NSERC CREATE Program

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.

The programs must:

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

These innovative programs must 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.

Application Process

The CREATE program follows a single application cycle each year comprising three stages from January/February to September each year. Awards are valued at up to $1.65M over six years, 80% of which must go to trainee stipends.

Teams can apply under three streams for the 2023 competition year:

• Regular stream (institutional cap applies)
• Industrial stream (institutional cap applies)
• International stream (no institutional cap)

Applying to CREATE involves a three-stage process for UBC applicants to the regular or industrial streams, including mandatory participation in an internal UBC competition. Teams that are successful in the internal competition will be invited to submit their CREATE letter of intent. Applicants are invited forward to the full application stage. 

UBC is only permitted to submit six applications combined to the regular and industrial streams of the CREATE program (institutional cap). Researchers applying to the international stream do not need to participate in the UBC internal competition as their applications do not count towards UBC's institutional cap, however, they are advised to inform SPARC in advance of their intent to apply for assistance with the submission process.

There is a limit on researchers' participation in multiple active CREATE initiatives. An individual researcher may participate in a maximum of two CREATE initiatives as either an applicant or co-applicant. Additionally, researchers may be the applicant for one CREATE initiative per year.

Sponsor Site

Timeline

January

February – Regular & industrial stream only

Late April – Invited applicants from regular & industrial stream; all international stream applicants

May to September

Late September

Support & Resources

Contacts