Alliance Advantage

Letter of intent and redemption: voucher for early career researchers

How to express interest

To be considered for an early career researcher (ECR) voucher, you must submit a letter of intent (LOI) before February 22, 2024, 8:00 p.m. (ET).

---

Step 1 – Letter of intent 

You must submit an LOI to NSERC using the NSERC online system at any time before February 22, 2024, 8:00 p.m. (ET). Note that your research grants officer (RGO) must also approve the submission before the deadline. To apply, you must meet the NSERC eligibility criteria for faculty and NSERC’s definition of an ECR at the application deadline. You do not need to hold an Alliance grant at the time of the LOI submission. Your ECR status may be expired by the time that you use your voucher. The LOI does not require identifying a partner organization or defining a research project.

To submit an LOI:

1. Log in to NSERC’s online system and choose Create a new form 101. 
2. Select Research partnerships programs, then Alliance grants. 
3. For the Proposal type field, select Letter of intent. 
4. For the Type of call field, select ECR vouchers from the drop-down menu. 
5. Provide the information for the fields indicated. For the Title field, enter “ECR vouchers – 2024.”
6. Complete the Application Profile. Do not attach a Cover Letter.
7. Submit your completed LOI, including the personal data form with CCV attachment (Form 100A) and link it to the application.
8. Your CCV must contain the relevant information to verify your ECR status, i.e., date of first independent academic appointment and eligible leaves and delays.

All eligible applicants will be included in the random selection process. 

---

Step 2 – Redeeming the voucher through an Alliance application

You can submit an Alliance Advantage application as an applicant or a co-applicant, redeeming your ECR voucher, any time during the 24 months after the voucher is awarded. The ECR voucher, which is a total of $10,000, replaces some or all of the cash contribution from any partner recognized for cost sharing. Additional cash contributions from partner organizations recognized for cost sharing can be added to the voucher’s monetary value to determine how much funding you can request from NSERC. The ECR voucher amount should be included in the table showing the partner’s contribution in the year you wish to claim the voucher.

To use your voucher when applying for an Alliance grant: 

1. Log in to NSERC's online system. 
2. Select Research partnerships programs, then Alliance grants. 
3. For the Proposal type field, select Full proposal. 
4. For the Type of call field, select Advantage from the drop-down menu. 
5. Upload a cover page for your application. Clearly indicate that you wish to use an ECR voucher and provide your voucher identification number.
6. Following the instructions for completing an Alliance grant application, fill out the proposal template and complete the other sections of your application.
   • Under “budget justification,” clearly indicate that you are using an ECR voucher and in which year it will be applied. If the partner is providing cash in addition to the voucher, please provide the breakdown of the voucher and the partner’s contribution.
   • In the “Contribution” section, add the voucher value to the partner’s contributions to the direct costs of research in the year you wish to claim the voucher.