CSA Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Cycle 2 General Observers (GO) projects

3.1 Eligible Recipients

Eligible recipients under this AO are Canadian universities and post-secondary institutions.

3.2 Eligible Projects

Eligible projects for this AO are those that were selected based on JWST open observing time and that were selected as a result of the GO Cycle 2  call for proposals issued by NASA/STScI. Only one application per project will be accepted.

One of the following roles, must be filled by a Canada based astronomer (see section 3.1):

• Category A:
  • Principal Investigator, and/or
  • Co-Principal Investigator(s).
• Category B:
  • Co-Investigator(s) only.

The projects have to be based on the analysis of the GO Cycle 2 data for the purpose of advancing knowledge of the astronomy fields of research enabled by JWST.

All development phases necessary for a project are eligible. Any logical breakdown or combination of these phases can constitute a funded project under this AO. However, breaking down a project into numerous phases submitted as distinct proposals to obtain more than the maximum grant or contribution under this AO is not allowed. Furthermore, the completion of a funded phase does not automatically guarantee future funding of the remaining phases.

3.3 Links to CSA Priorities

To be eligible, projects supported under this AO must contribute to at least one of the following CSA priorities, such as expressed in the Space Strategy (www.asc-csa.gc.ca/pdf/eng/publications/space-strategy-for-canada.pdf [PDF, 1.66 MB]) and the report Canadian Space Exploration - Science and Space Health priorities for Next Decade and Beyond (2017):

• Maximize the utilization of the Canadian time on JWST by astronomers and help them perform outstanding research in space astronomy.
• Ensure Canada's leadership in acquiring and using space-based data to support science excellence, innovation, and economic growth.
• Supporting space science to study Earth and beyond.
• To increase the number of astronomers using space telescopes for their research projects.

Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that increase the representation and advancement of women and underrepresented groups in space sciences and engineering as one means to foster excellence in research and training.

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 information gathering, studies and research related to space.
• 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.

4.1 Required Documentation

Applicants must submit a completed Application as described below.

The Application must include the following:

• A completed typed original application form digitally signed by the Duly Authorized Representative of the proposed project as stipulated in section 3.2.
• The proposal:
  • The application form requests a separately attached proposed research and data analysis plan, which must address the evaluation criteria described in section 5.2 and in Annex A.
  • For Category A projects, proposals of maximum 5 pages (excluding figures and bibliography) addressing all of the evaluation criteria will be accepted.
  • For Category B projects, abbreviated proposals of maximum 3 pages (excluding figures and bibliography) addressing all of the evaluation criteria may be accepted when appropriate.
• Proof of incorporation or registration (i.e. Corporation Registry) of the Applicant. Note that the Applicant refers to the Canadian university/post secondary institution (see section 3.1).
• A CV should at least be included for the collaborators submitting the proposals and any key team members such as the PI, Co-PI(s) and Co-Is associated with Canadian institutes and directly relevant to the CSA proposal (it is optional for all team members listed on the proposal submitted to STScI to include CVs).
• For Category B proposals, a letter of support from the Principal Investigator of the approved NASA/STScI Cycle 2 GO proposal confirming the roles and responsibilities of the Canadian Co-I(s).
• Letters from other funding contributors confirming their contributions (if applicable).
• Declaration on Confidentiality, Access to Information Act and Privacy Act form signed by the duly authorized representative (refer to the Applicant Declaration on Confidentiality, Access to Information Act and Privacy Act section included in the application form), and
• For organizations in Quebec, M-30 Supporting Documentation form completed and signed by the duly authorized representative (refer to the M-30 form for organizations in Quebec included in the application form).

Any missing supporting document or any incoherence between the requested documents and the information provided within the documents may lead to the rejection of the proposal on that sole basis.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application complies with all relevant federal, provincial, and territorial legislation and municipal bylaws.

