R&D
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Call for Proposals in Nanotechnology
About the opportunity:
This is a special opportunity developed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) for NRC scientists and Canadian academic researchers in nanoscience and nanotechnology to collaborate on large technology development-driven research projects in the critical areas of:
- Energy;
- Environment; and
- Information and communications technologies (ICT).
NRC and NSERC are each investing $6 million over three years to fund large-scale projects designed to take advantage of the nanotechnology knowledge and resources available in NRC Institutes and Canadian universities. A maximum of $1 million per year (up to $500,000 each from NSERC and NRC) is available for each project. NSERC will fund university researchers and NRC will fund its researchers.
BDC will help evaluate the proposals, specifically by helping assess the commercial potential. BDC will also follow up with successful projects to help them move the technology towards commercialization.
Successful proposals must:
- be co-led by an NRC scientist and an academic researcher. (It is highly recommended that more than one NRC institute and several universities be included in the proposal.);
- be focused on a nanotechnology initiative in one of the three priority areas mentioned above;
- build on research that is technology development-driven and application oriented;
- have active participation from Canadian-based industrial partner(s) or include a written expression of interest from company(ies) that intend to evaluate and/or exploit the resulting technology;
- contain well-defined objectives which ensure that the research results will be achievable within a three-year time frame;
- demonstrate an integrated approach to the research problem that fully exploits the research facilities and resources available in the participating NRC institutes and the universities; and
- have a clear plan to direct, manage and integrate the activities within the project.
Nota: The proposed research will be primarily focused on nanotechnology application in the three priority areas but could include a NEEELS (ethical, environmental, economic, legal and social) component that might require expertise from the social sciences/humanities communities.
Timeline:
NRC will coordinate the application process. Preliminary proposals will be due at NRC by August 23, 2007; those invited to submit full proposals will have until November 19, 2007 to do so. Final decisions will be made by mid-December 2007.
How to apply:
Preliminary Application (Due: August 23, 2007)
Application Process:
Applications must be sent electronically to NRC at the following e-mail address: NRC-NSERC-BDC-NANO@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Applications will not be accepted after the due date. Please use the appropriate application templates:
A complete preliminary application includes:
- a cover letter identifying the co-leads on the proposal and the appropriate sign off forms from the participating NRC institutes and the universities.
- a description of the proposed project (maximum of five pages) providing details regarding the:
- proposed research, its fit with an identified priority area, and positioning against other Canadian and international efforts ;
- research goals and deliverables achievable within the funding time frame;
- identification of potential key partners from a relevant industrial sector;
- need for and value of the proposed integrated research approach and management structure;
- plans for training of highly qualified personnel;
- benefits to Canada as defined by opportunities for technology transfer and commercialization, and/or socio-economic benefits;
- a description of the research team (maximum of two pages):
- strengths and track records of the co-leads and discussion of their ability to lead and harmonize a large multi-institutional team of researchers;
- expertise, involvement and role of the key NRC scientists and academic researchers in the project;
- An estimated budget for each year of the three-year project (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10) with a brief justification and clear indication of the funds requested from NRC and funds requested from NSERC. The funds requested from NRC must be composed of a 50% contribution from central funding and at least 50 % from the institutes involved in the project either through salaries, operating funds or facility and equipment use. Given the late start of the project in the fiscal year 2007-08, the NRC institutes' matching contribution will be expected to start in the fiscal year 2008-09.
- a Personal Data Form (Form 100) for the NSERC applicant and the key co-applicants, and CVs for key NRC researchers.
- Please note that the University Approval Form (consisting of the first two pages of the NSERC Form 101) is no longer a requirement for the preliminary application. However, all academic applicants are expected to act in accordance with any existing regulations at their university.
Preliminary Application Review:
Preliminary applications will be reviewed by a Joint Review Panel chaired be NRC Vice-President, Physical Sciences and with expertise drawn from NRC, NSERC research community and BDC. Based on this review, applicants may be invited to submit full proposals.
Successful applicants can expect an answer as to whether they have been selected during the first week of September 2007.
Full Proposal (Due: November 19, 2007)
Application Process:
Applicants invited to submit a full proposal must do so by November 19, 2007. Details on the process for full proposals will be provided prior to the announcement of the Preliminary Proposals review results. Application templates will be provided on this website.
Full Proposal Review Procedures
Each proposal will be reviewed by external referees and the Joint NRC/NSERC/BDC Review Panel.
Selection Criteria
The full proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Merit of the Research Proposal
- Quality of the research – The research project must be scientifically sound and technically feasible. It must be in the research domain of one of the priority areas.
- Quality of the applicants as researchers – The research team must have all the expertise to address the defined objectives competently and complete the project research successfully. The contributions of individuals to the research effort must be clear.
- Need for an Integrated Approach – The proposal must demonstrate the need for an integrated approach to conduct the research and achieve the objectives that result in greater value than separate efforts of NRC and academic researchers.
- Interactions and Partnerships – The proposal has to demonstrate either through collaborative participation of industrial partners or their explicit support letters that it has potential to create transferable technology.
- Training – The project must provide opportunities to train students and other highly qualified personnel with skills relevant to the needs of Canadian organizations. There must be a training plan that facilitates interaction of trainees with other project participants from all sectors to encourage collaboration and interdisciplinary training.
- Management and Budget – Demonstrated leadership and other skills necessary to manage a complex, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional project. Appropriate management structure to direct, manage, and integrate the activities. NRC institute(s) and university(ies), co-leads, co-applicants, and partners must be committed to the effective management of the project.
- Budget – The budget must be justified vis-à-vis the proposed research costs. The appropriateness of the overall budget will be evaluated.
- Benefits to Canada
- The proposal must identify how the work will create value to Canada as defined by opportunities for technology transfer and commercialization, and/or enhancement of socio-economic benefits
Reporting
Grantees will have to submit semiannually joint progress reports that will be reviewed by the Joint Review Panel. Continuation of funding is contingent upon satisfactory progress.
Three months after the completion of funding, all funding recipients will have to submit a final report on the project's achievements with respect to its objectives.
Funding Decision
The funding decision will be announced in mid-December 2007.
Contact Information:
Due to the tight timelines, potential applicants are strongly advised to contact the appropriate NSERC or NRC personnel as soon as possible for more information.
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