A CANSSI Flagship Program

Collaborative Research Teams

Solve complex problems through sustained collaboration.

Complex problems of broad importance require a team-based approach. This program fosters research and training interactions centred in statistical sciences that span geography, disciplines, and institutions.

Funding: up to $210,000 per team
Program duration: 3 years
Application deadline: May 15, 2024
Region: National
Eligibility: Faculty-led teams that include students and postdoctoral fellows

Have questions about the program?

Overview

CANSSI’s Collaborative Research Teams (CRT) program fosters the creation of teams of faculty, postdocs, and students led by statistical scientists to tackle complex problems of broad importance for science, engineering, health, and society.

Funding is provided over a three-year period to address the unique requirements of sustained collaboration spanning multiple specialties and institutions.

The program emphasizes the co-creation of knowledge, the leveraging of Canada’s expertise in the statistical sciences (actuarial science, biostatistics, data science, statistics), and the synergy achieved by embedding partnership into projects at their inception.

Special emphasis is placed on supporting projects that:

Pursue fundamental research in the statistical sciences
Are motivated by research challenges arising in an application
Place sustained collaboration between researchers across Canada at the centre of their activities
Facilitate the training of highly qualified personnel in interdisciplinary environments

What’s Involved

A 3-Year Research and Training Agenda

CRT projects have a significant research component focused on developing new statistical methods and models and/or applying existing methods and models in innovative ways to research problems in an NSERC-funded discipline.

The scope of the proposed research and activity must be substantially beyond what can be successfully pursued with individual NSERC support. Research involving interactions between multiple disciplines and/or collaborations spanning geography and institutions are important for CRT projects, as is the potential for meaningful impact in disciplines outside statistical sciences and on society.

It is important to note that the CRT program does not fund research directly; rather, it funds the activities and interactions that enable sustained collaboration. Project funding goes primarily to support students and postdoctoral fellows involved in the project research and to support the interactions of the team. Projects also commit to activities that support substantial communication and dissemination of research results.

Download the CRT Program Description and Review Criteria for additional information.

Who’s Eligible

Faculty

Collaborative Research Teams are led by faculty in the statistical sciences (actuarial science, biostatistics, data science, statistics). Project leads are responsible for scientific leadership of the project and management of the project activities.

Project leads secure their team, collaborators, and partner organizations.

CANSSI places restrictions on the eligibility of CANSSI-funded researchers to simultaneously apply for or receive additional funding from the same or another CANSSI program. Please refer to the simultaneous support policy on the How To Apply page for details.

Students and Postdoctoral Fellow Trainees

Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows are eligible to participate in projects under the supervision of the project leads.

Collaborators

Teams frequently include research collaborators from statistical sciences and other disciplines.

Partner Organizations

Project research frequently involves collaboration with researchers in academic and non-academic organizations.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

CANSSI aims to broaden and deepen participation in statistical sciences by members of traditionally under-represented groups. CRT project participants take part in CANSSI EDI activities as specified in the program requirements.

How to Apply

The window for submitting a project application runs from March to mid-May. The 2024 application deadline is May 15.

Applicants whose proposals make the short list will be invited to respond to reviewer comments in early October.

Successful applicants will be notified by the end of October.

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Budget

CRT projects selected in 2024 will be eligible to receive up to $210,000 over three years.

This funding is intended primarily to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows involved in the project research and to support the project team’s collaborative interactions.

Expenditures must align with an approved budget. Expenditures are reimbursed through invoices submitted to Simon Fraser University and must conform to NSERC and Simon Fraser University policies.