Summer 2000, Vol. 25, No. 2 ISSN 1188-066X
Is Peer-Review Fatigue
Setting In?
Editorial by NSERC President Tom Brzustowski
A year ago, an ACST Expert Panel noted finally to have followed the lead of the
that Canadian university researchers research community and embraced
generally had less time to do research peer review, identifying it now as the
than did their counterparts in the US gold standard for responsible decision-
and other G-8 countries. I believe that making and accountability in the
observation is accurate, and that there investment of public funds. Of course,
may be two main reasons for it. The the reservations are not about the
4 The Newsbureau
first one is the relatively low core funding
of Canadian universities that produces
nature of peer review; they are about
the time required to do it.
high teaching loads. This is nothing
NSERC is in no position to help with the
new, and has been widely discussed for
5 E-Guides: The Way years. But the second possible reason is
more recent and closer to home for
core funding of universities in Canada.
But if the work involved in the peer
of the Future review of our programs is beginning to
NSERC. We are starting to hear that
take away from the time that our
there is a workload problem caused by
grantees have for their own research,
the recent growth in new programs of
then we must do something about that.
6 Competition News research support, all of which seem to
have adopted peer review as a key When problems are identified, solutions
element of their decision-making are often volunteered. Here are some
processes. The CFI, the Canada Research suggestions that have been made to me.
www.nserc.ca Chairs, and various provincial programs “Let the GSCs review only new applicants
are examples, as well as some recent and difficult cases. The GSC chair and
initiatives at NSERC. NSERC staff can handle the rest.” “Treat
the Research Grants as the program
There is irony in this. All of the new
that gives researchers their credentials
programs were launched to meet
and maintains quality, and let staff
pressing and important needs, and all
handle reviewing the applications in all
have been welcomed by researchers. At
the same time, governments seem (continued on page 2)
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 1H5
Continued from cover page
the other programs.” “Reduce the size is a system that works very well because
Contact is published by: of peer-review committees.” “Extend the research community approaches it
research grants to five years.” “Use with a sense of duty and a commitment
Communications Division PROGRID, like CFI does.” “Do peer to integrity. My own strong preference
NSERC review electronically; don’t bring people is to leave it alone, to let it continue
350 Albert Street to Ottawa for committee meetings.” evolving as it has been doing, and not
Ottawa, Ontario etc., etc. But I have also heard a very to attempt to overhaul it in any massive
K1A 1H5 different view: “People know that way. I believe that the issue of dwindling
Tel.: (613) 995-5992 NSERC peer review is crucial and they time for research is real and must be
Fax: (613) 943-0742 will always make time for it, so don’t addressed, but I hope that the time
change anything. Let the other agencies available for research might be
It is also published on worry about their own peer-review increased in other ways that will have a
the Internet at problems.” more direct and greater effect.
www.nserc.ca/publicat.htm. That last suggestion would be arrogant Nevertheless, if enough people in the
if it came from NSERC. And, even NSE research community tell us this
Forward address changes worse, it could prove inaccurate. I think summer that their workload in peer
to the mailing address that the workload of peer review is a review at NSERC is becoming onerous,
above or send an e-mail to subject on which we need to hear from to the extent that it significantly
comm@nserc.ca. many more in the NSERC community. reduces the time they have to do
research, then we will have no choice
Editor-in-Chief Is the workload of NSERC peer review
but to begin exploring options for
Joyce French becoming excessive for researchers?
change. In that event, I will ask Council
E-mail: joyce.french@nserc.ca Should NSERC consider redesigning
at its October meeting to authorize a
the peer-review system? Please let me
broad and systematic consultation,
have your answer to these two questions.
asking the NSE research community to
NSERC is Canada's I would appreciate both individual
propose how the NSERC process of
instrument for promoting opinions and responses from groups of
peer review might be changed to
and supporting university colleagues who have discussed the issue.
reduce their workload, but in a way
research in the natural You can reach me at exec@nserc.ca.
that preserves the values that we all
sciences and engineering, NSERC’s peer review system is one of consider so important.
other than the health the principal factors in maintaining the
sciences. I look forward to hearing from many of
high quality of Canadian university
you on this important issue.
research in science and engineering. It
NSERC supports both basic
university research through
research grants and project
research through partner-
ships among universities,
governments and the Attend Synergy 2000
private sector, as well as
the advanced training of
highly qualified people.
