Award Holder's Guide 2006

For Postdoctoral Fellows (PDF)

Table of Contents

Where Can I Get More Information?

Introduction

General Regulations

Forms

For Postdoctoral Fellows (PDF)

Where Can I Get More Information?

Table of Contents | Where Can I Get More Information?
Introduction | General Regulations

For Postdoctoral Fellows (PDF)

Introduction

Please read this Guide carefully on receipt of your Notice of Award. This Guide contains important information regarding the payment and administration of your award.

This Guide supersedes previous statements by NSERC on Fellowships and Scholarships regulations. NSERC may, without notice, change award regulations or the terms and conditions of the awards. Any major changes will be announced immediately to award holders and/or in Program News on NSERC's Web site. It is intended for use by:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF) holders.

Note: All personal information collected by NSERC is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, as described in the NSERC Program Guide for Students and Fellows.

In this Guide:

• "your institution" refers to the institution at which you are undertaking your research during tenure of your award; and
• the date of degree completion is considered to be the date on which all requirements for your degree have been met, including successful defence and submission of the corrected copy of your thesis (in accordance with your institution's regulations).

Table of Contents | Where Can I Get More Information?
Introduction | General Regulations

For Postdoctoral Fellows (PDF)

• Part-time Postdoctoral Fellowship Support
  • Disability
  • Family Responsibilities

Deferment of Award
Payment of Award

• Subsequent Instalments
• Payment Schedule
• Mailing Address for Cheques

Annual Progress Reports
Interruption of Award

• Unpaid Leave for Reasons of Maternity, Child Rearing, Illness or Health-Related Family Responsibilities
• Paid Parental Leave
• Vacation Leave

Reinstatement of Award
Change of Research Project
Change of Institution/Location of Research
Other Sources of Income (Employment and Other Awards)
Termination of Award
Taxation and Other Issues

• Taxation
• Foreign Immigration and Taxation Regulations
• Insurance
• The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

General Regulations

To hold an award, you must:

• have met all the requirements for a Ph.D. in the natural sciences or engineering;
• accept the terms and conditions of the award, as set out in this guide, in the Notice of Award and in the program description found in the NSERC Program Guide for Students and Fellows;
• comply with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and the policies and guidelines regarding animal care and biohazards (see Requirements for Certain Types of Research);
• comply with NSERC's integrity policy (see the NSERC Program Guide for Students and Fellows for more information);
• acknowledge, wherever possible, NSERC's funding assistance for the research; and
• be engaged in full-time research at an eligible institution.

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.

Acceptance or Refusal of Award (New PDF Holders Only)

• You must notify NSERC within six weeks of the date on the Notice of Award of your decision to accept or refuse the award by completing an Acceptance or Refusal of Award (Form 1A).
• NSERC will cancel any award not accepted by the above deadline.
• Notification by telephone is not acceptable.
• NSERC must receive the above-mentioned notification even if you plan to request a deferment of your award (see Deferment of Award).
• To initiate payment of your award, see the Payment of Award section.

Start Date

• You can take up your award at any time between April 1 of the year in which you are awarded the fellowship and January 15 of the following year.

Value and Duration of Award

• The value and duration of your award are detailed in your Notice of Award.
• NSERC does not provide travel or moving allowances.

Part-time Postdoctoral Fellowship Support

• PDF support is available to those who are restricted to part-time research for reasons of disability or family responsibilities. For fellows whose request for part-time status is approved by NSERC, the stipend will be the equivalent of a full-time award spread over a longer period of time. No employment is permitted during tenure of the award without NSERC's prior authorization. All other PDF regulations will apply.
• Disability
  • For purposes of holding an award part-time, disability is defined as: "a functional limitation resulting from a physical, sensory or mental impairment, which, for an indefinite period, affects the ability of the fellow to perform the activities necessary to participate fully in his or her research."
  • If you intend to pursue part-time research in a field supported by NSERC because a disability prevents you from pursuing full-time research, you must have a Medical Certification to Hold an NSERC PGS/CGS/PDF on a Part-time Basis for Reasons of Disability (Form 4) completed by the qualified health professional most familiar with your situation. That person must mail the form directly to NSERC or return it to you in a sealed envelope to be forwarded to NSERC. This form will be treated as a confidential document to be used only by NSERC staff when considering your eligibility to hold your award on a part-time basis.
  • Your research supervisor must write a letter supporting your request to pursue part-time research.
• Family Responsibilities
  • For purposes of holding an award part-time, family responsibility is defined as: "the primary responsibility for providing the personal care to a dependent family member (e.g., pre-school children, infirm spouse or parent) which affects the ability of the fellow to perform the activities necessary to participate fully in his or her research."
  • As an award holder, you must write to NSERC justifying your need to hold your award part-time for family responsibilities. A letter supporting your request must also be sent by your research supervisor.

