Research Admin Offices:

• ROADS

Opportunity Type:

• Grant

Value:

Up to $150,000 in the first year and up to $300,000 for up to five subsequent years, for a maximum of $1.65M over six years.

Disciplines:

• Faculty of Science

Sponsors:

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

Deadlines:

Additional Dates:

• ROADS - Notice of Intent - March 3, 2025
• ROADS - Draft Letter of Intent - April 8, 2025
• ROADS - Final Letter of Intent - April 24, 2025
• Sponsor - Final Letter of Intent - May 1, 2025

Description:

The Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program supports the training and mentoring of teams of highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad through the development of innovative training programs that:

• encourage collaborative and integrative approaches, and address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada’s research priorities; and,
• facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce.

Additional Program Information:

Changes to the CREATE Program:

In an effort to simplify the application process and provide opportunities for a wider range of eligible institutions, the CREATE program for the 2026 competition year will be modified as follows:

• An unlimited number of Letters of Intent (LOIs) can be submitted by an institution. There are no university LOI quotas for eligible institutions.
• The LOI stage will be semi-competitive. NSERC will admit, via peer review using established criteria, a specific number of LOIs from each institution to the application stage. An institution’s allotment is based on the average total value of NSERC grant funding awarded over the past 3 years. McMaster’s allotment for the 2026 competition is 3 applications.
• Only when an institution submits a number of LOIs greater than their allotment will their LOIs be peer reviewed to determine which of these will advance to the application stage.
• LOIs submitted to the International stream are exempt from the institution’s allotment.
• The total number of new CREATE grants that can be awarded to an institution is capped at 3 per competition year.

Eligibility:

These innovative programs mut foster the acquisition and development of important professional skills among students and postdoctoral fellows that complement their qualifications and technical skills, and improve their job readiness for careers in industry, government, non-governmental organizations and/or academia.

Resources:

Additional Details.

Contact:

For more information and how to apply contact Ryan Heyden, Senior Advisor, ROADS.