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Alliance grants now open
NSERC has launched the new Alliance grants, which replaced Engage grants for universities. NSERC will honour commitments to previously and recently awarded Engage and Engage Plus grants under the original terms and conditions of the grant. For the latest information, consult the Alliance grants web pages.
Overview | |
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Value | Up to $25,000 for up to six months |
Application deadline | No deadline |
How to apply | See below |
Application forms | For university-based applicants (Engage grants for universities):
To view instructions, select PDF forms and instructions. |
Contact | See below. |
Consult the Engage grants for universities application checklist and proposal template, the Engage grants for colleges application checklist and proposal template and the following sections:
Engage grants are open to researchers at either universities or colleges. This document outlines information relevant to both kinds of institutions, with discrete requirements indicated in the following sections:
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.
Applicants are encouraged to consider sex, gender and diversity in the project’s research design. Diversity and gender equity should also be considered when developing the research team and considering how to promote and support a variety of forms of mentoring to ensure trainees’ equitable participation and growth. Applicants should refer to the Guide for applicants: Considering equity, diversity and inclusion in your application for more information.
Engage grants are designed to give innovative companies that operate from a Canadian base access to the knowledge, expertise and capabilities available at Canadian universities and colleges (see the list of eligible institutions). These grants are intended to foster the development of new research partnerships by supporting short-term research and development projects aimed at addressing a company-specific problem.
The simplified application and decision processes enable university and college researchers to quickly undertake new research collaborations that extend academic expertise to these problems. The mutually beneficial projects are expected to result in economic benefits to the company and to Canada and build impactful longer-term collaborations between the applicant and the company.
Following an Engage grant, applicants may apply for follow-on support for an additional six months of related research activity through an Engage Plus grant, in order to further developments from an ongoing or recently completed Engage Grant project, or to continue the project while seeking longer-term support (through, for example, a Collaborative Research and Development grant [CRD] or an Applied Research and Development grant [ARD]).
Engage grants support well-defined research projects undertaken by eligible university and college researchers and their industrial partners. A maximum grant of $25,000 over a period of normally six months will be awarded to support the project costs.
An Engage project must generate new knowledge or apply existing knowledge in an innovative manner in order to solve a company-specific problem. This problem must relate directly to the goods and services provided by the company, and the company must be capable of further developing the results after the project is completed. The project must be focused on a research challenge with specific short-term objectives. All proposals must provide detailed planning and sound budget justification. The proposal must also clearly spell out the underlying assumptions, intended approaches and methodologies, as well as the key milestones and deliverables.
As the projects must have a meaningful research component, proposals are not eligible for an Engage grant if they
Applications that aim to solve an industry-wide problem affecting a number of companies should be addressed by industry associations or a group of companies. These projects are likely to be more suitable for CRD or ARD grants. Please contact your NSERC regional office to discuss the appropriate grant type for the project.
Applicants seeking to combine an internship at the company partner, as part of the approach for addressing the company-specific problem or for transferring the project results into the company’s operations, may include in the Engage grant application a request for additional support through Mitacs Accelerate. Consult your NSERC regional office or Mitacs Business Development Representative for details on how to apply.
The Guidelines for organizations participating in research partnerships must be consulted to determine the eligibility of the participating company.
The company is expected to collaborate with the researchers at all stages of the research project (i.e., assist in developing the proposal and, as the project unfolds, interact regularly with the university (specifically the principal investigator) or college research team and other research personnel and provide input on the project). As the project focuses on a company-specific problem, there should be only one company partner involved in university-based Engage grant applications. The participation of an additional, supporting company may be considered, but must be discussed with the NSERC regional office in your area before starting an application.
At minimum, an in-kind contribution from the company reflecting its active involvement in the project is required. A detailed description in keeping with the guidelines for eligibility and value of the contributions, including the maximum hourly rate for salary costs (see the Guidelines for organizations participating in research partnerships) must be provided and must indicate how the total value of each contribution item was determined.
