Research Admin Offices:

• MILO

Value:

As of November 10, 2022, the funding limit request for Alliance Option 2 projects will increase to $1,000,000 per year. Additionally, there will no longer be a limit on the number of applications that researchers can submit.

Disciplines:

• Natural Sciences and Engineering

Sponsors:

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

Deadlines:

Description:

The NSERC Alliance program supports collaborative research projects between a Canadian university and industry- or public partner organization(s) for 1 to 5 years. As of February 18, 2022, Alliance Option 2 has been simplified to one single cost sharing ratio of 100% for NSERC for proposals involving partners from any sector (private, public or not-for-profit). This means that the requirement for partner organizations to commit 10% of the project’s cash budget, when partners from the private sector are involved, has been removed. This would not preclude additional cash investments being made by partners from any sector to increase the scope of the project where applicable.

Alliance Option 2 applications need to fully satisfy all three criteria outlined below in order to qualify.

Societal Impact

Option 2 projects focus on important and unmet needs affecting society or societal groups, regionally, nationally, or globally. Projects removes or lower barriers to achieve what would otherwise not be possible in terms of:

• Building capacity to transform a sector and its practices;
• Providing evidence for new policies or regulations;
• Solving an issue affecting a whole business area; or
• Creating a new area of the economy

Making Connections

Option 2 projects are needs-driven and should include a range of partners and collaborators, including end-users and implementers. Projects bring together diverse groups whose collective expertise is required to merge the right ideas, break down barriers, and find solutions to overcome societal issues that one alone would not be able to accomplish.

Despite limited financial contributions, partners are expected to:

• Be active participants and be highly committed to the project
• Be committed to sharing the results beyond their own organizations

Broad Outcomes

Option 2 projects must have clear mechanisms to make the results accessible to the public:

• Outcomes must offer benefits beyond the partner organizations. If a single partner organization stands to benefit, it will have to be made clear that the results/IP will be publicly available, non-proprietary, etc.
• Results must be disseminated in formats accessible by all stakeholders in society and proposals must include a strategy to raise awareness on the resulting products, services, or policies among potential users.
• All stakeholders must understand and accept the principle that the management of the intellectual property generated through the project cannot become a barrier to the use of the results.

Option 2 is not:

• a replacement for the Engage or Strategic Grants;
• for “one researcher – one company” projects;
• a means to offset the cost of research where investments are available or in areas of intense research activity;
• intended to provide a ‘testing ground’ to establish new partnerships;
• a means to address research where the simple goal is to develop or improve new products or services for commercialization.

Public Impact Value Proposition

The Public Impact Value Proposition is a part of the Alliance application that is unique to Option 2 and is found on the last page of the proposal template. In this section, applicants will be asked to provide information demonstrating that their proposal meets Option 2’s three criteria (above). Answer all four questions in the PIVP section carefully. This is the only material that the PIVP committee sees and they use it to evaluate if the three characteristics for Option 2 proposal are met. In particular, you must outline the project’s plan to involve groups in your partner organizations’ network to achieve optimal results and impact and you need to show efforts and a plan of how you are reaching beyond the partner organization to define the problem and disseminate outputs. This is a large part of what differentiates Option 1 from Option 2.

Application/Nomination Process:

HOW TO APPLY:  https://ebiz.nserc.ca/nserc_web/nserc_login_e.htm

An Alliance Grant application is submitted using NSERC’s online system and has three components:

• Proposal (Form 101): Complete an Application for Grant (Form 101), which includes sections on background and expected outcomes, partnership, proposal team, and training plan.
• The proposal template for Option 2 includes the “Public Impact Value Proposition” section. You may use up to three additional pages for this section, which will be reviewed by the selection committee only. If your application is selected for the second step, external reviewers will not have access to this section.
• Applicant (Form 100A/CCV): Each applicant and co-applicant to complete both 100A & CCV
• Partner Organization(s) (Online): When completing Form 101, the applicant will provide an email address for the partner organization. An electronic invitation will then be sent to that email address.

The number of applications each applicant (as principal investigator or as co-applicant) may submit is limited to one (1) within a 12-month period. There is no limit to the number of applications for partner organization(s) per 12-month period.

 

EVALUTION AND REVIEW PERIOD

Alliance Option 2 applications will be evaluated in two stages. Full applications will be submitted to a multidisciplinary and multisectoral selection committee that will assess whether a higher NSERC contribution is justified. The selection committee will meet on a quarterly basis. If selected, applications will then proceed to the second step for review of overall merit, similar to Option 1 with the following project review times:

Contact:

Thinking of applying? Contact the McMaster Industry Liaison Office for guidance documents and next steps:

• Amber Metham, Associate Director (Research Contracts)
• Ross Huyskamp, Research Contracts Advisor