This Fall
Once again, NSERC is teaming up
with The Conference Board of Canada
to honour universities and industries
from across the country that are To attend the Innovation 2000
working together to develop new ways Conference: The Grand Challenges in
of doing things. Synergy 2000 is a Managing and Sustaining Innovation,
national competition showcasing the during which the awards will be
best in collaborative research and presented, November 2-3 in Toronto,
development in the natural sciences call the Conference Board at
and engineering. 1-800-267-0666 to register, or visit its
Web site, www.conferenceboard.ca.
2 Summer 2000 NSERCContact
Dr. Kim Vicente
The Human New Scholarships
Named for
Factor in Julie Payette
Engineering Twenty-four graduate students have
been awarded Julie Payette-NSERC
Research Scholarships.
It’s something we can all relate
The new scholarships, which were
to: the ever-present flashing
approved by Council in January, are
clock on the VCR that remains
offered to the four top-ranked
unprogrammed because we
candidates reviewed by each of six
can’t figure out how it works.
discipline-based selection committees.
While many of us blame our
Canadian astronaut and NSERC
sometimes less-than-perfect
Council member Julie Payette, who was
relationship with technology
invited to lend her name to this
on our lack of ability or
program, embodies the leadership
understanding, Dr. Kim Vicente,
qualities and excellence that NSERC is
Director of the University
seeking to encourage and support.
of Toronto’s Cognitive
Winners are chosen for their academic
Engineering Laboratory,
excellence, their research ability and
attributes this type of scenario Using a device that measures eye movements, a student
potential, and their leadership and
to engineers and scientists who in Dr. Vicente's laboratory conducts research on human-
computer interaction and the effect of different interface communication skills.
have neglected to consider the
designs on human performance and attention.
human factor when designing These scholarships are valued at
technology. $25,000 per year for two years. The
winners are listed on NSERC’s Web
“If technology doesn’t work for people, then it doesn’t work,” says Dr. Vicente. And
site, at www.nserc.ca/schol_e.htm.
given how much time we all spend living and working with technology and how
much money we invest in it, this is no small matter.
Speaking to NSERC staff in May as part of the Bacon and Eggheads lecture series,
Dr. Vicente discussed human factor engineering, a discipline that looks at ways of
designing technology to make it easier and safer for people to use.
Designers need to look at people’s interaction with technology as a three-part
puzzle — the technology, the tasks to be accomplished with the technology, and the
human dimension, says Dr. Vicente. For us to realize the full potential of technology,
these pieces must all fit together.
Programming a VCR is an everyday example of a mismatch between technology and
the people using it. Played out in an industrial setting, however, the stakes can be
much higher. “Take an airplane, for instance,” says Dr. Vicente. “How pilots interact
with technology can be a matter of life and death.” Airplane crashes are sometimes
attributed to pilot error, when in fact it’s poorly designed technology that has led the
pilot to make the mistake.
Getting the technology right is important, but it’s not enough. Engineers and
scientists need to know something about social sciences and the humanities. There’s
been a gap in this area of their education, but thanks to the emergence of human
Couvrette/Ottawa
factor engineering, that gap is now closing.
As Dr. Vicente elaborates, every engineering student must take some type of
economic analysis, not necessarily to become an expert in accounting but because
there’s no such thing as an engineering project without a budget. “Similarly,” says
Dr. Vicente, “no engineering project exists without some human involvement along Dr. Thomas Brzustowski, recently
reappointed to a second term as
the way. It’s really about technology working for people.” President of NSERC.
NSERCContact Summer 2000 3
NSERC’s Newsbureau:
A Matter of Community and
Communication
For 22 years NSERC has fulfilled two The objective of NSERC’s Newsbureau the sheer volume of work conducted by
fundamental and primary functions for is to get stories of your research to the our nation’s scientists and engineers.
and within the academic scientific and press; to place these stories on our Web
engineering community. These have site; and, ultimately, for the Web site to A dedicated research
been the allocation of federal funds for become a one-stop information news resource
research; and the generation and resource for Canada’s press. As the NSERC Web site builds up with
management of diverse programs news of your work, we will eventually
Most stories that we feed to the press
designed to encourage and stimulate develop the site into a stand-alone,
are gleaned from the successful research
research in the natural sciences and dedicated information database covering
applications that are submitted annually
engineering. the Canadian community’s research
to the agency; or from chance news
news. This will be continually promoted
A new dynamic reaching us of interesting activity. The
until it becomes the logical, first port-
number of stories supplied unprompted
NSERC’s traditional role has now taken by researchers is woefully few. of-call for Canadian journalists who
on a new dynamic. However, central to will be given a free-of-charge
this new role is the participation of the Some of you are already using networks subscription service to it.
