Alliance grants encourage university researchers to collaborate with partner organizations, which can be from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors. These grants support research projects led by strong, complementary, collaborative teams that will generate new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results to create benefits for Canada.

Alliance Society grants (formerly Alliance cost-sharing option 2) fund projects with societal impact as the main driver.

Research supported by Alliance Society grants will:

• address a societal challenge that will result in new natural sciences and engineering knowledge and societal impact
• bring together academic, partner organization and societal perspectives and skill sets throughout the collaboration
• demonstrate how all interested individuals will learn about and use the products, services or policies that stem from this research
• generate new knowledge and/or technology to address complex challenges
• create economic, social and/or environmental benefits
• contribute to Canada’s long-term competitiveness
• support public policy
• train new researchers in areas that are important to Canada and the partner organizations
• draw on diverse perspectives and skill sets to accelerate the translation and application of research results

If you are a Canadian university researcher who is eligible to receive NSERC funds, you can apply on your own or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers. Adjunct professors working outside the Canadian university sector (e.g., government, industry or colleges) may apply as co-applicants. You must have at least one partner organization (in the private, public or not-for-profit sector) that could be recognized for cost sharing (see Alliance Society: Partner organizations), but you may include other partner organizations who play an important role in your research project, whether or not they could be recognized for cost sharing.

Alliance grants support projects of varying scale and complexity, from short-term smaller projects involving one researcher to long-term projects involving researchers across several universities, and from one-on-one collaborations with one partner organization directly involved in the research to projects involving many partner organizations across multiple sectors.

NSERC is acting on the evidence that 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 (EDI) and is aligned with the objectives of the Tri-agency EDI Action Plan.

Excellent research considers EDI both in the research environment (forming a research team, student training) and in the research process. For Alliance grants, EDI considerations are currently evaluated in the training, mentorship and professional development opportunities for students and trainees. The aim is to remove barriers to the recruitment and promote the full participation of individuals from underrepresented groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis), persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Applicants are encouraged to increase the inclusion and advancement of underrepresented groups as one way to enhance the excellence in research and training. For additional guidance, applicants should refer to Alliance grants: Equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan and the NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research.

To ensure that the Canadian research ecosystem is as open as possible and as safeguarded as necessary, the Government of Canada has introduced the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy) and the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP).

For more information about research security at the granting agencies, refer to the Tri-agency guidance on research security.

The STRAC Policy addresses risks related to Sensitive Technology Research Areas performed with research organizations and institutions that pose the highest risk to Canada’s national security. The STRAC Policy applies to this funding opportunity.

Applicants must identify whether the grant application aims to advance a Sensitive Technology Research Area. If so, the submission of attestation forms will be required from researchers with named roles (for this funding opportunity, these are the applicants, co-applicants, and collaborators) to certify that they are not currently affiliated with, nor are in receipt of funding or in-kind support from, a Named Research Organization (NRO).

The Tri-agency guidance on the STRAC Policy provides more information on applicable procedures and requirements, including responsibilities of researchers and the responsibilities of institutions.

The National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships integrate national security considerations into the development, evaluation and funding of research partnerships. These guidelines provide a framework through which researchers, research institutions and Canada’s granting agencies can undertake consistent, risk-targeted due diligence to identify and mitigate potential national security risks linked to research partnerships.

The National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships apply to Alliance grant applications involving one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors. For such partnerships, you and your post-secondary institution are required to complete a Risk Assessment form for your research project and submit it as an integral part of your Alliance application.

If your Risk Assessment form identifies risks related to data that will be mitigated — in part or in whole — by your data management plan (DMP), the risk mitigation plan section of your Risk Assessment form must also describe how your DMP will address those data-related risks.

The Tri-agency guidance on the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships provides more information on applicable procedures and requirements.

Alliance Society is now part of a pilot initiative where applicants are being asked to submit a data management plan (DMP) with their application. The results of this pilot will be used to inform NSERC’s implementation of the Tri-agency Research Data Management Policy’s DMP requirement. The DMP is not part of the scoring or the formal evaluation of the application; however, during this pilot, PIVP committee members are asked to provide feedback on submitted DMPs to help support applicants.

