More information about Alliance International Collaboration grants. 

Learn more about Who can apply? to determine whether you are eligible to apply.

Submit your application through NSERC’s online system. The application includes:

• Proposal: complete an application for a grant (Form 101). Select the appropriate option from the menu.
• Attestation for Research Aiming to Advance Sensitive Technology Research Areas form: complete the attestation form, and ask any co-applicant(s) and collaborator(s), including all collaborators named in the international proposal, to also complete one when your application is aiming to advance a sensitive technology research area.
• Applicant information: complete a personal data form with CCV attachment (Form 100A) and ask any co-applicants to complete one as well. Include a biographical sketch for each international collaborator named in the international proposal, regardless of whether or not you will collaborate directly with them.

Consult the Alliance International Collaboration web page for the proposal submission deadlines.

You may consult additional resources, including:

• Alliance International application checklist
• Equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan
• Tri-agency guidance on research security

If you have questions about the program:

• email the Alliance International team.

If you have questions about the NSERC online system:

• check the frequently asked questions on how to use the online system
• contact the online services helpdesk: send an email to webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca or call 613-995-4273; include your email address and telephone number in your message

The instructions below will guide you through the modules in NSERC’s online system.

Provide a title that describes the subject of the research in language that the public can understand. Spell out scientific symbols and acronyms. Do not include a company or trade name. The title will be made available to the public if your proposal is funded.

Select a primary research subject code. You may add a secondary research code (optional).

• Consult the NSERC code tables

Select a primary area of application code. You may add a secondary area of application code (optional).

• Consult the NSERC code tables

Provide a maximum of 10 keywords that describe the proposal (e.g., nuclear physics, geochemistry, etc.).

Before completing this section, consult the Requirements for certain types of research.

Research involving humans: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution’s administration with the appropriate certification indicating that research involving humans has been reviewed and has received the required approval.

Research involving human pluripotent and/or totipotent stem cells: If you select Yes, or if through peer review the application is found to fall into this category and is recommended for funding, it will be forwarded, with your consent, to CIHR’s stem cell oversight committee (SCOC) to ensure compliance with Chapter 12, Section F of the Tri-council policy statement: Ethical conduct for research involving humans (TCPS 2). The SCOC review is in addition to the normal review by local research ethics boards (REBs). Funding will not be released until approval has been obtained from the SCOC.

Research involving the use of animals: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution's administration with the certification from the animal care committee at the institution that the experimental procedures proposed have been approved and that the care and treatment of animals is in accordance with the principles outlined in the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guide.

Research involving hazardous substances: If you select Yes, you must provide your institution's administration with the certification from the biosafety committee at the institution that the laboratory procedures being used comply with the safety precautions necessary for the level of containment required by the research.

Environmental impact: The Impact assessment form (appendix A) may be required. For more information, consult NSERC’s guidelines on impact assessment.

Attach a cover letter if you wish to provide NSERC with information that will not be shared with external reviewers, such as an explanation of how the project has changed since a previous submission (optional). Include in your cover letter your name, the NSERC program to which you are applying and the title of your application.

• Consult the NSERC online presentation and attachment standards

Indicate co-applicants who will participate in your application. Co-applicants will automatically be invited to provide their personal data form with CCV attachment (Form 100A).

• To determine whether a potential co-applicant is eligible to participate, consult the eligibility criteria for faculty

Enter the email address and family name of the co-applicant as these appear in the co-applicant’s Form 100A. This allows the co-applicants access to your application. When you select Save, an automated email message will be sent to the co-applicants, informing them that they have been invited to participate in your application. The status of their participation will appear as Not linked.

When co-applicants link a personal data form with CCV attachment (Form 100A) to the application, their personal information will appear on the Co-applicant page, and the status will change to Linked.

Advise co-applicants outside your institution that the authorized officer of their institution must agree to their participation. NSERC will confirm this agreement directly with the authorized officer.

Write a summary of the proposed research, intended to explain the proposal in language that the public can understand.

Using plain language, briefly describe the nature of the work. Indicate why and to whom the research is important, and describe the anticipated outcomes and advancements that will result in economic, social or environmental benefits for Canada and Canadians.

This plain-language summary will be made available to the public if your proposal is funded. The summary can be submitted in one official language or both official languages, at the applicant’s discretion.

The summary must fit in the field provided in Application for a grant – Form 101.

Complete the proposal template (three pages maximum if written in English and 3.6 if written in French). The suggested number of pages per section are outlined in the table below. Figures and tables are welcome within the specified page limits.

You must also respect the guidelines outlined in the NSERC online presentation and attachment standards.

In preparing your proposal, address the criteria that will be considered when evaluating the application.

The number of suggested, maximum or additional pages always includes the NSERC template text.

Pages exceeding the maximum or documents not requested by NSERC (e.g., letters of support) will be removed and will not be taken into account in the assessment of the application. NSERC reserves the right to reject applications exceeding the maximum number of pages.

In preparing your proposal, consult NSERC’s NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research.

If relevant to your research, consult NSERC’s Guidelines for the preparation and review of applications in interdisciplinary research and/or the Guidelines for the preparation and review of applications in engineering and the applied sciences.

To complete these sections, consider the following:

• Review the Funding your research project web page
• Consult the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration for information about the eligibility of expenditures for the direct costs of research and the regulations governing the use of grant funds

Note that if your budget includes collaborations and/or activities in fields other than the natural sciences and engineering (NSE), these costs can represent up to 30% of the Canadian project costs and must be specifically identified in the project budget justification.

