Industrial R&D Fellowships

The Industrial R&D Fellowships (IRDF) program helps partners hire a postdoctoral researcher for a two-year period to undertake a project (or projects) of importance to the organization and to evaluate the fellow for potential long-term employment.

Program Summary

Organization eligibility	Must meet Eligibility Criteria for Organizations and apply for participation. An eligibility application ( Form 183B; Instructions for completing Form 183B) can be submitted at the same time as the IRDF application.
Typical application success rate	Approximately 80 percent.
NSERC contribution	$30,000 per year.
Minimum organization contribution	$10,000 per year (cash) plus fringe benefits and project costs. The current average organization contribution is $25,500.
Duration of award	Two years maximum (pro-rated where applicable).
Intellectual property ownership	The organization's regulations normally apply. When collaborations are involved, details between the parties are to be negotiated. Organization must have access to resulting IP. Also refer to the Program Description.
What documents must be attached to the application?	The organization completes Form 183C; the candidate completes Form 200. See Instructions for further details.
Who submits the application?	The nominating (host) organization.
Evaluation method	Peer reviewed by IRDF College of Reviewers comprised of federal government scientists, engineers and research managers.
Application deadline	No deadline. Apply anytime.
Evaluation time	Six weeks from receipt of complete nomination.
Status of the award holder	Fellow becomes an employee of the organization for the duration of the award.
Who manages funds?	The host organization pays the fellow both NSERC's and the organization's portion of the salary; NSERC reimburses its contribution at the end of each four-month period.
Progress monitoring	Annually (two-page report).
Collaborations	NSERC may approve the Industrial R&D Fellows to spend some time (no more than 20 percent) in collaborations with academic researchers or other organizations.

To help you find a qualified candidate quickly, NSERC has established an inventory of pre-approved IRDF candidates. Any candidates that you nominate from this inventory are automatically eligible for an IRDF, but the reviewers will still have to evaluate and approve your specific project.

For more detailed information, please refer to the Program Description.