NSERC Update

University of Ottawa October 31, 2014 Dave Bowen – Team Leader NSERC

Outline

   2014 NSERC News - 2014 Federal Budget - Updates and New Initiatives 2014 Discovery Grants Competition Results - Geosciences (EG 1506) Questions

Budget 2014: The Highlights

• Good news for research, training and innovation –

$15 million

per year to NSERC to support advanced research in the natural sciences and engineering –

$9 million

per year for the Indirect Costs Program – Industrial R&D Fellowships program funds redeployed to other priorities within NSERC

($7 million)

– Canada First Research Excellence Fund:

$200 million per year

by 2018-19 3

Discovery Grants Budget Allocation

• • • The new funding is being phased into the Discovery Grants program over a five-year cycle The first allocation of the new funds is in the 2014-15 fiscal year; additional funding is being distributed to a selection of researchers who applied in the 2014 Discovery Grants competition Researchers who are receiving additional funds have been notified • • NSERC plans to allocate the $15M investment (Budget 2014) to Discovery Grants 4 An opportunity to introduce new factors to allocate

Budget Allocation for Geosciences 2014

• • • $218k allocated to Geosciences for 2014 competition Funds distributed to the bins as they were established in February, with increases to all bins No new awards in Geosciences 5

Budget Allocation for Geosciences

• • • •

Discovery Grants Program Evaluation

Key question: is the program achieving its 3 objectives and outcomes given changes to peer review process? Multiple lines of evidence: surveys, consultations, interviews, bibliometric data analysis Recommendations by International Committee Key finding: Discovery Grants continue to be Canada’s most important support mechanism for foundational research 7

Discovery Grants Program Evaluation

• • • • • • No major changes recommended— all recommendations reflect refinements to the existing system: Refine intent and nature of the Discovery Accelerator Supplement Consider allowing early-stage researchers to apply for a first renewal sooner than 5 years Better communicate how the conference model works and consider further refinements to the review process Retain use of application budget information and of the research cost factor Maintain the three criteria currently used, but consider revising the HQP criterion Explore options to reduce the workload of Evaluation Group members.

8

Open Access

 Global trend  Tri-agency harmonized approach (Green route)  Public consultations held in Fall 2013  Final version of policy released Fall 2014  Continued monitoring 9

Discovery Grants Program 2014 Results

Geosciences Evaluation Group EG1506

How Does the Conference Model Work?

EVALUATION GROUP A

Group Chair ~ 40 members 4 Section Chairs

EVALUATION GROUP B

Group Chair ~35 members 4 Section Chairs

EVALUATION GROUP C

Group Chair ~25 members 3 Section Chairs 11

EG1506 Research Topics

        

GS01 - Petrology & Mineralogy GS02 - Sedimentology & Stratigraphy GS03 - Paleontology & Paleobiology GS04 - Geophysics GS05 - Economic Geology GS06 - Tectonics & Structural Geology GS07 - Geochemistry & Geochronology GS08 - Volcanology GS09 - Planetary Sciences

         

GS10 - Surface Processess GS11 - Paleo-environmental Sciences GS12 - Biogeosciences GS13 - Global Geological Processes GS14 - Atmospheric Sciences GS15 - Hydrology GS16 - Oceanography GS17 - Soil Sciences GS18 - Geomatics & Earth Systems Observations GS19 - Cryology

Joint Reviews with EG1506

GCM GCM BSF EE Chem Phys Geo CS MS CISE ECE MCE ME Total

61 21 14 2 8 0 5 4 0 4 0 119

BSF

28 18 4 1 3 4 3 5 6 5 6 83

EE

17 8 4 3 0 0 0 0 17 1 0 50 10 10 1 1 1 0 14 0 54

Participating (Visiting) Evaluation Group Chem Phys Geo CS MS CISE

13 4 0 4 3 0 16 2 3 1 1 6 3 1 40 2 1 24 6 1 0 0 13 2 0 1 50 2 2 1 1 3 3 6 8 15 0 1 42 2 4 8 1 5 2 17 3 4 3 3 52 2 1 0 2 0 15 3 3 1 10 11 48

ECE

0 1 0 0 11 0 11 2 2 6 14 47

MCE

8 0 0 10 1 1 4 2 0 0 15 41

ME

3 6 1 2 2 1 3 1 11 12 20 62

Total

55 48 65 52 81 91 73 56 36 62 43 26 688

Notes:

Applications involving members from more than one other EG (i.e. more than 2 EGs participating in the review) appear more than once.

Joint reviews involving more than one member from the same EG appear only once.

Reviews involving different streams of the same EG, without participation from other EGs, do not appear in this table.

13

Geosciences DG Results Competition 2014

Geosciences (EG 1506) Early Career Researchers Established Researcher Renewals Others # of Applications # of Awards $ Awarded Success Rate Average Grant 35 24 $666K 69% $27,750 126 89 $3,622K 71% $39,631 88 28 $975K 32% $30,872 Overall 249 141 $5,263K 57% $37,326

Results and Statistics – Geosciences 2014 Discovery Grants Competition

ER- Established Researcher ECR – Early Career Researcher

Results and Statistics – Geosciences 2014 DG Competition

140 120 Excellence of the Researcher Merit of the Proposal Training of HQP 100 40 20 80 60 0 Exceptional Outstanding Very Strong

Rating

Strong Moderate Insufficient

Discovery Grants Overall Results – 2014 Competition

Data 1

Early Career Researchers (

ECR

) Established Researchers (

ER

) Renewing their grant (

ER-R

) Not Holding a Grant 2 (

ER-NHG

)

Success Rate Average Grant

66% $26,999 80% 37% $36,550 $28,463

1.

Includes Discovery and Subatomic Physics (Individual and Team) Grants, but excludes the Subatomic Physics Projects.

2.

Includes returning established unfunded applicants and experienced researchers submitting a first application.

Note: Non-official results 17

Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS) results

   

125 DAS were awarded among all EGs Geosciences EG reviewed all applications and recommended 21 applicants for a DAS supplement Executive Committee used EG recommendations to reduce the list to the given quota of 14 awards Nominees who best met the objectives of the program recommended to NSERC President for a DAS award

Discovery Accelerator Supplements 2014 Competition

Evaluation Group (EG)

Genes, Cells and Molecules (1501) Biological Systems and Functions (1502) Evolution and Ecology (1503) Chemistry (1504) Physics (1505)

Geosciences (1506)

Computer Science (1507) Mathematics and Statistics (1508) Civil, Industrial and Systems Engineering (1509) Electrical and Computer Engineering (1510) Materials and Chemical Engineering (1511) Mechanical Engineering (1512) Subatomic Physics (19)

Total DAS awarded

9 10 11 7 6

14

15 8 12 13 9 10 1

125

19

Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) 2014 Competition

Number of Applications Total Amount Requested Number of Awards Awarded Amount Funding rate 468 $51.3 M 157 $17.5M

34.2%

20

Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) 2014 Competition – Environmental Sciences Number of Applications Total Amount Requested Number of Awards Awarded Amount Funding rate 64 $6,181,462 20 $2,065,276 33%