NSERC New Programs

1. University Research Awards (URA)

   The objective of this new program is to encourage Canadian universities to appoint very promising women researchers to tenure-track positions in science and engineering. Successful applicants will receive a contribution of $40,000 towards their salary along with a research grant.

   To be eligible, applicants must i) be a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident of Canada, as of January 1, 1999 (the nomination deadline date); and ii) be a woman who holds a doctorate in one of the fields of research that NSERC supports; or iii) expect to have completed all the requirements for such a degree, including their thesis defence, by the proposed date of appointment. In addition, applicants must iv) have relevant experience following receipt of their doctorate as required by the university for an appointment at the rank of assistant professor in their discipline; v) be nominated by a Canadian university that is eligible for NSERC awards; applications submitted directly to NSERC by individuals will not be accepted (potential applicants must first contact the university of their choice); and vi) have been offered, at the time of nomination, a tenure-track or tenured appointment effective on the start date of the award. This appointment may be conditional upon receipt of the award.

   The deadline for the initial competition is January 1, 1999. For all other competition years, the deadline will be November 1.

2. Multidisciplinary Network Groups (MNG) in Plant Biology and Food Science

   As a result of the NSERC Reallocation exercise, a program to support Multidisciplinary Network Groups is being implemented for Plant Biology and Food Sciences (PBFS). The objective of the program is to stimulate the formation of Multidisciplinary Network Groups among researchers by providing support for groups exploring promising shared areas of research to address fundamental questions key to the future of Plant Biology and Food Science.

   The program will be a two-stage process. Stage 1 will be to provide one year of support to facilitate the formation of MNGs that will interact to share information and ideas, and prepare a proposal for Stage 2 of the program.

   Applicants will be asked to submit a proposal to address the objectives of the program. The deadline for submission of applications for Stage 1 is March 1, 1999. The awards will be for a period of 3 years.

   More details on these programs are available on NSERC's web site, which can be accessed via the RGO web site.

FCAR New Programs

FCAR has just announced two new Actions Concertées programs: Fonds FCAR-IRDA (agro-environmental research) and Fonds FCAR-NOVALAIT-MAPAQ (dairy production and transformation).

Applications should be submitted to FCAR by December 15, 1998.

Regulations and application forms will be available on the FCAR web site by November 3, 1998 and can be accessed via the RGO web site.

Upcoming Deadlines

Please note that all upcoming deadlines for external and internal grants are now available on the RGO web site: http://ww2.mcgill.ca/fgsr/rgo.