Leveraging your Funding

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Alliance Grants

Alliance grants encourage university researchers to collaborate with partner organizations, which can be from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors. These grants support research projects led by strong, complementary, collaborative teams that will generate new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results to create benefits for Canada. To help you navigate submission requirements, please review the NSERC Alliance Resources developed by the Research Innovation Office.

Mitacs

Accelerate

Mitacs Accelerate allows students to work closely with a partner organization and faculty supervisor, using the latest tools and techniques available to them in both academic and industrial settings. Projects are a cost-shared model with Mitacs, through the support of federal and provincial government, matching the industry partners or non-for-profit (NFP) organizations contributions. Registered students, recent graduates, and Postdoctoral Fellows are eligible.

Business Strategy Internship Program

In partnership with Canadian academic institutions, Mitacs is pleased to offer the Business Strategy Internship (BSI). The award provides funds for an intern to allow them to undertake a four-month internship project with a partner organization in Canada. Interns will work with their academic supervisor to co-design a project with their partner organization to work on the organization’s innovation activities, helping them improve their products, processes, or services. Throughout the internship, Mitacs provides online professional development courses to interns through Mitacs’ e-Campus, EDGE.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

Connection Grants

Connection Grants support events and outreach activities geared toward short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives. These events and activities represent opportunities to exchange knowledge and to engage on research issues of value to those participating.

Events and outreach activities funded by a Connection Grant may often serve as a first step toward more comprehensive and longer-term projects potentially eligible for funding through other SSHRC funding opportunities.

Partnership Development Grants

Partnership Development Grant proposals are expected to respond to the objectives of the Insight program or the Connection program, or a combination thereof. Please see the Insight and Connection  program descriptions for more details

Partnership Engage Grants

These grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that will inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported through Partnership Engage Grants are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. In addressing an organization-specific need, challenge and/or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and postsecondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.

Partnership Grants

Partnership Grants support formal partnerships between academic researchers, businesses and other partners that will advance knowledge and understanding on critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance. By fostering mutual co-operation and sharing of intellectual leadership, the grants allow partners to innovate, build institutional capacity and mobilize research knowledge in accessible ways. The grants may also be used to help establish partnered chairs and research centres.

Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)

Collaborate 2 Commercialize

This program supports the collaboration between Academia and Industry to solve an industry-based problem and drive the commercialization of Intellectual Property [IP]. The institution will leverage the unique skills and specialized infrastructure that is instrumental to streamline internal innovations and commercialization needs. Resulting in targeted training of individuals and direct engagement with Industry to work on commercially viable solutions.

Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN)

As the Government of Ontario’s flagship initiative for the automotive and transportation sector, OVIN will accelerate the commercialization and adoption of the next generation electric, connected and autonomous vehicle and mobility technologies that contribute to a lower environmental and carbon footprint – all while supporting Ontario’s role as the manufacturing hub of Canada.

The automotive industry is undergoing a significant shift, with technological advances and evolving mobility preferences redefining its future. Through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Ontario is at the forefront of this transformation.

OVIN capitalizes on the economic potential of advanced automotive technologies and smart mobility solutions such as connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs), and electric and low-carbon vehicle technologies, while enabling the province’s transportation and infrastructure networks to plan for and adapt to this evolution.

OVIN is a Government of Ontario initiative led by OCI.

Critical Industrial Technologies Initiative

The integration of critical technologies is the global future of industry. Through the Critical Industrial Technologies initiative Ontario industry will converge with innovative SMEs to amplify Ontario’s rich critical technology capabilities and propel four key sectors of Ontario’s economy to the forefront of this transformation.

Four key sectors:

• Mining
• Advanced Manufacturing (non-auto)
• Agri-Food
• Construction

Critical technology areas:

• 5G & advanced networks
• AI
• Blockchain
• Robotics
• Cybersecurity
• Quantum

The Critical Industrial Technologies initiative will support Ontario SMEs to develop new IP faster and at a greater scale for the benefit of the province and beyond. By also investing in talent development to advance the knowledge and training of critical technologies, Ontarians are poised as leaders in the global industrial economy to tackle the dynamic future.  

The Critical Industrial Technologies initiative is a Government of Ontario initiative led by OCI.

Ontario Genomics

Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit organization that drives the application of genomics-based solutions across Ontario to address complex challenges in health, agriculture, the environment, and the bioeconomy. They collaborate with academia, industry, and government to translate cutting-edge research into real-world innovations that deliver social, economic, and environmental benefits.

For current funding opportunities, visit their Ontario Genomics Funding Opportunities.