Industrial partners will be limited to participating in up to two new Engage grants per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31). However, industrial partners providing cash contributions to ongoing, NSERC-funded projects with a matching requirement (e.g., CRD grants, ARD grants, Engage Plus or Industrial Research Chairs), will be allowed to participate in up to two additional Engage grants per fiscal year, for a total of four continuing Engage projects.
This will allow companies that currently demonstrate a commitment to industrial–academic research collaboration greater opportunity to make use of Engage grants to expand their collaborative network and to continue collaborations established through Engage grants.
Due to the focus on a problem specific to the company and the short duration of this grant, any intellectual property arising from the project will belong to the company. The university or college researchers must have the right to use the new knowledge or technology in future teaching and research, including publication and student theses, subject to the stipulations described in NSERC's Policy on Intellectual Property (IP Policy). When involved in an Engage grant project, students must maintain their right to publish and to defend their thesis without delays or impediments. Faculty and students must also have the right to describe the project on their curricula vitae. NSERC’s IP Policy must be consulted to ensure that all parties, including any students involved, are aware of their obligations.
Proposals can be submitted at any time using the appropriate application forms for university- or college-based applicants.
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, by responding to each of the following points:
In order to adequately address the above points, a typical letter of support is two pages. Letters of support that do not adequately address these points will be considered insufficient, and the application will be rejected.
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 101 (for universities) and form 103 (for colleges) should be created before creating form 183A. Please see the online services instructions for more information.
Consult the Engage grants for universities application checklist and proposal template and the Engage grants for colleges application checklist and proposal template for a summary of information that needs to be addressed in a completed application.
Applications are evaluated on the following criteria, with additional requirements specific to university- and college-based applicants provided in later sections:
The CCI program will use the 2017 College and Community Innovation program tri-agency financial administration guide as its general guideline for the acceptable use of grant funds until March 31, 2022. On April 1, 2022 the CCI program will transition to the 2019 Tri-agency guide on financial administration. However, colleges that are ready may optionally begin using the 2019 Tri-agency guide on financial administration as of April 1, 2021.
Exceptions to the Use of grant funds section of the 2017 College and Community Innovation program tri-agency financial administration guide and the 2019 Tri-agency guide on financial administration are listed below. The following expenditures are eligible:
A report on the project’s outcomes is required from both the grantee and the company representative within one month following the end of the grant. Near the end of the grant, the grantee and the company representative will be contacted by NSERC and asked to complete separate reports on the project. A message with instructions for completing the reports will be sent to the email addresses indicated in the application. Please note that subsequent applications from either of the participants may not be evaluated until outstanding project reports or company comments are provided to NSERC for previous Engage grants or other grant types. NSERC may also contact the participants for further information on the impacts of the grant.
All projects must address a research challenge that lies within the natural sciences and engineering fields (read the guidelines for Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency).
As the purpose of an Engage grant is to foster a new collaborative relationship between one company and one university researcher, there can be no existing or past relationship between the researcher applying for funding and the company with a problem to be addressed through the project. Examples of an established relationship between the company and university researcher include
Please consult your NSERC regional office for further information.
Proposals submitted by university-based applicants must also demonstrate the principal investigator’s research competence. The applicant must have the expertise required to address the defined objectives competently and to complete the project successfully. Academic expertise may be complemented by the know-how residing in the company. Important considerations relating to research competence are as follows:
* NSERC is acting on the evidence that equity, diversity and inclusion strengthen the scientific and engineering communities and the quality, social relevance and impact of research. Increasing diversity and gender equity in the research enterprise are key priorities in our current strategic plan, NSERC 2020, and are highlighted in the strategic goal, “Build a Diversified and Competitive Research Base.” For Engage grants, the peer reviewed eligibility requirement will allow a longer timeframe for applicants that have had family- or health-related leaves during the last six years.
