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NSERC Alliance Grants

NSERC Alliance, managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, is a federal funding initiative that supports joint research collaborations between universities and industry. These partnerships typically run for 1 to 5 years, combining academic and business expertise to create innovative solutions with strong potential for economic benefit.

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Funding Amount

  • Option 1: Up to 66% of project costs for SMEs or 50% for large companies, capped at $1M per project/year.
  • Option 2: Covers 90–100% of costs, up to $100,000/year.
  • Alliance Missions: Up to 100% of costs, capped at $500,000/year for two years.

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    Eligible Applicants

    NSERC Alliance Eligibility for Research Partners

    Industry Partners

    • Must be Canadian-based and operate independently.
    • Need at least two years in operation or strong growth potential.
    • Require a minimum of five full-time employees.
    • Must have the capacity to collaborate and commercialize research outcomes.
    University Partners
  • Canadian universities must have the necessary expertise and infrastructure.
  • Must meet expectations set by the partner company.
  • Cannot apply with a company they’ve partnered with in the past.

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    Eligible Activities

    Eligible Activities:

    • Research that generates new knowledge/technology or addresses complex challenges.
    • Activities that contribute to economic, environmental, and societal benefits.
    • Projects that strengthen Canada’s competitiveness and train new researchers.
    • Under Option 2, projects must focus on pressing societal issues, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and public use of the research outcomes.

    Ineligible Activities:

    • University invention commercialization.
    • Routine equipment use or testing.
    • Certification/standardization of existing products.
    • Pure consulting services or literature reviews.

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    Deadline to Apply

    Book a meeting to speak to our grants team for the latest information regarding the next application intake period or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date.

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