Presented by Isabelle BlainVice-President

Research Grants and ScholarshipsNSERC

Forum on enhancing international cooperationTainan

September 28, 2005

Opportunities for International Collaboration

1

About NSERCAbout NSERC

NSERC Key FactsNSERC Key Facts• An arm’s length agency of the federal government that reports to

Parliament through the Minister of Industry:

• NSERC is a “granting agency”, it does not conduct research and has no research facilities

• Governed by a Council with regional and cross-sectoral representation, 22 members appointed by government;

• Complements two other agencies, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC);

• Supports research in 70 universities across Canada;• About 330 employees, with headquarters in Ottawa and two regional

offices (3 more planned).

2

innovationProductive use of new knowledge in all sectors of the economy

and society

We invest in:We invest in: discoveryCompetitive research in science and engineering, providing access to new knowledge from around the world

peopleHighly skilled,well educatedand capable of

lifelong learning

USING NEW KNOWLEDGE

Partnerships of universities with industry and other sectors for project research

WORKING IN ALL AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate students,

postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and some university faculty

EXCELLENCE

Our goal is Canadianexcellence in:

Our goal is Canadianexcellence in: CREATING

KNOWLEDGE

Research Grants for basic research in the universities

We do this through

peer-reviewedcompetitions

in three programs

Prosperity and high quality of life for Canadians

NSERC also works towards its goals by exerting INFLUENCE beyond our program reach

Vision & Mission:Vision & Mission: Help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians.

3

NSERC budget 2005-2006:NSERC budget 2005-2006:($millions)($millions)

Total budget: $862.2 million

How do we support R&D?How do we support R&D?

Discovery$442.2 - 51%

People$272 - 32%

Administration$36.4 - 4%

Innovation$111.6 - 13%

4

Source: Science and Technology Statistical Compendium (2004) OECD.

R&D in CanadaR&D in CanadaInt’l benchmarkInt’l benchmark

How do we compare ?How do we compare ?

1.8

1.9

1.9

2

2.1

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.7

2.7

2.9

3.1

3.2

3.5

4.3

Canada

UK

Netherlands

Austria

Belgium

France

Denmark

Germany

Switzerland

USA

South Korea

Japan

Iceland

Finland

SwedenTotal expenditure on R&D Total expenditure on R&D 2002 2002 (or latest available), , percent of GDPpercent of GDP

Top 4 invests over 3% of their GDP in R&D.

In 2002, Canada was 15th, investing less than 2%.

The objective is to be amongst the top 5 by 2010.

5

Source: Observatoire des sciences et des technologies

Top 40 Countries of Canadian Internationally Co-authored Papers in the Natural Sciences and Engineering, 2003

(% of Canadian International Papers)

Country %

1. U.S. 47.7

2. U.K. 11.4

3. Germany 9.5

4. France 9.0

5. Japan 6.6

6. China 5.6

7. Italy 4.4

8. Australia 4.2

9. Russia 3.6

10. Netherlands 3.1

Country %

21. Finland 1.5

22. Norway 1.4

23. New Zealand 1.3

24. Taiwan 1.2

25. Hungary 1.2

26. Mexico 1.1

27. Austria 1.1

28. Iran 0.9

29. Greece 0.8

30. Singapore 0.8

Country %

11. Spain 3.0

12. Switzerland 2.8

13. Sweden 2.4

14. Poland 2.1

15. South Korea 2.0

16. India 1.7

17. Brazil 1.7

18. Denmark 1.7

19. Belgium 1.7

20. Israel 1.7

Country %

31. Czech Rep. 0.8

32. South Africa 0.7

33. Argentina 0.6

34. Turkey 0.6

35. Chile 0.6

36. Ireland 0.6

37. Romania 0.4

38. Portugal 0.4

39. Thailand 0.3

40. Egypt 0.3

6

International CollaborationInternational Collaboration

7

International CollaborationInternational Collaboration

Mechanisms for collaboration…Mechanisms for collaboration…

... People Outgoing: Postdoctoral fellowships and Graduate Scholarships

available for tenure abroad; Summer Programs (in Taiwan and Japan)

Incoming: Visiting Fellowships in Canadian Government Laboratories; Canada Research Chairs & Industrial Research Chairs

On-line databases of Canadian experts Peer Review Process Going Global S&T Fund at Department of International Trade

8

Mechanisms Mechanisms (cont’d)(cont’d)……

… Discovery• Flexibility for use of funds in grant programs• Special Research Opportunity (SRO) program

… Innovation Non-university partners (e.g. industry) can be foreign,

though they must bring their own funding to the collaboration AND there has to be a technology receptor in Canada (benefit to Canada)

International CollaborationInternational Collaboration

Special Research Opportunity Special Research Opportunity (SRO) Grants(SRO) Grants

Support new and emerging national or international research opportunities and accelerate time-sensitive research Exploratory “pre-research” activities (e.g. workshop) Collaborative research projects Program budget is $10M per year Individual researcher or teams of researchers may apply No deadline date for application submission

http://www.nserc.gc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=profnav&lbi=a4

9

Examples of CollaborationsExamples of Collaborations

• Research Projects Deep Sub-micro CMOS technology for highly-integrated RF

broadband system Study of QoS over IP network Sample sequencing of the Streptomyces clavuligerus genome

• Workshops Bridge Technology Natural Disaster Prevention Aeronautical research and technology

• HPQ Exchange Summer Program in Taiwan

11

International CollaborationInternational Collaboration

Resources to facilitate collaboration…Resources to facilitate collaboration…

• NSERC Awards Search Engine: www.nserc.gc.ca/programs/result/database.htm contains the results of NSERC competitions and information on its funding since 1991. 

• NSERC Chair Holder Database: www.nserc.gc.ca/partners/chairs_e.asp is designed to connect you with some of Canada’s leading scientists and engineers.

• Canada Research Chairs: www.chairs.gc.ca/web/chairholders/index_e.asp. This database contains short profiles of each of the Canada Research Chairs to date.

For Future ReferenceFor Future Reference

Policy & International Division:Policy & International Division:

Denis Leclerc

Manager

Tel: (613) 992-3445Denis.Leclerc@nserc.ca

Jean-Pierre Rodrigue

Int’l Relations Analyst

Tel: (613) 996-9260Jean-Pierre.Rodrigue@nserc.ca

NSERC’s Website: www.nserc.ca

International Cooperation: www.nserc.gc.ca/intnew.htm

Bilateral Relations: www.nserc.gc.ca/intern/bilagre.htm

12