DMPs contribute to research efficiency by encouraging researchers to proactively establish how they will manage their data through all stages of the research activities. DMPs should describe what data are expected to be collected, created, linked to, acquired or recorded; how data will be documented, formatted, protected, and stored; who will be responsible for managing the data; whether and how data and research results will be shared within and outside of the funded team/project; and any ethical, legal and commercial constraints the data are subject to (if applicable).

For more information on research data management and DMPs, see the Tri-agency Research Data Management Policy – Frequently Asked Questions, SSHRC’s Guide to Preparing a DMP and the Training Resources page of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. Researchers are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with the DMP resources available at their institutions, such as their institution’s research data management strategy.

Refer to How to apply and the instructions for completing an Alliance grant application for further information.

Your partner organizations can be private, public or not-for-profit. You may involve whichever partner organizations you need to achieve your research goals and successfully mobilize your research results to achieve the desired impact. At least one of these partners must have a demonstrated ability to exploit such research results, while other partners may be chosen for their ability to generate and mobilize knowledge. Each partner organization must actively play a role in the project and support it through in-kind contributions. Such involvement must be achieved by doing at least one of the following:

• Playing an active role in the project’s research activities
• Using the project’s research results to help achieve its desired outcomes
• Playing an active role in translating or mobilizing knowledge to ensure that the research results have an impact

Active participation in the project and in-kind contributions are not required from funding organizations (e.g., other provincial or federal funding agencies) providing financial support to the project.

In an R&D project considered for an Alliance Society grant, at least one partner organization must be recognized for cost sharing, but a cash contribution is not required. To be recognized for cost sharing, a partner organization must:

• be listed as a type of organization whose cash contributions can be recognized for cost sharing with NSERC, in section 1 below
• meet the detailed requirements that apply to the partner organization’s sector (private, Canadian public or Canadian not-for-profit), in section 2 below

In reviewing your application for an Alliance Society grant, NSERC will assess the relevance and potential impact of each partner organization and its proposed in-kind contributions. NSERC will prioritize funding to projects that most clearly fulfill the objectives of Alliance Society grants.

All partner organizations, including foreign and multinational companies, are responsible for complying with NSERC policies and procedures, and with other Canadian laws, regulations, standards or policies that apply to the collaborative research activities outlined in the proposal. In rare cases, restrictions such as Canadian economic sanctions may apply to partnerships with foreign companies.

The applicant will ask partners to participate in the application by completing a partner organization form (see the instructions). In addition, at NSERC’s request, a partner organization must provide supplemental information that describes the organization and enables NSERC to determine whether the partner organization can be recognized for cost sharing.

If you are applying for an Alliance Society grant, you can include just one partner organization or several—whichever you need to support the planned activities (given their size and scope) and produce the desired research results and widest possible benefits. Your application must demonstrate that the contributions and involvement of the partner organization or organizations will create the necessary conditions for the project’s success.

To determine which of your proposed partner organizations can be recognized for cost sharing, follow the three steps below. Alternatively, you may complete the partner organization self-assessment tool.

1. Check where each partner organization is listed in the following table.

Types of partner organizations whose cash contributions can and cannot be recognized in NSERC cost-sharing calculations

Private sector

Cash contributions can be recognized

• Canadian private companies (registered or incorporated)
• Multinationals with business operations in Canada
• Foreign companies (only if they are partnering with a Canadian partner organization that is recognized in NSERC’s cost-sharing calculations)

Cash contributions cannot be recognized

• Venture capital/angel investors
• Holding companies
• Companies with fewer than two full-time employees

Canadian public sector

Cash contributions can be recognized

• Municipalities and local or regional governments established by or under provincial or territorial statute
• Provincial/territorial government departments
• Federal government departments
• Indigenous organizations
• Public utilities
• Crown corporations

Cash contributions cannot be recognized

• Funding organizations (federal, provincial, territorial, international) whose primary mission is to fund R&D
• Organizations whose primary mission is to perform R&D
• Foreign governments

Canadian not-for-profit

Cash contributions can be recognized

• Producer groups (typically representing agriculture, aquaculture or viniculture producers)
• Industrial associations
• Registered charities
• Organizations whose primary mission is to maintain collections (e.g., historical, scientific, artistic or cultural) for the public good, such as libraries, museums, zoos or aquariums
• Community organizations
• Indigenous not-for-profit organizations and communities
• Unions

Cash contributions cannot be recognized

• Not-for-profit organizations whose primary mission is to fund R&D and are funded or controlled primarily by government
• Post-secondary institutions
• Incubators and accelerators
• Hospitals and medical/clinical research institutes
• Consortia with the majority of their funding originating from government sources
• Foreign not-for-profit organizations
• Individuals
   

2. If the partner organization’s type is listed above as being recognized for cost-sharing, then determine whether it meets the following detailed requirements.

