Sponsor

NSERC-National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan (NSTC)

Program

Call for Proposals on Semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence

For More Information

Program Guidelines: NSERC-NSTC Call for Proposals on Semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence - Program Guidelines [1]

Information Sessions: NSERC will host information sessions on how to submit an application for this call. You must register for the session ahead of time using the links below. These information sessions will cover the objectives and the scope of the call, the application and evaluation processes, as well as  the timelines to submit.  

• English Session: 
  • Wednesday, February 18, 2026; 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (EST): Register for English session here. [2]
• French Session: 
  • Tuesday, February 17, 2026; 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (EST): Register for French session here.  [3]

Description

Canada and Taiwan enjoy long-standing cooperation in science, technology and innovation. Recognizing the importance of international research collaboration in promoting scientific discoveries, NSERC and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of Taiwan are partnering to fund collaborative research projects to support priority areas identified by the Canada–Taiwan Joint Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation [4]. Semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) were identified among the areas of focus.

This call aims to promote collaborative research projects that address fundamental challenges and explore cutting-edge applications at the intersection of semiconductors and AI. Through these joint projects, NSERC and NSTC will leverage the unique expertise and resources of the academic research communities based in both Taiwan and Canada. 

Proposals should focus on at least one of the following areas of research: 

• Embedding AI across design, manufacturing and packaging
• Compound semiconductors for AI technologies
• AI technologies in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors

Recognizing that publicly available data may be limited, researchers are encouraged to use AI-driven tools to fill the gaps by building upon information already available and to answer questions around building better next-generation chips, leading to efficient, accelerated R&D and knowledge exchange.

Also, researchers are encouraged to co-develop or co-access high‐performance computing (HPC) resources and AI testbeds that enable Canadian and Taiwan-based researchers to run large-scale and efficient AI-based simulations for chip layouts, photonic designs and sensor models.

Eligibility

If you are a Canadian university researcher eligible [5] to receive NSERC funds, you can apply independently or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers. You must include at least one academic collaborator from Taiwan who meets NSTC eligibility requirements. NSERC will internally review the eligibility of the Canadian researchers, and NSTC will review the eligibility of the Taiwan-based collaborator(s).

You are limited to one LOI and one application as either a Canadian principal applicant or co-applicant. 

Your Taiwan-based collaborator(s) must be from the academic sector and must meet NSTC eligibility requirements.

For this collaborative call for proposals, collaborator(s) and partner organizations (industry, public, not-for-profit) from outside academia are not permitted.

Funding Availability

The estimated number of awards is four, and funding will be subject to each agency’s rules and budgetary availability.

Maximum Project Value

NSERC and NSTC will each invest up to $1M CAD for this call, with a maximum of $225,000 CAD per three-year project (annual maximum of $75,000 CAD) to support their respective applicants. NSERC will exclusively support eligible Canadian teams, while NSTC will exclusively support teams based in Taiwan. 

Indirect Costs

0%

Project Duration

3-year projects

How to Apply

This application process involves two stages: (1) a letter of intent (LOI), and (2) a full proposal, both of which must be prepared by a research team that includes at least one academic applicant in Canada and one in Taiwan. In each stage, the Canadian principal applicant will submit a single proposal on behalf of the Canadian and Taiwan-based research teams using NSERC’s online system.

Stage 1: Letter of intent (LOI)

Canadian principal applicants must submit an LOI via NSERC’s online system [7] by March 25, 2026 at 8pm EST.

Instructions for submitting the LOI to NSERC:

• Log in to NSERC’s online system [7] and select Create a new form 101
  • Select Research partnerships programs, then Alliance grants
  • For the Proposal type field, select Letter of Intent
  • For the Type of call field, select International-Collaboration-NSTC-Semiconductors and AI from the drop-down menu. 

A complete LOI application includes:

• Form 101 - an application for a grant
  • Including:
    • Completed proposal template (maximum 3 pages for the LOI section of the combined application template [8])
    • A preliminary budget (in Canadian dollars) and a budget justification for the direct costs of the proposed research in Canada, in accordance with eligible expenses listed in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration [9]. The budget justification must also detail a preliminary budget (in Canadian dollars) for the Taiwan-based research team
    • A two-page biosketch for each collaborator from Taiwan, and from Canada if applicable
    • A completed STRAC attestation form [10] for each researcher with a named role, including the applicant, the co-applicants and the collaborators, in Canada and in Taiwan; see the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern [11]
• Form100a - a complete and up-to-date personal data form with a common CV attachment for each Canadian applicant and co-applicant
• In parallel, the Taiwan-based principal investigator will be required to submit the identical LOI and full proposal to NSTC on behalf of members of the Taiwan-based research team for compliance checking purposes. Detailed instructions [12] will be published on the NSTC website.

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 Research Services Office with at least five days notice 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 Research Services Office 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)