Alliance Grants

Alliance funding supports research & development collaborations between Canadian university researchers and partners from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors, as well as opportunities for Canadian researchers to work with national and international academic counterparts.

Researchers can submit Alliance Grant applications at any time throughout the year, as the program accepts applications on a continuous basis.

There are three main types of grants, and ongoing special calls. 

Support for Researchers

Research Partner Network provides personalized support and expert guidance on how to apply for this grant and how to manage the funds should you be successful.

If you're interested in applying for this grant, please reach out to the designated Research Partners listed in the sections below.

Advantage + Society + Special Calls

  • Alliance Advantage Grants
    They support research projects conducted in collaboration with partner organizations to address their needs and accelerate the application of results. It requires at least one partner eligible for NSERC matching to provide matching funding. NSERC provides 66.7% of total project funding.
  • Alliance Society Grants
    They support research projects conducted in collaboration with partner organizations to address challenges at the intersection of natural sciences, engineering and society. It requires at least one partner eligible for NSERC matching, however for these projects NSERC will provide 100% of total project funding.
  • Special Calls, Joint Funding Opportunities + Joint Research Calls
    NSERC also uses the Alliance program to fund research in strategic areas (eg. Alliance Missions, Quantum grants), and they work with other funding partners to support joint funding programs (Alberta Innovates, Mitacs, Natural Resources Canada), and joint research calls on topics of national and global importance, including intermittent targeted calls (eg. NSERC-CSE Research Communities grants, NSERC-NSF Collaboration on quantum science and artificial intelligence)

Need help with Alliance Advantage, Alliance Society, and Special Calls?

Contact: Terra Garneau
Research Partner, VPRI Research Partners Network
t.garneau@ualberta.ca

Intended Recipients

University NSE researchers collaborating with private, public, or not-for-profit organizations.

Value + Duration

$20,000 to $1 million per year for one to five years

Deadlines

  • RAS Internal Review Deadline
    • 5 business days before application submission date (Submit application to RAS via the Researcher Home Page)
  • Final Version Submission Deadline
    • By 10:00 am MST on application submission day (Submit final application to the NSERC via their online system)
  • NSERC Deadline
    • Ongoing (continuous intake)

Additional Information

NSERC Alliance Grants

Alliance International

Supports partnerships between Canadian and international academic researchers to establish and grow research collaborations of global importance that will generate benefits to Canada.

Need help with Alliance International?

Contact: Grant Kemp
Research Partner, VPRI Research Partners Network
Grant.Kemp@ualberta.ca 

Intended Recipients

Canadian researchers working with international colleagues to pursue new knowledge, technologies, and solutions to complex problems.  

Value + Duration

$25,000 for 1 year (Catalyst grants)
$25,000 to $100,000 for one to three years (Collaboration grants)

Deadlines

  • RAS Internal Review Deadline
    • 5 business days before application submission date (Submit application to RAS via the Researcher Home Page)
  • Final Version Submission Deadline
    • By 10:00 am MST on application submission day (Submit final application to the NSERC via their online system)
  • NSERC Deadline
    • Ongoing (continuous intake)

Additional Information

NSERC Alliance Grants

support and resources

National Security Risk Assessment Support for Research Partnerships

The Government of Canada has introduced National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships, ensuring a balance between openness and security in the research ecosystem. For Alliance grant applications involving private sector partners, applicants and the University must complete a risk assessment form and submit it with the application. Research Security Specialists are available to assist with partner reviews and the institutional risk assessment. Connect with your Research Partner for more information.

Alliance Grant Drop-In Sessions

Join our monthly NSERC Alliance Grant drop-in sessions to learn more about the program and receive guidance on applying for or leveraging an Alliance Grant. These interactive sessions cover program guidelines, institutional requirements, budget considerations, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), partner eligibility, project setup, and other topics of interest to researchers. Register for the next session on the U of A Workshops and Events page, and feel free to submit your questions in advance.

Samples of Successful Applications

Samples of successful applications from previous Alliance Grant competitions are available through the GRANT library for reference.

For reference, samples of successful applications from previous Alliance Grant competitions are available in the GRANT library. To gain access to these samples, kindly complete the request form.

Please be aware that the sample grants in our library pertain to applications submitted in recent years. As application requirements and formats are subject to ongoing changes, we recommend referring to the latest information provided by NSERC to ensure compliance with the current competition guidelines.

We kindly request that you refrain from duplicating or distributing any sample applications you may utilize for guidance in developing your own grant.

additional resources