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NSERC Alliance Advantage Grants

Sponsor/agency: NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

Program: Alliance Advantage

Description 

Alliance grants encourage university researchers to collaborate with partner organizations, which can be from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors. These grants support research projects led by strong, complementary, collaborative teams that will generate new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results to create benefits for Canada.

Alliance Advantage grants (formerly Alliance cost-sharing option 1) are for partner-driven projects. They fund projects focused on the partners’ goals, with at least one partner sharing in the costs of research. Research supported by Alliance Advantage grants will:

  • Generate new knowledge and/or technology to address complex challenges
  • Create economic, environmental and/or other societal benefits
  • Contribute to Canada’s long-term competitiveness
  • Support public policy
  • Train new researchers in areas that are important to Canada and partner organizations
  • Draw on diverse perspectives and skill sets to accelerate the translation and application of research results

Program Summary 

Deadlines:

[6 weeks prior to desired submission date]: Please notify your Grants Officer of your intent to apply a minimum of six weeks before the desired submission date* 

[10 business days before the desired submission date]: Mandatory internal administrative review deadline. Submit the signed Research Grant Authorization form and the full application (including all attachments) for the internal administrative review*

[Rolling]: There is no Agency deadline. This program has an on-going intake. 

*Important: Please note that at certain high-volume times (September to November), we will require more time to review and submit applications with no external deadline  

Value: $20,000 - $1,000,000 per year from NSERC. 

Note: this is a partner cash matching program and partner in-kind is also required. NSERC’s contribution to the project’s direct costs is 66.7% (2:1 leverage of partner cash).


Indirect Costs: 35% of the partner cash contribution for direct costs

Duration: 1-5 years

How to Apply:

  1. Notify your grants officer of your intent to apply. Please let us know at least 6 weeks prior to your desired submission date.
  2. Please create your NSERC Alliance grant application form (Form 101) in the NSERC Online System. A complete application package includes the following components:
    1. Form 101 – Grant Application Form (NSERC Online System). See Form 101 instructions. Attachments required:
      1. Proposal (template)  - page limits depend on the size of the project. Please see the Proposal Sections and Length section to determine the appropriate page limit.
      2. Budget Justification - no page limit
      3. Justification for in-kind contributions from partner organization(s) – no page limit
      4. Collaborator biographical sketches (if applicable) - a maximum of two pages for each person (see the Collaborators and Collaborator Biographical Sketches section)
      5. National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ Risk Assessment Form (required if partner organization is from the private sector).
      6. Attestation for Research Aiming to Advance Sensitive Technology Research Areas form (required if your proposed research activities aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area)
    2. Form 100A - Personal Information Form (NSERC Online System). Form 100A instructions. A form is required for the applicant and all co-applicants. Attachments required: 
      1. Contributions to research and training explanation
      2. Canadian Common CV (NSERC version)
    3. Partner Organization Form (form instructions)
  3. Submit complete application package and Research Grants Authorization (RGA) Form signed by your Dean to your Grants Officer at minimum 10 business days prior to desired submission date for an administrative review. For a comprehensive review, please submit your complete application at minimum 3 weeks prior to the desired submission date. 

Contact:

ORS Grants Officer:

Agency Program Contact:  alliance@nserc-crsng.gc.ca 

Program information:

NSERC Alliance Advantage

NSERC Alliance Advantage - FAQ

Eligibility 

Subject Matter

You can apply to support any R&D project that seeks to respond to a research challenge in the natural sciences or engineering (see Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency). However, you cannot use an Alliance grant to support secret or contract research.

Applicant 

University researchers collaborating with private-sector, public-sector or not-for-profit organizations. The applicant must be a Canadian university researcher who is eligible to receive NSERC funds.

Co-Applicant

College faculty can participate as co-applicants. Co-applicants must be eligible academic researchers who can receive NSERC funds. 

Collaborating outside the natural sciences and engineering: Developing and implementing policies or directly applying your research results may depend on socio-economic or other requirements, as well as scientific understanding beyond the natural sciences and engineering (NSE). You are encouraged to collaborate with academic researchers in fields other than the NSE. Such researchers may be co-applicants for Alliance grants if they meet NSERC’s eligibility criteria for faculty. Research costs for these collaborations and/or activities outside the NSE can represent up to 30% of the cost-shared project costs (see Cost sharing) and must be specifically identified in the project budget justification.

