How to Qualify & Apply for NSERC Engage Small Business Grants

NSERC Engage is a Canadian small business grants program funded through The National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).   The small business government grants serve to support 6 month research and development relationships between industry partners and university graduate students.

Expenses Eligible for NSERC Engage Small Business Grants

Expenses that are eligible for government funding for research and development include specific items under the following categories:

• Compensation related expenses
• Travel and Subsistence Costs
• Sabbatical and Research Leave
• Equipment Costs
• Computers and Electronic Communication
• Dissemination of Search Results
• Services and Miscellaneous Expenses

Please contact a Canadian government funding expert at Mentor Works for more information regarding the eligibility of expenses.

Canadian Small Business Grants Project Eligibility

Projects must demonstrate the following in order to be deemed eligible for government business grants funding.

• Establishment of a new partnership between a university and a private sector partner.
• Research competence – the skills and ability to effectively work through the project objectives successfully.
• Industrial relevance – how the research will address a specific and valuable need for the industry.
• Contribution to Technology Transfer – demonstrating effective means for communicating new skills and knowledge from the university to the industry.
• Benefit to Canada – the proposal must outline the social, economic and environmental benefits associated with the project

Canadian Government Grants for Small Business Application Process

The following describes NSERC Engage small business grants Canada Application process:

• On-going acceptance of applications with 4-6 week turnaround on approvals
• Companies are expected to contribute an in-kind contribution, at minimum.
• Funding supports the researcher’s activities.
• Companies can have multiple Engage Grants at the same time. However this is at the discretion of NSERC.

Find Out More about Small Business Grants through NSERC Engage

To learn more about NSERC Engage research and development funding choose from one of the following options:

Small Business Loans Ontario & Canadian Government Grants Support

Look to Mentor Works as your one-stop location for information and support for all of your government funding for small business needs.  Are you a manufacturer, or does your business perform R&D in Canada?  If you answered yes, your business likely qualifies for Canadian government funding of up to 50% or more of your projects costs!   If you are in Ontario please attend our Canadian government funding workshop, and don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn!