Alliance grants

Eligibility for this grant is determined by specific requirements related to the university researchers and their collaboration with partner organizations.

• Applicants must be Canadian university researchers eligible to receive NSERC funds.
• Applicants can apply individually or as a team with other eligible academic researchers.
• There must be at least one partner organization from the private, public, or not-for-profit sector, which can be recognized for cost sharing.
• Additional partner organizations can be included regardless of whether their cash contributions are recognized for cost sharing.
• The project must involve collaboration with partner organizations and focus on generating new knowledge or technology to address complex challenges.

Who is eligible?

Eligible expenses

This grant supports projects aimed at establishing fruitful collaborations between academic researchers and partners in the public, private, or non-profit sectors. Here is a list of potentially eligible activities according to the objectives of this grant:

• Production of new knowledge or technologies to solve complex challenges.
• Generation of economic, environmental, or societal benefits.
• Contributions to Canada’s long-term competitiveness.
• Support for the development of public policies.
• Training of new researchers in key areas for Canada.
• Utilization of diverse perspectives to accelerate the application of research results.

• Consideration of the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the composition of the research team and in the training, mentoring, and development activities of students and other interns.
• Measures put in place to eliminate barriers to the full participation of individuals from underrepresented groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities or racialized groups, 2SLGBTQI+ community).
• Capacity of the research partnership to incorporate different perspectives and skills in order to accelerate the application of results and generate impacts for Canada.
• Due diligence approach regarding national security for projects involving private sector partners, including the assessment and mitigation of risks related to the research partnership.

• This funding opportunity is subject to the Policy on Research in Sensitive Technologies and Concerning Concerns (RTSAP) published on January 16, 2024.
• Applications involving research areas in sensitive technologies will not be funded if a team member is affiliated with certain named research organizations or receives funding or in-kind contributions from them.
• For partnerships including at least one private sector organization, a national security risk assessment form must be completed by the institution and attached to the application.
• There is no deadline for submitting an application, and the page was last updated on April 17, 2024.