NSERC Announces $32 Million for Strategic Target Areas

Welcomes multidisciplinary projects

NSERC is introducing significant changes to its Strategic Projects Grants competition to stimulate research in the following areas:

• Biosciences
• Environment and Sustainable Development
• Information and Communications Technologies
• Value Added Products and Processes
• New Directions

"We've made a special effort to update the eligible areas to accommodate some of the most exciting new developments in science and engineering," said Janet Walden, NSERC's director general of Research Partnerships.

"NSERC is especially interested in encouraging participation by those involved in interdisciplinary research where ideas are converging from what were once seen as unconnected areas of research," she added.

The changes are effective for the new round of applications due April 15, 2001.

"In 2000 the success rate was close to 46 %, reflecting the very high quality of proposals," said Walden. "With these new target areas, we want to maintain this high quality of innovative, early stage research."

The NSERC Strategic Program encourages the pursuit of new knowledge or technology that has the potential to contribute in a significant way to Canada's economy, society or environment within the next 10 years.

The Council approved the new Strategic areas following a three-month review that included a literature study, as well as consultation with leaders in the academic, industrial and government sectors.

Each project has to have at least one non-academic partner. Money, however, is not a necessary condition of their involvement. The primary requirement is that a partner exchange information and expertise with the research team. Under the "New Directions" category, funding for projects in emerging areas will be considered even if there is no obvious partner for the research.

NSERC (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) invests in people, discovery and innovation and is the national instrument for making strategic investments in Canada's capability in science and technology.

The new descriptions of the eligible categories of research can be found at: http://www.nserc.ca/guide/b1_e.htm

For more information contact:

Anne Alper
Team Leader
Strategic Projects and Research Networks
Tel: (613) 996-6521
E-mail: anne.alper@nserc.ca

Francis Lionnet
Public Affairs Officer
NSRC Communications
Tel: (613) 992 9001
E-mail: francis.lionnet@nserc.ca