Requirements for partner organizations recognized for cost sharing

In the case where your NSERC Alliance application involves one or more partner organization from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors, you must complete the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ Risk Assessment form and submit it as an integral part of the application.

The requirement to submit the completed Risk Assessment form applies to industrial associations since their member organizations are principally from the private sector. When filling out the form, you must consider the association’s private-sector member organizations participating in the project (when applicable) and/or those that will exploit the research results.

NSERC requires applicants, co-applicants and other participants in Alliance grants to report any conflict of interest to their institution before applying for a grant and as a condition of accepting an award. Institutions must assess conflicts of interest and implement mitigation plans to comply with conflict of interest requirements in the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions. All participants must also adhere to the Tri-agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research (2021). Under the agreement and framework, conflict of interest encompasses not only real but also perceived or potential conflicts of interest.

NSERC encourages participants to discuss conflicts of interest at the earliest stages of developing a partnership. Transparency in disclosing affiliations, relationships and sources of funding is also important to ensure that research is conducted in line with best practices for research integrity and research security. The best means to minimize potential impacts of conflicts of interest is to declare such conflicts and develop and implement a mitigation plan.

The guiding principles below refer to this broader definition of “conflict of interest:”

When activities or situations place an individual or institution in a conflict between the duties or responsibilities related to research and personal, institutional or other interests, this is considered a conflict of interest. Such interests include national or international business, commercial, financial or other interests of the institution, the individual, their family members, friends, or their former, current or prospective professional associates. Divided loyalties may consciously or unconsciously bias researchers and institutions, adversely affecting research outcomes and the welfare of participants.

• As researchers or institutions, you must assess conflicts of interest when conducting research, as such conflicts may jeopardize the integrity of the research and the protection of participants.
• As a researcher, you must transparently disclose any conflict of interest to your institution and all participants in the proposed research activities, including trainees. When necessary, you must take steps to minimize and manage these conflicts according to your institution’s conflict of interest policy and disciplinary standards. All participants should always strive to avoid conflicts of interest.
• As a researcher, you must make prospective participants aware of all conflicts of interest at the earliest stage so that they can make an informed decision about their participation.
• As researchers, institutions and research ethics boards, you should identify and address conflicts of interest to discharge professional and institutional obligations, maintain public confidence and trust, and ensure accountability.

For more information, refer to the:

• Terms and conditions of applying for applicants
• Terms and conditions of applying for partner organizations

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.

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 and/or activities outside the NSE can represent up to 30% of the project costs (see Funding your research project) and must be specifically identified in the project budget justification.

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.

To be eligible for an Alliance Society grant:

• projects must involve research at the intersection of science/engineering and society, with societal impact as the main driver
• teams must involve the people affected by these issues—who will benefit from the research results—in identifying the challenge and designing a strategy to solve the challenge
• teams must share the results in ways that the affected groups will use, and a collaborative approach is expected

Your project may solve a challenge or take a first step toward achieving your ultimate societal goals. Because this approach is more challenging and requires more effort, NSERC covers 100% of the project costs. NSERC’s contribution will allow you to make crucial advances toward these longer-term benefits.

Your partnership must include:

• at least one partner organization that would be recognized for cost sharing under Alliance grants and that will make in-kind contributions to the project
• societal groups affected by the challenge that can benefit from and use the results of the project

Projects must meet the following three criteria. A selection committee will examine whether applications meet the criteria. Only applications that do so will continue to peer review, and applications that fail to meet these criteria will be rejected.

• Identify a need affecting Canadian end users and society
• Develop an approach involving science and engineering research to meet the need
• Aim for benefits that reach societal end users and go beyond the direct interests of participating partner organizations

Your project must result in new technical knowledge that can be adopted by end users to make a positive impact on society in Canada.

Your objectives and research strategy must be well aligned with the needs of the affected societal groups. You can realize benefits in collaboration with any sector—private, public or not-for-profit.

