background

in an era when disruptive technologies and rapid technological developments have become ubiquitous, players who participate in the manufacturing chain need strategies for cooperation, collaboration, and even cost-sharing at pre-competitive stages.

interdisciplinary and international collaborations are encouraged by both canada and germany, and three of the leading r&d financing agencies from these countries have teamed up in launching this 2+ 2 call. the call is coordinated by the natural sciences and engineering research council of canada (nserc), national research council canada’s  industrial research assistance program (nrc-irap), and the german  federal ministry of education and research (bmbf) through its  project management agency at the german aerospace center (dlr).

nserc’s participation in this international call reinforces the importance of fostering relationships with domestic and international partners. it allows our research and industrial communities to access knowledge and expertise to generate world-class research results, in keeping with nserc’s strategic plan, nserc 2020, and specifically its objective, go global.

this call is aimed at enhancing the cooperation between industry—particularly small and medium enterprises (smes)—and university research in both canada and germany under the comprehensive topic of advanced manufacturing–industry 4.0. the overarching goals are to advance novel technologies, to spur innovation and to facilitate collaboration between canadian and german partners while training highly qualified personnel. the collaborations fostered by this call are expected to lead to:

• increased cross-disciplinary research.
• the next generation of young scientists in the important area of industry 4.0 in a gender-balanced, diverse and inclusive manner.
• enhanced innovation capacity and integration of new knowledge into canadian manufacturing.
• deployment of advanced information and communications technology (ict) and/ or manufacturing solutions in industrial processes.
• tackling environmental and societal challenges through innovation for the next industrial age (industry 4.0).
• increased economic benefits for canada and increased competitiveness of canadian companies.

research topics

the topic of the call falls under the encompassing umbrella of advanced manufacturing–industry 4.0. industry 4.0, or the “smart factory,” refers to the digital transformation of manufacturing, connecting automated machines to each other, to their operators, to other processes and services, to the internet of things, and to the supply chain. the smart factory can act upon the available information to self-optimize, customize production, and self-manage for improved energy efficiency. it can also enable decentralized manufacturing. it represents the convergence of enabling technologies such as robotics, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, virtual reality, additive manufacturing, and the digitization of the supply chain. some examples of research topics under this call are:

• advanced materials development
• additive manufacturing / 3d printing
• high-precision manufacturing
• sensors and sensor networks
• industrial internet of things
• digital technologies on the factory floor
• robotics and mechatronics in manufacturing
• artificial intelligence (ai) applied in manufacturing

the objective of the msm research grant program is to ensure the generation of adequate evidence-based research for alternative screening approaches for blood or plasma donors, which could evolve the current deferral policy for men who have sex with men (msm) while maintaining the safety of the blood supply.

current competition:

registration deadline - april 15, 2018

application deadline - june 30, 2018

• 2018 competition guidelines (pdf)
• 2018 registration form (doc)
• 2018 application form (doc)

sshrc in canada, and the economic and social research council (esrc) in the united kingdom, have launched this dedicated knowledge synthesis grants (ksg) competition to assess the state of research knowledge on canada-uk trade relationships, in a post-brexit context.

canada and the uk share a sovereign and have among the oldest continuous traditions of parliamentary democracy. the two countries have also prospered from a productive commercial relationship. their two-way merchandise trade totaled more than c$25.3 billion in 2016, making the uk canada’s fifth-largest merchandise trade partner. canada and the uk also have strong partnerships in science, technology and innovation, and there are many links between canadian and uk researchers, universities, funding agencies, commercialization groups and companies.

on june 23, 2016, the people of the uk voted to leave the european union. the uk’s resulting plans to withdraw from the eu by 2019 have increased interest in gaining a better understanding of post-brexit bilateral trade relations, including the potential offered by possible new bilateral trade, such as through seamless transition of agreements between the uk and its major trading partners, including canada. social sciences and humanities research has an important role to play in this.

this dedicated ksg competition aims to foster international collaboration and support the synthesis of existing knowledge capable of identifying research strengths and gaps and contribute evidence for policy.

synthesizing research knowledge on the diverse issues related to international trade between canada and the uk will deepen understanding of how future trading relationships could maximize the benefits to both countries, and will help define potential areas in which both countries could play a vital leadership role.

hunt postdoctoral fellowships support the writing-up of already completed research. the fellowship is awarded to scholars in the earlier stages of their careers, when they frequently lack the time and resources to develop their research for publication.  scholars with a ph.d. in hand for no more than ten years (from the application deadline) are eligible to apply. a maximum of eight hunt postdoctoral fellowships are awarded annually.

fejos postdoctoral fellowships in ethnographic film support the completion of ethnographic film/s based on anthropological research already accomplished by the applicant. fellowships are awarded to scholars in the earlier stages of their careers, when they frequently lack the time and resources to develop their research in the form of ethnographic film. scholars who have received a ph.d. or equivalent within ten years of the application deadline are eligible to apply. a maximum of four full fejos postdoctoral fellowships are awarded annually.

post-ph.d. research grants are awarded to individuals holding a ph.d. or equivalent degree to support individual research projects. the program contributes to the foundation's overall mission to support basic research in anthropology and to ensure that the discipline continues to be a source of vibrant and significant work that furthers our understanding of humanity's cultural and biological origins, development, and variation. the foundation supports research that demonstrates a clear link to anthropological theory and debates, and promises to make a solid contribution to advancing these ideas. there is no preference for any methodology, research location, or subfield. the foundation particularly welcomes proposals that employ a comparative perspective, can generate innovative approaches or ideas, and/or integrate two or more subfields.

dissertation fieldwork grants are awarded to aid doctoral or thesis research. the program contributes to the foundation's overall mission to support basic research in anthropology and to ensure that the discipline continues to be a source of vibrant and significant work that furthers our understanding of humanity's cultural and biological origins, development, and variation. the foundation supports research that demonstrates a clear link to anthropological theory and debates, and promises to make a solid contribution to advancing these ideas. there is no preference for any methodology, research location, or subfield. the foundation particularly welcomes proposals that employ a comparative perspective, can generate innovative approaches or ideas, and/or integrate two or more subfields.

the advanced clinical practice fellowship (acpf) program provides registered nurses (rn) and nurse practitioners (np) the opportunity to have a focused self-directed learning experience to develop clinical, leadership or best practice guideline implementation knowledge and skills, with support from a mentor(s), the organization where the rn/np is employed, and rnao. this initiative is aimed at developing and promoting nursing knowledge and expertise, and improving client care and health outcomes in ontario. clients are defined as individuals, families, groups or communities.