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For NATO Fellowship Holders
General Regulations
Start Date
Value and Duration of Award
Payment of Award
Interruption of Award
Reinstatement of Award
Change of Research Project
Change of Institution/Location of Research
Travel Allowances
Other Sources of Income (Employment and Other
Awards)
Annual Progress Reports
Termination of Award
Taxation and Other Issues
International Considerations for NATO Fellows
 General
Regulations
NATO Science Fellowships are tenable at a Canadian university that can provide the research facilities and environment appropriate for the proposed research activity. Fellows must work under the supervision of a faculty member who holds an NSERC grant (Discovery, Strategic, CRD), Industrial Research Chair or Canada Research Chair in the natural sciences or engineering at the time of nomination.
Fellows must be citizens of one of the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine or Uzbekistan, and must not be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
Fellows must engage in full-time postdoctoral research in one of the fields of research supported by NSERC and be supervised by an NSERC award holder.
Fellows must be able to function effectively in either an English- or French-speaking environment.
To hold an award, you must:
Awards may be cancelled without notice if the conditions under which they are
granted are violated. Any payment made for a period during which you were not
eligible to hold the award must be reimbursed.
Start
Date
- Awards must be taken up by July 1.
Value
and Duration of Award
Fellowships are awarded for periods of six months, one year or two years. Funding is subject to satisfactory progress and availability of funds. Candidates may hold only one NATO Fellowship offered by NSERC.
NATO Science Fellowships provide an annual stipend of $28,000 Canadian (prorated for awards of six months). The host institution (or the industrial partner in the case of Industrial Fellowships) must provide an additional $5,000 per year, so that the total value of the fellowship is $33,000 per year. A travel allowance is also provided for the fellows. Travel allowances for family members (i.e., spouse and dependent children) are available only if the fellowship is held for one or two years. All original receipts (such as airline tickets, taxi receipts, boarding passes, etc.) must be attached to the travel claim.
The stipend is subject to Canadian income tax.
It is expected that fellows will return to their home country upon completion of the award.
Payment
of Award
- To activate your award, complete Form
1B – Request for First Instalment and submit it to NSERC's Scholarships
and Fellowships Division between four and six weeks prior to the date on which
you intend to take up your award. No payment will be made until NSERC has
received the required documentation. Upon arrival at the
university where you hold your fellowship, payment will be made to you.
- Before you may take up your award, you must provide confirmation that you
have successfully completed all requirements for your doctoral degree, if
you did not already provide this confirmation as part of your application.
(See Form 1B – Request for
First Instalment.)
- NATO Industrial Fellowship holders: Before you may take
up your award, you must submit an agreement signed by the fellow, the company
and the institution regarding the disposition of intellectual property.
Subsequent
Instalments
- Payment requests should be submitted to NSERC between four and six
weeks before the due date.
- To initiate subsequent instalments, submit the duly completed and
signed Form 2 – Request for Subsequent
Instalments and Reinstatement of Award, or Form
7 – Annual Progress Report/Request for Subsequent Instalment,
whichever is appropriate, to NSERC at appropriate intervals.
- NSERC may adjust the value of your award to take into account a change
in your period of tenure.
- NSERC may cancel your award without further notice if the payment
request is overdue by four months or more.
- Payment of your award will be made in Canadian funds at six-month
intervals.
Mailing
Address for Cheques
- Instalment cheques from NSERC will be issued in your name and sent
to the institution. The contribution from the institution/company
will be distributed to you by the institution.
Interruption
of Award
- You may interrupt your award only for the reasons described in Unpaid
Leave for Reasons of Maternity, Child Rearing, Illness or Health-Related
Family Responsibilities.
- You must obtain approval from NSERC prior to any interruption of
your award.
- For approved interruptions, NSERC will suspend payment of your award
for the duration of the interruption and will resume payment when
all the conditions of your award are met (generally, on your return
to full-time research). The interruption will not reduce the total amount of support available to you.
- You may not interrupt your award in order to take up another award
or to pursue studies.
- To request an interruption, you must fill out Form
3 – Request for Deferment or Interruption of Award and submit it to NSERC,
along with supporting documentation such as birth or medical certificates.
