Geospace Observatory (GO) Canada 2023-2029

3.1 Eligible Recipients

In order to be eligible, recipients must be Canadian universities and post-secondary institutions;

3.2 Eligible Projects

In addition to being linked to the AO objectives as evaluated by the evaluation criteria, a proposal must demonstrate that the project satisfies the following criteria for eligibility:

• A proposal must contain at least one instrument.
• The instruments must be ground-based, in Canada.
• The measurements made by the instruments must be primarily associated with a geospace phenomenon.
• The instrument array must be able to detect spatial features up to 1000 km in size, when such features are geometrically projected to an altitude of 100 km.
• The instruments must be capable of autonomous and continuous operation whenever viewing conditions allow it.
• All data must be made fully, freely and openly available on the shortest feasible timescale (no more than one week after acquisition by the instrument). An exception can be made for the data that must be manually retrieved from the instrument (no more than three months after acquisition by the instrument).
• Each project submitted by a PI must be self-contained, cannot depend on instruments already proposed in a separate project, and must plan for the collection, processing and dissemination of data until the end of the agreement.
• Proposals in Category A must include a valid written promise of conditional funding of more than 33% of the project if CSA funds the project, accompanied by the proposal to the third party funding agency and, if available, the evaluation from the funding party.
• Proposals in Categories B and C must include a supplementary document of no more than ten pages, title page and table of contents excluded, labeled "Project Development Plan" (as described in Appendix B).
• Proposals in Categories B and C must also include a document entitled "Data Management Plan" of no more than three pages, title page and table of contents excluded (as described in Appendix B).
• The principal investigators (PIs) leading these projects must:
  • hold a Ph.D. obtained from a recognized institution;
  • be on the payroll of the eligible recipient;

All development phases necessary for a project are eligible. Any logical breakdown or combination of these phases can constitute a funded project. However, breaking down a project into numerous phases to obtain more than the maximum grant or contribution is not allowed. Furthermore, even if the maximum funding for one project is not reached, the completion of a funded phase does not automatically guarantee funding of the remaining phases.

The Government of Canada currently operates support infrastructure that may be included as part of a proposal. The support infrastructure includes the Information Technology Infrastructure (ITI) system, telecommunications services, electrical power, and climate-controlled shelter, as described in Appendix A. The use of the support infrastructure will be shared among the funded proposals and coordinated with the CSA.

3.3 Links to CSA Priorities

To be eligible, projects supported under this AO must contribute to the CSA priority included in the Space Strategy for Canada, available at www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/publications/space-strategy-for-canada/: to ensure Canada's leadership in acquiring and using space-based data to support science excellence, innovation and economic growth.

"Space provides a unique perspective for space scientists to observe our planet, the health of our ecosystems and how our planet interacts with the Sun (e.g. space weather), and to learn more about our solar system and the universe we inhabit. The Government is improving its approach to selecting science missions by forging inclusive partnerships with the science community within and outside government to help collectively determine Canada's next slate of science missions. This new approach will ensure that resources are deployed to the highest priority scientific questions and issues. The Government will also explore innovative business models and partnership to deliver on those science missions and activities."

3.4 Links to the Class G&C Program Objectives

To be eligible, projects supported under this AO must contribute to the achievement of at least one of the following objectives:

• To support the development of science and technology relevant to the priorities of the Canadian Space Agency;
• To foster the continuing development of a critical mass of researchers and highly qualified people in Canada in areas relevant to the priorities of the Canadian Space Agency;
• To support information gathering, studies and research related to space;

4.1 Notice of intent (NoI)

The objective of the NoI is to verify the eligibility of the applicant and the project before receiving a complete application. This optional step is not intended to eliminate potential applicants, but to provide early confirmation that a project meets the eligibility criteria. An applicant can submit multiple NoIs, but can only submit one proposal. For the formal evaluation, the information in the proposal will take precedence over the information provided in the NoI. If there is a change between the information provided by the proponent in the NoI and in the proposal, the eligibility information provided with the NoI acknowledgement may no longer be valid.

