What kind of projects are eligible for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage or Engage for Colleges program?

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Last updated: 19-Nov-2025

For the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage and Engage for Colleges program, a project’s research challenge must lie in natural sciences and engineering (NSE) to be considered eligible. The project’s research challenge must be meaningful and is not/does not:

• Focus on the commercialization of a university or college invention;
• Focus on the routine application of existing technology or tools to the industry partner’s operations;
• Provide routine analysis or routine use of equipment at the university or college;
• Collect data without interpreting underlying mechanisms;
• Seek to certify, endorse, validate or performance test an existing product, process or material (unless accompanied by significant efforts to investigate the underlying scientific or engineering question or to improve or better understand the product, process or material);
• Include excessive (more than two weeks) literature review and/or patent searches;
• Relate to the set-up and operational management of an institute or a formal or informal group of researchers;
• Aim to develop an industry standard or benefit a group of companies (unless the partner is an industry association);
• Provide professional practice or consulting services; or
• Principally associated with the acquisition or maintenance of scientific equipment.

Please visit the NSERC website for more details on NSERC eligibility criteria.