Sponsor
NSERC and Mitacs
Program
Joint NSERC Alliance - Mitacs Accelerate
For More Information
NSERC Alliance - Mitacs Accelerate Joint Application Website
Revised Guidelines on assessment of contributions to research, training, and mentoring
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Resource Document for Researchers
Alliance Grants: Equity, diversity and inclusion in training plans
NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research
NSERC Alliance Grants - National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships
Safeguarding your Research Portal
NSERC Alliance - Frequently Asked Questions
NSERC Alliance Grant Application Checklist
Description
NSERC and Mitacs are pleased to build on the success of their existing partnership with a new joint initiative that will support the R&D efforts of Canadian university researchers and their partners, while supporting highly qualified personnel including students and/or postdoctoral fellows.
Through NSERC’s Alliance grants and Mitacs’s Accelerate, this new cost-sharing model is available to Canadian researchers through a single application submission and review process. Applicants are invited to include in their Alliance application a request for additional support through Mitacs Accelerate internships as a component of the training of highly qualified personnel. Industry funds are recognized towards the global budget of joint applications.
Alliance grants support university researchers to collaborate with partner organizations, which can be from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors, on their R&D efforts that will create economic, social and/or environmental benefits to Canada. The joint application is available for use with NSERC Alliance OPTION 1 only.
Accelerate puts the talent of students and postdocs to work with a paid internship at an organization that needs their expertise. Mitacs internship units can be added at no additional cost to the partner organization.
Eligibility
- Applicants must meet both NSERC’s and Mitacs’ eligibility criteria both when the application is submitted and when funding is released.
- Canadian university researchers eligible to receive NSERC funds can apply independently or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers.
- Applicants must have at least one partner organization (in the private, public or not-for-profit sector) whose cash contributions will be recognized for cost-sharing (see Alliance grants: Role of partner organizations) but other partner organizations who play an important role in the research project may be included in the application, whether or not their cash contributions are recognized for cost-sharing. Partner Organizations must meet both Mitacs' eligibility requirements as well as NSERC's eligibility requirements, in order to qualify for this cost-sharing model.
- Eligible Partner Organizations under the Mitacs Accelerate Program include:
- Eligible for-profit corporations in Canada and not-for-profit corporations in Canada
- For-profit businesses operating outside Canada
- Under the Accelerate Entrepreneur initiative, eligible intern-owned start-ups at approved incubators. Contact accelerate@mitacs.ca to confirm your start-up’s eligibility
- Not-for-profit corporation eligibility and project economic orientation must be assessed prior to proposal submission
- All sectors
- Eligible Partner Organizations under the Mitacs Accelerate Program include:
Indirect Costs
0% on NSERC on Mitacs requests. 0% on industry partner funds that are directly leveraged for the joint NSERC-Mitacs application and are declared at the time of application submission.
Project Duration
Up to 5 years (minimum 1 year)
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Notes |
|---|---|
Internal Deadline | Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. OR-5 and full application must be submitted to the Office of Research (research.services@uoguelph.ca) a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the intended submission date to NSERC. Please ensure you contact Emily Gordon (egordon@mitacs.ca or egordo05@uoguelph.ca) prior to submission to the Office of Research, to obtain a copy of the joint Mitacs application. The submission to the Office of Research should include an OR-5 that outlines NSERC, Mitacs and Industry Partner Organization funding. Please ensure you click 'submit' in the NSERC system. The submitted NSERC application will include a complete copy of the joint Mitacs application, previously reviewed by Emily. Please also submit a copy of the Mitacs supplemental forms (excel budget) to the Office of Research Services for review. |
External Deadline | The Office of Research Services will submit the full application on behalf of the applicant to NSERC through their online system. The Applicant is responsible for submitting the supplemental forms to Mitacs (excel budget file and intern(s) CV's, if known). |
How to Apply
Alliance-Accelerate applications require the following information when outlining the training of highly qualified personnel:
- A description of the role of the Mitacs interns in the research project and an explanation of the quality of the research-based training experiences provided to the interns
- A description of how the internship partnership organization is committed to providing supervision and mentorship to the interns
- An explanation of how the number of Mitacs interns and the number of internship units are appropriate to the scope of the project
Mitacs Application
Applicants who wish to include Mitacs Accelerate internships in their Alliance application should contact Emily Gordon, the University of Guelph's Mitacs Business Development Representative, at egordon@mitacs.ca or egordo05@uoguelph.ca to obtain the Mitacs joint application form and supplemental documents. Applicants must attach the Mitacs joint application form to their NSERC Alliance proposal in the NSERC system. Applicants are also required to submit the Mitacs supplemental documents (excel budget file, intern CV, etc.) to Mitacs at the time of application.
Initiating a Joint NSERC/Mitacs Application & Adding Mitacs to the NSERC Application
Mitacs is treated as a partner on the NSERC application and therefore faculty need to add Mitacs as a Partner Contributor. In order to do this, please select ‘Mitacs-Accelerate Joint Partner’ under the ‘Type of Call’ in the drop down. This will only populate at the beginning of a new application.
Under the Partner Contributions section, please select 'Joint Call Funding Partner'. Then under the Organization and Branch type tab, select Province: BC, type in ‘Mitacs’ (BC is where the Head Office is located).
Under Contact at Organization you will type in:
Given: Gordon
Name: Emily
Email: grant-management@mitacs.ca
Additionally, applicants will fill out the Alliance proposal template following the instructions for completing an Alliance grant application. Applicants will submit the completed proposal template and supporting documents, including the personal data form with CCV attachment for the applicant and all co-applicants, and the Mitacs supplemental application through NSERC’s online system. The partner organization’s contact person will be invited through the online system to provide information about the partner organization following the partner organization instructions.
Consult the Alliance grant application checklist for a summary of information that needs to be addressed in a completed application. Once complete, please go back into the Partner Contribution-Mitacs specific page and select ‘Lock/Invite’ in order for Mitacs to be notified
The NSERC proposal must include details on HQP that will be funded through Mitacs, and make reference to the Mitacs Supplemental Proposal, which will be added under "Other Documents" to the NSERC application. While the Proposed Expenditures table should not include the Mitacs contribution and should only refer to NSERC funding, the Budget Justification document must include a brief summary of where the partner funds are going (i.e. Mitacs or a divide between NSERC and Mitacs) for HQP and again make reference to the Mitacs Supplemental form.
Information For Co-applicants
If you need to meet a deadline set by the lead institution for this opportunity, please ensure that you provide the Office of Research with at least five days in advance of the lead institution’s deadline to review the application, or your proposed component of the project. Please be in touch with the Office of Research (contact information below) ahead of the deadline if it looks like it will be difficult for you to submit all the required documentation on time (i.e. budget, proposal, OR-5 Form).