• Identify partner organizations and societal groups affected by—or interested in—the problem, including those outside natural sciences and engineering, when appropriate
• Engage these partner organizations and societal groups to bring their knowledge to the research design and implementation
• Involve these partner organizations and groups in integrating the solutions within and across sectors

The approach should bring together academic and societal groups, and partner organizations throughout the collaboration—from design, through execution to implementation. Impacts are stronger when the project makes connections within and outside the natural sciences and engineering. Non-academic partners and groups have a unique understanding of the challenge. Although they cannot resolve it on their own, they can define the need and participate in knowledge exchange to implement the results. Your partner organizations can advance the project through a high level of participation and sharing results beyond their own organizations. Your application must explain how the partner organizations’ involvement will lead to adoption.

• Have a clear plan to communicate progress and the resulting products, services or policies beyond the academic world
• Use non-technical and innovative formats that partner organizations and societal groups can understand and that help exchange knowledge with these organizations and groups
• Demonstrate how the management of the project-generated intellectual property (IP) allows organizations and groups affected by the societal challenge to use the results without any obstacles

Your project must aim for outcomes that are more than improvements to a product or a service for increased profit. Your project may advance a sector and its practices, or it may provide evidence that leads to new policies or regulations. The results should be shared in various ways, including technical formats, such as publications, and non-technical formats that end users can find, understand and use. Your proposal must explain how all interested individuals and groups, beyond partner organizations, will learn about and use the results of your research. You must describe how your IP plan will allow the individuals and groups affected by the societal challenge to access the outcomes.

The following projects that were approved for funding demonstrate these criteria and may serve as examples when developing your project.

You and your co-applicants may receive funds from multiple sources to cover the costs of your research project.

These sources of funds could include:

• Alliance grant funding from NSERC to cover the direct costs of the research
• Cash provided by the partner organization(s), the university or external sources, such as other funding agencies

The funds from NSERC must be paid to eligible universities and cannot be used to buy equipment, products or services from any partner organization, or to cover any part of the travel and travel-related subsistence expenditures for partner organization personnel. For Alliance Society, expenses that are direct costs of research and essential for the success of the project incurred by partners that are Indigenous organizations in the public or not-for-profit sectors may be included in the application budget. Please consult with NSERC before submitting your application.

NSERC funds can only be applied to expenses incurred after an award is approved.

Alliance  Society Limit on number of applications per year: none
Value: $20,000 to $500,000 per year
Duration: one to five years

Size of partner organization
All partner sizes

Type of partnership
Partners from any sector. Your partners must include at least one partner that could be recognized for cost sharing, although a cash contribution is not required

NSERC contribution to project costs
100%

You and your co-applicants may receive funds from other sources to cover the direct costs of your project. These sources of funds could include cash contributions provided by the university or other funding agencies. Such funds would add to and complement those requested from NSERC. You must include all of the project's direct costs funded by sources other than NSERC in the budget table. All costs must be explained in the proposal and will be considered in the merit assessment of your proposal.

In-kind contributions are important for the success of the project. All partner organizations participating in the project must play an active role in it and make in-kind contributions through such involvement. In-kind contributions are considered in the merit assessment of your proposal (see Evaluation criteria).

You can include only NSERC-eligible direct costs of research in your project budget, such as:

• Salary support for research trainees (undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral fellows) to perform research and related training
• Salary support for technicians and research professional personnel
• Materials and supplies
• Activities that support collaborations and knowledge mobilization related to the project
• Activities to develop and grow the research collaborations with the partner organizations

Refer to the guidelines on the use of grant funds in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration.

You can also include the costs of equipment, provided that the equipment is:

• essential to achieving the objectives of the research project
• incremental to the equipment already available at the university or at the partner organization’s location

If your total expected equipment cost (including operation and maintenance) exceeds $400,000 over your project’s duration, then you should apply for an alternate source of funding, such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund. NSERC and CFI have developed a joint application and review procedure for these cases. You may contact NSERC or CFI for more details.

Project management costs may be an eligible expense, up to 10% of the total direct research costs (see Guidelines for research partnerships programs project management expenses). The need for project management expenses must be explained in the budget justification section.

Following the initial period of your grant, NSERC will automatically extend your grant for one year to allow you to complete your planned activities. No additional funding is provided for this automatic one-year extension.