4.2 Application Form

5.1 Eligibility Criteria

• Represents an eligible recipient as defined in Section 3.1;
• Represents an eligible project as defined in Sections 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4;
• Meets program funding provisions in Section 6.1.

5.2 Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria, further described in Appendix C – Evaluation Criteria Scale.

• Benefits to Canada;
• Project feasibility;
• Resources;
• Results; and
• Risk and risk mitigation measures.

5.3 Evaluation Process

Only applications that have passed the eligibility assessment listed in Section 5.1 will be given further consideration. Once the eligibility criteria are confirmed, evaluators will assess the screened applications according to the criteria listed in Section 5.2. Evaluators shall be experts in the fields relevant to the applications and may include representatives of Canada and other countries, as well as representatives of other government and non-government agencies and organizations. A multidisciplinary evaluation committee will be formed if applications from several different disciplines are competing in order to provide a uniform and unbiased final score and ranking of proposals.

Before a final decision is made, the CSA's Program Manager responsible for this AO may seek input and advice from other organizations, including (but not limited to) federal, provincial, territorial and municipal government agencies and organizations.

The results obtained in this AO could take into account certain factors in the final decision to grant funding, such as, but not limited to, the representativeness of the four designated groups (woman, Aboriginal person, disabled person or member of a visible minority), regional distribution, academic level, distribution between universities and post-secondary educational institutions, etc.

6.1 Available Funding and Duration

The AO will propose three categories of projects to accommodate the different types of projects in Canada. The CSA has encouraged the Canadian Solar-Terrestrial Scientific community to pursue partnership opportunities for the last 5 years. Category A is dedicated to this kind of proposal, which enables a substantial (>33%) portion of the funding from a third party. Category B is for projects requesting more than $80K/year and Category C projects requesting $80K/year or less.

At the time of writing of this AO, CSA intends to fund at least one (1) Category A proposal, one (1) Category B proposal, and two (2) Category C proposals, based on merit and available funding, over a maximum period of 72 months.

Each eligible Principal Investigator can be funded for one single project under this AO. Researchers can be co-investigators in many proposals, without restrictions. Each proposal will be provided the minimum level of funding required to secure the proposed activity in support of overall program objectives. The CSA reserves the right to reject any proposals or reduce the amount of the grants or the contributions at its entire discretion.

Approved proposals will be eligible for a total amount of government assistance (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) of up to 100% of total project costs in the case of other eligible recipients. To determine the amount of funding to be allocated, consideration will be given to the availability of CSA funds, the total cost of the project, and the other confirmed sources of funds provided by other stakeholders and the applicant.

Applicants must identify all sources of funding in their applications and confirm this information in a funding agreement if the project is selected for funding. Upon completion of a project, the recipient must also disclose all sources of funding.

The proposal should only include sources of funding that are confirmed by a Letter of Intent. Third party funding that is not secured should not be required for the project to be viable as presented, but the increase in project scope, should the funds be obtained, can be discussed in the project development strategy (see Appendix B).

6.2 Eligible Costs

Eligible costs are direct expenses that are associated with the delivery of the approved project and that are required to achieve the expected results of the project. Expenses will be covered subject to the applicant signing a funding agreement, in the form of a contribution, with the CSA.

Eligible costs for contributions under this AO are the following:

• Access fees;
• Accommodation and meal allowances;
• Acquisition, development and printing of materials;
• Acquisition or rental of equipment;
• Aircraft and watercraft charter services;
• Consultant services;
• Costs for carrying out environmental screening and/or impact studies;
• Costs related to obtaining security clearance;
• Data acquisition;
• Data management;
• License and permit fees;
• Marketing and printing services;
• Materials and supplies;
• Overhead (administrative) costs (not to exceed 10% of eligible costs for universities);
• Participation fees at conferences, committees and events;
• PST, HST and GST net of any rebate to which the recipient is entitled and the reimbursement of any taxes for goods and services acquired in a foreign country net of any rebate or reimbursement received in the foreign country;
• Publication and communication services;
• Registration fees;
• Salaries and benefits;
• Training;
• Translation services;
• Travel;

7.1 Payments

The CSA and each successful applicant (the recipient) will sign a funding agreement. This is a condition for any payment made by the CSA with respect to the approved project.

