Supplements to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) Program 2022

Key dates:

• Supplements to the NSERC PDF Program 2021: Closed
  • Publication date: July 28, 2021
  • AO closing date: January 28, 2022
  • Number of grant recipients: Up to 5
  • Funding from CSA: $20,000 per selected applicant ($10,000 per year for two years)
• Supplements to the NSERC PDF Program 2022: Closed
  • Publication date: July 28, 2022
  • AO closing date: January 13, 2023
  • Number of grant recipients: Up to 5
  • Funding from CSA: $20,000 per selected applicant ($10,000 per year for two years)
• Supplements to the NSERC PDF Program 2023: Closed
  • Publication date: To be confirmed (July 2023)
  • AO closing date: To be confirmed (January 2024)
  • Number of grant recipients: Up to 5
  • Funding from CSA: $20,000 per selected applicant ($10,000 per year for two years)

4.1. How to submit an application electronically (recommended)

1. Download and complete the grant application form;
2. Combine the following documents into a single PDF-formatted file, in the same order as is presented below. A complete application must contain the following:
   1. A completed application form signed by the applicant. Electronic, scanned or typed signatures will be accepted for the time being, however applicants must keep a hard copy of the original application form signed by hand (in ink), as the CSA may require the documents with the original signature later in the process;
   2. A copy of the applicant's application submitted to NSERC under their PDF Program (can be downloaded as a PDF file from the NSERC application website);
   3. A proof that the applicant will conduct their postdoctoral research work in a Canadian academic institution or another appropriate research institution in Canada (see section 3 above) (e.g., a Letter of Attestation from the institution).

   The documents requested must be combined into a single PDF-formatted file, in the same order in which they are presented above.

   The applicant must keep one hard copy of all the original documents above. The CSA may require applicants who successfully passed the evaluation stage described in section 6 to send a hard copy of their complete application with the original documents (with the exception of the application submitted to NSERC under their PDF Program, for which a printed copy from the NSERC application website will be sufficient).

3. Submit your completed application electronically:
   • Submit an account creation request using the Electronic Proposal Portal. Please note that Google Chrome is the browser of choice for submissions. Supported browsers are Google Chrome and Edge with some restrictions.
   • In the "Proposal title" field of the Electronic Proposal Portal, please use the following formatting standard: NSERC PDF Supplements 2022_LAST NAME_FIRST NAME.
   • In the "Organization" section, under "Type", please ensure to select "I don't represent an organization (individual)".
   • Allow approximately 72 hours for the CSA to send you an email confirming your account creation as well as instructions (user guide) on how to access the platform. It is strongly recommended that you submit your account creation request no later than January 10, 2023.
   • Using the temporary password assigned to you by the CSA, login to the secured portal to upload your protected documents.
   • Please refer to the user guide for instructions on how to securely upload your documents.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Applicants using the electronic portal are encouraged to create their account no later than January 10, 2023, as technical difficulties may arise. If technical issues cannot be resolved, applicants can submit their application by mail (see below). Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their complete application well before the submission deadline;
• Applications must be submitted (successfully uploaded) by the applicants no later than January 13, 2023 at 1:00 PM (ET). A late application is considered to be one that has an electronic timestamp on the CSA system later than the deadline above;
• The onus is on the applicant to ensure that their application is complete and that all documents are uploaded or received by the CSA within the prescribed deadline;
• The CSA is not responsible for electronic delivery delays under any circumstances, and will refuse applications that are received after the prescribed deadline;
• Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted;
• Applications sent by e-mail will not be accepted;
• Applicants are asked to not send their application both electronically and by mail or courier service. If multiple applications are submitted, only the latest valid version received will be considered;
• Incomplete applications may not be considered.

4.2. How to submit an application by mail or using a recognized courier service

1. Download and complete the grant application form.
2. Assemble the application package. A complete application must contain the following:
   1. A completed original application form signed by hand (in ink) by the applicant (electronic, scanned and typed signatures will not be accepted);
   2. A copy of the applicant's application submitted to NSERC under their PDF Program (can be downloaded as a PDF file from the NSERC application website);
   3. A proof that the applicant will conduct their postdoctoral research work in a Canadian academic institution or another appropriate research institution in Canada (see section 3 above) (e.g., a Letter of Attestation from the institution).