If you need additional extensions due to justifiable extenuating circumstances, you can apply for these using a grant amendment form. Such extensions are up to one year at a time and do not include additional funding.

You can apply at any time. Follow the instructions for completing an Alliance grant application, fill out the proposal template and complete the other sections of your application. Note that Alliance grants allow 20% more space for French content in application sections that have a page or character limit.

If your application involves one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors, also complete the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ Risk Assessment form.

Following the Tri-agency guidance on the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy), if your application aims to advance a listed sensitive technology research area, the applicant, co-applicant(s) and collaborator(s) must each complete the STRAC Attestation form.

Before submitting your application, use the Alliance grant application checklist to ensure it is complete.

Submit your completed application and supporting documents, including the Personal data form with CCV attachment for the applicant and all co-applicants, through NSERC’s online system. Your partner organization’s contact person will be invited through the online system to provide information about the organization following the partner organization instructions.

The merit of your application is evaluated using the following four equally weighted criteria. The proposal must address all criteria and sub-criteria to be considered for funding.

1. Partnership

1.1 Partner organizations’ roles in the project and value of their involvement and any other in-kind contributions

1.2 Relevance of the partnership and capacity of the partner organizations to translate, mobilize and/or apply the research results

2. Research plan and team

2.1 Clarity of the research objectives and expected results, appropriateness of the research plan, and suitability of the budget

2.2 Appropriateness of the expertise of the team (academic and partner organization participants) for carrying out the planned research activities, as well as for managing the project and providing training

3. Training

3.1. Opportunities for enriched learning experiences for research trainees (undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows) to develop relevant research skills, as well as professional skills (e.g., leadership, communication, collaboration and entrepreneurship)

3.2 Consideration of equity, diversity and inclusion in the training plan

4. Research impact and benefits to Canada

4.1 Innovativeness of the proposed research and its potential to lead to advancements or new knowledge in the natural sciences or engineering disciplines

4.2 Significance of the outcomes and the economic, environmental and/or other societal benefits for Canada and Canadians

NSERC uses established merit indicators to rate each evaluation criterion/sub-criterion.

When NSERC receives an Alliance application, it first undertakes an administrative assessment to ensure the application is complete and complies with all requirements. Once the administrative assessment is satisfactorily completed, NSERC proceeds with the merit assessment of the application, using a variety of tools and taking into account the average annual amount of funding requested.

Small project
Annual request of at least $20,000 up to an average annual request of $75,000 for 1 to 5 years

Medium project
Average annual request of more than $75,000 up to $300,000 for 1 to 5 years

Large project
Average annual request of more than $300,000 up to a maximum annual request of $500,000 for 1 to 5 years

For Alliance Society grants, the assessment includes three steps.

First, your full application will be submitted to a multidisciplinary and multisectoral selection committee (the Public Impact Value Proposition [PIVP]  Selection Committee) that will assess whether it justifies a higher NSERC contribution (see Alliance Society: Research topics).

If the committee determines that your application fits the objectives of Alliance Society, it proceeds to the second step for the assessment of its ove   rall merit. External reviewers with expertise directly related to the proposal will provide reviews based on the merit evaluation criteria.

If your application is deemed meritorious, it will returned to the PIVP Selection Committee to be ranked for funding on a competitive basis.

If you are a reviewer for Alliance grant applications, you will use the following instructions to complete your review:

• Instructions to external reviewers
• Alliance Society public impact value proposition (PIVP) selection committee review instructions

In the case where your proposal involves one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors, NSERC will review the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ Risk Assessment form that you provided with your application (including the risk mitigation plan, when applicable) following the risk assessment review process. Following this process, when additional expertise is required, NSERC will seek further national security assessment and advice from Canada’s national security departments and agencies.

NSERC’s funding decision will take into consideration the merit and public impact evaluations as well as the assessment of potential risks for Canada’s national security, when applicable.

NSERC will use the merit indicator ratings assigned to applications, and recommendation from the PIVP Selection Committee, to select proposals for funding on a competitive basis. Where applicable, NSERC will also consider the results of the risk assessment review process to ensure that any identified risks are appropriately mitigated. Following the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships, applications where risks cannot be appropriately mitigated will not be funded.