Payments for contribution agreements (including advance payments) will be made in accordance with the process and the reporting requirements described in the signed funding agreement. Upon notice of a successful application, the CSA will have no liability until a funding agreement is signed by both parties. Only eligible costs incurred after the funding agreement is signed and indicated in the agreement will be reimbursed.

7.2 Audit

The recipient of a funding agreement shall keep proper records of all documentation related to the funded project, for the duration of the project and for six (6) years after the completion date of the project, in the event of an audit. This documentation shall be available upon request.

7.3 Conflict of Interest

In the funding agreement, the recipient will certify that any current or former public office holder or public servant it employs complies with the provisions of the relevant Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector respectively.

7.4 Intellectual Property

All intellectual property developed by the recipient in the course of the project shall vest in the recipient.

7.5 Organizations in Quebec

An organization in Quebec whose operations are partially or fully funded by the province of Quebec may be subject to the Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif, R.S.Q., Chapter M-30.

Under Sections 3.11 and 3.12 of this Act, certain entities/organizations, as defined in the meaning of the Act, such as municipal bodies, school bodies, or public agencies, must obtain authorization from the Secrétariat du Québec aux affaires canadiennes (SQRC), as indicated by the Act, before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada, its departments or agencies, or a federal public agency.

Consequently, any entity that is subject to the Act is responsible for obtaining such authorization before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada.

Quebec applicants must complete, sign and include the M-30 Supporting Documentation form with their application.

7.6 Performance Measurement

The CSA will ask the recipients to report on certain aspects of their projects such as:

• Knowledge Creation
  • Knowledge production (including publications)
  • Presentations
  • Intellectual property (including patents)
• Capacity Building
  • Project's research team (including highly qualified personnel supported)
• Collaboration
  • Partners' contributions
  • Partnerships
  • Multidisciplinarity

7.7 Open Science

The CSA wishes to promote the dissemination of data and findings that result from the projects it funds as quickly and to the greatest number of people as possible. Improved access to scientific results not only allows scientists to use a broader range of resources and knowledge, but also improves research collaboration and coordination, strengthens citizen engagement and supports the economy.

Thus, the CSA promotes the use of open data and open access publication and archiving - in order to facilitate the widest dissemination of findings that results from its funded projects. Thus, recipients are invited to publish, in a timely matter, their data . Articles can also be published by using one of the following methods:

1. Accessible online repository (institutional or disciplinary) so that the publication is freely accessible.
2. Journal offering open access to articles.

The publication costs are eligible expenses as defined in section 6.2. It should be noted that these two methods are not mutually exclusive and that recipients are encouraged to use both.

Finally, the CSA wishes to receive, as a courtesy, a copy of the funded publications (if not freely accessible) or the hyperlink (if freely accessible) and its digital object identifier (DOI). These will be use to improve accessibility by including them in the CSA funded publications directory.

10.1 Communication infrastructure

This section describes the communications infrastructure provided at the core sites, free of charge to all applicants.

At each core site, the PIs are responsible for the instruments (operation and maintenance), up to the point where each instrument connects to the Information Technology Infrastructure (ITI). The ITI and the internet connection are the responsibility of a separate contract and furnished by the government.

New proposed instruments located at core sites should be compatible with the ITI to make efficient use of resources. A heated shelter is also provided to host the electronics or instruments.

