Transcript Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships (IPS)

My goal today
1. Highlight NSERC industrial Scholarships
and Fellowships programs
2. Discuss what is required from an
organization to become eligible
3. Answer your questions
NSERC
The Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council of Canada
http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
The agency supports university students in their
advanced studies, promotes and supports
discovery research, and fosters innovation by
encouraging Canadian companies to participate
and invest in postsecondary research projects.
People Programs for Industry
Attract & retain new highly trained talent
Access to university resources
Industrial Undergrad Student
Awards
Business can test drive
future employees
Industrial Postgraduate
Scholarships
Develop talent and acquaint
students with business
needs
Industrial R&D Fellowship
PhDs join a business as
employees
Accelerates business
R&D
Success rate
Applications to NSERC’s Industrial “people”
programs are successful
80-90%
Source: NSERC
Undergraduate Student Research
Awards (USRA in Industry)
The organization could hire up to 15 undergraduate
students per year:
 students do research for 12-16 weeks
 Could be co-op students
 Cost: $1,125 each student (minimum for 16 weeks)
 $4,500 per student from NSERC + travel allowance*
 Organization reimbursed by NSERC after work term
(*costs student incurs to get to host’s work location and return may be
covered)
Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships (IPS)
Goal: student completes degree
 First class student for 50 + days per year at the
organization, 2-3 years
 research done of interest to host & relevant to thesis
 No NSERC deadline, 6-8 weeks to approval*
 Student gets $21K per year (very competitive > CGSM)
 Foreign students may be eligible
NB student is NOT an employee of company
(*if application is complete, often backdated)
IPS Agreement
General:
Intellectual Property
 Cash to university
 Intellectual property
ownership specified
 Agreement lasts as
long as scholarship
 No delay in granting
of degree
 Student at company
for at least 50 days
 Benefits to Canada of
scholarship
 Research results to be
published in open
literature (6 months max
delay)
Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship Profile
Kendall Thiessen
Civil Engineering
• Awarded IPS2 in 2008 (Ph.D. level)
• Industry Partner: AECOM
Previous Awards:
• Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate
Scholarship (2007)
• Undergraduate Student Research Award
(2003)
“The Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship is benefiting both my studies
and my career. AECOM works with the technology I have been studying,
and they get value from the time I spend researching and testing, which is
something they wouldn’t otherwise have the time to do. This has worked
out so well on both sides that I will likely stay on after I finish my degree.”
– K. Thiessen
Industrial R&D Fellowships (IRDF)
The organization could employ a postdoctoral
researcher to advance R&D and/or test
future employees:
 For $10 K per year (minimum)
 NSERC pays $30 K per year
 2 years maximum
 No deadlines for applications, results in 6 weeks*
 No limit to the number of IRDF/host
(*if application complete)
Industrial R&D Fellowship Profile
Nikolay V. Sidenko, Ph.D.
Senior Environmental Geochemist,
TetrES Consultants Inc.
Adjunct Professor, Geological Sciences
University of Manitoba
• Awarded IRDF in 2005
• Industry Partner: TetrES Consultants Inc.
“The IRDF was a great opportunity to better understand the needs of
industry and apply my knowledge to solve real-world problems. At the
same time, I had access to very large data sets, which gave me a better
understanding of processes I studied. It was a very good experience that
ultimately led to full-time employment with TetrES.” – N. Sidenko
Types of Eligible Organizations
Type of organization:
a) private-sector, for-profit organization doing R&D, and are
federally or provincially incorporated in Canada
b) private-sector, for-profit organization doing R&D, and not
incorporated, but wholly Canadian-owned
c) start-up/spin-off company with research facilities that are
separate from the university
d) government-owned organization, operating as a regular
for-profit enterprise, or on a cost-recovery basis
e) non-profit organization, not receiving government
subsidies to a significant extent
f) utility or provincial hydro company
g) foreign company (as long as sufficient opportunities are
provided for interaction between the student and company)
h) university or other non-profit organization receiving a
significant portion of your operating budget from public
funds
i) government department or agency
You may participate
in the following
industrial programs:
USRA IPS
IRDF
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
(some) (some) (some)
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
An Organization Eligibility Application
MUST Include:
1. Form 183B with an ORIGINAL signature
2. A description of the organization’s facilities
3. A description of the organization’s R&D programs and a
brief statement of the organization’s objectives
4. A copy of the organization’s financial statements for the
two most recent complete years,
5. If they answered Yes to any of the questions in the section
entitled “Additional Organization Information,” additional
information is required
6. If they answered Yes to any of the questions in the section
entitled “Facilities,” additional information is required
Immediate Reasons for NOT Approving
Organization Eligibility
For all programs:
• Receiving government subsidies or public funds to a significant
extent (more than 50% of their revenues)
• Do not possess adequate and sound financial resources
• Research does not fall within NSERC mandate or is not at a
level appropriate for awardees
For Industrial USRA and IRDF programs:
• Do not maintain appropriate research facilities within the
organization's premises
• No adequate support and supervision at a level suitable for the
awardee
• No established R&D program
For the IPS program:
• Do not maintain appropriate production and/or administrative
facilities off-campus
Actual Examples Where Eligibility was
NOT Approved
• Organization located in a personal residence
• Organization located in a professor’s laboratory
• Proposed awardee was going to be the only
employee at a new location of organization
• Any proposed awardees would work out of their own
home
• Any proposed awardees would work out of a
University for the entire award
• Organization with $42 in the bank and no other
resources
Financial Statement
•For the Industrial USRA program only, financials do not
need to be submitted but are always preferred; a letter,
signed by the CFO or financial authority for the organization,
confirming the commitment of funds towards any awards
made and stating that participation in the program would not
result in any hardship to the organization is acceptable.
•For the IPS and IRDF programs, financial statements are
still requested and preferred, but in cases where the
organization is not publicly-traded a letter is acceptable if
signed by a certified accountant, confirming the commitment
of funds towards any awards made and stating that
participation in the program(s) would not result in any
hardship to the organization.
•In cases where only a letter is provided, NSERC may
request further financial information during the evaluation
process.
NSERC Program Contacts:
USRA:
Claire Saumure: 613-995-6424
IPS
Klara Konya: 613- 996-1597
IRDF
Sarah Antonakos 613-996-1873
E-mail: [email protected]
Or [email protected]