Duration | Up to 24 months |
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Application deadline |
NSERC-Alberta Innovates Stream I:
No new inquiries will be accepted under Stream I at this time.
NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Stream II: Until all available funding is awarded. Alberta Innovates will close this program once application capacity has been reached. |
Application forms |
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For more information | Contact the Prairies Regional Office or the ![]() |
NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance grants invest in projects that, in alignment with Alberta’s innovation and technology strategies, advance discoveries to develop emerging technologies that can generate economic, environmental, health and social benefits for Albertans and Canadians.
Please check Appendix A (for Stream I) and Appendix B (for Stream II) of the Advance program guide available on the Alberta Innovates Advance program website for the eligible emerging technology areas/topics. These areas offer transformational promise for challenges across Alberta’s existing sectors and entry into wider global markets. Their development provides the foundation for job creation and economic diversification in Alberta.
The NSERC– Alberta Innovates Advance program has two grant award streams:
Stream I: Alberta Innovates offered this special call, pilot initiative in 2022 to provide supplemental funding to researchers in Alberta who hold active NSERC Discovery grants (individual) awarded in Competition Years 2020, 2021 and 2022 and have R&D activities focusing on targeted emerging technology subject areas/topics. The stream was closed at the end of September 2022. Since then, Alberta Innovates has been processing inquiries/applications for this pilot stream. In 2023-24, Alberta Innovates will continue to process the remaining inquiries in the queue for the 2022-23 pilot stream.
Successful applicants will receive 2/3 of NSERC’s annual Discovery grants (individual) award value from Alberta Innovates to a maximum of $20,000 per year per award for a maximum of two years.
Please note that Alberta Innovates will not accept any new inquiries under Stream I at this time.
Funding is available to NSERC eligible researchers at NSERC eligible Alberta-based universities to help those who have made promising discoveries conduct the research needed to advance to the development stage, which could eventually lead to commercialization.
Stream II: This is the general stream of the NSERC Alliance - Alberta Innovates Advance Program.
Projects must advance the readiness of technologies for future market opportunities in the emerging technology areas/topics (see Appendix B for Stream II in the program guide available on the Alberta Innovates Advance program website). As the primary applicant, the principal investigator must hold an active peer-reviewed grant from NSERC at the time of application.
Stream II: Individual proposals can request a maximum of $150,000 per year for a maximum of two years. Alberta Innovates will provide up to $100,000 per year, and NSERC will match their contribution at a ratio of 50%, up to a maximum of $50,000 per year.
For Stream II, project funding is intended to help bridge the gap between academic research and technology validation in technology readiness levels (TRL) 2 to 4. Projects will advance an idea by developing a technological solution for a future market opportunity. Projects could lead to technology transfer activities and commercialization following the grant period. Eligible technology development within this program can begin as early as the conceptual research stage (beginning from TRL 2), up to testing/validation of ad hoc component integration in a laboratory setting (TRL 4). Projects developing technologies at later TRL stages are not eligible for this program. Partners are not permitted in this program; projects with partners should apply to the main NSERC Alliance program or other Alberta Innovates/NSERC support programs.
Funding can be used to engage and train undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates and technicians on projects, as well as for operational and equipment costs. Intellectual property (IP) protection, market assessment and technology transfer activities costs are not eligible expenses in this program. Project funding will support activities such as
Key goals of the NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance grants are to improve the direction of research efforts that could lead to technology transfer and commercialization in Alberta, to develop emerging technologies with market potential and/or solutions to end-user challenges, and to develop an enhanced skill and knowledge base (highly qualified personnel [HQP]) for Alberta companies.
Technologies that successfully demonstrate a proof of concept and the potential to work in a laboratory environment in this program may be further advanced to market through other support programs, including Alberta Innovates Health and Clean Resources Sector or Entrepreneurial Investments programs or federal programs such as NSERC I2I grants. Researchers are encouraged to discuss their project with the industry liaison office (ILO) at their institution early in the project to begin interactions with industry and identify potential partners and business advisors.
NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance grants project objectives:
Alberta Innovates will support projects aligned with this program’s emerging technology areas/topics (see Appendix A and Appendix B for Stream I and Stream II in the program guide available on the Alberta Innovates Advance program website). Projects must represent a credible Alberta-developed solution to advance the readiness of technologies for future market opportunities.
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).
For more information, see the Guide for applicants: Considering equity, diversity, and inclusion in your application.
Explaining how you have considered equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan is mandatory. Please consult the Equity, diversity and inclusion in your training plan web page for guidance.
Partner organizations that are recognized for cost-sharing with NSERC are not permitted for proposals under this program. However, potential end-users for the technology being proposed should be identified in the proposal. Please ensure that you add Alberta Innovates as a joint funding partner to this application and provide the name and email of the Alberta Innovates Advance program manager as the contact for Alberta Innovates.
Stream I: Alberta Innovates will notify researchers currently in the queue for the 2022-23 pilot stream (i.e., Alberta Innovates NSERC Discovery grants (individual) supplemental funding pilot stream) to submit the Post-Secondary Investments & Emerging Technologies (PSIET) Intake Form on the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple Application Portal. If the PSIET Intake Form is approved, the applicant will be invited to submit a full application. Please note that Alberta Innovates will not accept any new inquiries under Stream I at this time.
Stream II:
To start the application process for an NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance grant, applicants must contact the Alberta Innovates Advance program manager to ensure that the proposed project meets the requirements of alignment of the program including the priority emerging technology targeted research topics. After receiving confirmation from Alberta Innovates that the proposed research is aligned with program requirements, the applicant must complete and submit the Post Secondary Investments & Emerging Technologies (PSIET) Intake Form on the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple Application Portal.
Alberta Innovates will review intake forms to determine whether the applicant will be invited to submit a full application. If invited to apply, the applicant must complete the NSERC application (without submitting it) and generate a PDF version of it with the preview function in NSERC’s online system. The applicant must then complete the Alberta Innovates application form in the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple portal. The applicant must attach the PDF of the NSERC application as part of the Alberta Innovates application.
Alberta Innovates will complete the partner organization form once it has reviewed and assessed the details submitted through the Alberta Innovates SmartSimple portal. Once Alberta Innovates has completed the partner form, the applicant may submit the application to NSERC through NSERC’s online system.
To start the NSERC application for Stream II (General stream):
The proposed cost-sharing ratio for this application is 100%.
There are four components to this NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance grants application: proposal, applicant information, partner organization information (Alberta Innovates, in this case), and a Technology Transfer Office Review Form, completed by the technology transfer office of the applicant’s university. All four components need to be completed and submitted. Guidance on this page takes precedence over other NSERC Alliance descriptions and instructions.
Applications are evaluated using the following four equally weighted criteria. The proposal must address all of the criteria and sub-criteria to be considered for funding. Applications will continue to be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis until the annual budget is fully allocated.
Relevance and outcomes
Quality of the proposal
Project team and training opportunities
Future market opportunity
Please consult the merit indicators for further details.
All project expenditures are subject to the principles and directives governing the appropriate use of grant funds as outlined in the Tri-agency guide on financial administration. 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.
NSERC automatically provides an extension period of one year for using the grant funds. This extension period allows you to complete your research activities planned for within the specified term of your grant. The extension is applicable for the NSERC portion of the grant only. To benefit from an extension towards the portion of funding from Alberta Innovates, you must seek their approval before the end date of the project.
See the Alliance Award webpage for information on NSERC’s Policy on Intellectual Property, research agreements, and how these pertain to this funding opportunity.
You will be informed of reporting requirements and the corresponding schedule when you are notified of your award. NSERC and Alberta Innovates will strive to streamline their reporting requirements to lessen the burden on participants. Alberta Innovates requires an annual presentation to demonstrate progress.