The College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). All applications must be submitted to NSERC. Applied Research and Development (ARD) grants can be across the spectrum of natural and social sciences, engineering, humanities and/or health. Grants are made by NSERC, with the exception of funded proposals exclusively in the social sciences, humanities and/or health sciences, which will be made by SSHRC or CIHR, as appropriate.

Objectives

The Applied Research and Development (ARD) grants are intended to provide companies that operate from a Canadian base access to the unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities available at Canadian colleges and to train students in essential technical skills required by companies. The mutually beneficial collaborations are expected to result in economic benefits to the company and/or Canada.

Description

ARD grants support well-defined applied research and development projects undertaken by college researchers with their private-sector partners. Direct project costs are shared by the company partner(s) and NSERC. Projects may range from six months to three years in duration.

ARD projects can be at any point in the research and development (R&D) spectrum that is consistent with the college's applied research, training and technology transfer mandate. All proposals require evidence of strong partnerships with firms, detailed planning and sound budget justification, and must clearly spell out the underlying assumptions, intended approaches, milestones and deliverables.

Certain expenditures related to project management are eligible as a direct cost of research up to a maximum of 10 percent of the total direct costs.

Projects that provide routine analysis, routine training, collect data without interpreting underlying mechanisms, provide professional practice or consulting services, or routine use of college equipment are not eligible. Similarly, proposals that involve the set-up and operational management of an institute, a formal or informal group of researchers, or that are principally associated with the acquisition and maintenance of equipment in support of applied research will be not be accepted.

Company Participation

The Partner Eligibility Guidelines section of the Guidelines for Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships Programs should be consulted to determine the eligibility of the participating company partner(s).

The company partner(s) must participate in the project and contribute to the direct costs of the applied research and development project. The expected company contributions vary with the grant size:

• Level 1: For grants under $25,000 where the eligible companies have not partnered with the college on applied research (i.e., a new partnership), cash contributions are not required, but active involvement of the company in the problem definition and subsequent project is required (i.e., an in-kind contribution);
• Level 2: For grants up to $75,000 per year and for grants under $25,000 that involve companies that have previously partnered with the college, eligible company partners must actively participate and contribute at least one third of the total project costs in cash and/or in-kind;
• Level 3: For grants over $75,000 per year, the eligible company partner(s) contribution(s) must be at least equal to the proposed NSERC grant in cash and/or in-kind.

The available budget for the Applied Research and Development Grants program may require NSERC to limit the budgets for each of these levels of ARD grants.

For more informations, please contact the NSERC

Tel.: 613-944-5802
E-mail: colleges@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/RPP-PP/ARD-RDA_eng.asp