Partner Organization (required)

In an R&D project considered for an Alliance Advantage grant, the partner organizations must contribute funding to support the project, either individually or collectively. For Alliance Advantage grants, at least one partner organization must be recognized for cost sharing with NSERC and must make cash contributions. To be recognized for cost sharing, a partner organization must: 

  • be listed as a type of organization whose cash contributions can be recognized for cost sharing with NSERC (see NSERC criteria)
  • meet the detailed requirements that apply to the partner organization’s sector (private, Canadian public or Canadian not-for-profit), (see NSERC criteria)

To determine which of your proposed partner organizations can be recognized for cost sharing, you may use NSERC’s partner organization self-assessment tool.

Additional Information 

Number of Participating Organizations

If you are applying for an Alliance Advantage grant, you can include just one partner organization or several—whichever you need to support the planned activities (given their size and scope) and produce the desired research results and widest possible benefits. Your application must demonstrate that the contributions and involvement of the partner organization(s) will create the necessary conditions for the project’s success.

Cash Contributions from Partner Organizations

NSERC’s grant is calculated on the basis of cost sharing with partner organizations.

The portion of the cost of your project that can be shared with NSERC includes only cash contributions from partner organizations that are recognized for cost sharing (see Cash contributions from partner organizations). You can include cash contributions that were spent up to three months before the application is submitted to start the project. However, NSERC funds can only be applied to expenses incurred after an award is approved. NSERC’s contribution to the project’s direct costs is 66.7% (2:1 leverage).

The calculation of the amount you can request from NSERC does not include cash contributions from:

  • partner organizations that are not recognized for cost sharing
  • the university
  • other funders

In-kind Contributions from Partner Organizations 

In-kind contributions are important for the success of the project even though they are not taken into account in the cost-sharing calculations with NSERC. All partner organizations participating in the project must play an active role and make in-kind contributions through such involvement. In-kind contributions are considered in the merit assessment of your proposal (see Evaluation criteria).

Collaborating Internationally

To increase the impact of Canadian NSE research in the global research community, you may incorporate international collaborations into your project proposal. You may interact with foreign colleagues in a variety of ways to enhance collaboration and increase your project’s impact. Refer to the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration regarding the eligibility of expenses you may incur in support of such collaborations.

Funding Notes

The funds from NSERC and the partner organizations must be paid to eligible universities and cannot be used to buy equipment, products or services from any partner organization, or to cover any part of the travel and travel-related subsistence expenditures for partner organization personnel. For Alliance Advantage, expenses that are direct costs of research and essential for the success of the project incurred by partners that are Indigenous organizations in the public or not-for-profit sectors may be included in the application budget. Please consult with NSERC before submitting your application.

NSERC funds can only be applied to expenses incurred after an award is approved.

The funds from NSERC and the partner organizations must be paid to eligible universities and cannot be used to buy equipment, products or services from any partner organization, or to cover any part of the travel and travel-related subsistence expenditures for partner organization personnel.

Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern

The STRAC Policy addresses risks related to Sensitive Technology Research Areas performed with research organizations and institutions that pose the highest risk to Canada’s national security. The STRAC Policy applies to this funding opportunity.

Applicants must identify whether the grant application aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area. If so, the submission of attestation forms will be required from researchers with named roles (for this funding opportunity, these are the applicants, co-applicants and collaborators) to certify that they are not currently affiliated with, nor are in receipt of funding or in-kind support from, a Named Research Organization (NRO).

The Tri-agency guidance on the STRAC Policy provides more information on applicable procedures and requirements, including responsibilities of researchers and the responsibilities of institutions.

National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships

In the case where your NSERC Alliance application involves one or more partner organization from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors, you must complete the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ Risk Assessment form and submit it as an integral part of the application.

The requirement to submit the completed Risk Assessment form applies to industrial associations since their member organizations are principally from the private sector. When filling out the form, you must consider the association’s private-sector member organizations participating in the project (when applicable) and/or those that will exploit the research results.

Resources 

For Applicants

For Partners