The IT infrastructure provides basic network services, shared storage, and data acquisition capabilities at each GO Canada core site. It is capable of autonomous operation under non-ideal conditions such as dusty environments, poor power quality, and potentially extreme temperatures.

The primary design goal for the ITI is to simplify the requirements for operating scientific instruments at remote field sites. This is done by providing a basic set of required services coordinated over standard internet connections. While the ITI is currently implemented by a particular hardware configuration, clients should only be concerned with the interface specifications.

10.2 Power Management

Shared power is provided for client use via a 1500 W uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and network switched power bar with remote monitoring and control. All plugs and outlets are standard NEMA 5-15.

• UPS - uninterruptible power supply filters line power and provides short duration (>30 minutes for the ITI UPS and less for the instrument UPS) battery backup.
• PDU – power distribution unit has 8 individually switchable outlets and a total current monitor.

10.3 Other

• Temperature regulation system
• KVM – an 8-port keyboard/video/mouse switch allows clients to share the site LCD display and keyboard/mouse input devices.
• Rack – a standard equipment rack is provided for client use to mount instrument and support electronics. Space in the rack is assigned on a first come first serve basis
• Storage – roughly 1TB of disk space is available for general use and storage of client data. Multiple access methods (e.g. SMB, RSync, HTTP) can be configured as required.

10.4 Shelter and site maintenance

The infrastructure for each core site (operation and maintenance of shelter, utilities, custodian, etc) is provided through a separate industrial contract at no cost to the observational elements of GO. Equipment maintenance and data retrieval services are available to the client by way of yearly maintenance trips by the industrial contractor and local custodian support. A heating and ventilation system automatically maintains the building temperature within the 10-30 °C range. The shelter is approximately 8 feet long by 12 feet wide, and 8 feet in height. Instruments can be installed inside the shelter or on the land base around the shelter. Building penetrations are provided for cable runs to external instrumentation and can be customized to client needs.

11.1 Project Development Plan

Proposals must include a supplementary document of no more than ten pages, title page and table of contents excluded, labeled "Project Development Plan". The Deployment and Operations Plan will be reviewed as an integral part of the proposal and shall include the following information:

• Technical description
  • Description (functional, technical and interface specification) of the instruments.
  • Description of the integration, testing, calibration, verification and characterization required of the instruments in preparation for the deployment, or during operation.
• Deployment and maintenance strategy
  • Proposed or current location of all the instruments related to the applicant's proposal.
  • If the proposed or current instrument is not located at a GO Canada core site, provide a description of the infrastructure required or currently in place for all sites related to the applicant's proposal (building, utilities, custodian, communication link, etc).
• Project development strategy
  • Current funding partners, including their expected contribution over the years
  • Plans to seek supplemental funding if this contribution agreement is awarded, including the increase in scope of the project, as appropriate
• Risk assessment and mitigation
  • Risk assessment (likelihood, impact and mitigation) associated with the project.

11.2 Data Management Plan

The proposal shall include a document entitled "Data Management Plan" of no more than 3 pages, title page and table of contents excluded. The Data Management Plan will be reviewed as an integral part of the proposal.  The Data Management Plan must describe how the proposal will conform to the Geospace Observatory data policy and include the following information:

• The description of the data
• The formats of data, software and data access APIs (the CSA encourages the use of the Heliophysics API (HAPI)), related materials and supporting documentation to be produced in the course of the project (identify which one will be made open);
• The standards to be used for data and metadata format (the CSA encourages the use of the Space Physics Archive Search and Extract (SPASE) data model) and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);
• The methods to be used for accessing the data;
• Release dates of the data and plans for preserving data and other research products, and for long-term access to them ;
• Name and coordinate of the data steward;
• URL that will link to the project's data landing page;
• The maximum anticipated daily volume (bytes/day) at which data will be collected or generated (one rate per dataset); and
• The total volume of data that will be collected or generated per year (one amount per dataset); and
• Digital Object Identifier (DOI), if applicable.

Criteria