NSERC Engage Grant
$25,000–$25,000GrantFederalNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Six-month grant to support a new R&D collaboration between a company and a Canadian university researcher. Provides up to $25,000 to a university team to work on your challenge.
Deadlines
- Intake type: Rolling — apply any time
- Typical processing time: 4–6 weeks
What you'll need
University Researcher
Identify a willing NSERC-eligible university researcher
Problem Statement
Clear description of the R&D challenge to be solved
Letter of Support
Company letter of support for the collaboration
Why applications get rejected
- Company already has an active NSERC-funded project with the same professor
- Project reads as product development or consulting rather than genuine academic research
- University researcher has not agreed to participate before the application is submitted
Effort to apply
- Difficulty: 2 of 5
- Estimated time: 15–25 hrs
Official program page · Details verified Mar 15, 2026
Related funding
- Mitacs Accelerate — Federal, up to $15,000 per 4-month internship unit (clusters of 2+ units typical)
- ACOA Business Development Program — Federal, up to $500,000
- Atlantic Innovation Fund — Federal, up to $3,000,000
- Canadian Agricultural Partnership — Agri-Innovation — Federal, up to $500,000
- Forest Innovation Program — Federal, up to $3,000,000
- NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program — Federal, up to $250K+