4.2 Submission of Applications

• The complete application (the required documentation, including a complete original application form signed by the duly authorized representative) must be submitted (successfully uploaded) by the applicants no later than 2 p.m. EDT on August 25th, 2023 (Closing date).
• Applications must be uploaded electronically following the instructions provided below. However, if the applicant is unable to submit their application electronically, please communicate with (csa_jwst_cycle2@asc-csa.gc.ca) no later than August 21st, 2023 at 5 p.m. EDT, to obtain instructions on how to submit a paper application by mail. Applications sent by e-mail will not be accepted.
• Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. A late application has an electronic timestamp on the CSA system later than the deadline above.
• The applicant must complete an account creation request on the Electronic proposal portal. Upon receipt, the CSA will send an email with instructions on how to connect to the CSA secure filer system to allow you to upload documents securely. Please note that Google Chrome is the browser of choice for submissions. Supported browsers are Google Chrome and Internet Explorer with some restrictions. Applicants are encouraged to create their account many days before the submission deadline as technical difficulties may arise.

• Allow up to seventy-two hours (72) for the CSA to send an email confirming the account creation as well as instructions (user guide) on how to access the platform. It is strongly recommended that the account creation request be submitted no later than August 18th, 2023. If technical issues arise and cannot be resolved before August 21st, 2023, applicants must submit their application by mail at the following address:

  JWST Cycle 2 AO
  c/o  Dr. Jean Dupuis
  Space Exploration Development
  Canadian Space Agency
  6767 Route de l'Aéroport
  Borough of Saint-Hubert
  Longueuil, Québec
  J3Y 8Y9

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their applications well before the submission deadline.
• Using the temporary password assigned by the CSA, login to the secured portal to upload protected documents.
• Please refer to the user guide (PDF, 221 KB) for instructions on how to securely upload documents.
• The application must be prepared as a single PDF-formatted file containing all of the above requested documents with all security features disabled. Please order the document with the application form and proposal first. The proposal and supporting documents must be included in the file as searchable PDF-formatted documents (PDF/A-1a or PDF/A-2a formats preferred). If the CSA encounters any accessibility issues with the submitted PDF files, the applicant will be solely responsible, and the application might not be considered.
• 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 5 to send a hard copy of their completed application with the original documents.
• Questions and answers related to this AO will be posted on the CSA website in the Frequently Asked Questions (Section 9).

4.3 Service Standards – Complete Applications

Applicants will be notified in writing of decisions regarding their application. Selected applications will be announced on the CSA website. The CSA has set the following service standards for processing times, acknowledgement of receipt, funding decisions and payment procedures.

• Acknowledgement: The CSA's goal is to acknowledge receipt of proposals within 2 weeks of receiving the completed application package.
• Decision: The CSA's goal is to respond to the proposal within 20 weeks of the AO's closing date and to send a grant agreement for signature within 8 weeks after formal approval of the proposal.
• Payment: The CSA's goal is to issue payment within 4 weeks of the successful fulfillment of the requirements outlined in the grant agreement.

Compliance with these service standards is a shared responsibility. Applicants must submit all required documentation in a timely fashion. Service standards may vary by Announcement of Opportunity.

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, and
• Meets program funding provisions in Section 6.1.

5.2 Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Specific evaluation of the criteria is detailed under Annex A "Evaluation Criteria". The annex defines each criterion, and the scale rating of each criterion. A minimum score of 60 is required for a proposal to be selected for funding. If a proposal receives a score below the minimum score for any individual criteria, the application fails the evaluation and is not eligible for funding.

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, and representatives of other government and non-government agencies and organizations. If applicable, a multidisciplinary evaluation committee will be formed when applications from several different disciplines are competing in order to provide a uniform 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. For more information on GBA +.

A review panel will then make an overall selection based on the evaluation scores and other priorities of the Government of Canada and CSA such as, but not limited to, regional distribution, distribution between universities and post-secondary institutions, implication of HQP and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students. Because of a limited availability of funds, we plan on prioritizing projects during the JWST Cycle 2 call for proposals (NASA/STScI) with Canadian based PIs and Co-PIs selected (category A) but an effort will be made to fund Canadian based Co-Is (Category B).

