NSERC 2013 - 2014

[snowshoes]

Oh no, spring is approaching and now the waiting starts...

 

Last year too forever because of the whole budget thing.  My letter says, "sometime in April" so I am guessing around the third week or so.

 

I am hoping I get it this year, I don't know how I could be rejected but I thought the same thing last year.

[MTL18]

This was in an article from the National Post: 

 

According to the government main budgetary estimates for 2013-14, tabled by Treasury Board Tony Clement, other departments facing reductions include Foreign Affairs, Environment, Transport, the Canadian International Development Agency, Canada Border Services, and Health Canada. Others will see budgets go up. They include: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the RCMP, the Security Intelligence Review Committee, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, the National Research Council, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Canadian Heritage.

 

While the NRC is more affiliated with industry (NSERC budded off from the NRC in the 80s for academic research), it is certainly encouraging to see increased spending for research in some form!

[Stamp]

Oh no, spring is approaching and now the waiting starts...

 

Last year too forever because of the whole budget thing.  My letter says, "sometime in April" so I am guessing around the third week or so.

 

I am hoping I get it this year, I don't know how I could be rejected but I thought the same thing last year.

What type of letter did you receive that said middle of April? Everything I've heard was that we should hear within the first few weeks of March. Hopefully we don't have to wait until mid April!

[ClinPsyPhDCnd]

If your application is selected to be sent out by the University for CGS/PGS-M, what are the chances you will actually get the award at that point? 

[selecttext]

for -M it's pretty high. you'll probably get it.

as for notifications, i don't think you will hear 

anything officially before end of march but

departments are notified earlier and a forthcoming

chair might let you know in advance.

[snowshoes]

What type of letter did you receive that said middle of April? Everything I've heard was that we should hear within the first few weeks of March. Hopefully we don't have to wait until mid April!

 

I received a letter from my university saying that my application was being forwarded to NSERC and that I should expect to hear about the results, "sometime in April".

 

Last year dragged on and on it seemed, but it was funny to see the NSERC 2012 thread jump to 1,000 posts in no time.

 

March would be amazing!  Hopefully it will be 4 weeks at most.  

[Stamp]

I received a letter from my university saying that my application was being forwarded to NSERC and that I should expect to hear about the results, "sometime in April".

 

Last year dragged on and on it seemed, but it was funny to see the NSERC 2012 thread jump to 1,000 posts in no time.

 

March would be amazing!  Hopefully it will be 4 weeks at most.  

 

Ugh, waiting till April would suck. When I was told by email from my University "sometime in March". Fingers crossed!

[EvolBiol]

Last year was late because the federal budget was released so late (very end of March or something). The year before my letter (successful PDF) was dated March 18th and I received it in Alberta around the 23rd of March. I think last year was anomalous and we can expect hearing end of March again (20th onward?!).

 

Do we know when the budget will be released this year?

[selecttext]

I was notified by my university for the 2010-2011 competition on March 26

My labmate was notified last year on April 5

 

but please let it be today

[EvolBiol]

budget release dates: March 29 in 2012 and March 22 the year before...no 2013 date set yet.

[snowshoes]

I asked my departmental head and she said sometime in late March... so we should all wait at least 2 weeks before this thread turns into a tornado of anxiety

[phalanges]

If your application is selected to be sent out by the University for CGS/PGS-M, what are the chances you will actually get the award at that point? 

 

Depends on the year, and what school you applied to. You can try to estimate by using the numbers from last year. This document will tell you how many applications each school sent out, and how many they were awarded: Here

Edited March 11, 2013 by phalanges

[snowshoes]

Found out this morning that I did not get an OGS.  I suppose I can assume I am out of the NSERC race if I was not even eligible for an OGS!

 

Very disappointing and surprising, but oh well.  Has anyone ever heard of people rejected for an OGS yet offered an NSERC? 

[phalanges]

Found out this morning that I did not get an OGS.  I suppose I can assume I am out of the NSERC race if I was not even eligible for an OGS!

 

Very disappointing and surprising, but oh well.  Has anyone ever heard of people rejected for an OGS yet offered an NSERC? 

OGS was different this year than it was in previous years. I have an OGS right now, but didn't make it out of the school for NSERC last year. This year I made it out of the school for NSERC but got waitlisted for OGS. So you're not out of the running yet! 

[QueensCS]

How did you guys know about the OGS results? I have not heard anything from my department yet? Does that mean I was rejected? Which schools are you from Snowshoes and Phalanges?

Edited March 13, 2013 by QueensCS

[Allouette]

So this is just rumor-mill stuff (no holding me to this, guys!) but I was talking to a prof involved in selections today and was told that all of the applications have been evaluated, decisions have been made, and now it's just a matter of churning them through the bureaucracy...

[Stamp]

So this is just rumor-mill stuff (no holding me to this, guys!) but I was talking to a prof involved in selections today and was told that all of the applications have been evaluated, decisions have been made, and now it's just a matter of churning them through the bureaucracy...

Do the decisions still depend on the release of the federal budget? Or is that what you mean by churning them through the bureaucracy?

[Allouette]

No clue, that's all the prof said on the matter. But I got the impression that all decisions had been decided already, and that now it was just a matter of pushing papers. 

Edited March 14, 2013 by Allouette

[bluejayek]

No clue, that's all the prof said on the matter. But I got the impression that all decisions had been decided already, and that now it was just a matter of pushing papers. 

Even if the decisions by the selections committee have been made, it still could depend on the federal budget. They may have ranked all of the applications in order, but the cutoff ranking will depend on how much money they get to give out scholarships.

 

This is simply speculation, I have no inside information on the process.

[selecttext]

it is unlikely that there will be any surprises in the federal budget that the tri-council has not been apprised of previously

[MTL18]

OGS was different this year than it was in previous years. I have an OGS right now, but didn't make it out of the school for NSERC last year. This year I made it out of the school for NSERC but got waitlisted for OGS. So you're not out of the running yet! 

In my MSc, I was rejected by OGS and given an NSERC CGS-M. The evaluation committee means more to you than anything. If they don't understand your project, you are toast, and vice versa. These scholarships are often a measure of luck more than skill (at least once you removed the grades). 

 

So this is just rumor-mill stuff (no holding me to this, guys!) but I was talking to a prof involved in selections today and was told that all of the applications have been evaluated, decisions have been made, and now it's just a matter of churning them through the bureaucracy...

 

Last year, posters were saying that everything was ranked and ready to go - just waiting on the federal budget. You may be right, but if this is anything like last year, everything is ready to go, they just won't know who gets the money and who doesn't. Last year, I was approved, but not enough funding. They have basic scores of who is a pass and who is a fail - but it always comes down to money they can disperse. It took until early April for 2012, I would be impressed and surprised if a government agency improved its timing as the years go by 

[EvolBiol]

I've suspected the scenario as bluejayek puts it, but I imagine it is more of a standard protocol for any council that ultimately depends on federal fund allocation than a decision making event for nserc.

 

I think the budget release date will mean more about when we will all hear news. They likely need to wait till the budget is released because they simply cannot commit money to students they don't know is there for sure. Even if there have never been surprises, and no one has ever been cut off after the budget is released, the order of events must stay the same. Can't promise people money before you have been told how much you have!

 

Annoyingly I saw a release date of March 29th for 2013,...hopefully this was just based on last year, and will be earlier this year!!

[EvolBiol]

Sorry MTL18! your post came in after i loaded mine.

yours in an interesting experience. And I guess it doesn't take much of adjustment in funds (maybe only a few % of nserc's total budget) to punt students from the awarded list,...

[selecttext]

If they don't understand your project, you are toast, and vice versa. These scholarships are often a measure of luck more than skill

 

Luck? I don't think so. Winning external funding is a measure of your writing and communication skills. A selection committee needn't be specialized in your sub-discipline to evaluate the scientific merit of a proposal.

[MTL18]

Sorry MTL18! your post came in after i loaded mine.

yours in an interesting experience. And I guess it doesn't take much of adjustment in funds (maybe only a few % of nserc's total budget) to punt students from the awarded list,...

 

I didn't miss by many spots! But that's how it goes. 

 

Luck? I don't think so. Winning external funding is a measure of your writing and communication skills. A selection committee needn't be specialized in your sub-discipline to evaluate the scientific merit of a proposal.

Any proof of this? My opinion is based on 4 years of funding/applications and input from professors I have studied directly under and those on my thesis committees along the way. Also the big fact that in the same year, with the same project, I received an NSERC CGS and was flat out rejected from OGS (not even waitlisted). 

Edit: I am not saying that it is a total fluke. I believe getting to NSERC means you have a great proposal. But, is number 80 really better than number 75? I think that is where the committee members really swing in your favour. And it is very significant, number 75 will get funding, 80 can be the odd man looking in. 

Edited March 14, 2013 by MTL18