The funds from NSERC must be paid to eligible universities and cannot be used to cover any part of the travel and travel-related subsistence expenditures for collaborators (whether Canadian or international).

In the Proposed expenditures section, enter the planned spending in each budget category for each year of the project.

Each team must make a substantive contribution to the project. To ensure balanced participation, the Canadian or the international team’s budget must account for at least 25% of the overall project budget.

Example: For a project where the total of the Canadian and international budgets is CAD $200,000, the Canadian or the international teams must contribute at least $50,000.

For the Budget justification section, prepare a separate document that provides a breakdown of each category and a detailed justification for spending in each category. Provide sufficient information to allow NSERC to assess whether the resources requested are appropriate and the proposed costs are eligible.

In addition, indicate the annual funding awarded to your international collaborator(s) by their funding agency. This amount must be provided in Canadian dollars at the time of application. This amount will be fixed for the duration of the grant and will not be adjusted by NSERC to reflect fluctuations in the currency exchange rate.

Attach the document in the Budget justification section. The categories are as follows:

Salaries and benefits

Give the names (if known), categories of employment, proposed salaries and non-discretionary benefits of students, postdoctoral fellows, research staff such as technical/professional assistants and the project manager. Briefly describe the responsibilities of each position and indicate the percentage of time they will be spending on this project over its lifespan. Do not include salaries of faculty in project costs.

Consult the Form 100A instructions for information on obtaining consent to name individuals in your proposal.

Equipment or facility

Give a breakdown of the items requested. Provide details on models, manufacturers, prices and applicable taxes. Justify the need for each item requested. Describe any fees for the use of equipment or a facility (e.g., hours and rate).

The total expected equipment cost (including operation and maintenance) must not exceed 30% of the Canadian budget over your project’s duration.

Materials and supplies

Provide details of materials and explain major items.

Travel

Explain briefly how each planned travel activity relates to the proposed research.

Dissemination and knowledge mobilization

Provide details of publication costs, user workshops or other activities that support collaboration and knowledge mobilization related to the project.

Technology transfer activities

List the expenditure for field trials, prototypes, scale-up costs, demonstration projects, workshops and other activities undertaken to maximize the impact of the research. 

You must use this section to provide the following documents requested by NSERC: 

• Research proposal completed by the international collaborator(s) and confirmation of funding

  • A copy of the proposal that was completed by your international collaborator(s), and peer-reviewed by their national research funding agency. This proposal must include a description of your research project and your contribution to the international collaboration. It is expected that the Canadian researcher or research team will be an integral component of the international project.

    If the international proposal is not written in French or English, upload the original international application and provide translations in French or English of the sections where the Canadian team and its role are described.

  • A confirmation that this proposal was funded, such as the award letter received by the international collaborator(s). Where award letters are not issued by the international funding organization, an alternative form of proof such as an email from the funding organization or a dated screenshot from their website clearly confirming the details of the award may be accepted.
     

• Letters of support (optional)

  If applicable, letters of support from industry, government, or not-for-profit organizations may be provided to demonstrate that the anticipated results are well positioned to generate impact in Canada by addressing a recognized need or gap. Organizations providing letters of support may express interest in the outcomes; however, they cannot act as partners in the project, unlike in programs such as Alliance Advantage.
  
  Note: For upload purposes, all other documents must be saved as a single PDF file.

An Impact assessment form (appendix A) must be completed and uploaded to the Environmental impact page, as required.

At all times, Canadian researchers are encouraged to exercise appropriate levels of due diligence when managing their research and establishing and/or continuing partnerships with national, international, and multinational partners. Resources to do so are provided by the Government of Canada on the Safeguarding Your Research portal, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships.

In accordance with the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern, all researchers involved in the activities supported by a research grant that aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area (STRA) must review the list of Named Research Organizations.

If you selected “yes” in the Sensitive Technology Research Areas section, you must use this section to provide a completed Attestation for Research Aiming to Advance Sensitive Technology Research Areas form(s) for the applicant, co-applicant(s), and collaborator(s), including all collaborators named in the International proposal, certifying that they have read, understood, and are compliant with this policy. Should the application be successful, they and their research team(s) will also be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the grant.

The applicant must collect and compile all the completed attestation forms and save them as a single PDF file. Before you attach the file, you must convert it from a fillable to a read-only PDF. For this purpose, one option is to click on Print in the form, select the PDF format as the printer, and save the file.

For more information, please read the Tri-agency guidance on the STRAC Policy.

The information you provide in your application is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act. The collection, use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC are outlined in the following Web pages:

• Transparency (including the Access to information Act, the Privacy Act and the use and disclosure of personal information provided to NSERC)
• Data retention information
• Privacy notice

NSERC is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The information you provide is stored in a series of NSERC data banks described in Information about programs and information holdings. 
You must ensure that others listed in the application have agreed to be included.

NSERC does not require original signatures on applications or other documents submitted electronically through its online system. The electronic submission of applications through this system represents approval and replaces the traditional “physical” or “wet” signatures. Refer to the frequently asked questions in the program guide for professors for more details.

For applicants and co-applicants

Before you, as an applicant or co-applicant, can submit your application to NSERC or link your personal data form with CCV attachment to an application, you must read and agree to the terms and conditions of applying that appear in a pop-up window during the submission process.

The signature of the institutional authority certifies that:

• the institution will abide by the roles and responsibilities as set out in the Agreement on the administration of agency grants and awards by research institutions with the three federal granting agencies, including the Tri-agency framework: Responsible conduct of research
• the applicant and co-applicant(s) have met, or will meet, the eligibility requirements
• prior to submission of this application, the institution has obtained written approval from any other institutions involved in the application process