NSERC 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.

Research supported by Alliance grants will 

• 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 to the partner organizations; and,
• draw on diverse perspectives and skill sets to accelerate the translation and application of research results.

ELIGIBILITY

Researchers must have at least one partner organization (in the private, public, or not-for-profit sector) whose cash contributions will be recognized for cost-sharing (see Alliance grants: Role of partner organizations).

FUNDING VALUE
$20,000 – $1M/year

APPLICATIONS PER YEAR
No limits

DURATION
1 to 5 years

NSERC DEADLINE

Rolling deadline – applications are accepted at any time

ORS DEADLINES AND APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications requesting up to and including $750,000 total funding from NSERC are supported by the Grants & Applications group, with submission to ORS (researchapps@yorku.ca) as per the following timelines:

• Ten (10) working days before submission to NSERC for full administrative review.
• Otherwise two (2) working days before submission to NSERC.

Applications requesting more than $750,000 total funding from NSERC are supported by the Strategic and Institutional Research Initiatives (SIRI) unit as per the following options:

a) Proposals are provided with full SIRI support for content development, and assessed by the Strategic Projects and Opportunities Review Team (SPORT), which provides feedback to enhance the competitiveness of the application. For this option, applicants follow periodic internal intake rounds, currently scheduled for January and May 2020, with more to be scheduled in the future. Applicants pursuing this option should contact Maheen Hasan, SIRI Specialist (mhasan@yorku.ca) as soon as possible.
or
b) SIRI provides a full administrative review of the completed proposal, which may take up to ten (10) working days, in advance of submission to NSERC. Completed applications should be submitted to Maheen Hasan, SIRI Specialist (mhasan@yorku.ca).

ELIGIBLE EXPENSES
Eligible project expenses include direct costs of research salary support for research trainees (undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral fellows) to perform research, and related training 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.

The costs of equipment, provided that the equipment is essential to achieving the objectives of the research project, and is incremental to the equipment already available at the university or at the partner organization’s location.

For large or multi-party projects (NSERC award valued at $750,000 or above), researchers may also include project management costs, up to a maximum of 10 per cent of the total direct research costs.
FUNDING MECHANISM
The award amount is calculated based on cost-sharing with partner organizations. The portion of the cost of the project that can be cost-shared with NSERC includes only the cash contributions from partner organizations that are recognized for cost-sharing. See: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Innovate-Innover/alliance-alliance/funding-financement_eng.asp

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (EDI)

Applicants must include an EDI strategy in the project’s research design and consider how to promote and support a variety of forms of mentoring to ensure trainees’ equitable participation and growth. Furthermore, applicants must strive for equity, diversity and inclusion when developing their group of co-applicants, partners and trainees.

York University researchers are reminded that all applications for external research funding, including Letters of Intent, must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Research Services before they are submitted to the granting agency. For internal approval, the application must be accompanied by a completed ORS Checklist, which requires the Chair’s (if applicable) and Dean’s signatures.

Funder: NSERC

Notes:Please note that applications requesting up to $750,000 total funding from NSERC should be submitted to the Grants & Applications group (researchapps@yorku.ca). Applications requesting more than $750,000 total funding from NSERC should be submitted to SIRI Specialist Maheen Hasan (mhasan@yorku.ca).

Please see the funding call for further information.