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Home > Funding Programs > NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance Program
Through this program, we offer funding to support Alberta university researchers in advancing discoveries to develop emerging technologies.
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NSERC Alliance – Alberta Innovates Advance (Advance) is a partnership program between Alberta Innovates and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). View their website here.
Through this program, we invest in projects that, in alignment with Alberta’s technology and innovation strategies, advance discoveries to develop emerging technologies that can generate economic, environmental, health and social benefits for Albertans and Canadians.
The Advance Program has two streams:
In 2025-26, Alberta Innovates will offer supplemental funding opportunities to NSERC Discovery Grants (Individual) researchers who hold active NSERC Discovery Grants (Individual) in Alberta, awarded in Competition Year (CY) 2024, and have R&D activities addressing at least one of the emerging technology topics outlined in Appendix A and a priority focus area outlined in Appendix C.
Stream II is the general stream of the program. Funding is available to NSERC-eligible researchers at Alberta-based universities.
In 2025-26, Stream II targets emerging technology topics under two broad categories:
Research in the emerging technology topics and the priority focus areas offers transformational promise for challenges across Alberta’s existing sectors and entry into wider global markets. Our investment will augment the Alberta academic researcher’s capacity to accelerate, advance research excellence and create additional HQPs in Alberta’s emerging technology areas. The development of emerging technologies will provide the foundation for economic diversification and job creation into nascent industries in Alberta.
Stream I: Successful applicants will receive 2/3rd of NSERC’s annual Discovery Grants (Individual) award value from Alberta Innovates to a maximum of $20,000 per year per award for a maximum of two (2) years.
Stream II: Individual proposals can request up to $150,000 per year and can be for up to two years in duration. A maximum of $100,000 per year will be provided by Alberta Innovates and NSERC will match the Alberta Innovates contribution at a ratio of 50% up to a maximum of $50,000 per year.
To qualify for funding all Projects must:
Stream I: Researchers with active NSERC Discovery Grants (Individual), currently holding at a post-secondary institution in Alberta for Competition Year 2024 with research focusing on one or more of the emerging technology topics outlined in Appendix A and a priority focus area outlined in Appendix C. Applicants cannot hold more than one Advance Stream I grant simultaneously.
Stream II: Researchers submitting an application must be from a university on NSERC’s list of Alberta-based universities. To view this list of eligible universities, click here. The researcher must hold an NSERC peer-reviewed grant when they apply and meet NSERC eligibility criteria when applying and when funding is released.
Applicants cannot hold more than one Advance (Stream II) grant simultaneously, and only one application per Primary Applicant (PI) per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) is permitted. Current Advance (Stream II) grant holders, however, may be eligible to apply for Stream I funding, meeting the eligibility requirements of Stream I.
Stream I:
Researchers with active NSERC Discovery Grants (Individual) in Alberta for Competition Year 2024 who are interested in applying for Alberta Innovates supplemental funding should submit the Post-Secondary Investments & Emerging Technologies (PSIET) Intake Form within the Funding Opportunities tab on the AI application portal (SmartSimple).
Complete and submit the PSIET Intake Form.
If the PSIET Intake Form is approved, complete and submit the full proposal in SmartSimple.
Wait for the full proposal to be reviewed by Alberta Innovates. Applications that are approved by Alberta Innovates will receive the Alberta Innovates funding.
If successful, Alberta Innovates will execute an Investment Agreement with the academic institution before you can proceed with the activities of the Project.
Stream II
Applications approved by both NSERC and Alberta Innovates will receive Alberta Innovates funding. NSERC and Alberta Innovates will execute separate agreements with the successful applicants.
Stream I: We review all applications internally in the order we receive them. During this process the NSERC evaluation group’s comments will be considered. We will notify applicants after a decision has been made. Applications we approve will receive the Alberta Innovates funding.
Stream II: We review all applications first and then recommend whether they go to NSERC for review. Meeting all evaluation criteria is not a guarantee that an application will be funded as funding will be awarded on a competitive basis. If we recommend that an application goes to NSERC for review, NSERC will review and evaluate using its own review process. Applications that are approved by both NSERC and Alberta Innovates will receive the Alberta Innovates funding. For both streams, the applicants are strongly recommended to demonstrate the practice of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) adequately in their proposed project.
Business Analyst
Administrator, Investments, Post-Secondary Investments & Emerging Technologies
Manager, Emerging Technology, Opportunity Development
Registration closed: September 22, 2025 12:00 am MST
Stream I: Intake for this program-stream is open on June 23, 2025 Stream II: Pre-Intake is open on June 23, 2025.