NSERC Alliance International Grants 2026: Eligibility, Requirements and the November 25 Deadline

• The NSERC Alliance International Collaboration grant deadline is November 25, 2026, before 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
• Applicants need an active NSERC peer-reviewed grant, an eligible international university collaborator with national funding, and a jointly prepared international proposal.
• The Canadian application must explain the benefit to Canada and the training opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows; the proposal itself is limited to three pages in English.

What the NSERC Alliance International grant is—and who should act now

NSERC’s Alliance International Collaboration grants support joint natural sciences and engineering research projects involving Canadian university researchers and international university researchers. The grant pays for eligible Canadian research activities; it does not fund the international collaborator’s costs.

The current application deadline is November 25, 2026, before 8:00 p.m. ET. NSERC says funding decisions are generally expected by mid-winter 2027. The program is competitive, so meeting the deadline and the administrative rules does not guarantee funding.

This opportunity is aimed at a fairly specific group. It is not a general international travel grant or a way to add a Canadian team to an already-funded overseas project after the fact. The Canadian researchers and their international counterparts must have developed the collaboration together, and the international proposal must clearly describe the Canadian team and its role.

Eligibility: the requirements to confirm before preparing the proposal

The Canadian applicant and any Canadian co-applicants must be eligible to receive NSERC funding. The applicant and co-applicants must also hold an active NSERC peer-reviewed grant as the primary applicant when the Alliance International application is submitted.

The Canadian team must be based at an eligible university. College faculty members may participate as co-applicants if they meet NSERC’s eligibility rules, but the main applicant must be an eligible Canadian university researcher.

The international collaborators must hold faculty positions equivalent to assistant, associate or full professor at accredited universities. The program is designed for academic-to-academic collaborations. Companies, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations cannot participate as partner organizations in the project or be included as international partners under this opportunity.

The international collaborator must have secured funding through a peer-reviewed award from their own national funding agency. That international award must cover at least the same duration as the Canadian project, and the Canadian and international projects should begin at roughly the same time.

There is also a balance requirement. During the overlapping years of the project, either the Canadian or international team must account for at least 25% of the overall project budget. For example, if the combined Canadian and international budgets total CAD $200,000, one team’s share must be at least CAD $50,000.

A special rule for applicants affected by the previous deadline

NSERC says Canadian researchers who were preparing an eligible collaboration but could not submit by the May 20, 2025 deadline may still be able to apply by November 25, 2026. The international award must have been granted during the relevant pause period, and the collaboration must still be viable. Because this is a special situation, applicants should contact NSERC before relying on the exception.

How much funding is available?

Alliance International Collaboration grants provide between $20,000 and $100,000 per year for up to three years. The amount requested depends partly on the funding secured by the international collaborator through their national funding agency.

NSERC funding can cover eligible direct research costs for the Canadian portion of the project. Examples include:

• Salary support for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral trainees
• Salary support for technicians and research professionals
• Materials and supplies
• Collaboration and knowledge-mobilization activities
• Activities that develop or expand the international research relationship

Equipment may be included only when it is essential, incremental to equipment already available, and no more than 30% of the Canadian budget. International collaborators must use their own resources for their costs; those expenses should not be placed in the NSERC budget.

Research activities outside the natural sciences and engineering may represent up to 30% of the Canadian project costs when they are specifically identified and justified. The project must still be led by a suitable NSE research objective.

What the application must contain

The Canadian application is submitted through NSERC’s online system using Form 101. Before submitting, assemble the following:

• The Canadian proposal and budget justification
• Personal Data Form with CCV attachment for the applicant and each Canadian co-applicant
• A biographical sketch of each international collaborator named in the international proposal
• The international research proposal submitted to the foreign funding agency
• The official international award letter confirming funding
• Canadian-dollar information about the international team’s annual support, using the exchange rate at the time of application
• Completed sensitive-technology attestation forms, when the project falls within a listed sensitive technology research area

If the international proposal is not in English or French, NSERC asks applicants to provide the original proposal plus translations of the sections describing the Canadian team and its role.

The three-page proposal limit

The English proposal is limited to three pages, including the template headings and bullets. NSERC’s application instructions suggest roughly two pages for Impact and benefit to Canada and one page for Training. Figures and tables count toward the page limit.

That short limit makes prioritization important. The proposal should show why the collaboration produces benefits that the Canadian team could not achieve as effectively alone, how the complementary expertise fits together, and how results will be used or translated in Canada.

