Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada · Grant program
Discovery Research
This program provides grants to researchers and universities to maintain a diverse and competitive research base in Canada and support global excellence and leadership in discovery research. The creation and advancement of knowledge generated by these grants is necessary to fuel a strong, globally competitive research and innovation system in Canada. Funding allows researchers the freedom to explore and be less risk averse, train students in the art of creative and critical thinking for tomorrow’s challenges, support research salaries, purchase or develop research equipment, and facilitate national and international research collaboration.
- Total value
- $4.6B
- Agreements
- 31,827
- Apr 2018 to Apr 2026
- Median agreement
- $150K
- Typical range
- $13K–$216K
- the middle half of agreements
Federal grants and contributions, agreements starting Jan 2006 to Oct 2026, each counted once at its latest amended value. Source: Treasury Board proactive disclosure, published October 11, 2026.
Most agreements under this program go to individuals (scholarships, fellowships, athletes and the like), so this site names none of its recipients. Every agreement still counts in the figures here.
See every record for this program on the government’s search. How to apply: look up the program on Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s website.
By year
Agreements by the year they started.
| Year | Agreements | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2,368 | $538M |
| 2019 | 2,760 | $560M |
| 2020 | 10,914 | $641M |
| 2021 | 1,981 | $275M |
| 2022 | 2,511 | $384M |
| 2023 | 2,399 | $438M |
| 2024 | 2,820 | $541M |
| 2025 | 2,969 | $583M |
| 2026 | 3,105 | $603M |
By province
| Province or territory | Agreements | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 12,429 | $1.8B |
| Quebec | 7,715 | $1.1B |
| British Columbia | 4,072 | $665M |
| Alberta | 3,361 | $491M |
| Manitoba | 1,034 | $141M |
| Nova Scotia | 1,083 | $136M |
| Saskatchewan | 957 | $123M |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 587 | $71.5M |
| New Brunswick | 493 | $55.1M |
| Prince Edward Island | 96 | $10.2M |
By type of recipient
As the department classified the recipient.
| Recipient type | Agreements | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals and sole proprietorships | 31,725 | $4.5B |
| Academia | 41 | $25.4M |
| International (non-government) | 60 | $3.5M |
| Government | 1 | $910K |