Partnerships Programs Overview

Research Partnerships Programs foster collaborations between university researchers, colleges and other sectors (including government and industry) in order to develop new knowledge and expertise, and transfer it to Canadian-based organizations.

Strategic Partnerships Program
Automotive Partnership Canada
The Government of Canada has created Automotive Partnership Canada (APC)—an initiative that will support significant, collaborative R&D activities, and drive a transformation in the generation and application of new ideas, to the benefit of the entire Canadian automotive industry.
Collaborative Health Research Projects
International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change
Networks of Centres of Excellence
NSERC/Canada Council for the Arts New Media Initiative
NSERC Forest Sector R&D Initiative
Strategic Network Grants
Strategic Network Grants (SNG) fund large-scale, complex research proposals that involve multi-sectoral collaborations in targeted areas that could strongly enhance Canada's economy, society and/or environment within the next 10 years.
2009	Strategic Network Grants Supplemental Competition in Capture Fisheries
2008	Strategic Network Grants Supplemental Competition in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture
2008	Strategic Network Grants Supplemental Competition in Manufacturing
Strategic Project Grants
Strategic Project Grants (SPG) fund early-stage project research in targeted areas that could strongly enhance Canada’s economy, society and/or environment within the next 10 years.
Ongoing	SPG-NSERC - Agence nationale de la recherche (See specific calls), France
Ongoing	SPG-NSERC – National Science Council (Global Partnership Programs), Taiwan
2013	SPG-NSERC – Japan Science and Technology Agency (Strategic International Cooperative Program), Japan
2008	Strategic Project Grants Supplemental Competition in Aquaculture and Capture Fisheries
Tri-Agency Partnership on Knowledge Syntheses on the Environment
In partnership with SSHRC and CIHR, this opportunity offers funding for multidisciplinary teams of researchers to synthesize existing research results and scholarships in order to respond to knowledge gaps identified by stakeholders involved in improving the environment.
Industry Driven Collaborative Research and Development Program
Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence
Chairs in Design Engineering
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) Grants support well-defined projects undertaken by university researchers and their private-sector partners. CRD awards cover up to half of the total eligible direct project costs, with the industrial partner(s) providing the balance in cash and in kind.
Ongoing	DND/NSERC Research Partnerships
Ongoing	NSERC and CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes Funding Initiative for Sodium Reduction in the Canadian Food Supply
2011	NSERC/NRCan/AECL Generation IV Energy Technologies
2010	NSERC/ESS Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM)
Engage Grants
Engage Grants (EG) are intended to foster the development of new research partnerships between academic researchers and companies, that have never collaborated before, by supporting short-term research and development projects aimed at addressing a company-specific problem.
Industrial Research Chairs
Interaction Grants
Interaction Grants (IG) are intended to financially support researchers from Canadian universities to meet with Canadian-based companies with the objective of identifying a company-specific problem that they could solve by collaborating in a subsequent, newly established research partnership.
Innovation Frontiers
Partnership Workshops Grants
Partnership Workshops Grants (PWG) are designed to seed new collaborations and partnerships between Canadian university researchers and potential new non-academic partners.
Commercialization Program
Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research
Idea to Innovation Grants
Idea to Innovation (I2I) Grants provide funding to university researchers for research and development activities leading to technology transfer to a new or established Canadian company. Four distinct funding options are proposed and these phases are limited in time. The direct costs of research in Phase I will be entirely supported by NSERC, while those of Phase II will be shared with a private partner. The grant also provides funds to co-support technology transfer activities (e.g., Market Assessment option).
Training in Industry Program
Industrial Undergraduate Student Research Awards, Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships and Industrial Research and Development Fellowships
These awards provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to work with industrial partners in addressing private-sector challenges. The tools are intended to integrate students into the business sector, allow them to apply their theoretical knowledge and skills towards solving practical industrial problems, while benefitting businesses by providing them access to relevant research expertise. Inventory of Pre-approved IRDF Candidates
Industrial Research and Development Internships
College and Community Innovation Program
The College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program provides funding to colleges on a competitive basis to strengthen their applied research capacity, and carry out applied research and technology transfer activities (in collaboration with, and to the benefit of, industry, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises) in one area where the college has recognized expertise and that meet local or regional needs. There are six grant types in the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program:
Ongoing	Applied Research and Development (ARD) Grants – these grants provide companies, that operate from a Canadian base, access to the unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities available at Canadian colleges and the opportunity to train students in essential technical skills required by industry.
Ongoing	College-University Idea to Innovation Grants (CU-I2I) – these grants are intended to develop and strengthen research links between colleges, universities and businesses to accelerate the development of promising technologies and promote their commercialization in the Canadian marketplace.
Ongoing	Innovation Enhancement (IE) Grants (Formerly CCI Grants) – these grants help colleges increase innovation at the community and/or regional level. They enable Canadian colleges to increase their capacity to work with local companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
2013	Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) Grants – these grants support the purchase of applied research equipment and installations to foster and enhance the ability of colleges to undertake applied research, innovation and training in collaboration with local companies.
2013	Technology Access Centres (TAC) Grants – these grants enhance the ability of companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to become more productive and innovative by enabling them to readily access college expertise, technology and equipment.
2012	Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges (IRCC) Grants - these grants support the establishment of applied research leaders and promote their role as catalysts in the advancement of business-focused applied research programs at colleges. The result will be the development of new, or the significant enhancement of existing, applied research capacity in areas that meet local or regional socio-economic needs.