Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Idea to Innovation Grant

Key Aspects

Intended Recipients

University researchers interested in or in the process of transferring their technological developments to a new or established Canadian company

Value

Market Assessment: Up to $15,000 (or 75% of total project cost)
Phase I: Up to $125,000 (or 100% of total project cost)
Phase IB: Up to $60,000 (or 100% of total project cost)
Phase IIA: Up to $125,000 (or 67% of total project cost)
Phase IIB: Up to $350,000 (or 50% of total project cost)

Duration

Market Assessment: Up to 12 months
Phase I: Up to 12 months
Phase IB: Up to 6 months
Phase IIA: 6 to 18 months
Phase IIB: Up to 24 months

Who can help me?

For more information about this grant, please visit Research Partner Network website for more details or contact:

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

Deadlines

RAS Internal Review Deadline
- Five business days prior to applicable NSERC deadline (Submit application to RAS via the Researcher Home Page)
Final Version Submission Deadline
- 10:00 am MST on applicable NSERC deadline date (Submit final application via the NSERC Online System)
NSERC Deadlines
- January 6, 2023, March 27, 2023, June 19, 2023, and September 18, 2023 at 6:00 pm MST

Opportunity

The Idea to Innovation (I2I) Grants support college and university faculty members in research and development projects with technology transfer potential. Eligible I2I projects include:

Refining and implementing designs
Verifying applications
Conducting field studies
Preparing demonstrations
Building prototypes
Performing beta trials

Idea to Innovation (I2I) Grant Website

For more information on the I2I Grants program, please visit the NSERC Idea to Innovation grants for details, or contact:

France Vaillancourt
Manager / Research Partnerships
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada – Government of Canada
Address: 125 Zaida Eddy Private, 2nd floor, Ottawa ON K1R 0E3
Phone: 343-549-6128
Email: France.vaillancourt@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Learn more

The I2I Grants program offers five funding options: Market Assessment, Phase I, Phase IB, Phase IIA, and Phase IIB, each suited to different technology maturity levels and partnerships. Contact the Technology Transfer Services team for support in developing your proposal and technology transfer plan as required by NSERC.

Contact Technology Transfer Services

Research Development Supports Available for this Competition

Samples of Successful I2I Grant Applications (Market Assessment and Phase I)

Samples of successful Market Assessment and Phase I applications from previous I2I Grant competitions are available for reference in the GRANT library.

Please note that the sample grants in the library represent applications from previous years, and application requirements and formats may have changed. It is important to consult the latest information from NSERC to ensure your I2I application aligns with current competition guidelines.

We kindly ask that you do not duplicate or distribute the sample applications used for guidance in your own grant development.

ACCESS THE SAMPLES

To receive access to these samples:

Rigister here

Other Resources

I2I program frequently asked questions
Intellectual Property (IP) strategy development supports:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) Foundations of IP Strategy online course
- Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) IP education, tools, and resources
- Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) IP assessment tool
I2I Program staff: Contact at i2i@nserc-crsng.gc.ca or (613) 947-9485 for questions and advice