Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

NSERC's Alliance Advantage offers university-led collaborative research with industry, public-sector or not-for-profit partners. Its published grant range is $20,000 to $1 million per year for one to five years, with no application deadline and partner cost sharing; eligible college faculty can participate as co-applicants. Alliance Society is a separate route for projects centred on societal challenges. Companies participate as research partners rather than applying as the university grant holder. For defence-adjacent work, the proposal must address applicable research-security requirements, including private-sector partnership risk assessment, alongside scientific merit and project design. The useful first step is to establish an eligible research lead, partner contributions, intended results and security-review responsibilities with alliance@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.