My goals today
1. Quick overview of NSERC
2. Highlight NSERC programs that can help
you with your Research and Development
work.
3. Answer your questions
What We Do at NSERC
• We invest more than $1 billion every year
in people, discovery and innovation
Over $250 K
Innovation Programs Budget 2009-10
Strategic
Partnerships
$108.4 - 42.5%
Networks of Centres
of Excellence
$49.9 - 19.6%
CMC
$8.8 - 3.4%
Research Agreements
$4.7 - 1.8%
Technology Transfer
Programs1
$36.7 - 14.4%
Collaborative
R&D
$46.2 - 18.1%
Total: $255M
Research Partnership Programs (RPP)
Maximize the value of public investments in
university research by
 Supporting creation and transfer of knowledge
 Ensuring people are trained to create and use
that knowledge
 Stimulating public-private R&D partnerships
A key focus for our regional offices
RPP Tool Box
Strategic Partnerships
(targets national priorities)
Industry-Driven
(Industry participation)
• Strategic Projects
• Strategic Networks
• Collaborative R&D
• Industrial Research Chairs
• Industrial Scholarship and
Fellowship Program*
Regional Offices
• Priorities, trends
• Information from region
• Networks & connections
• Assist in matchmaking
• Interaction and Engage
•Strategic Workshops
Technology
Transfer/Commercialization
• Idea to Innovation
• College and Community
Innovation
Diversity of Projects and Programs
Innovation Projects
Building Critical Mass
Chairs
Technology Transfer
Idea to Innovation
College & Community Innovation
Research  Development
Strategic Projects
Strategic Networks
Collaborative R&D Grants
Research Partnership Agreements
CCI
I2I (2)
I2I (1)
Chairs CRDs
IRCs
SNs
RPAs
SPP
Industry Participation 
Attract Highly Qualified People (HQP)
 Industrial Undergraduate Student Research
Awards
– NSERC award - $4,500 for a 16-week work term
– Company Contribution - Minimum $1,125
 Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships (IPS)
– NSERC award - $15,000 per year (2 yrs.)
– Company Contribution - Minimum $6,000
 Industrial R&D Fellowships (IRDF)
– NSERC award - $30,000 per year (2 yrs.)
– Company Contribution – Minimum $10,000
Interaction Grant
Objective:
Allow academic researchers to meet with potential industrial
partners to discuss and identify a challenge specific to the
company, that could be addressed by a subsequent R&D
partnership
Timeline: maximum 3 months
Deliverables:
Up to $5,000 from the ROF to cover for travel, accommodation
and venue, for the applicant, UILO and/or company staff if
justified
Engage Grant
Objective:
Allow academic researchers to do the necessary research to
address the identified company specific problem (try out
– see if it works – consider the value/pertinence of
subsequent collaboration)
Timeline: 6 months
Deliverables:
 Up to $25,000
 Direct cost of research

HQP, user fees, equipment, consumable, publication field
travel,…
Strategic Workshops Grants (SWP)
Brings together academic researchers with non-academic
end users to create new partnerships
 Priority given to targeted areas of research, but other
areas not excluded
 Address research and technology needs that are
identified by the user community
 Generate new collaborations that will lead to funding
proposals
Awards up to $25,000 to cover travel and accommodations
of academic workshop participants
Collaborative R&D Grants (CRD)
 Support for university-based industryoriented research projects with defined
milestones and deliverables
 Typical project duration of 2 to 3 years,
although grants can range from 1 to 5
years
 Average grant $55,000 per year, awards
range from $10,000/year up to more than
$400,000/year
Collaborative R&D Grants (CRD)
 Projects are driven by partner needs:
 Process development & optimization
 Product design and development
 Environmental impact studies/remediation
technologies
 Novel materials
 Upstream biomedical technologies
• Project milestones and deliverables to partners
are clearly identified and feasible given available
resources and time
• Knowledge transfer plans are defined
Key Advantages for Applicants
• Combined partner and NSERC cash results in
elevated project budgets
(> $500,000/year)
• CRD can support short-term projects or
segments of longer-term research programs
• Applications received at anytime
• 80-85% success rate
• Flexibility on aspects of program
administration
• Involvement of NSERC staff
Key Advantages for Partners
• Significant savings in research costs
• Projects are based on partners
requirements
• Access to high levels of expertise and
research facilities in universities
• HQP are potential future employees
Key Advantages for Industry
• Built-in quality control through NSERC
peer-review system
• Access to IP
• Most company contributions are eligible
for the SRED tax credit
NSERC-Prairies - How We Can Help
NSERC-Prairies Team
IRENE MIKAWOZ, Research and Innovation Development Officer
FRANK NOLAN, Communications and Promotion Officer
ROXANNE BALCAEN, Administrative Officer
435 Ellice Avenue, Suite 430
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1Y6
204-984-6462 or nserc-prairies@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Strategic Project Grants (SPG)