- Approval of all leaves is conditional on your supervisor's supporting
such leaves.
Unpaid
Leave for Reasons of Maternity, Child Rearing, Illness or Health-Related
Family Responsibilities
- You may be allowed an interruption of your award for a short period
of time (up to four months) for leave related to maternity, child
rearing or health-related family responsibilities. A justification,
including the support of your supervisor, must be provided in advance
to NSERC.
- To request this leave of absence, you must submit in advance the duly completed
Form 3 – Request for Deferment or
Interruption of Award to NSERC, including documentation of your supervisor's support.
You must also provide supporting documentation, such as birth or medical certificates,
justifying and substantiating the reason for interrupting your award.
Vacation
Leave
- Your institution's regulations will apply with respect to vacation
leave.
Reinstatement
of Award
- To reinstate an interrupted award, you must notify NSERC in writing
at least eight weeks before resuming your research and confirm
the exact date you intend to reinstate your award. Before your instalment
payment can be issued, you must also provide confirmation from your
supervisor that you have resumed the research for which the funds
were awarded. See also Payment of Award.
- Awards will be governed by the regulations applicable at the time
of reinstatement.
Change
of Research Project
- If your research is in a discipline that falls
under the mandate of more than one federal granting agency (e.g.,
psychology, management studies, geography, physical education, optometry
or health sciences), you must obtain prior approval from NSERC to
change your research project.
- To request approval for a change of research project, send
an outline of the proposed research, including the proposed supervisor's
name, to NSERC.
- If you modify your research project to the extent that the field
of study does not fall under NSERC's mandate, you will no longer be eligible
to hold the award and it will be cancelled.
Change
of Institution/Location of Research
- You are not permitted to transfer to a different institution.
Travel
Allowances
- Travel allowances are paid for NATO fellows and their families (i.e., spouse
and dependent children, if applicable) for fellowships of one or two years.
The family must remain in Canada for a minimum of six months in order to be
eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses. Awards of six months will
only cover travel expenses for the fellow.
- Travel allowances are normally paid in Canadian funds and are made
at NSERC's discretion. If another organization provides part
or all of the cost of travel, NSERC will reduce its allowance accordingly.
- You are expected to travel by the most direct and/or economical
route, and are encouraged to take advantage of reduced airfares when
available. Contact NSERC in advance with the estimated travel cost to ensure that it is within an acceptable range.
- The travel allowance will not exceed the cost of economy airfare plus an
allowance as a contribution toward the cost of ground transportation to and
from the airport. The maximum ground transportation allowance is $100 for
each fellow and spouse, and $50 for each child. Receipts must be submitted.
Cancellation insurance premiums are reimbursed. Return tickets are often less
expensive than one-way tickets. NSERC will only reimburse the full ticket
price if the unused, return portion is submitted.
- To request prepayment of their air travel costs, fellows should
contact the
Finance Division, NSERC, at least eight weeks before travel. NSERC will make the appropriate travel arrangements.
- Fellows who pay their own travel costs may request reimbursement
on arrival in Canada by submitting the completed Form
10 – Application for a Travel Allowance to the Finance Division,
NSERC.
- No allowance is provided toward the cost of transporting excess
baggage, air freight, or the removal and storage of household effects.
- If you have completed at least one half of the fellowship, you may
be entitled to a reimbursement of return travel costs to your country
of citizenship or to another of the Partner countries. You will not
receive a return allowance unless you return within two months after
termination of the award.
- Claims for travel reimbursement must be submitted to NSERC within four months following the termination of your fellowship.
Other
Sources of Income (Employment and Other Awards)
- NSERC limits the number of hours of employment per 12-month period
to 450.
- You may not hold full-time employment during any period of time in which you hold the fellowship.
- You may not concurrently hold another award from NSERC or from another
federal granting agency (CIHR or SSHRC). You may, however, accept
awards from other sources, regardless of value (e.g., foreign sources,
provincial awards, private organizations, your institution, etc.).
