Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council


The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. NSERC directly funds university professors and students as well as Canadian companies to perform research and training. With funding from the Government of Canada, NSERC supports the research of over 41,000 students, trainees and professors at universities and colleges in Canada with an annual budget of CA$1.1 billion in 2015. Its current director is Alejandro Adem.

History

NSERC came into existence on May 1, 1978. University-based research had previously been supported through the National Research Council of Canada. It reports to Parliament through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. It is governed by a Council composed of the president and up to 18 members appointed from the private and public sectors. Past presidents include Gordon M. MacNabb, Arthur W. May, Peter Morand, Tom Brzustowski, Suzanne Fortier, B. Mario Pinto, while on June 25, 2019, Alejandro Adem was appointed President of NSERC, effective October 1, 2019.

Types of grants and awards

Professors

NSERC offers research funding for a wide range of programs and projects covering every discipline of the sciences and engineering. Some of its most well funded programs include:
NSERC celebrates exceptional graduate and undergraduate scientific research excellence.
NSERC has Research Partnerships Programs to help foster collaborations between university researchers, colleges and other sectors to develop new knowledge and expertise, transfer it to Canadian-based organizations and meet the objectives of the Government of Canada’s Science & Technology Strategy on innovation, including: