Grants and Competitions

Structuring a Successful NSERC Discovery Grant Workshop

Presentation material from the workshop held September 21, 2021

This workshop included a hands-on examination of a recent successful DG/DAS proposal, DG requirements that are new this round, and an exchange of ideas and questions & answers among the attendees. 

Facilitators: 

Jim Cotton, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering 
Wael El-Dakhakhni, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering

Preparing your Application for the Vanier and Banting Competitions

Workshop materials from the presentation held June 14, 2021

The Banting and Vanier Scholarships are the premier awards of Canada's research tri councils (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC), with competitions each year in the late summer/early fall.  Applicants must show exceptional research contributions and leadership outside of the lab in order to be considered. The university has a two-stage ranking process to decide on which applications will be sent to the tri councils for consideration.  This workshop will help interested students to understand what the programs are looking for in applicants and will provide advice on preparing a strong submission.  

The workshop was presented by Dr. Michael Thompson, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, who has Chaired the Banting and Vanier ranking committees for the past five years.  

Best Practices for Writing a Strong Scholarship Reference Letter

The importance of writing strong scholarship reference letters for students cannot be underestimated.  Students who’s scholarship application packages lack persuasive and informative reerence letrters will be less likely to be granted funding. Good students can lose out on important opportunities; the Faculty loses too when few students are awarded prestigious grants.

Research Funding Opportunities

Workshop materials from the presentation held July 29, 2021

A presentation by McMaster Industry Liaison Office (MILO) and Research Office for Administration, Development and Support (ROADS)