members of the community. We at to share such information with colleagues
and students. Relay the information to When we get your stories ‘out there,’
NSERC need to hear from you and receive
us and give us the option of considering everyone benefits. We will have the
news of your research and its progress.
it for the NSERC Web site where it can satisfaction of meeting our
be accessed by an even larger audience, communications goals, principal among
press and peers included. We will also which is the creation of a significant
be investing additional PR support for news platform for your research.
major projects. However, we cannot do it without you
which is why we are asking the
Blowing away old community to feed back into us.
assumptions Keeping the decision-
We have taken on new personnel skilled makers informed
in media relations whose principal focus
We know from our monthly Bacon &
will be to expand existing relations
Eggheads breakfasts held on Parliament
with the journalists and university PR
Hill, where we invite M.P.s to listen to
officers. Changing existing press
guest speakers from our community,
perceptions about NSERC, which are
that the decision-makers are interested
largely limited to seeing the agency
in what you are doing and stimulated
solely as an official dispenser of federal
by the insights researchers can provide
research dollars, is a significant part of
into their work. It is also clear that they
the Newsbureau’s campaign. We will be
like to read of the returns on the
travelling the country to meet key press
investment made by the Canadian
face-to-face and to plant new
public in natural science and
If you know of a company that is perceptions of NSERC in their minds.
engineering research.
interested in collaborating with Principal among these will be the
scientists and engineers in Therefore, your co-operation is vital in
agency’s Information Age role as a
Canadian universities — and keeping the information flowing,
major news resource connecting them
having NSERC share the costs — particularly as a means to offering
to Canada’s scientific and engineering
send them a copy of our new insights to the larger public whose
research community.
brochure, which explains how investment supports us.
flexible our university-industry At present, the Canadian press’ principal So please get in touch with us — and
programs are. references for scientific research stay in touch. We can be reached at
information are foreign ones. The absence newsbureau@nserc.ca
Call (613) 995-1111 today, of a Canadian news service representing
for copies. Canadian research is alarming, given
Arnet Sheppard
Manager, NSERC Newsbureau
4 Summer 2000 NSERCContact
E-Guides: The Way of the Future
Starting this fall, the electronic versions of the Researcher’s Guide
and other program publications (see list, opposite) will be made • Researcher’s Guide
more user-friendly, and in the fall of 2001 the print versions will • Application for NSERC Grants
be discontinued. (Forms 100, 101, 120)
• NSERC Code Book
“MRC and SSHRC basically went electronic some time ago, and • Scholarships and Fellowships Guide
the CFI has never had any print publications. NSERC’s clients are • Application for an NSERC Scholarship or
among the most ‘plugged in’ in the world, and so it’s appropriate Fellowship (Form 200)
that we make fuller use of the Web as a means of disseminating • Application for an Undergraduate Student
information,” said Tim Nau, NSERC’s director of communications. Research Award (Form 202)
The new electronic versions will allow for easy printing of • Guide for Visiting Fellows in Canadian
individual sections of publications. NSERC will also consult with Government Laboratories
researchers and research administrators to find other ways to • Visiting Fellowships in Canadian Government
improve the delivery of information. Laboratories Guide
• NSERC Award Holder’s Guide for
NSERC will continue to provide a pdf version of its program Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS) Holders at
publications after 2001, so that people who wish to can print off Canadian Universities
hard copies for themselves. • NSERC Award Holder’s Guide for
Forms will be available via the Internet, but they should still be Postgraduate Scholarship Holders in Foreign
printed off, filled in and submitted in hard copies as in the past. Institutions and Postdoctoral Fellows
Electronic processing of forms still lies in the future.
University Visits Four New
SPARKS
Scheduled for the Fall Set to Fly!
