Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
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NSERC Alliance-Mitacs Accelerate grants
| Value and duration | Up to 5 years |
|---|---|
| Application deadline | No deadline |
| How to apply |
|
| For more information | Consult the Contact list. |
Context and objectives
NSERC and Mitacs have developed an opportunity, for applicants seeking support from both an Alliance grant and Mitacs Accelerate, to apply through a single application submission and review process. Applicants are invited to include in their Alliance application a request for additional support through Mitacs Accelerate internships as a component of the training of highly qualified personnel (HQP).
Joint Alliance-Accelerate grants support projects of varying scale and complexity, from short-term smaller projects involving one researcher to long-term projects involving researchers across several universities, and from one-on-one collaborations with one partner organization directly involved in the research to projects involving many partner organizations across multiple sectors.
Alliance-Accelerate applications require the following information when outlining the training of highly qualified personnel:
- A description of the role of the Mitacs interns in the research project, and an explanation of the quality of the research-based training experiences provided to the interns
- A description of how the internship partner organization is committed to providing supervision and mentorship to the interns
- An explanation of how the number of Mitacs interns and the number of internship units are appropriate to the scope of the project
Applications will be reviewed following the same process as Alliance grants. Funding decisions will be communicated jointly from both NSERC and Mitacs to the applicants.
Applicants who wish to include Mitacs Accelerate internships in their Alliance application should contact their local 
Mitacs business development representative to obtain the Mitacs supplemental application and budget spreadsheet. Applicants must submit the NSERC-Mitacs joint application form to NSERC with their Alliance proposal.
Who can apply?
- Applicants must meet both NSERC’s and Mitacs’ eligibility criteria both when the application is submitted and when funding is released.
- Canadian university researchers eligible to receive NSERC funds can apply independently or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers. Applicants must have at least one partner organization (in the private, public or not-for-profit sector) whose cash contributions will be recognized for cost-sharing (see Alliance grants: Role of partner organizations) but other partner organizations who play an important role in the research project may be included in the application, whether or not their cash contributions are recognized for cost sharing.
Equity, diversity and inclusion
NSERC is acting on the evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-agency statement on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
Applicants are encouraged to increase the inclusion and advancement of under-represented and disadvantaged groups in the natural sciences and engineering as one way to enhance excellence in research and training. Where applicable, consideration of sex, gender and diversity in the research design should be addressed in the proposal. EDI considerations should be developed into the rationale of the composition of research teams and trainees.
For more information, applicants should refer to the 
Guide for applicants: Considering equity, diversity and inclusion in your application.
Application procedure
Applicants who wish to include Mitacs Accelerate internships in their Alliance application should contact their local Mitacs business development representative to obtain the Mitacs supplemental application and budget spreadsheet. Additionally, applicants will fill out the Alliance proposal template following the instructions for completing an Alliance grant application. Applicants will submit the completed proposal template and supporting documents, including the personal data form with CCV attachment for the applicant and all co-applicants, and the Mitacs supplemental application and budget spreadsheet through NSERC’s online system. The partner organization’s contact person will be invited through the online system to provide information about the partner organization following the partner organization instructions.
Consult the Alliance grant application checklist for a summary of information that needs to be addressed in a completed application.
Evaluation criteria
Please consult the Alliance evaluation criteria and the Mitacs adjudication criteria for full details on how the respective Alliance-Accelerate applications will be reviewed.
Funding
All project expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds as outlined in the Tri-agency guide on financial administration. Applicants must follow the Tri-agency open access policy and are also encouraged to make any publication data resulting from funded projects open access.
Reporting
Successful applicants will be informed of reporting requirements and the corresponding schedule upon notification of the funding decision. NSERC and Mitacs will strive to streamline their reporting requirements to lessen the burden on participants.