   The hard copies of all the documents listed above must be placed in the same order in which they are presented above.

3. Send your application, by mail or using a recognized courier service, to the following address:

   Supplements to the NSERC PDF Program 2022 Initiative
   c/o Emilie de La Haye Duponsel
   Canadian Space Agency
   6767 Route de l'Aéroport
   Saint-Hubert, Quebec J3Y 8Y9

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Applications sent by mail or courier must be received at the CSA no later than January 13, 2023 at 1:00 PM (ET).
• The onus is on the applicant to ensure that their application is complete and that all documents are received at the CSA within the prescribed deadline;
• The CSA is not responsible for mail delivery delays under any circumstances, and will refuse applications that are received after the prescribed deadline;
• Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted;
• Applications sent by e-mail will not be accepted;
• Applicants are asked to not send their application both electronically and by mail or courier service. If multiple applications are submitted, only the latest valid version received will be considered;
• Incomplete applications may not be considered.

6.1. Eligibility

Applications will first be submitted to an eligibility assessment by the CSA to verify whether they comply with the eligibility criteria listed in section 3 of the AO. At this stage, the CSA will validate with NSERC whether the applicant is considered by NSERC for a postdoctoral fellowship under their program. Proof that the applicant has been awarded, and has accepted, an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship under NSERC's PDF Program will be verified by the CSA later in the evaluation process.

Only applications that have passed the eligibility assessment described above will be given further consideration.

6.2. Evaluation

Once the eligibility criteria are confirmed, the CSA's evaluators will assess the screened applications according to the criteria presented in Table 1 below. Applicants shall provide the appropriate documents, as indicated in the "Evidence" column and requested in Section 4, to demonstrate how each evaluation criterion is met.

Applicants shall provide the appropriate documents, as requested in section 4 of the AO, to allow proper evaluation of their application.

Applications will be rated on a 100-point rating scale. Only applications that obtain a minimum score of 70% will be given further consideration. The final score will be used to establish a ranking of applications.

Note: The CSA may, at its sole discretion, reject any application that fails the evaluation.

6.3. Final selection

For the final selection, the CSA will first consider the applicants having the highest final scores.

The award of the CSA supplements is conditional upon the applicant having been awarded an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship (as per the eligibility criteria outlined in section 3). As such, the CSA will confirm with NSERC that the applicants selected through this AO have accepted and been awarded their NSERC postdoctoral fellowship prior to notifying applicants of its final decision.

Because of limited funding, priority may be given to applicants who have not previously been funded directly by the CSA.

The CSA could also take into consideration factors such as a balanced grants distribution across Canada as well as a diversified representativeness among underrepresented groups in the space sector, particularly women. The CSA encourages applicants to indicate on a voluntary basis in their application form if they belong to one or more of the underrepresented groups. Please visit this site for a complete definition of each group.

Important note: Applicants selected by NSERC through its PDF Program have several months to accept their postdoctoral fellowship once NSERC advises them of their selection. As such, NSERC will confirm to the CSA at different points throughout the year which applicants selected under this AO have accepted and activated their fellowships, hence confirming their eligibility for the CSA supplement. The CSA may proceed with two rounds of decision notifications per application cycle if fewer than five (5) applicants are selected after the first round of decisions in a given application cycle. Applicants may refer to section 5 for information on key dates and service standards.

8.1. Payments

Payments will be made in the form of two (2) instalments as described in the signed grant agreement. Grant agreements will include a clause stipulating the recipient's obligation to confirm, after the first year, their eligibility for the G&C Program – Learning Component, and inform the CSA in writing of any changes to the conditions used in determining their eligibility for this component.

Prior to the second instalment, the recipient will have to submit a progress report that will be reviewed by the CSA program manager at the same time than the recipient's eligibility will be reassessed.

8.2. Final report

The CSA will require that each recipient submit a report outlining the achievements and outcomes of their postdoctoral research within 30 days following the end of the grant agreement.