The second national
As a result of a shortfall in NSERC’s administrative budget this year, it has been NSERC-SPARK
necessary to make some changes to the planned fall visits. competition took place in April, and
Due to the budget constraint, some Grants Selection Committee (GSC) members Laurentian, Prince Edward Island
and Research Grants staff will be visiting a few small universities only. The rationale and Trent universities, and the Nova
for this is that feedback indicates that the benefit to the smaller institutions is Scotia Agricultural College were
greater, given the small number of faculty at such institutions with GSC experience. selected to participate in the program,
The schedule is posted on our Web site at www.nserc.ca/programs/rgvisit2000e.htm. bringing to fourteen the total number
of institutions involved.
Scholarships and Fellowships staff will be visiting Toronto and Montreal on
September 13, and Vancouver and Halifax on September 22, to promote their programs SPARK, which stands for Students
and brief university personnel who administer them on recent developments. Promoting Awareness of Research
Knowledge, is an NSERC program
You can obtain information about the visits from your university in August and designed to train students in various
September, or from Louise Benoit, the NSERC Site Visit Coordinator, by phone at aspects of communications (e.g.,
(613) 996-2985 or e-mail at louise.benoit@nserc.ca. news release and news story writing)
and promote research news to the
public. Through SPARK, students
are recruited, trained and paid to
Environmental Assessment Update write stories based on the NSERC-
Remember to check NSERC’s Web site regularly this summer and supported research at their university.
read the fall edition of Contact for updates on NSERC’s EA process. Visit our SPARK Web page
If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact (www.nserc.ca/science/spark/index.htm)
Robert Roy, Environmental Assessment Coordinator, by e-mail at to find out more about this unique
robert.roy@nserc.ca, or by phone at (613) 995-8079. program.
NSERCContact Summer 2000 5
Competition News, 2000-2001
Three New Research Research Grants Programs
Network Grants NSERC’s Grants Selection Committees reviewed 4,438 applications for Research and
Coasts Under Stress Equipment Grants in February 2000. They recommended support for 74.6% of the
NSERC and SSHRC are funding this applications for Research Grants and 53.4% of the applications for Equipment
five-year project ($2.5M from SSHRC Grants (including Major Equipment and Major Installation Grants).
and $3.7M from NSERC) along with The accompanying table summarizes current commitments resulting from the
federal, provincial and community- 2000 competition and instalments of grants
based organizations that are providing awarded in previous competitions, but excludes
$1.3M in cash and in kind. Rosemary TIPS…
a small number of awards for which a
Ommer, of the University of Calgary, decision is still pending. For tips on how to write a
and 60 researchers in the physical and winning research grant
social sciences and humanities are A detailed list of awards and statistics are proposal, visit our Web site at
creating a more integrated theory of available on NSERC’s Web site at www.nserc.ca/resear_e.htm.
Canadian ecology, economy and society www.nserc.ca/about/factstat.htm.
to improve our understanding of the
links between social and environmental Grants Awarded, Including Instalments
change and how they affect the health of
Canadian people and places.
(in $000)
Grants Selection Committee Research Grants1 Equipment2
Mackenzie Basin Climate- No. $ No. $
Hydrological System: MAGS Animal Biology 210 6,607 22 1,161
Phase 2 Animal Physiology 192 7,446 42 1,547
Ming-Ko Woo of McMaster University Cell Biology 292 10,718 47 1,309
and 19 researchers at eight universities Molecular & Developmental Genetics 201 8,247 31 1,057
have been awarded $4.9M over five years Plant Biology & Food Science3 291 11,621 50 1,880
to model the energy and water cycles Evolution & Ecology 461 14,741 62 1,866
Psychology 376 10,708 37 840
that establish the climate at the earth’s
Inorganic & Organic Chemistry 273 14,184 61 5,763
surface in subpolar and boreal latitudes. Analytical & Physical Chemistry 293 13,320 46 3,465
This network is the Canadian General Physics 132 5,158 14 960
universities’ contribution to the Condensed Matter Physics 216 7,410 36 2,623
Canadian GEWEX study, a much larger Space & Astronomy 169 6,674 11 393
initiative led by Environment Canada as Solid Earth Sciences 291 9,978 32 1,544
part of the International World Climate Environmental Earth Sciences 316 8,843 38 1,762
Research program. Eight government Pure & Applied Mathematics - A 297 4,943 4 186
partners and two industrial partners are Pure & Applied Mathematics - B 225 4,222 5 180
providing $95,000 in cash and $10.9M Statistical Sciences 247 5,075 9 418
Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering 478 15,121 70 4,465
in kind over five years.