The expected assessment time for Alliance Society grants is 20-30 weeks. If NSERC requires further national security assessment and advice from Canada’s national security departments and agencies to inform the funding decision, this additional assessment will extend the expected assessment time by up to 10 weeks.

NSERC is committed to achieving these service standards for 80% of applications, recognizing that some proposals may require additional time.

If your application is approved for funding, you will receive an award letter, and you must adhere to the terms and conditions set out in it.

Your award letter will indicate the start date of your project. NSERC will normally transfer your grant funds to your university within 30 days of that start date.

Indigenous public and not-for-profit sector partner expenses

Should expenses be approved for a Indigenous public or not-for-profit sector partner, please note that as per the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration, NSERC only permits the transfer of grant funds to NSERC-eligible institutions. Eligible expenses of the Indigenous partners must therefore be paid via invoices, contracts or accountable advances. These are not considered to be grant transfers. Should an award be offered, the host university research services office and/or business office/finance group and partners should determine the best/preferred approach on payment method.

NSERC recommends that you and your university follow best practices by signing a research agreement that defines the intellectual property rights and obligations of all the partner organizations involved in your research project. The agreement must be aligned with NSERC’s Policy on Intellectual Property, which promotes the use and/or exploitation of knowledge and open access to results of research funded by NSERC.

Notes:

• NSERC claims no rights of ownership to any intellectual property generated by Alliance grant projects
• NSERC’s Policy on Intellectual Property stipulates that each of your students must maintain their right to defend their thesis without delays or impediments
• All participants, including any trainees, should consult this policy to ensure that they are aware of their rights and obligations

You must acknowledge NSERC support in any communications or presentations about the research supported by your Alliance grant.

You must report regularly on how you use the funds from your grant, the activities you carry out during your funded project and the outcomes of this project. You will be informed of reporting requirements upon receiving your award letter.

Subsequent instalments of your grant depend on (1) a demonstrated need for NSERC funds and (2) adherence to all other conditions specified in the terms and conditions of an award.

You must notify NSERC:

• if any of your partner organizations leave the project—in this case
  • you should discuss with NSERC the impact on your ability to achieve the original goals of the project and whether the project may need to be amended
  • if you no longer have at least one partner organization that is recognized for cost-sharing, you have up to six months to find an alternate partner organization
  • if you cannot find such an organization, you must notify NSERC and submit a wind-down plan that focuses on student support

If you and your partner organizations fail to provide the requested feedback, your subsequent applications may be denied. If a partner organization fails to honour its commitments, NSERC may also decline to consider it in future applications.

Following the initial period of your grant, NSERC will automatically extend your grant for one year to allow you to complete your planned activities. No additional funding is provided for this automatic one-year extension.

If you need additional extensions due to justifiable extenuating circumstances, you can apply for these using a grant amendment form. Such extensions are up to one year at a time and do not include additional funding.

Alliance grants encourage university researchers to collaborate with partner organizations, which can be from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors. These grants support research projects led by strong, complementary, collaborative teams that will generate new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results to create benefits for Canada. The resources below provide more information on the grants awarded and additional metrics:

• Alliance funding decisions: a list of new Alliance grants awarded per competition year (updated on a quarterly basis)
• Alliance dashboard: a further breakdown of where Alliance invests its funding, partner types, area of application and more

• Partner organization self-assessment tool
• Partner organization form instructions
• Partner organization supplemental information questionnaire

• Completing an application — form 101 instructions (including page lengths)
• Proposal template (effective December 5, 2023)
• National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ risk assessment form
• Personal data form with CCV attachment — form 100A instructions
• Canadian Common CV — How to complete NSERC’s version
• Alliance grant application checklist

• Alliance grants: Equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan
• Tri-agency statement on equity, diversity and inclusion
• Tri-agency EDI action plan

• Alliance Society overview pamphlet
• Safeguarding your research portal

• Terms and conditions of applying for applicants
• Terms and conditions of applying for partner organizations

• Alliance Society Merit indicators (effective December 5, 2023)
• Instructions for external reviewers (effective December 5, 2023)
• Alliance Society public impact value proposition (PIVP) selection committee review instructions

• Terms and conditions of award
• Policy on intellectual property

• Eligibility
• Tri-agency guide on financial administration
• Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research (2021)
• Professors frequently asked questions
• Appeals of NSERC funding decisions

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Email: alliance@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
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