Engage grant projects must involve only one university researcher (the applicant) and any research personnel (e.g., students, research technicians), if applicable. As Engage grants are intended to foster a new research relationship between an applicant and a company, projects requiring the participation of a co-applicant or collaborating professor will be rejected. Fees paid outside the university for completion of specific project tasks will be limited to a maximum of 20% of the amount requested and will be approved only with strong demonstration of need.
Applicants are limited to one new Engage grant awarded in the last twelve months.
The College and Community Innovation (CCI) program is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). All applications must be submitted to NSERC. As CCI funding is used to support Engage grants for college-based applicants, proposed projects can be across the spectrum of natural and social sciences, engineering, humanities or health. Grants are given by NSERC, with the exception of funded proposals exclusively in the social sciences, humanities or health sciences, which will be given by SSHRC or CIHR, as appropriate. For other relevant information, read the
As the purpose of an Engage grant is to foster the development of a new collaborative relationship, the proposal must involve an eligible company that has not previously partnered with the college on applied research; that is, the college should have no existing relationship with the company. A previous research collaboration with a company or any of its divisions, a consulting contract in excess of a few days, or involvement on the part of a member(s) of the college research team with the company is considered an existing relationship.
Proposals submitted by college-based applicants must also demonstrate the research team’s applied research competence. The research team must have all the expertise required to address the defined objectives competently and to complete the project successfully. For example, the project lead is expected to have conducted a research project of comparable scale with partners in the past. Academic expertise may be complemented by the know-how residing in the partnering company.
For further information on the use of grant funds, consult the College and Community Innovation program tri-agency financial administration guide. College-based applicants must also submit a completed form 301 (Grants in aid of research – statement of account) at the end of the project.
To further developments from an ongoing or recently completed Engage grant project, or to continue the project while seeking longer-term support, applicants may apply for a subsequent Engage Plus grant to support a project for an additional six months. As was the case with the initial Engage grant, the intellectual property will belong to the company. The project must involve the same academic researcher or college and the same industrial partner. Additional academic and industrial participants can be included in the Engage Plus project, provided that the original Engage grant team remains in place and continues to participate in the Engage Plus project. Any new university participants added to the Engage Plus project must establish their research competence, as described in the Requirements for university-based applicants section. Any new companies added to the Engage Plus project must address their participation, rationale and ability to exploit the results in their letter of support (as outlined in the Industrial participation section).
Only one Engage Plus grant can be awarded as a follow-on to an Engage grant.
To demonstrate its commitment to furthering the project, the industrial partner must contribute cash to the direct project costs in an amount at least equal to the amount requested from NSERC. NSERC will match the cash contribution of the partner up to a maximum of $12,500. Any portion of the cash contribution that the university or college requests as overhead will not be matched. In-kind contributions are also required to reflect the company’s ongoing involvement in the project, but will not be matched by NSERC. The company’s cash contribution is normally required within 30 days of an award decision. Company cash contributed before the proposal is submitted may be used to start the project. Only funds available as of the date the application was received at NSERC can be leveraged. NSERC funds cannot be applied to expenses incurred before a project was approved. The limitations described in the Specific rules for the use of grant funds section apply to Engage Plus grants as well.
The application procedures are the same as described above, but must also include a summary of the progress achieved within the original Engage project as well as a clear explanation of the goals of the Engage Plus grant and their relationship with the results obtained to date. Accordingly, applications for an Engage Plus grant will be accepted only once some progress has been reached within the Engage grant or within the six-month period following the end of the grant. The industrial partner must provide an updated letter of support that addresses the points listed in the Application procedures section, as well as outlining an assessment of progress to date, and the industrial partner’s expectations for the Engage Plus project. Decisions will be communicated within approximately six weeks.
An Engage Plus grant does not count towards
For university-based applicants (Engage grants for universities), contact the NSERC regional office in your area.
For college-based applicants (Engage grants for colleges), contact
613-944-5802, colleges@nserc-crsng.gc.ca, or the NSERC regional office in your area.