Early stage university research with the
potential to lead to breakthrough
discoveries in the future (5-10 yrs)

Average grant: $130,000/year for 3 years

Support for up to 3 years for students, postdocs, consumables, …
Seven Strategic Target Areas
 Advanced Communications and Management of Information
 Biomedical Technologies Competitive
 Manufacturing and Value-Added Products and Processes
 Healthy Environment and Ecosystems
 Quality Foods and Novel Bioproducts
 Safety and Security
 Sustainable Energy Systems
Strategic Project Grants (SPG)
 Active involvement of non-academic participants no cash required
 Often involves several team members, from the
same or different institutions
Some grants with single applicant
Researchers from the partner’s organisation
sometimes are members of the team (as
“collaborators”)
 25-30% success rate
Collaborative R&D Grants (CRD)
Selection Criteria
 Scientific merit
 Research competence of team
 Industrial relevance
 Private-sector support
 Contribution to training
 Benefits to Canada
Collaborative R&D Grants (CRD)
Industrial partner must have strong presence in Canada
Company headquarters may be abroad, but company must
have Canadian operations beyond a sales or client support
office
Research results must be exploited in Canada
Project may include activities abroad, but results must
clearly be relevant to the partner’s Canadian operations
Research results must have economic, societal or
environmental benefit to Canada
Collaborative R&D Grants (CRD)
 CRD grants leverage Private Sector cash and inkind contributions. Contributions from Public
Sector partners are common and strengthen
proposals, but are not leveraged by NSERC.
 Flexible cash leverage ratios, but industry cash
and in-kind must equal NSERC award.
 Minimum industry cash = ½ NSERC award
 In-kind contributions must be for direct
support of the research and must be specific
to the project
Diversity of CRD projects
From fundamental research…
“Uranium in the Thelon and Otish Basins”, Dr. Kurt Kyser,
Dept. of Geological Sciences - Queen’s University, with
Cameco Corp and Uravan Minerals
 Project objective: Fundamental understanding of
geological processes leading to the genesis of uraniumbearing fluids in the earth’s crust, and the precipitation
of U metal in sedimentary formations
 Project outcome: Development of general mineral
exploration strategies
Diversity of CRD projects
…to product development
“Development of a Manipulation System and Nanogrippers for Use Inside Scanning Electron
Microscopes”, Dr. Yu Sun, Dept. of Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering - University of Toronto, with
Hitachi Canada.
 Project objective: Development of micron-scale
manipulators for high-precision assembly of nanodevices during electron microscope imaging
 Project outcome: Commercialization by a U of T spin-off
upon completion of project, and licence to Hitachi
Industrial Research Chairs (IRC)
• Prestigious appointment of a distinguished researcher
• Industry provides 50% of cost in cash
• Initial appointment is for 5 years (renewable)
• Currently over 180 active faculty
positions
• A significant university research
program is established or enhanced in
area of interest to industry
Strategic Network Grants (SNG)
 Multi-university, multi-partner pan-national Networks
(typically more than 10 universities and 10 partner
organizations)
 Up to $1M per year for 5 years
 Non-renewable awards
 Requires a governance structure, with BoD and
Scientific Committee
Technology Transfer Programs
Idea to Innovation (I2I)
 Support research and development projects with
identifiable technology transfer potential
• To reduce technical risk and to demonstrate the
commercial potential of university discoveries
 University ILO must commit to the project & work
with the researcher/partners
Idea to Innovation (I2I)
PHASE I, PROOF-OF-CONCEPT
 Designed to advance promising scientific concepts
or technologies to attract early stage investment
and/or to build intellectual property (IP)
 Funding available up to 12 months, max $125,000
 Proposals require a plan describing how a
partnership will be established with a Canadian
based company that has the capacity to
commercialize the research results
Idea to Innovation (I2I)
PHASE II, TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT
 Designed to provide scientific or engineering
evidence of the technical feasibility and market
definition of the technology, process or product
 Project can be with early stage investment partner or
Canadian based company
 Partners must share in costs
Questions?
Irene R. Mikawoz, P.Eng.
Irene.mikawoz@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Research and Innovation Development Officer
NSERC Prairies Regional Office
Regional Development Division
Research Partnerships Programs Directorate