- You may accept supplements to NSERC grants. There is no limit
on the value of such supplements. Any such funding is to be in support of your work as a postdoctoral fellow and is not to be remuneration for additional duties performed.
Annual
Progress Reports
- For two-year fellowships, NSERC requires an annual progress report to be
submitted on the anniversary date of your award. Please complete Form
7 – Annual Progress Report/Request for Subsequent Instalment in
conjunction with your supervisor, and submit it to the Scholarships
and Fellowships Division.
- This report will serve as your request for the relevant instalment.
- NSERC may cancel the award if your progress is judged unsatisfactory.
- You and your supervisors must also submit a report to NSERC at the
end of the fellowship. Details will be provided at the appropriate
time.
Termination
of Award
- If your immigration status changes (e.g., you become a permanent resident of Canada), you must terminate your award. Send NSERC a completed Form 8 – Termination of Award.
- If you terminate your award before the end of the period it covers, NSERC will contact you to reclaim any overpayment.
Taxation
and Other Issues
Taxation
- Stipends and travel allowances
received are taxable income. NSERC does not make any deductions at source;
therefore, you are responsible for paying any necessary income tax. The
date on the instalment cheque will determine the year in which you will
be taxed for the instalment. You are not permitted to defer an instalment
to the next taxation year. All inquiries related to tax regulations must
be addressed to the Canada Revenue Agency, Taxation. For information
on taxable income, please obtain the appropriate Interpretation Bulletin
from your district taxation office.
- Release of T4A Forms: T4A forms for personal
income tax purposes are normally mailed in February. (Award holders
who pay provincial taxes in Quebec should note that the Quebec government
will accept a photocopy of your federal T4A form with your Quebec income
tax return.)
- Your institution will issue you a T4A or T4 for the portion of the
stipend that it paid to you.
Insurance
- NSERC is unable to assume liability
for accidents, illness or losses that may occur during the tenure of an
award. You are responsible for ensuring that you have appropriate insurance.
The Access to
Information Act and the Privacy
Act
- We encourage you to read these acts as they pertain to application
information.
International
Considerations for NATO Fellows
NATO fellows must satisfy the immigration, health insurance and income
tax requirements outlined below, before or during their stay in Canada,
as appropriate. Please note: health insurance, income tax and educational
issues are under full or partial provincial jurisdiction, and the rules and
regulations vary across Canada. Please contact the appropriate provincial
authority in advance.
Immigration
- You should contact the Canadian Visa Office at the nearest Canadian Embassy,
High Commission, or Consulate as soon as possible to initiate immigration
procedures. Before coming to Canada, you must obtain an Employment Authorization
that is valid for at least 12 months. You will need to provide the Canadian
Visa Office with the following documents:
- valid passport; and
- the NSERC offer of award and your letter of acceptance.
- You may also require a visitor's visa and other immigration documentation
for yourself and for accompanying family members. NSERC is not responsible
for obtaining these documents. If you plan to travel outside Canada during
the tenure of your award, you should apply for a multiple-entry visa.
- Once in Canada, you must renew your Employment Authorization if the initial
period covered was not the full period of the award. You will require
a Social Insurance Number (SIN) – NSERC cannot pay your second and
subsequent instalments unless you have one. You can apply for a SIN at
a local Human Resources Centre.
- NSERC does not pay for medical examinations or any other documentation
you may require to hold your award in Canada.
Health Insurance
- NSERC requires that you have health insurance coverage during the tenure
of your award. The host institution can help you obtain coverage.
- NSERC does not pay for health insurance premiums or for health care expenses.
Income Tax
- The information on taxation and T4A forms covered in Taxation
and Other Issues also applies to NATO fellows.
- Your tax status as a foreigner will depend on the length of time you
spend in Canada in any given calendar year, and on any agreement between
Canada and your country of origin.
- You should contact the Canada Revenue Agency to clarify your
tax status in Canada and to obtain all the information required to file
an income tax return:
International Tax Services
Canada Revenue Agency
2204 Walkley Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1A8
Canada
Telephone:
1-800-267-5177 within Canada and the United States
1-613-952-3741
from foreign countries other than the United States (collect calls are accepted)
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