Alliance Advantage

Research topics

You can apply to support any R&D project that seeks to respond to a research challenge in the natural sciences or engineering (see Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency). However, you cannot use an Alliance grant to support secret or contract research.

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Collaborating outside the natural sciences and engineering

Developing and implementing policies or directly applying your research results may depend on socio-economic or other requirements, as well as scientific understanding beyond the natural sciences and engineering (NSE). You are encouraged to collaborate with academic researchers in fields other than the NSE. Such researchers may be co-applicants for Alliance grants if they meet NSERC’s eligibility criteria for faculty. Research costs for these collaborations can represent up to 30% of the cost-shared project costs (see Cost sharing) and must be specifically identified in the project budget justification.

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Collaborating internationally

To increase the impact of Canadian NSE research in the global research community, you may incorporate international collaborations into your project proposal. You may interact with foreign colleagues in a variety of ways to enhance collaboration and increase your project’s impact. Refer to the Tri-agency guide on financial administration regarding the eligibility of expenses you may incur in support of such collaborations.

What's next?
Funding your research project