Alliance Missions grants: Critical minerals research

Program Description

2023 Alliance Missions grants are intended to provide support for research activities that will:

• advance Canadian knowledge, models, processes, tools and technologies to optimize efficiency, minimize environmental impacts, and/or support data-driven decisions along domestic critical mineral value chains, from exploration to recycling (e.g., geological and economic modelling of critical mineral deposits, flowsheets, life-cycle analyses, etc.); and/or
• develop efficient options to advance a domestic circular economy with less reliance on primary mineral resources through mine reclamation and/or critical mineral recycling or reprocessing (e.g., mining and industrial waste, end-of-life products, etc.); and/or
• support the development of best practices in technology, innovation and collaborative ventures (e.g., best practices to advance vertical integration across the sector, etc.).

Your project must focus on at least one of the fifteen prioritized critical minerals identified in the Overview.

Grant support ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 per year, for a duration of three years. NSERC will provide support for 100% of the eligible costs of research. Given the limited funding, applicants will be allowed to participate in only one Alliance Missions grant application for this call, either as the principal investigator or a co-applicant. No changes in the academic research team composition are permitted after an LOI is reviewed and approved by NSERC.

Full applications must be no more than 10 pages, regardless of amount of funding requested. Full applications must be submitted via NSERC’s online system by noon on November 8th. RPIFs are not required at the LOI stage but must be received by November 2 at noon for the full application stage.

Full Program Terms

Proposal Development Support

For support in preparing a UBCO-led application, please get in touch with the contact below:

How to Apply

RPIFs must be received at least 5 business days ahead of the deadline.

UBC Okanagan submission guidelines