What reviewers will look for

NSERC evaluates the Canadian application using two main merit areas:

The international funding agency’s peer review provides the scientific assessment of the broader international project. NSERC focuses on the Canadian component, including the expected benefit to Canada and the quality of the training environment.

An optional letter of support from an industry, government or not-for-profit organization may help show that the proposed results respond to a recognized need. Those organizations cannot become project partners under this grant.

How to submit before November 25

Start in NSERC’s online application system and create the Alliance International Form 101 application. Complete the required sections, link the personal data forms for the applicant and co-applicants, upload the proposal and supporting documents, and verify that the application reaches the required completed status.

Your university’s authorized research office may need time to review and approve the application before NSERC receives it. Do not treat 8:00 p.m. ET on November 25 as your institution’s internal deadline. Universities often set an earlier cutoff for institutional approval.

1. Confirm that the applicant and co-applicants hold active NSERC peer-reviewed grants and meet institutional eligibility rules.
2. Confirm the international award, project duration, start-date alignment and at least 25% budget participation by one team.
3. Ask the international collaborator for the submitted proposal and official award letter.
4. Draft the three-page Canadian proposal around impact to Canada and trainee development.
5. Complete Form 101, Form 100A documents and any required attestations or biographies.
6. Submit early enough for institutional approval and correct any validation errors before the deadline.

What happens after submission?

Applications are first checked for completeness and eligibility. An incomplete or non-compliant application can be rejected before merit assessment. Eligible applications are ranked competitively, and NSERC funds the strongest applications until the budget for that decision period is used.

If an application is approved, NSERC sends an award letter with the project start date and applicable conditions. NSERC normally transfers the grant funds to the university within 30 days of that start date.

Applicants should monitor the secure Alliance grants applicant library for assessment and funding communications. NSERC says decisions and related documents are no longer sent by regular mail or email in the previous format, so the applicant is responsible for sharing the result with co-applicants and collaborators.

Last-minute checks before the deadline

Before submitting, check the items most likely to create avoidable problems:

• The international proposal names the Canadian team and explains its specific role.
• The international award letter is attached and the collaboration remains active.
• The budget includes only eligible Canadian direct research costs.
• The international team’s support is stated in Canadian dollars.
• The proposal stays within three English pages, including template text.
• The training plan includes undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral trainees—not only research professionals.
• Any required STRAC attestations are completed by the relevant named researchers and collaborators.
• Your institution’s internal approval deadline is earlier than NSERC’s public deadline.

If any eligibility point is unclear—especially the special rule for awards connected to the 2025 deadline—contact NSERC at allianceinternational@nserc-crsng.gc.ca before submitting. The safest next step on November 4, 2026 is to confirm institutional timing, request any missing international documents, and begin the Form 101 compliance check rather than waiting for the final week.

Helpful Links

• NSERC Alliance International Collaboration grants – Verify the November 25, 2026 deadline, eligibility rules, funding limits, required documents and evaluation criteria.
• Alliance International Collaboration grants: Form 101 instructions – Review the three-page proposal limit, required application sections and supporting-document instructions.
• NSERC Online System – Access NSERC online services and the application system used to create and submit Form 101.
• NSERC announcement: Applications reopen – Read NSERC’s announcement about the reopened program, the renewed competitive model and the November 25, 2026 deadline.
• Personal data form with CCV attachment — form 100A: instructions – Official page referenced in the article.
• Attestation for Research Aiming to Advance Sensitive Technology Research Areas – Official page referenced in the article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can a Canadian college faculty member apply as the main applicant?

A. The main applicant must be an eligible Canadian university researcher. College faculty members may participate as co-applicants if they meet NSERC’s eligibility criteria.

Q. Can a company or government agency be an international partner?

A. No. Alliance International Collaboration grants support academic-to-academic collaborations. International collaborators must hold eligible faculty positions at accredited universities. Non-academic partner organizations are not permitted under this opportunity.

Q. Can I submit if the international funding award has not been issued yet?

A. NSERC requires the international collaborator to have secured a peer-reviewed award from the relevant national funding agency. The international proposal and official award letter must be attached to the Canadian application.

Q. What happens if my international proposal was rejected?

A. NSERC says applications based on international proposals that were rejected or not funded cannot be resubmitted through this opportunity.

Q. Is the November 25 deadline the same in every time zone?

A. The stated cutoff is November 25, 2026, before 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Canadian researchers should also confirm their university’s earlier internal approval deadline.