NSERC Alliance Grants

All applications to the NSERC Alliance Grant program, including Alliance Advantage, Alliance Society, Alliance International, Alliance Mitacs, Alliance Missions, and Alliance special calls must be electronically submitted via NSERC’s online system. Application instructions are different for each stream of Alliance grants. Please consult the “Apply” section of the appropriate Alliance funding program for specific application requirements.

 

Alliance Advantage, Society, International and Mitacs grants are accepted on a rolling basis. Please consult the ORS Funding Opportunities page for internal deadlines for special calls and Alliance Missions.

Where no deadline is stated, standard ORS internal deadlines apply.

While ORS makes every effort to submit all applications on time, applications submitted after the UBC internal deadline will not receive a guarantee of administrative review from ORS, which includes confirmation for application completeness and compliance in order to provide institutional signatures. As ORS must forward each application to NSERC after the applicant’s final submission, we cannot guarantee that applications submitted after the internal deadline will be forwarded. 

Your application must be prepared and submitted using NSERC’s online system and NSERC’s version of the Canadian Common CV.

Competition-specific instructions are provided under the “Apply” tab for each Alliance stream, and may also be found here. Please ensure you are following the relevant instructions and using the appropriate template when preparing an application. Do not delete the bullet points from the template.

Applications generally require Form 101 and a Form 100A for each applicant and co-applicant.

For Form 101, select the appropriate call from the “type of call” drop down in NSERC’s online system.

Please select “The University of British Columbia” as the Administering Institution (do not select “Technical University of British Columbia”).

For Form 100A, be sure to follow the instructions for the “Contributions to research and training explanation.”

In the case where your application involves one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors, you must include a validated National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships’ risk assessment form.

UBC’s process for validating forms is outlined here, and the key points are listed below:

  1. A Risk Assessment Questionnaire must be completed by the researcher.
  1. Include the location of the headquarters of your private sector partner, if known.
  2. A completed PDF of the questionnaire should be submitted to JP Heale (heale@uilo.ubc.ca) for validation, along with your NSERC Alliance application form and UBC Research Project Information Form (no signatures required at this point) to provide full context.
  3. Once JP provides you with a validated form, please upload the form in your NSERC application

After applicants have invited partners to the application through the online portal, partners will receive an email containing a link that they have to click to access the application.  Partner organization form instructions can be found here.

Through the online portal, each partner organization must complete the Partner organization form, including the one-page partner organization profile that:

  • describes your organization, including the nature of its operations in Canada and how it intends to grow in Canada by developing innovative new or improved products, services, processes or policies (if applicable)
  • demonstrates that your organization has existing or planned capacity to achieve the expected results of the project (human resources, facilities and financial capabilities)

Support letters are not allowed and will be removed from the application

For each partner organization with fewer than five full-time employees, the application must include a Partner organization supplemental information questionnaire.

For Alliance-Mitacs applications, you will also need to include a Joint call funding partner contributions form and a Mitacs supplemental form, as described here. Note that the Mitacs supplemental form should also be provided to Mitacs.

In order to obtain institutional endorsement, applicants must send an RPIF that is filled out and signed by the PI, Head and Dean (or delegate), along with a draft of the application to ResearchOffice.ubco@ubc.ca

Use the Research Project Information Form (RPIF) to obtain the required internal signatures:

  • UBC Applicant (Principal Investigator)
  • Department Head or Director of School or Institute
  • Dean or designate

Signatures required for co-applicants

A co-applicant signature page, signed by the relevant Department /Unit Head/Dean is required when the co-applicant is from a different UBC Department/School than the applicant. Please use the UBC Internal Co-Applicant signature page, which can be found on the UBCO ORS forms page.

External institutional signature is required for co-applicants outside of UBC. Please use the UBC External Co-Applicant signature page, which can be found on the UBCO ORS forms page.

If you are a co-applicant on a grant application initiated by a PI at another institution, you must still submit a copy of the application with required UBC signatures for ORS review and approval.

Physical signatures are no longer required on applications submitted through NSERC’s online system.

Submit your full application online using the NSERC’s online system by the portal e-submission deadline (where relevant). To do this, the applicant must complete and link all the forms. First “Verify” to ensure the application is complete. Then click “Submit” to submit your application to ORS for online approval. Your status will need to say “submitted” in order for ORS to forward it to the agency (a status of ‘completed’ means you have completed all required sections but not submitted your application).

After you submit, ORS will approve your application on the NSERC’s online system by NSERC’s deadline (where applicable). ORS has read-only access to your application and cannot make changes. If the application is not approved, ORS will return it to you for changes.

Once ORS has approved your application in NSERC’s online system, the status will change from “Submitted” to “Approved.”

Material or revisions received under separate cover (before or after the deadline date) will not be accepted by NSERC.

For your information, the definition of each application status on the NSERC on-line system is below:

In Progress The form is being prepared and is not considered complete.
Completed The form has been successfully verified and is considered complete.

  • Completed status is only granted when all identified co-applicants and/or participating organizations have linked their appropriate forms to the applicant’s primary form.
  • Only a form with Completed status can be submitted to post-secondary institution authorities for approval.
Submitted The form has been submitted to the postsecondary institution authorities for approval. A form with Submitted status is “view-only” and cannot be updated.
Returned The postsecondary institution authorities have viewed the form and have returned it to the primary applicant for revision.
Approved The postsecondary institution authorities have reviewed the form and have approved it for evaluation by NSERC.
Received NSERC has transferred the application to its internal network.

 

For more information, see NSERC’s Online Services – Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions regarding NSERC’s online system, call 613-995-4273 or email webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

If you have any questions regarding the program, consult the Research Facilitation team, or reach out to NSERC directly:

Note:  The Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation has the discretion to reject grant applications that have not been submitted through the proper channels if the applicant has a history of non-compliance or the application has included unauthorized commitments.