
CANSSI CRT Program
Collaborative Research Teams
Put together the resources needed to tackle the future.
This program fosters research and training interactions centred in statistical sciences that span disciplines and institutions to tackle complex problems of broad importance.
- Support Amount: up to $210,000 over three years
- Region: National
- Deadlines: Next call opens Spring 2024
- Program Duration: 3 years
- Eligibility: Faculty-led; primarily supports graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
Have questions about the program?
Overview
The Collaborative Research Teams program tackles complex problems that require a team of faculty, postdocs, and students spanning a range of specialties working together over a three-year period. It emphasizes the co-creation of knowledge leveraging expertise in statistical sciences and the synergy achieved by embedding partnership with statistical sciences into interdisciplinary projects from their inception.
The program leverages Canada’s statistical and data science expertise to tackle real-world applications in science, engineering, health, and society. It contributes to the training of the next generation of statistical scientists with the capacity to contribute to society.
Emphasis is placed on projects that:
- pursue fundamental research in the statistical sciences (actuarial science, biostatistics, inferential data science, and statistics)
- are motivated by research challenges arising in an application
- facilitate the training of highly-qualified personnel in interdisciplinary environments
- foster collaboration between researchers across Canada
What’s Involved
A 3-Year Research and Training Agenda
CRT projects have a significant 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 require support that is substantially more involved than is possible to pursue successfully with individual NSERC support. Research involving interdisciplinary interactions between multiple disciplines and/or collaborations dealing with geographic and institutional heterogeneity are important for CRT projects.
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 and Review Criteria .
Who’s Eligible
Faculty
Collaborative Research Teams are led by faculty in the statistical sciences (actuarial science, biostatistics, inferential data science, statistics). Project leads are responsible for scientific leadership of the project and management of the project activities.
Lead investigators secure their team, collaborators, and partner organizations.
Students and Postdoctoral Fellow Trainees
Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows are eligible to participate in projects under the supervision of the lead investigators.
Collaborators
Teams frequently include research collaborators from statistical sciences and other disciplines.
Partner Organizations (optional)
Project research frequently involves collaboration with researchers in academic and nonacademic organizations.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Project participants take part in the CANSSI EDI initiative as specified in the program requirements.
How to Apply
The application process for this program involves two stages. The first stage is the submission of the Letter of Intent (LOI) by the applicant.
Successful applicants from the first stage will be invited to submit a full proposal that expands on the LOI during the second stage.
For full application details, refer to the supporting documents below.
The next call will open in Spring 2024.
Budget
The CRT project budget for projects starting in 2023 is up to $210,000 over three years.
CRT project funding goes primarily to support graduate and postdoctoral fellows involved in the project research and to support the interactions of the CRT team.
Allowable expenses follow NSERC rules. They may include student and postdoc support, travel, and expenses related to the communication and dissemination of results. Collaborators and trainees may be situated in other countries, and their travel to Canada could be supported. Stipends to collaborators and trainees at institutions outside Canada are an ineligible expense.

