Service standards for NSERC and SSHRC's online application systems
Sustained interruptions
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) (the agencies) define a sustained interruption as a prolonged period of time when all users are unable to log in to an online application system or have access to a majority of its functions.
Very high volume of users in the online application systems may create system processing delays. The agencies strongly encourage applicants to submit applications in advance of the deadline date as extensions will not be granted for such delays.
The agencies will provide advance notification regarding any planned system outage and adjust competition deadlines as appropriate.
The agencies will apply the following standards when making decisions on extending deadlines in response to sustained interruptions to their online application systems.
Note: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research will also apply these standards.
| Duration of sustained interruption | Proximity to agency deadline | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≤30 minutes before deadline on deadline date | 31 minutes to 2 hours before deadline on deadline date | 2:01 hours to 24 hours before deadline on deadline date | 24:01 hours to 72 hours before deadline | 72:01 hours to 7 days before deadline | |
| 1 minute to 30 minutes | 24 hour extension | 24 hour extension | No extension | No extension | No extension |
| 31 minutes to 2 hours | N/A | 24 hour extension | 24 hour extension | No extension | No extension |
| 2:01 hours to 6 hours | N/A | N/A | 24 hour extension | No extension | No extension |
| 6:01 hours to 24 hours | N/A | N/A | 48 hour extension | 24 hour extension | No extension |
| 24:01 hours + | N/A | N/A | 48 hour extension | 24 hour extension | 24 hour extension |
Extensions will not be granted for sustained interruptions taking place eight calendar days or more before the deadline.
Communication of deadline extensions
Should an extension be warranted based on the criteria noted above, a notice will be posted on the online application system home page.
The agencies may also communicate the extension through various methods, such as:
- a notice on the agencies’ respective websites
- a notice through social media
- an email to applicants with an application in progress
Should a service interruption take place outside of regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern), the agencies will evaluate the interruption and communicate on the next regular business day whether an extension is required.
Questions or comments?
NSERC: Online Support
SSHRC: Online Application Form Support
