How to submit a Notice of Intent to Apply: 2020 Transformation Competition


Table of contents

This guide is intended to be used in conjunction with the 2020 Transformation Competition overview.

Your Notice of Intent to Apply (NOI) must be received by 8:00 p.m. (eastern) on the deadline date.

The research administrator at your institution is responsible for submitting your NOI to the agencies. Your institution may have earlier internal deadlines. Check with your research administrator regarding your institution’s internal deadlines.

All team members, including nominated principal investigators (NPI), co-principal investigators and co-applicants, should inform the research administrator at their institution (if applicable) of their involvement in the NOI.

Before you start your NOI

  • Read the 2020 Transformation Competition overview to ensure that the project you will propose fits with the program.
  • Consult the eligibility section to ensure that you are eligible to apply to this funding opportunity as an NPI , co-principal investigator  or co-applicant . Participants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will be removed from the application. In the event that the NPI is considered ineligible, the application will be removed from the competition. If removal of ineligible participants from the application results in research teams with fewer than five members, the application will also be removed from the competition.
  • If you are the NPI, consult your research administrator or research grants office (RGO) regarding internal deadlines. The research administrator at your institution is responsible for submitting your NOI by 8:00 p.m. (eastern) on the deadline date. Late NOIs will not be accepted. An NOI cannot be changed after the research administrator has submitted it.

Using the Convergence Portal to prepare your NOI

You must complete the NOI using the Convergence Portal. The Convergence Portal is only supported on the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. It may appear to function in other browsers but can result in unexpected behaviour, such as the information entered not being properly captured in the system without the user being aware. Use of an unsupported browser is strongly discouraged. If you do not have a Convergence Portal profile, you will be prompted to create one the first time you access the portal.

Follow the step-by-step instructions provided in the Convergence Portal to complete and submit your NOI. The information required to complete the NOI is outlined below. All sections of the NOI are completed within the portal. No attachments are required or accepted at this stage.

Required information

The NPI must complete all sections of the NOI. Other team members (co-principal investigators and co-applicants) must complete their profile. They are able to see the other sections of the NOI but do not have edit access.

The following information is required for a complete NOI:

  1. Research team profiles

    The research team must include at least five participants: the NPI and any combination of co-principal investigators and co-applicants. Additional team members may be added at the letter of intent to apply (LOI) and full application stages.

    Complete profiles include:

    1. completed eligibility profile

      This requires information about affiliation, early career researcher status and eligibility of the institution.

    2. fields of research and keywords

      The fields of research and keywords in the profile section relate to your area(s) of expertise/research.

    3. equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) self-identification

      This section must be completed for each participant. It needs only be completed once (when setting up the profile).

    After co-principal investigators and co-applicants have completed their profile, they will be listed on the Participants screen with a status of “Eligible”. While a participant’s status may show as “Accepted” in the List of Invitations, a status of “Pending eligibility” in the Participants screen indicates that they have not completed their profile.

    Note: The research team (NPI, co-principal investigators and co-applicants) identified at the NOI stage should reflect the expertise required to deliver on the project and will be used to help the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) program team identify external reviewers and review panel composition. While additional members may be added at the LOI and application stages, those identified at the NOI stage are expected to remain part of the project team.

  2. NOI content
    1. application title

      Provide a short and descriptive title that may be used for publication purposes. Common abbreviations (e.g., DNA) can be used; uncommon or discipline-specific abbreviations, company and trade names should be avoided.

    2. language of the application

      Indicate in which official language the NOI, LOI and application will be prepared.

    3. Indigenous research

      Indicate whether your project involves Indigenous research, as defined by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

    4. keywords

      Provide between five and 15 keywords to describe the proposed research.

    5. fields of research

      Select up to 10 fields of research from the Canadian Research and Development Classification (CRDC) codes. At least two different disciplines must be included as primary fields of research (as defined by a group-level classification based on the CRDC codes).

    6. outline of challenge (maximum of 3,500 characters)

      Provide a plain language overview of the challenge(s) or issue(s) to be addressed and the goals or objectives of the project.

      If your application is successful, this summary will be used for promotional purposes and to inform the government, the media and members of the public who request information about research funded by the NFRF program.

    7. overview of approach and potential changes (maximum of 3,500 characters)

      Briefly describe the approach to be taken and the anticipated changes or impacts that are likely to result from the project.

      If your application is successful, this summary will be used for promotional purposes and to inform the government, the media and members of the public who request information about research funded by the NFRF program.

    8. collaborators

      Provide a list of collaborators. Collaborators do not need to create an account in the Convergence Portal.

    9. suggested reviewers (optional at NOI stage; minimum of 20 at LOI stage) and reviewer exclusions (if applicable)

      Provide a list of suggested reviewers who may be contacted to review your proposal at the application stage. These individuals should have the required expertise to review and comment on the proposal and not be in a conflict of interest with any member of the team as defined by the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of the Federal Research Funding Organizations. At least 10 must be from outside Canada.

      Indicate any individuals who should not be asked to review the proposal.

      Note: NOI content (section 2) may be updated at the LOI stage.

Submitting the NOI

Review your NOI to ensure that it is complete. From the Finalize Application section, follow the prompts to submit the NOI. After you accept the Terms and Conditions, the status of your submission will change to Received by Administrator.

If you want to make any changes at this point, you may request that your research grants office (RGO or research administrator) return it to you.

Once your research administrator has approved and submitted your NOI, the application status will be changed to Received by Agency. No changes can be made at that time.

Submitting an NOI as the research administrator

When you receive an NOI submitted by an NPI at your institution, you will be asked to approve the application and submit it. Before being able to forward the application, the research administrator, on behalf of the institution, will be required to confirm that:

  • the participants meet the eligibility requirements; and
  • the proposed research project meets eligibility requirements.

Note: If the NPI’s primary affiliation is not on SSHRC’s list of eligible institutions, the institution may be required to sign the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions with SSHRC, for this program only, prior to receiving agency funds. Agency staff will contact the institutions of successful applicants after the notices of decision have been released to initiate this process, as appropriate.

By forwarding the application, the research administrator, on behalf of the institution, will also be certifying that the NPI:

  • is (or will be) affiliated with the institution or organization;
  • has the necessary time and resources to carry out the activity; and
  • will email NFRF-FNFR@chairs-chaires.gc.ca of any changes during the tenure of the grant, including changes in the composition of the partnership, such as the addition of new co-principal investigators, co-applicants, collaborators, etc.

Whom should I contact for help?

If you have questions:

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