Deferment of Award

• Before commencing your award, you may request permission to defer it for up to three years, but only for reasons of maternity, child rearing, illness, or health-related family responsibilities. You may not defer your award in order to take up another award, accept or hold employment, or pursue studies.
• You must complete a Request for Deferment or Interruption of Award (Form 3) and send it to NSERC for approval as soon as possible, but no later than October 1 of the year of the original award. Supporting documentation (e.g., birth, adoption or medical certificate) confirming the reason for deferment must also be included with the request.
• Even though you intend to defer your award, you must submit confirmation to NSERC that you have completed, by December 31 of the year of the original award, all requirements of your doctoral degree (if not already submitted with your application), or your award will be cancelled.

Payment of Award

• To activate your award, complete a Request for First Instalment (Form 1B) 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, with original signatures.
• If NSERC does not receive your duly completed Request for First Instalment (Form 1B) by November 1 of the year of the award, your award may be cancelled.
• 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 Request for First Instalment [Form 1B].)
• If you wish to transfer to a different institution/location of research, see Change of Institution/Location of Research.

Subsequent Instalments

• Payments are made at six-month intervals.
• 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 Request for Subsequent Instalments and Reinstatement of Award (Form 2), or an Annual Progress Report/Request for Subsequent Instalment (Form 7), whichever is appropriate, to NSERC at appropriate intervals.
• NSERC may adjust the value of your award to take account of 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 Schedule

* Depending on the availability of funds at fiscal year-end. If insufficient funds remain, payment will be issued by the end of May.

Mailing Address for Cheques

• Instalment cheques will be issued in your name and mailed to the address indicated on a Request for First Instalment (Form 1B).

Please note: Award holders attending institutions outside of Canada will receive their instalments in the currency of the country corresponding to the cheque address they provide (e.g., an award holder attending Oxford University and having provided a UK cheque address will be paid in Pounds Sterling [PS]). Those wishing to be paid in Canadian funds must provide a Canadian cheque address.

• If you change your address during tenure of the award, you should indicate your revised address on a Request for Subsequent Instalments and Reinstatement of Award (Form 2), or on an Annual Progress Report/Request for Subsequent Instalment (Form 7).

Annual Progress Reports

• NSERC requires an annual progress report to be submitted on the anniversary date of your award. Please complete an Annual Progress Report/Request for Subsequent Instalment (Form 7) 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.

Interruption of Award

Unpaid Leave for Reasons of Maternity, Child Rearing, Illness or Health-Related Family Responsibilities

• You may interrupt an active award only 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.
• You are eligible for a leave of absence of up to three years, in accordance with your institution's policies, only for reasons of maternity, child rearing, illness or health-related family responsibilities, provided your institution permits such leaves.
• 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 submit in advance the duly completed Request for Deferment or Interruption of Award (Form 3) to NSERC. You must also provide supporting documentation, such as birth or medical certificates to justify and substantiate the reason for interrupting your award.
• Approval of all leaves is conditional on your supervisor's support of your request.