Civil Engineering 475 12,253 47 2,112
Canadian Research Network on Communications, Computers,
Bacterial Pathogens of Swine & Components Engineering 354 8,909 18 1,108
Electromagnetics & Electrical Systems Engineering 286 7,976 18 791
The Canadian Swine Industry exports
Mechanical Engineering 516 12,772 50 2,282
approximately 46% of its products, Industrial Engineering 239 5,346 9 273
which accounts for over $1.1B of its Computing & Information Science4 424 12,079 - -
annual revenue. Losses through bacterial Computing & Information Science A 82 1,677 25 1,023
diseases cost the industry as much as Computing & Information Science B 125 2,927 12 599
$80M per year. Mario Jacques, of the Interdisciplinary 84 2,172 6 322
Université de Montréal, and 26 Selection Committee on Research Grants 13 4,620
researchers have been awarded $3.1M Selection Committee in Life Sciences 6 1,230
over five years to increase knowledge of Sub-Total 7,545 231,128 821 45,780
swine bacterial pathogens and develop Subatomic Physics5 133 15,459 7 4,290
Total 7,678 246,587 828 50,070
and improve vaccines. The national and
1
provincial pork producer organizations, 2
Includes individual, group, projects, institutes, and grants to holders of Women’s Faculty Awards.
Includes Equipment, Major Equipment and Major Installation Grants; some equipment grants
two animal-health companies and seven were paid with 1999 funds.
federal and provincial government 3 Includes multidisciplinary network group grants.
4 Historical committee.
departments are providing approximately 5 There are also 7 Major Facilities Access (MFA) awards in Subatomic Physics totalling $791K.
$900,000 in cash and $720,000 in kind.
6 Summer 2000 NSERCContact
Competition News, continued from page 6
Collaborative
Research Scholarships and Fellowships
Opportunities (CRO) In February, NSERC’s six scholarships and fellowships selection committees
reviewed over 3,000 applications for support at the graduate and postdoctoral
In this first CRO competition, two
levels. Following their deliberations, NSERC offered Postgraduate Scholarships
multidisciplinary peer panels reviewed
(PGS) to 1,676 students, and 227 postdoctoral fellowships to those pursuing
63 applications, requesting a total of
postdoctoral research.
$12,936,239 in the first year of multi-
year projects. NSERC approved 15 The table below shows the competition
awards totalling $3,075,922 — a success results. The PGS and PDF awards are TIPS…
rate of 23.8% and a funding rate of distributed among the selection For tips on how to prepare a
23.3%. committees according to a formula that winning scholarship or
takes into account the number of fellowship proposal,
Many of the projects are inter-
applications and the history of awards visit our Web site at
disciplinary in nature. All include
for each committee. www.nserc.ca/schol_e.htm.
international collaborations. Most
frequent were collaborations with
colleagues in the United States, Japan,
Selection Award Number of Number of Success
Germany, France, Italy and Portugal. Committee Type Applications Awards Rate (%)
The awards range from $102,500 to Engineering PGS 366 292 79.8
PDF 92 30 32.6
$420,000 annually, with an average of Computer and PGS 470 318 67.7
approximately $200,000. Mathematical Sciences PDF 76 27 35.5
Physics and PGS 348 244 70.1
Team size ranges from 2 to 20, with Chemistry PDF 130 45 34.6
an average of 10. Seventy-seven Earth Sciences PGS 457 286 62.6
and Ecology PDF 143 43 30.1
Canadian co-applicants representing
Cellular and Molecular PGS 419 260 62.1
24 universities, and 14 Canadian Biology PDF 140 46 32.9
co-applicants representing 6 other Life Sciences PGS 430 276 64.2
Canadian institutions are participating and Psychology PDF 113 36 31.9
in the CRO projects. The list of awards Total PGS 2,490 1,676 67.3
PDF 694 227 32.7
can be found on NSERC’s Web site at
www.nserc.ca/programs/result/2000/
rg/by_gsc.htm.
UFA Program Expanded
In January, Council directed that the UFA program be expanded to include
University Faculty Aboriginal people, beginning with the 2001-2002 competition. Aboriginal men and
Awards (UFA) women being appointed to university faculty positions in science and engineering
may now participate in the program.
