate Research Alerts will be developed specifically for the below aspects, which will include more details regarding eligibility and program specific requirements. 

Description

NSERC has confirmed the upcoming deadlines for their 2027 Discovery Grant competition. 

  • Notice of Intent: August 4, 2026 at 8pm ET
  • Full Application: November 2, 2026 at 8pm ET

Based on this information, the internal deadlines for RSO are as follows: 

Application Step Important Dates Details
Notice of Intent

Internal: no internal deadline

External: August 4, 2026 at 8pm ET

  • Faculty submit NOI directly to NSERC through the Research Portal.
  • The NOI is mandatory when applying for a Discovery Grant. Applicants who do not submit an NOI cannot submit a full application.
  • For questions regarding eligibility to apply/hold Tri-Agency funding, please consult your CRM, who will engage with RSO, as needed, to verify eligibility. 

Please note: Research Support Services (RSS) does have to complete the final submission to NSERC. Please ensure your NOI is submitted in the Research Portal by 4:30 pm ET on the deadline. 

Full Application

Internal: October 26, 2026 at 4:30 pm ET

External: November 2, 2026 at 8pm ET

 

 

  • Please consult with your CRM regarding any College-specific internal deadlines.
  • Faculty member submits a signed OR-5 to RSO and also clicks “submit” in the Research Portal so the Application appears on the research admin server.
  • RSO reviews the application and provides feedback to faculty member. Faculty members have the can make edits to the application and re-submit in a timely manner.

Please note: RSS formally submits to NSERC, so please ensure that your application is submitted in the Research Portal by 4:30 pm ET on the deadline. 

In order to allow additional time for review and subsequent edits/improvements to your application, we encourage applicants to fully submit in advance of the internal deadline, if possible.

Special Notes

Resources

Below are a variety of resources that can assist you as you prepare for NSERC DG NOI And Full Application.

General Information

CCV

  • Completing the NSERC Canadian Common CV (CCV)
  • Remember to update the following details in your CCV ahead of submission:
    • Email address: Ideally use your UofG email for your account/correspondence
    • Address: Ideally use your Department/College’s UofG address, not a personal one
    • Research Funding History: Ensure you update the start/end date of your awarded research; utilize the ‘Awarded’ and ‘Completed’
    • Student/Postdoctoral Supervision: Ensure you update the ‘In Progress’/’Completed’ markers; update the Student Degree Received Date
    • Leave of Absence: If you intend to include any leaves of absence, ensure you provide information on how they affected research activities and/or dissemination of research results over the last six years counting back from the deadline date of the competition

IEDI

Review committee, reviewer guidelines, etc

  • Merit Indicators
    • This should be accurate, but there could be some revisions when they release the updated guidelines later this summer
  • Peer Review Manual – Evaluation committee reviewers will use this to assess your application

HQP, team composition

Budget and financial considerations

  • Tri-agency financial administration
  • Your College may have additional resources available to you, please reach out to your College Research Manager to discuss what support they have available for you

Additional Resources from your College

  • Your College may have additional resources available to you, please reach out to your College Research Manager to discuss what support they have available for you

How to Apply

The NSERC DG Application has 2 steps, the first is to complete the mandatory NOI submission. Then you will be invited to submit the Full Application. 

NSERC NOI Submission

To apply for a DG, applicants must first submit a notification of intent to apply (NOI) by the deadline date. The NOI is a mandatory step in the application process. Applicants who do not submit an NOI will not be able to submit a full application.

The following are sections that will need to be completed in the NOI. You can review more details by following the NOI instructions. 

  • Identification
    • Organization, department, application title, language of the application, suggested evaluation group, Indigenous research
  • Activity details
    • Proposed research topics
    • Keywords
  • Summary of proposal
  • External reviewer suggestions
  • Conflict of Interest Guidelines
  • NSERC CCV

NSERC DG Full Application Overview

Below are the application sections of the DG along with some additional details and page maximums. Please note that these could change once NSERC releases the application guidelines later this summer after the NOI deadline. 

  1. Summary of Proposal
  2. Proposed Expenditures
  3. Relationship to Other Research Support
  4. HQP Training Plan
    • Training Philosophy, and Research Training Plan
  5. Past Contributions to HQP Training
    • Training Environment, HQP Awards & Research Contributions, Outcomes & Skills Gained by HQP
  6. Most Significant Contributions (up to 5 contributions)
  7. Additional Information on Contributions
  8. Activity details
    • Certification requirements, impact assessment (research outdoors), Sensitive Technology Research Areas, Research subject codes, etc.
  9. Eligibility Profile
  10. Proposal (5 pages maximum)
  11. References (2 pages maximum)
  12. Budget Justification (2 pages maximum)
  13. Sample of Research Contributions (maximum 4 contributions in last 6 years)
  14. NSERC CCV 

DG Program Additional Considerations 

These will be addressed at the Full Application stage. 

  • Indigenous Engagement & Collaboration Agreement (IECA) template – New as of the 2026 competition
    • As of the 2026 Discovery Grants cycle, NSERC has developed the Indigenous Engagement & Collaboration Agreement (IECA) template, which will be required at the full application stage for any proposal that includes Indigenous research and will be downloadable from the full application instructions in August.
    • For additional guidance on NSERC’s expectations, read the CCI guide for research involving Indigenous Peoples and communities.
  • Sensitive Research Technology Areas – New as of the 2025 competition
    • If an applicant selects "Yes", for this section in the application, they must complete and attach an attestation form to their grant application. In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern, all researchers involved in the activities supported by a research grant that aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the List of Named Research Organizations. By using the attestation form template, the applicant must complete an attestation form certifying that they have read, understood, and are compliant with this policy. For more information, please read the Tri-Agency’s detailed guidance for this policy. The applicant must complete and upload the attestation form as a single PDF file in the research portal.
    • If you have questions about this policy or need guidance to determine whether this policy applies to your research area, please contact the University's research security team at research.security@uoguelph.ca.

Researchers who intend to apply for a Subatomic Physics Discovery (SAP-DG) - Individual or Project, Major Resources Support (SAP-MRS), or Category 2 or 3 Research Tools and Instruments (SAP-RTI) in the upcoming competition must submit a Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI) by the August 4, 2026 deadline. Applicants who do not submit a NOI by the deadline cannot submit a full application later in the fall.

Attachment(s)

AttachmentSize
PDF icon RSO 2025 NSERC DG Workshop.pdf11.01 MB
PDF icon STRAC Attestation_e (3).pdf154.82 KB
File Indigenous Engagement and Collaboration Agreement Template-e.docx84.66 KB
File Indigenous Engagement and Collaboration Agreement Template-f.docx87.33 KB
For Questions, please contact

Office of Research

Kersty Kearney, Awards and Agreements Officer
Research Services Office
kearneyk@uoguelph.ca

Alert Classifications
Category:
Funding Opportunities and Sponsor News

Disciplines:
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Humanities
Information and Communications Technology
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