Updates to Alliance literature and webinars for applicants

Updates to Alliance literature

The Alliance literature was recently updated on October 28, 2020. It aims to streamline and clarify various points, as well as to provide access to additional resources based on feedback and questions from the community. Key changes are summarized below, but we strongly encourage you to review the updated literature before submitting an application.

The page limits for proposals have been revised, as shown in the “Proposal sections and length” table in the Instructions for completing an application. Specifically, for all projects requesting an annual average of more than $300,000 and up to $1,000,000 from NSERC, the maximum total number of pages is now 25.

Note: In order to accommodate proposals already in preparation, applicants requesting an annual average of more than $750,000 will be able to submit proposals of up to 30 pages until December 1, 2020.

The Alliance grant application checklist has been updated. In particular, information regarding project management expenses was amended: Up to 10% of the total direct research costs of a project can be used towards project management expenses in a project of any size involving multiple universities and/or partner organizations.

Note: It is only for large projects (average of more than $300,000 per year requested from NSERC) involving multiple universities and/or partner organizations that you may include up to three additional pages strictly for the purposes of detailing topics such as project management, governance structure and university support. Refer to the Instructions for completing an application.

The proposal template has been updated, in particular the General instructions at the beginning of the template.

The maximum number of characters for the three parts of the free-form Contributions to Research and Training Explanation section of the Personal Data Form with CCV Attachment (Form 100A) has been increased to align with the current requirements for Discovery Grants applications. As a result, the maximum total number of pages for this section is now five instead of four. The instructions on how to complete Form 100A have been updated.

The Role of partner organizations webpage has been revised to emphasize that each partner organization must play an active role in the project and must make in-kind contributions (with the exception of other funding agencies). The page was also amended to indicate that Canadian producer groups and industrial associations must be legally established under applicable federal, provincial or territorial statutes in Canada, replacing the previous requirement that they be incorporated in Canada.

The Frequently asked questions webpage was updated to address recurring questions received from the community.

Resources to help prepare an Alliance application

As we continue to navigate through new ways of working during the COVID-19 pandemic, NSERC staff remain available to answer any questions or concerns you may have. We would also like to remind you of the resources that are available to support you in preparing an Alliance proposal. In particular, we encourage you to consult the following resources before submitting an application.

PowerPoint presentation: Preparing an Alliance application

PowerPoint presentation with notes: Preparing an Alliance application

Alliance grant application checklist

Equity, diversity and inclusion in the training plan

Partner organization self-assessment tool

Instructions to external reviewers and members of ad hoc committees (newly added)