NSERC CRD Research Grants for Business – How to Qualify

Please Note: NSERC CRD is closed. Access NSERC funding through the Engage (applied research) and Alliance (academic research) programs.

Canadian businesses performing long-term research projects may receive support through the Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council (NSERC). NSERC Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) grants provide businesses with funding and access to a team of academic researchers for up to five years.

NSERC CRD applicants have typically completed a NSERC Engage research project in the past and are applying to continue their innovative research. CRD grants support up to 50% of a business’ collaborative research project expenses to a maximum $200,000 per year for 1-5 years. Companies wishing to collaborate with a post-secondary research institution for significant research projects are ideal candidates.

Businesses should consider the following eligibility criteria to understand if the NSERC CRD program fits their project. Alternately, businesses may contact Mentor Works to discuss their eligibility for this program and other research and development grants.

Businesses Eligible for NSERC CRD Research Grants Canada

Canadian businesses eligible to apply for NSERC CRD funding are:

• Established businesses, startups, and industry associations;
• Able to demonstrate a clear intention for completing the project; and
• Able to contribute at least 50% of research project costs; and
• Able to collaborate on all stages of the project, from proposal to project completion, and can regularly interact with academic researchers, students, and other personnel.

Research Projects Eligible for NSERC CRD Research and Development Funding

Projects that are a good fit for NSERC CRD research and development grants include those that are at any stage of the research and development cycle and:

• Solve a natural sciences or engineering challenge;
• Have specific short to medium-term objectives that can be measured over time; and
• Have a detailed budget and project plan.

How Research Projects Will Be Evaluated

All project proposals will undergo an extensive review process to ensure that the project is valuable and builds on current scientific abilities or understandings. Application reviews will specifically focus on:

• Scientific Merit: Generating new knowledge or innovating the application of existing knowledge;
• Training Highly Qualified Personnel: Ability to train students or company employees.
• Research Competence: Ability of the business and research institution to work together and accomplish the project’s objectives;
• Industrial Relevance: How businesses will be able to exploit newly gained knowledge or abilities to grow revenues and provide new opportunities;
• Budget: How project expenses will be used to accomplish objectives. A significant amount of the budget should be spent on the salaries of student researchers.
• Benefits to Canada: Delivering social, economic, and environmental benefits for the progress of Canadian society.

Research Project Expenses Eligible for NSERC CRD Grants

Businesses may recover up to 50% of project expenses for the following cost items:

• Salaries for research students (Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate);
• Research equipment;
• Laboratory/ research facility usage fees;
• Materials and supplies;
• Travel;
• Administrative costs;
• Publication costs; and
• Workshops.