The NSERC Chairs in Design Engineering (CDEs) were established to improve the level and quality of design engineering activity within Canadian universities. NSERC encourages a multidisciplinary view of design engineering and encourages applications from all engineering disciplines.

Design engineering is an enabler of innovation. It is the activity that creates the concepts and designs, and develops the new and improved products, processes and technologies that are needed in industry and in other sectors of the economy.

The basic role of the Chairholder is to be a strong proponent of design education and training in the university. The Chairholder will be the champion and promoter of innovative and efficient design and the design conscience of the university.

The Chair award provides funding for the Chairholder’s salary and design-related activities, including costs associated with training, partnerships and promotion. Chairholders must have significant design capabilities, industrial collaborative experience, and demonstrated ability in training design engineers.