2025 Discovery Horizons

This program provides NSERC’s entry-point to the Tri-Agency interdisciplinary peer-review mechanism. Horizons supports investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in the natural sciences and/or engineering.

There are no requirements to team size or composition - however:

• Only researchers who do not hold a Discovery Grant are eligible to participate in a Discovery Horizons grant (neither PI nor any Co-I can hold one);
• Each team member must be eligible to hold NSERC funds;
• Individuals are allowed to participate in one Discovery Horizons application, as applicant or co-applicant, per competition cycle;
• NSERC may take additional factors (for example, career stage, regional representation or self-identification as a member of an underrepresented group of the applicant or co-applicants) into account when selecting amongst similarly ranked LOIs.

Grant awards are valued between $50-100k per year (up to 5 years), commensurate with the size of the research team.

This call is subject to the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), effective 1 May 2024. ORS encourages all researchers to review the Policy, and to be aware of new Agency requirements at full application stage (such as attestations). Please see the Government of Canada FAQ, the University of Manitoba FAQ on STRAC, and the Research Security SharePoint, for more information.

Resources

• UManitoba SharePoint (intranet) Discovery Horizons information
• The 2024 NSERC Webinar materials for this program, as well as a link to the 2023 Discovery Horizons FAQ
• Selection criteria/rubric for both LOI and Full

Webinar Details
In preparation for the next Discovery Horizons competition, NSERC will hold an information session via MS Teams webinar. If you are considering submitting an LOI to this competition this year, your attendance is highly recommended. The webinar will be recorded.

The dates and connection details of the sessions are as follows: 
English session:  May 20, 2025, 11:00am-12:30pm (Winnipeg time)

Microsoft Teams Need help?
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 285 474 938 639 5
Passcode: Tg9cC7Dc

Dial in by phone
(888) 896-2137,,62773647# Canada (Toll-free)
Find a local number
Phone conference ID: 627 736 47#
For organisers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN

French session:  May 20, 2025, 9:00am-10:30am (Winnipeg time)
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 242 097 223 561 0
Passcode: XX6yz6Ft

Dial in by phone
(888) 896-2137,,57164429# Canada (Toll-free)
Find a local number
Phone conference ID: 571 644 29#
For organisers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN