<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Dear Colleagues and Friends,</div><br class="">An NSERC survey of the Discovery Grants program has been sent out to recent applicants and current grant holders since 2013. This survey has a particular focus on “special” programs such as the <a href="http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/RTII-OIRI/CTMRS-ARTCMS_eng.asp" class="">CTRMS</a> grant, which initially funded <a href="http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/" class="">Fields</a>, <a href="http://www.pims.math.ca/" class="">PIMS</a>, <a href="http://www.birs.ca/" class="">BIRS</a>, and <a href="http://www.crm.umontreal.ca/" class="">CRM</a>, but now also funds <a href="https://aarms.math.ca/" class="">AARMS</a> and <a href="http://www.canssi.ca/" class="">CANSSI</a>. <b class="">We urge those who receive the survey to carefully complete it and highlight the ways in which these institutes benefit your research, your collaborations, and your trainees and students.</b><br class=""><br class="">The survey results have the potential to affect the institutes’ funding and our ability to foster activities in support of mathematics research, innovation, and education.<br class=""><br class="">In the <a href="http://longrangeplan.ca/" class="">Long Range Plan of 2012</a>, the CTRMS grant was fixed at 19% of the Mathematical Sciences Discovery Grant envelope (EG1508). This proportion was based on the existing institutes funding prior to 2013, which was folded into the Discovery Grant envelope. In other words, the institutes brought new money into EG1508 to support our collaborative activities.<br class=""><br class="">The CTRMS funding to the institutes across Canada is leveraged five-fold to attract additional funds from provincial governments, the National Science Foundation, and corporate sponsors. These additional funds create and enhance research and training opportunities for faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students. Through short- and long-term programs, postdoctoral fellowships, and hundreds of conferences, our community of researchers is able to bring the best in the world to Canada.<br class=""><br class="">Not everyone who receives this message will be asked by NSERC to take the survey. However, to show your support for the institutes, we hope that as many of you as possible will send a strong message to Interim NSERC President Digvir S. Jayas (<a href="mailto:pres@nserc-crsng.gc.ca" class="">pres@nserc-crsng.gc.ca</a>) with copy to Elisabeth Boston, Director, Mathematical, Environmental and Physical Division (<a href="mailto:elizabeth.boston@nserc-crsng.gc.ca" class="">elizabeth.boston@nserc-crsng.gc.ca</a>).<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you for reading and for taking the time to respond.</div><div class=""><br class=""><div class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class="">Ian Hambleton, Director<br class=""><div class="">The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences</div><div class="">222 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3J1</div><div class=""><b class="">Telephone:</b><span class="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> 416-348-9710</span></div><div class=""><b class="">Business Fax:</b><span class="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> 416-348-9714</span></div><div class=""><b class="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Web: </b><font class=""><a href="http://www.fields.utoronto.ca" class="">www.fields.utoronto.ca</a></font></div></div></div></div></body></html>