Paid Parental Leave

• If you will be interrupting your research/award within six months following a child's birth or adoption in order to be the primary caregiver for the child, you may request a paid parental leave supplement at your current stipend level for up to four months.
• You may not receive this supplement while your award is being deferred.
• The maximum period of paid leave is four months, even in cases of multiple births or adoption of more than one child at the same time.
• If both parents are supported by NSERC, each parent may take a portion of the leave, for a combined maximum duration of four months.
• To request the paid parental leave, you must submit in advance the duly completed Request for Deferment or Interruption of Award (Form 3) to NSERC, along with a letter in which you confirm that:
  • during the parental leave, you will not be engaged in your research activities or employed;
  • you will be the primary caregiver of your child during the parental leave; and
  • you are not eligible for and will not receive employment insurance or other maternity/parental benefits from other sources.
• Please request the paid parental leave at least four months before the proposed start date of the leave.
• As soon as possible after the birth/adoption of the child, you must submit a copy of the child's birth/adoption certificate to NSERC in order to activate payment.

Vacation Leave

• Your institution's regulations will apply with respect to vacation leave.

Reinstatement of Award

• To reinstate an interrupted award, you must send NSERC a duly completed Request for Subsequent Instalments and Reinstatement of Award (Form 2) – at least eight weeks before resuming your research. 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 a one-page 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 is not 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

• If you wish to change your institution of tenure/research location, you must obtain prior approval from NSERC to confirm the eligibility of your proposed research and your eligibility to hold the award at the new institution. Such requests should be made as soon as possible, preferably eight weeks prior to your start or transfer date. See also Change of Research Project.

Note: If you received your doctoral degree from a foreign institution, you are not permitted to hold your PDF at a foreign institution.

• To change your location of research before taking up the award: You must complete a Request to Change Institution/Location of Research (Form 6) and send it to NSERC. Only the signature of the head of the proposed department is required on Part II of Form 6. An outline of the new research project may also be required.
• To change your institution after having taken up the award: You must send the following documentation to NSERC:
  • the duly completed and signed Request to Change Institution/Location of Research (Form 6), supported by the heads of the department of the original institution and the proposed institution;
  • a letter justifying your reasons for the change; and
  • a brief outline of the research to be carried out at the proposed location.

Other Sources of Income (Employment and Other Awards)

• NSERC expects PDF holders to engage in full-time research. You may not hold other full-time employment during any period of time in which you hold the NSERC award. NSERC limits the number of hours of other employment, per 12-month period, to 450 hours.
• You may not concurrently hold another award from NSERC or from another Canadian 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 from 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.
• Part-time PDF holders: No employment is permitted during tenure of the award without NSERC's prior authorization.

Termination of Award

• If you terminate your fellowship or accept full-time employment before the end of the period covered by the award, you must complete a Termination of Award (Form 8).
• If you accept full-time employment, your award will be terminated as of the effective date of your contract of employment. The value of the award will be prorated.
• NSERC will contact you to reclaim any overpayment of your award.

Taxation and Other Issues

Taxation

• Most income you receive is taxable and you must include it on your income tax return. Taxable income includes scholarships and fellowships, as well as salaries and stipends.
• NSERC does not deduct any income tax at source (at time of payment), so you should plan accordingly for the possibility that you may owe tax at the time of filing your return.
• NSERC will issue a T4A income tax slip only to award holders it pays directly. The date on the instalment cheque will determine the year in which you will be taxed for the instalment.
• NSERC is unable to dispense advice on income tax matters to individual fellows, given the uniqueness of each award recipient's personal financial situation. Consequently, you are encouraged to seek advice from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or from a qualified income tax specialist.
• You are referred to two documents published by CRA:
  • Students and Income Tax, publication P105(E) Rev. 04, at the following address: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/p105/README.html.
  • Scholarships, Fellowships, Bursaries, Prizes and Research Grants, Income Tax Interpretation Bulletin IT-75R4 at the following address:
  http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tp/it75r4/README.html.

Foreign Immigration and Taxation Regulations

• If you hold or intend to hold your award at an institution outside Canada, you must contact the appropriate agencies for immigration and taxation regulations. NSERC cannot advise award holders on such matters.

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.
• You are encouraged to communicate with your provincial health insurance office before leaving Canada; spending a significant length of time outside the country may impact the coverage available when you return.

The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

• We encourage you to read these acts as they pertain to application information.

Table of Contents | Where Can I Get More Information?
Introduction | General Regulations