Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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ARCHIVED – NSERC College Engage grants and Alberta Innovates Campus Alberta Small Business Engagement (CASBE) Stream I
This information has been archived. Visit the new College and Community Innovation program page for current information.
Archived content
Archived information is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada web standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.
| Duration | Up to 12 months |
|---|---|
| Application deadline | No deadline |
| Application forms |
|
| For more information | Contact the Prairies Regional Office or colleges@nserc-crsng.gc.ca |
Context and objectives
In partnership, NSERC College Engage grants and AI’s 
CASBE program will support post-secondary R&D collaborations with the highest potential for regional economic development and commercialization in Alberta.
Individual proposals can request up to $25,000 from NSERC (Engage grant) and up to $25,000 from AI CASBE. The streamlined joint application and decision process enables companies to quickly undertake new research collaborations with Alberta-based researchers. The mutually beneficial projects are expected to result in economic benefits to the company and to Alberta and build impactful longer term collaborations between the researcher and the company. The CASBE Stream I program extends a NSERC College Engage project from 6 months to up to 12 months in duration with up to a total $50,000 budget ($25,000 provided by NSERC and $25,000 provided by Alberta Innovates).
To qualify for Alberta Innovates funding, projects must be aligned to any of the Alberta Innovates Emerging Technologies priority areas and have an Alberta SME as industry partner. Consult Alberta Innovates CASBE Program (Stream I) for full details on these priority areas.
Equity, diversity and inclusion
NSERC is committed to excellence in research and research training for the benefit of Canadians. Achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is also essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to seize opportunities and respond to global challenges.
You are asked to consider sex, gender and diversity in the project’s research design and to consider how to promote and support a variety of forms of mentoring to ensure trainees’ equitable participation and growth.
Applicants
CASBE Engage
- You must be an Alberta-based college eligible to hold tri-agency funds (see the List of eligible institutions).
- A new relationship with the industry partner (Alberta SME) with no existing or past association between the college and the industry partner is required.
Note: It is not considered a new partnership if there has been: previous research collaboration between the college and the company or any of its divisions; a consulting contract in excess of a few days; or involvement of a member of the college or research team with the company. In addition, if an employee of the company sits on the board of directors (or equivalent) of the college, this would be considered an established relationship.
Partners
Consult the Alberta Innovates CASBE program details page for full details on company eligibility. For CASBE Engage, partners are limited to two Engage grants awarded per fiscal year (April 1–March 31; this includes the company’s combined CASBE Engage and standalone Engage projects). However, partners providing cash contributions to ongoing NSERC-funded projects outside of Engage will be allowed up to two additional Engage applications per year.
Apply
To start the application process for CASBE Engage grants, the applicant must complete the NSERC Engage application. Once all elements for the application are completed, the applicant then completes the SmartSimple application form in the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple portal. The applicant must attach a PDF of the NSERC application as part of the AI CASBE SMART SIMPLE application. Please ensure that the CASBE–NSERC consent form has been completed and signed. Alberta Innovates will sign off on this consent form once they have reviewed and assessed the details submitted through the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple portal. Once the CASBE–NSERC consent form has been signed by Alberta Innovates, upload it into the Other documents section of form 103. The NSERC application can now be submitted in NSERC online portal.
CASBE Engage
Full instructions for the applicant and the participating company on completing the forms and on the online submission process are found on NSERC's online services page. Form 103 (for colleges) should be created before creating form 183A. Please see the online services instructions for more information.
A letter of support from the company involved in the project must be provided and must outline the company's support for, contribution to, and agreement with the research project plan. For details on the letter requirements please consult the Engage grant Application procedures.
Consult the 
Engage grants for colleges application checklist and proposal template for a summary of information that needs to be addressed in a completed application.
Evaluation criteria
Please consult the College Engage grant selection criteria for full details regarding how the respective CASBE Engage applications will be reviewed. The industry partner (Alberta SME) should not have an outstanding balance or otherwise owe money to any Alberta Innovates organization, subsidiary or partner and the application should demonstrate how the R&D results will benefit the SME.
Funding
All project expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds as outlined in the College and Community Innovation program tri-agency financial administration guide (CASBE Engage). You must follow the Tri-agency open access policy, and you are also encouraged to make any publication data resulting from funded projects open access.
Reporting
You will be informed of reporting requirements and the corresponding schedule when you are notified of your award. NSERC and Alberta Innovates will strive to streamline their reporting requirements to lessen the burden on participants. A midyear presentation to demonstrate progress will be required by Alberta Innovates.