NSERC provides a wide variety of programs that meet the varying needs of business, from short-term R&D projects measured in months to long-term research programs that can extend five years of more.
NSERC's industrial scholarships and fellowships allow companies to hire, at substantial savings, the appropriate level of expertise for almost any R&D task. From undergraduate students for short-term problem solving to postdoctoral fellows for longer term, and sometimes game-changing research, these highly skilled people make important contributions to their employers.
By cost-sharing with NSERC, Canadian businesses can fund relevant R&D for as little as 17 cents on the dollar when combined with tax credits for R&D investment.
Pooling resources with other companies in pre-competitive research partnerships allows companies to gain even more leverage on their investments.
NSERC's generous cost-sharing arrangements for industrial scholarships and fellowships allow companies to boost their in-house R&D capacity at minimal cost.
All major R&D funding proposals are reviewed by experts. This can help companies ascertain whether there may be any technical or feasibility concerns/issues with the proposed research.
On average, each NSERC-funded collaborative R&D project trains seven students with industry-relevant skills and, on average, partnering companies hire at least one of these students.
Working collaboratively with students allows companies to assess their suitability as potential employees, leading to faster and smarter hiring decisions. When trained in partnership with a company, these students acquire the skills to meet business needs immediately upon hiring. Companies report that six months or more can be shaved off training cycles by hiring students on internships.
Since 1997, the federal government and its partners have invested more than $4 billion in university and college research infrastructure and equipment.
Many of these well-equipped facilities are one-of-a-kind and would be too costly for any single company to set up and operate.
University and college technical staff are on hand to help companies maximize the use of these facilities.
Researchers who undertake applied research in partnership with companies are often at the forefront of their respective specialties. Companies benefit from their insights and advances.
Access to this frontier of knowledge often translates into competitive market differentiation for businesses that are able to commercialize such know-how.
