External funding agencies
Our researchers possess a collection of expertise that could solve your company-specific challenge. Whether your business is a non-profit, start-up, small to medium enterprise, or large corporation, we have a variety of sponsored-research options to collaborate. To connect with Brock, please email us at connect@brocku.ca.
Here is a brief description of some options to support our future partnership:
Overview of Expectations for Partnership Research Projects
| Team: | Direct collaboration with professor, graduate students, postdocs and research staff |
| Length: | Flexible ~ 1-5 years project |
| Location: | Flexible ~ University-based or Industry-hosted |
| Deadlines: | Continuous / on-going intake |
| Support: | Direct: sponsored-research contract OR Leveraged: at least 50% of total research budget can be offset by federal or provincial grants such as: • MITACS – graduate student internship grant for 4-24 months (per 4 months internship, company contribution $7,500 to leverage $7,500 from Mitacs) • NSERC Alliance – science and engineering partnership grants (federal support of 50% or 66%, ranging $20,000-$1,000,000 annually per project) • Ontario Centre of Innovation Voucher for Innovation (OCI VIP) – Ontario R&D projects with a clear commercialization plan (provincial support of 50%, ranging $20,000-$150,000 for 6-24 months projects) |
MITACS Accelerate
Mitacs builds partnerships between academia, industry, and the world – to create a more innovative Canada. Solve your research challenges with academic expertise, leveraged funding, and one-to-one support from Mitacs. Mitacs Accelerate offers short and long-term funding internships for master’s students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral fellows. Projects can range from a 4-month period to multi-year, multi-institutional, and multi-applicant engagements. Internships start at four months and can scale up as much as you need — your financial contribution starts at $7,500. Partners in Canada and abroad must have an office or site where the intern(s) undertakes at least 50% of the internship. For-profit corporations, including eligible intern-owned start-ups based at approved incubators, and eligible not-for-profit (NFP) corporations can participate.
| Funding: | Funding starts at $15,000, and the partner organization’s financial contribution starts at $7,500. 1:1 cash from the Industry Partner |
| Disciplines: | All research disciplines, except market research |
| Deadlines: | Continuous / on-going intake |
| Eligibility: | • Full-time students and post-doctoral fellows at Mitacs partner universities in Canada • Full-time graduate students in select Mitacs partner countries • Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students over the age of 18 • Eligible businesses and not-for-profit organizations operating in Canada • For-profit businesses operating outside of Canada • For additional information see Mitacs Accelerate website |
Ontario Center of Innovation (OCI) – Voucher for Innovation and Productivity
OCI drives the development of Ontario’s economy by helping create new jobs, products, services, technologies and businesses. Voucher for Innovation and Productivity (VIP) helps established companies, in partnership with academia, develop innovative products, processes and services with a focus on expanding export markets. OCI efforts are focused on sectors of the economy with the greatest potential to drive Ontario’s future prosperity and global competitiveness.
| Funding: | $20,000 to $150,000 to the post-secondary institution for 6 months to 2 year projects. 1:1 cash from the Industry Partner. Minimum 50 per cent of the 1:1 match must be spent at the post-secondary institution; remainder may be spent at the company |
| Disciplines: | All research disciplines; projects with strong commercial potential |
| Deadlines: | Continuous / on-going intake |
| Eligibility: | • Principal investigator at Ontario publicly funded university/research hospital, or applied research officer at Ontario publicly funded college • For-profit company. Incorporated in Ontario for a minimum of two years, and five full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in Ontario. Operations and/or R&D in Ontario with capacity to commercialize results of the project • For additional information see OCI website |
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance Grants
Alliance grants encourage university researchers to collaborate with partner organizations, which can be from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors. These grants support research projects led by strong, complementary, collaborative teams that will generate new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results to create benefits for Canada. These grants expand the scope of research undertaken at Canadian universities, fostering dynamic interaction between discovery-based and innovative research, and allowing the research results to be translated into new knowledge, products or processes. NSERC provides an enhanced experiential learning environment for graduate students, while allowing partners to access the unique knowledge, expertise, infrastructure and potential highly educated and skilled future employees graduating from Canadian universities.
| Funding: | Option 1 Value: $20,000 to $1,000,000, annually, from NSERC for 1-5 years. Option 2 Value: $20,000 to $100,000 per year for 1-5 years. |
| Disciplines: | Natural Sciences and Engineering |
| Deadlines: | Continuous / on-going intake |
| Eligibility: | • A Canadian university researcher who is eligible to receive NSERC funds • At least one partner organization (in the private, public or not-for-profit sector) whose cash contributions will be recognized for cost-sharing (see Alliance grants: Role of partner organizations) • For additional information see NSERC Website |
Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council – Partnership Engage Grants (SSHRC – PEG)
Partnership Engage Grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities relative to social sciences and humanities that will inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported grant is meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. In addressing an organization-specific need, challenge and/or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and postsecondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.
| Funding: | $7,000 – $25,000 over 1 year |
| Disciplines: | Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities |
| Deadlines: | September 15, December 15, March 15 and June 15 |
| Eligibility: | • Applications may be submitted by an individual researcher or a team of researchers or a postdoctoral researcher • Applicants must be affiliated with an eligible Canadian postsecondary institution at the time of application • Only one Canadian or international organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector can be involved as a partner organization. Postsecondary institutions, including organizations or associations affiliated to them or servicing them, and scholarly associations are not eligible as partner organizations. • Individuals can apply, as an applicant, for only one Partnership Engage Grant per calendar year. • For additional information see SSHRC PEG website |
Canadian Institute of Health Research (CHIR)
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is Canada’s federal funding agency for health research. Composed of 13 Institutes, they collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.
