Canada’s federal funding agencies increasingly offer large-scale, complex funding programs that support inter-institutional research collaborations and partnerships with industry, non-profit and community organizations.
SPARC provides strategic project management expertise to enable cohesive team building and the preparation of competitive applications for major funding opportunities.
If you are an interested principal investigator or co-applicant, or a potential industry or community/non-profit/consumer partner, here are examples of funding opportunities from the many Canadian government programs that are available:
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
NSERC funds research that leads to discovery and innovation, and that increases Canada's scientific and technological capabilities. A selection of the major NSERC programs that enable partnerships between academic researchers and industry, non-profit organizations, etc. include:
- Industrial Research Chairs
- Collaborative Research and Development Grants
- Networks of Centres of Excellence
- Strategic Project Grants
- Strategic Network Grants
- Collaborative Health Research Projects Program (funded by NSERC and CIHR)
- Idea to Innovation Grant
To arrange a consultation related to NSERC Partnership programs, please contact David Woods.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
CIHR is the Canadian federal agency responsible for funding health research. It provides funding for four general areas of inquiry: Biomedical, Clinical, Health systems services, and Social, cultural, environmental and population health. Examples of CIHR partnership funding programs include:
- Partnerships for Health System Improvement: 2011-2012
- Operating Grant: Industry-Partnered Collaborative Research (2012)
- Team Grant: Community-Based Primary Healthcare
For arranging consultations on CIHR funded partnerships, please contact Burdena Shea.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
SSHRC is the Canadian federal funding agency that supports and promotes research and training in the humanities and social sciences fields. It is the mandate of SSHRC to enable research excellence and facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaborations between academic disciplines, universities and all sectors of Canadian society. Some SSHRC funded partnership-oriented programs are:
- Partnership Development Grants
- Partnership Grants
- Public Outreach Grants: Workshops and Conferences
- Partnership Outreach Grants: Dissemination
- Leaders Opportunity Fund (funded by both SSHRC and CFI)
Please contact Nicole Bennett to arrange a consultation regarding SSHRC partnership funding.