As a result of this year’s UFA
competition, 22 women will take up The deadline date for receipt of nominations for the next competition is
faculty positions in universities across November 1, 2000. For information on the UFA program, visit NSERC’s Web site at
Canada. Award holders will receive www.nserc.ca/programs/schol4_e.htm.
salaries of $40,000 annually for up to
5 years, along with substantial research
grants. A list of the current winners Major Facilities Access Grants1
can be found on NSERC’s Web site Discipline Group Success Rate (%) Average Grant ($)
at www.nserc.ca/programs/sf/ Chemistry & Chemical/Metallurgical Engineering 66.7 68,159
ufa-results-e.htm. Earth Sciences 60.0 51,667
Computing & Communications 33.3 60,000
Life Sciences 71.4 97,555
Materials Science 66.7 46,500
Space and Astronomy 33.3 105,000
Mathematics and Statistics 0.0 —
1 Fourteen of 25 applications were funded.
NSERCContact Summer 2000 7
Competition News, continued from page 7
Results of the First Competitions
Collaborative Health Research Tri-council Workshops/ Genomics Projects
Projects (CHRP) Networking Program The timing for the introduction of this
NSERC received a tremendous response In 1999, NSERC, SSHRC and MRC new program proved opportune given
in terms of the number and variety of [now CIHR] jointly held and the launch of Genome Canada and the
research topics in its first CHRP administered two competitions. Of the research infrastructure it will provide. In
competition. Limited budget meant total 45 proposals reviewed by the tri- the first Genomics Projects competition,
that NSERC could fund only 30 of the council panel, 26 awards of up to NSERC received 51 proposals requesting
119 proposals, for a success rate of 25% $30,000 each were approved. The $8.0 million in year one. The high quality
and average annual awards of $80,000. proposals demonstrated a high level of of proposals resulted in 20 awards and
The funded proposals are specific creativity in the multidisciplinary a success rate of 39%. The average
research projects of up to three-years’ workshops and networking activities award is $110,000 annually for up to
proposed to enable the NSERC, SSHRC three years. A detailed list of awards is
duration that have the potential to
and MRC research communities to available on NSERC’s Web site at
lead to health benefits for Canadians.
plan joint projects. A list of awards is www.nserc.ca/programs/genres00_e.htm.
A detailed list of awards is available on
available through www.nserc.ca/ The next application deadline is
NSERC’s Web site at www.nserc.ca/ programs/prognewsres_e.htm. September 15, 2000, and program
programs/cihr_results_e.htm. details can be found at www.nserc.ca/
programs/cihr_genom_e.htm.
Canada Research Chairs
Will Add $900 Million to University Budgets
PromoScience
The Canada Research Chairs Program is the centrepiece of a federal initiative to help
Creating a positive impact on Canadian universities attract and keep the best researchers.
Canadian youth through science
and engineering Universities will receive $900 million in support of the establishment, by 2004-05, of
2000 Research Chairs (45% of them in the natural sciences and engineering), which
NSERC’s new PromoScience they can use to hire both the global research stars of today and the future research
program will provide grants stars of tomorrow.
through a competitive process to
support organizations involved The new program is managed by a steering committee composed of the president of
in the promotion of science and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the deputy minister of Industry Canada and
engineering to Canadian youth. the presidents of the three granting councils, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
By supporting the delivery of (CIHR — formerly the Medical Research Council), the Social Sciences and Humanities
ongoing promotion activities Research Council (SSHRC), and NSERC. The secretariat is located at SSHRC.
and programs, PromoScience You can access the new Program Guide through www.nserc.ca/programs/can-res-e.htm.
will help to motivate and inspire
young Canadians to develop
their interests in science and
engineering in all regions of Need a job?
Canada. Need a top-notch graduate?
At its meeting in January, Council The ‘NSERC Concourse’ is up and running. This is a space on our Web site
approved a program budget of designed to allow students, researchers and companies to search for partners and
two million dollars — to be collaborators by submitting descriptive postings. The service is offered free to
awarded over the first three individuals and organizations involved in all the research areas NSERC funds.
years. There will be a call for
proposals in July and the first “The space is still somewhat embryonic, with only a handful of postings, but I think
annual competition will be held it has great potential for putting people in touch who can do each other a lot of good,”
said Guy Levesque. He and Dave Bowen, both Team Leaders in NSERC’s Scholarships
in October.
and Fellowships Division, were key players in the creation of the Concourse.
Check out the new service at www.nserc.ca/match/main-e.htm.
8 Summer 2000 NSERCContact