Supplements to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) Program 2023

Key dates:

• Supplements to the NSERC PDF Program 2021: Closed
  • Publication date: July 28, 2021
  • AO closing date: January 28, 2022
  • Number of grant recipients: Up to 5
  • Funding from CSA: $20,000 per selected applicant ($10,000 per year for two years)
• Supplements to the NSERC PDF Program 2022: Closed
  • Publication date: July 28, 2022
  • AO closing date: January 13, 2023
  • Number of grant recipients: Up to 5
  • Funding from CSA: $20,000 per selected applicant ($10,000 per year for two years)
• Supplements to the NSERC PDF Program 2023: Closed
  • Publication date: July 20, 2023
  • AO closing date: January 12, 2024
  • Number of grant recipients: Up to 5
  • Funding from CSA: $20,000 per selected applicant ($10,000 per year for two years)

4.1. Required Documentation

A complete application must contain the following:

• A completed application form (details in Section 4.2) signed by the applicant. Electronic, scanned or typed signatures will be accepted, however applicants must keep a hard copy of the original signed application form, as the CSA may require the original documents at a later date;
• A copy of the applicant's application submitted to NSERC under their PDF Program (can be downloaded as a PDF file from the NSERC application website);
• A proof that the applicant will conduct their postdoctoral research work in a Canadian academic institution or another appropriate research institution in Canada (see Section 3 above) (e.g., a Letter of Attestation from the institution).

The documents requested must be combined into a single PDF-formatted file, in the same order in which they are presented above

The applicant must keep one hard copy of all the original documents above. The CSA may require applicants who successfully passed the evaluation stage described in Section 6 to send a hard copy of their complete application with the original documents (with the exception of the application submitted to NSERC under their PDF Program, for which a printed copy from the NSERC application website will be sufficient).

4.2. Submitting an application electronically

In order to submit your application electronically, please follow these steps:

1. Request the creation of an account by clicking on the Electronic Proposal Portal, ensuring that this is done at least 3 weeks before the application deadline. Please note that supported browsers are Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. You will then need to follow these steps to create your account:
   1. In the "Proposal title" field, please use the following formatting standard: NSERC PDF Supplements 2023_LAST NAME_FIRST NAME.
   2. In the "Organization" section, under "Type", please ensure to select "I don't represent an organization (individual)".
   3. Allow up to 48 hours for the CSA to send you an email confirming your account creation as well as instructions (User Guides) and the appropriate links, including the link to the online application form.
2. Using the password assigned to you by the CSA, access and complete the online application form. Please note that you may save the information entered and return at a later date, if required, but that you must finish the entire application process by the application deadline date.
3. Once you have completed the electronic application form, be sure to print a PDF before you click "submit".
4. Sign the copy of your application form (electronic signature accepted) and combine it with the other required documentation into a single PDF-formatted file (searchable PDF (PDF/A-1a or PDF/A-2a formats preferred), with all security features disabled) and in the same order as listed in Section 4.1. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that their submitted PDF file is accessible.
5. Submit the completed application package electronically by logging into the secured portal to upload protected documents, using the password assigned to you by the CSA. Please refer to the User Guide (PDF, 221 KB) for instructions on how to securely upload your documents.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Applicants using the electronic portal are encouraged to create their account as soon as possible, as technical difficulties may arise. If technical issues cannot be resolved, applicants can submit their application by mail (see below). Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their complete application well before the submission deadline;
• Applications must be submitted (successfully uploaded) by the applicants no later than January 12, 2024 at 1:00 PM (ET). A late application is considered to be one that has an electronic timestamp on the CSA system later than the deadline above;
• The onus is on the applicant to ensure that their application is complete and that all documents are uploaded or received by the CSA within the prescribed deadline;
• The CSA is not responsible for electronic delivery delays under any circumstances, and will refuse applications that are received after the prescribed deadline;
• Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted;
• Applications sent by e-mail will not be accepted;
• Applicants are asked to not send their application both electronically and by mail or courier service. If multiple applications are submitted, only the latest valid version received will be considered;
• Incomplete applications may not be considered.

4.3. Submitting an application by mail or using a recognized courier service

The applicant is encouraged to submit their application electronically, following the instructions provided in Section 4.2. However, if the applicant is unable to submit their application electronically, please communicate with stim-stem@asc-csa.gc.ca to obtain instructions on how to submit an application by mail or using a recognized courier service.

Applications by mail or using a recognized courier service must be received at the CSA no later than January 12, 2024 at 1:00 PM (ET).

The onus is on the applicant to ensure that their application is complete and that the CSA receives the required documents within the prescribed deadline. The CSA is not responsible for any delays under any circumstances, and may refuse applications received after the stipulated deadline.

6.1. Eligibility

Applications will first be submitted to an eligibility assessment by the CSA to verify whether they comply with the eligibility criteria listed in Section 3 of the AO. At this stage, the CSA will validate with NSERC whether the applicant is considered by NSERC for a postdoctoral fellowship under their program. Proof that the applicant has been awarded, and has accepted, an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship under NSERC's PDF Program will be verified by the CSA later in the evaluation process.

Only applications that have passed the eligibility assessment described above will be given further consideration.

6.2. Evaluation

Once the eligibility criteria are confirmed, the CSA's evaluators will assess the screened applications according to the criteria presented in Table 1 below. Applicants shall provide the appropriate documents, as indicated in the "Evidence" column and requested in Section 4, to demonstrate how each evaluation criterion is met.

Applicants shall provide the appropriate documents, as requested in Section 4 of the AO, to allow proper evaluation of their application.

Applications will be rated on a 100-point rating scale. Only applications that obtain a minimum score of 70% will be given further consideration. The final score will be used to establish a ranking of applications.

Note: The CSA may, at its sole discretion, reject any application that fails the evaluation.

6.3. Final selection

For the final selection, the CSA will first consider the applicants having the highest final scores.

The award of the CSA supplements is conditional upon the applicant having been awarded an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship (as per the eligibility criteria outlined in Section 3). As such, the CSA will confirm with NSERC that the applicants selected through this AO have accepted and been awarded their NSERC postdoctoral fellowship prior to notifying applicants of its final decision.

Because of limited funding, priority may be given to applicants who have not previously been funded directly by the CSA.

The CSA could also take into consideration factors such as a balanced grants distribution across Canada as well as a diversified representativeness among underrepresented groups in the space sector, particularly women. The CSA encourages applicants to indicate on a voluntary basis in their application form if they belong to one or more of the underrepresented groups. Please visit Employment equity for a complete definition of each group.

Important note: Applicants selected by NSERC through its PDF Program have several months to accept their postdoctoral fellowship once NSERC advises them of their selection. As such, NSERC will confirm to the CSA at different points throughout the year which applicants selected under this AO have accepted and activated their fellowships, hence confirming their eligibility for the CSA supplement. The CSA may proceed with two rounds of decision notifications per application cycle if fewer than five (5) applicants are selected after the first round of decisions in a given application cycle. Applicants may refer to Section 5 for information on key dates and service standards.

8.1. Payments

Payments will be made in the form of two (2) instalments as described in the signed grant agreement. Grant agreements will include a clause stipulating the recipient's obligation to confirm, after the first year, their eligibility for the G&C Program – Learning Component, and inform the CSA in writing of any changes to the conditions used in determining their eligibility for this component.

Prior to the second instalment, the recipient will have to submit a progress report that will be reviewed by the CSA program manager at the same time than the recipient's eligibility will be reassessed.

8.2. Final report

The CSA will require that each recipient submit a report outlining the achievements and outcomes of their postdoctoral research within 30 days following the end of the grant agreement.