Details
| Opportunity Name | Energy Innovation Program National Energy Systems Modelling Call |
| Agency | Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) |
| Value | Up to $1,000,000 |
| Indirect Costs | Ineligible |
| Duration | Up to 3 years |
Deadlines
Expression of Interest (EOI)
| EOI due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for full review | 01-12-2024 |
| EOI and fully signed ORS checklist due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for mandatory review | 01-19-2024 |
| EOI and fully signed ORS checklist due at ORS for mandatory review | 01-24-2024, by 9:00AM |
| EOI due at agency | 01-26-2024, by 3:00PM PST |
Full Project Proposal (FPP)
| Application due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for full review | 10 business days prior to agency submission |
| Application and fully signed ORS checklist due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for mandatory review | 5 business days prior to agency submission |
| Final application and fully signed ORS checklist due at ORS for mandatory review | 2 business days prior to agency submission, by 9:00AM |
| Application due at agency | Spring 2024 |
Objective
The accelerating pace of technological change can make it a challenge to incorporate a full range of energy technologies into energy systems modelling activities. This is especially true of emerging technologies which:
- Are available but not yet widely used.
- Do not yet exist in a commercial setting but may become available in the future.
- Have performance characteristics which cannot be projected based on historical trends.
This call for projects intends to:
- provide support for energy modellers as they address these challenges and develop new insights on individual and combined energy technologies that could produce lowest cost pathways to net zero
- encourage transparency in modelling projects (e.g., modelling code, input and output data) to expand opportunities to compare results and better understand the impacts of different assumptions and methodologies
The National Energy Systems Modelling Call aims to support public discussion and action on clean energy and climate change by:
Improving societal understanding of the energy system: Energy modelling projects can help improve our understanding of the energy system, including how different technologies might impact energy supply, demand, and prices. Energy modelling can help identify key challenges and opportunities related to energy technology innovation as part of the energy transition.
Enhanced decision-making: Modelling provides an opportunity to explore possible outcomes and futures. Modelling also requires explicit assumptions regarding the future and produces consistent outcomes, which is key to an evidence-based approach.
Transparency and accessibility: Investment in the Canadian public modelling landscape will improve access to, and the transparency of the key tools required to participate meaningfully in Canadian energy discussions. Insight into modellers’ data collection and calibration processes will spur constructive conversation around user assumptions and uncertainty.
Representation of new technologies: Models should be updated to represent the latest developments in energy technology. Energy modelling can be used to explore technological gaps, but the initial representation of the technology in an up-to-date model is key to determining its long-term impacts.
Improved evidence base: A robust, transparent ecosystem of models and practitioners serves to grow the evidence base around energy technologies, which is critical given the breadth of the energy transition challenge ahead.
Eligibility
The call is open to the following eligible Canadians:
- Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including:
- For-profit and not-for-profit organizations;
- Community groups; and
- Canadian academic institutions.
- Provincial, territorial, regional, and municipal governments and their departments and agencies where applicable.
- Indigenous:
- Indigenous communities or governments
- Tribal councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general council)
- National and regional Indigenous councils, and tribal organizations
- Indigenous (majority owned and controlled by Indigenous people) for-profit and not-for-profit organizations
- For the purposes of this Applicant Guide, the term “Indigenous” is understood to include Inuit, Metis, First Nation, Status Indian, and non-Status Indian individuals, or any combination thereof
How to Apply
York University researchers are reminded that all applications for external research funding, including Letters of Intent, must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Research Services before they are submitted to the granting agency. For internal approval, the application must be accompanied by a completed ORS Checklist, which requires the Dean’s signature. Please send the complete application, with the finalized budget and a completed ORS checklist to sciapps@yorku.ca, five days prior to agency deadline.
ORS is accepting electronic applications – the process is outlined here.