The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. NSERC directly funds university professors and students as well as Canadian companies to perform research and training. With funding from the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

, NSERC supports the research of over 41,000 students, trainees and professors at universities and colleges in Canada with an annual budget of CA$1.1 billion in 2015. Its current director is

Alejandro Adem Alejandro Adem, FRSC is a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia and President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Previously he was Director of the Pacific Institute for ...

. NSERC, combined with the

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH) is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and traini ...

(SSHRC) and the

Canadian Institutes of Health Research The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; french: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the M ...

(CIHR), forms the major source of federal government funding to post-secondary research. These bodies are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Tri-Council" or "Tri-Agency".

History

NSERC came into existence on 1 May 1978 under the ''Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act'', which was passed in an omnibus manner by the government of

Pierre Elliot Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and ...

. University-based research had previously been supported through the National Research Council of Canada. It reports to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

through the

Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development The minister of innovation, science, and industry (french: ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et de l'Industrie) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the economic development and corporate ...

. It is governed by a Council composed of its president and up to 18 members appointed from the private and public sectors and an executive team of eight persons.

President

Past presidents include Gordon M. MacNabb (1978-1986), Arthur W. May (1986-1990),

Peter Morand Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

(1990-1995), Tom Brzustowski (1995-2005),

Suzanne Fortier Suzanne Fortier (born November 11, 1949) is a Canadian crystallographer and the 17th Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University. Early life and education Fortier was born in Saint-Timothée, Quebec, a town on Île-de-Salaberry in th ...

(2006-2013), and B. Mario Pinto (2014-2018). On 25 June 2019,

was appointed President of NSERC, effective October 1, 2019.

Grants and awards

Professors

NSERC offers research funding for programs and projects covering every discipline of the sciences and engineering.

Students and fellows

NSERC provides awards, scholarships, and fellowships to graduate and undergraduate students for scientific research.

Partnership programs

NSERC has Research Partnerships Programs to help foster collaborations between university researchers, colleges and other sectors (including government and industry) to develop new knowledge and expertise, transfer it to Canadian-based organizations and meet the objectives of the Government of Canada’s Science & Technology Strategy on innovation. In February 2021, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' reported that NSERC partnered with

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...

in which the company contributed over CAN $4.8 million in funding for research. NSERC is also a sponsor of Women in Science and Engineering Newfoundland and Labrador (WISE NL).

References

External links

NSERC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natural Sciences And Engineering Research Council Federal departments and agencies of Canada Funding bodies of Canada Natural Resources Canada Scientific organizations based in Canada Higher education in Canada 1978 establishments in Canada Government agencies established in 1978