Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
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NSERC Prizes — Synergy
About the award
The Synergy Awards for Innovation have undergone major changes for the upcoming competition. Please read the information bellow as well as the Call for nominations page carefully to ensure that your nomination meets all the requirements. Among the many changes, the most important are:
- Broadening of partner eligibility to include public and not-for-profit partnering organizations in addition to private sector ones
- Broadening of the scope of the Synergy Awards to include social and environmental benefits to Canada and Canadians
- For colleges, partnerships in social sciences, humanities or health are now eligible
About the award
The Synergy Awards for Innovation were launched in 1995 by NSERC to recognize partnerships in natural sciences and engineering research and development (R&D) between universities and Canadian industry. In recognition of an evolving research environment, the Synergy Awards for Innovation now also reward research partnerships taking place with colleges and research partnerships beyond those with industrial partners. Since their inception, the Synergy Awards for Innovation have honoured the most outstanding achievements of these collaborations. By working together, award-winning partner organizations and post-secondary institutions have proven that effective partnerships and innovation are the foundation of achievement. Their success has enriched the academic and research programs within Canadian post-secondary institutions while providing concrete benefits to Canadians.
Award categories
The Synergy Awards for Innovation are intended to showcase innovation and the benefits of uniting strengths to make the most of Canadian ingenuity. Synergy Awards for Innovation are offered in two categories:
- University partnerships
A partnership between an eligible Canadian university and one or more partner organizations. The highlighted research partnership must primarily focus on the natural sciences or engineering.
- College partnerships
A partnership between an eligible Canadian college and one or more partner organizations. The highlighted research partnership can be across the spectrum of natural and social sciences, engineering, humanities or health.
Prizes
The Synergy Awards for Innovation competition is held annually.
Universities: Three awards will be offered to three different Canadian partnerships. The winners (principal nominees) will each receive a $200,000 NSERC research grant. Partner organizations will each receive a $50,000 voucher valid for the cash portion of their required contribution to a new research partnerships grant (Alliance grants, College and Community Innovation program, or Idea to Innovation grants; please refer to the funding opportunity guidelines for applicable rules). Applications using the voucher must be received within three years of the Synergy Award for Innovation being awarded. The value of the voucher can be divided and applied across multiple years of the new project. The intent is to offer one voucher to each partner organization that is included in a winning nomination; however, NSERC reserves the right to limit the number of vouchers for nominations in which multiple partners are involved. Research grant funds paid to winners of this prize are subject to the Tri-agency guide on financial administration.
Colleges: One award will be offered. The institution of the winning partnership will receive a $200,000 NSERC research grant. Partner organizations will each receive a $50,000 voucher valid toward the cash portion of their required contribution in a new research partnerships grant (Alliance grants, College and Community Innovation program, or Idea to Innovation grants; please refer to the program guidelines for applicable rules). Applications using the voucher must be received within three years of the Synergy Award for Innovation being awarded. The value of the voucher can be divided across multiple years of the project. The intent is to offer one voucher to each partner organization; however, NSERC reserves the right to limit the number of vouchers when multiple partners are involved. Research grant funds paid to winners of this prize are subject to the Tri-agency guide on financial administration.