6.1 Available Funding and Duration

Over a maximum period of 2 years, the total maximum funding amount given in grant for each project will be as follows:

Category A Maximum Funding: up to $100,000

Projects with Canada based PI/Co-PI.

Category B Maximum Funding: up to $50,000

Projects with only Canada based Co-I.

The number of projects under this AO will depend on funding availability. A reminder that only one proposal per project will be accepted. Priority of funding will be given to Category A projects, but Category B projects will still be considered and can receive funding.

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.

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.

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 grant, with the CSA.

• Salaries and benefits.
• Publication and communication services.
• Registration fees.
• Travel.
• Accommodation and meal allowances.
• Acquisition, development, and printing of materials.
• Acquisition or rental of equipment.
• Bursaries.
• Consultant services.
• 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.
• Training.
• Translation services.

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.

For grant agreements, payments will be made in a lump sum or instalments as described in the signed agreement. Grant funding agreements will include a clause stipulating the recipient's obligation to confirm—once a year in the case of multi-year agreements—their eligibility for the G&C Program – Research Component and inform the CSA in writing of any changes to the conditions used in determining their eligibility for this component.

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 (L.R.Q., c. 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 relations 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 Access Publications

In the event that publications result from the project, the CSA wishes to promote the dissemination of findings that results 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 access publication and archiving by recipients 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 articles 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.

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 publications (if not freely accessible) or the hyperlink (if freely accessible) and its digital object identifier (DOI). These will be used to improve accessibility by including them in the CSA publications directory. Also, as a courtesy, the CSA would like to be informed in advance of significant press releases or media interest resulting from the work.

Scoring and weights

A numerical weight is associated with each criterion. Each criterion will be rated on a letter scale from A to E, with A being the highest score. It is strongly recommended that applicants write their proposals by providing information related to each highest score.

There is an overall minimum score of 60 to pass, as well individual minimum requirements on all criteria individually. If a proposal receives a score below the minimum score for any individual criteria, the application is not eligible for funding. The Applicant is advised to read Evaluation Criteria carefully when preparing the proposal.

1. Benefits to Canada

Scoring:

• Maximum: 20
• Minimum: 10

The significance and potential for advancement of scientific knowledge in astronomy relevant to JWST science objectives and how the work is anticipated to enhance Canada's reputation in space astronomy will be assessed on the following:

• How significant an advance would be made?
• If the work were disseminated, would it significantly enhance the reputation of Canada in space astronomy?
• Is the project providing leadership opportunities for Canadian HQP in the context of JWST?

2. Project Feasibility

Scoring:

• Maximum: 30
• Minimum: 21

3. Resources: Qualification and experience of the PI, Co-PI or Co-I (applicant) applying for the grant as well as the investigation team, and budget justification.

Scoring:

• Maximum: 25
• Minimum: 16

4. Results: Publication and science dissemination plan

Scoring:

• Maximum: 20
• Minimum: 10

This criterion evaluates the applicant's commitment to sharing data and disseminating results from the proposed investigation based on their JWST data.

• Does the proposal include a plan to share reduced JWST data with a broader science community and/or with the public?
• Does the proposal include a plan to disseminate results (articles, conference presentations, seminars, public talks, websites, etc.)?

5. Risk and mitigation strategies – Project risks (financial, managerial, scientific and/or technical) and mitigation strategies.

Scoring:

• Maximum: 5
• Minimum: 3

This criterion evaluates key risks associated with the project and the mitigation strategies for each risk. It includes a thorough analysis of the project's financial, scientific and/or technical, and managerial risks.

• Has the applicant identified and described in detail the risks associated with the project, including, but not limited to, financial, scientific and/or technical, and managerial?
• Are the mitigation strategies for each risk correctly addressed and realistic? What is the probability that such risks would occur?