Alliance Missions: Critical minerals research

Eligibility

• If you are a Canadian university researcher who is eligible to receive NSERC funds, you can apply on your own or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers.
• Given the limited funding, applicants will be allowed to participate in only one Alliance Missions grant application for this call, either as the principal investigator or a co-applicant. However, you may concurrently apply to Alliance grants Option 1 and/or Alliance grants Option 2 to support other research activities not included in your Alliance Missions application.
• NSERC encourages the participation of early career researchers (ECRs) as applicants or co-applicants on Alliance Missions grant applications. Accordingly, a proportion of awards equal to the proportion of applications submitted that are led by early career researchers will be reserved for these researchers. For more information on how NSERC categorizes an applicant as an ECR, refer to the Discovery Grants—applicant categories.

Summary

This funding opportunity targets research projects that will support the growth of Canadian expertise at every point along the value chain, from exploration to recycling, of fifteen prioritized critical minerals identified in Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy (December 2022). Canada is positioned to be a global supplier of choice for critical minerals that are central to major global industries such as clean technology, auto manufacturing, health care, aerospace, and the digital economy. Canada's Critical Minerals Strategy was released with the intent of continuing to provide foundational support to Canada’s mining sector to take advantage of existing and emerging opportunities to increase the supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals and support the development of domestic and global value chains for the green and digital economy.

Among the 31 minerals that Canada considers critical, Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy identified six minerals which were initially prioritized for their distinct potential to spur Canadian economic growth and their necessity as inputs for priority supply chains: lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements (Canada’s Critical Mineral Strategy - Annex B). Furthermore, nine other priority minerals, namely vanadium, gallium, titanium, scandium, magnesium, tellurium, zinc, niobium, and germanium, also present significant prospects for the future. This funding opportunity targets research projects that will support the growth of Canadian expertise at every point along the value chain of those fifteen prioritized critical minerals – from exploration to recycling.

Grant support ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 per year, for a duration of three years. NSERC will provide support for 100% of the eligible costs of research. Partners must actively play a role in the project and support it through in-kind contributions. A broad range of in-kind contributions could be made toward a project; refer to the Partner organizations web page for additional information.

• Cash contributions from the partner(s) are not required; however, you must have at least one partner organization whose contributions would be recognized for cost-sharing.

Developing and implementing policies or directly applying your research results may depend on scientific understanding beyond the natural sciences and engineering (NSE). Alliance Missions grants support collaborations with academic researchers in fields other than the NSE. Research costs for these collaborations can represent up to 30% of project costs.

Alliance Missions grants are intended to provide support for research activities that will:

• advance Canadian knowledge, models, processes, tools and technologies to optimize efficiency, minimize environmental impacts, and/or support data-driven decisions along domestic critical mineral value chains, from exploration to recycling (e.g., geological and economic modelling of critical mineral deposits, flowsheets, life-cycle analyses, etc.); and/or
• develop efficient options to advance a domestic circular economy with less reliance on primary mineral resources through mine reclamation and/or critical mineral recycling or reprocessing (e.g., mining and industrial waste, end-of-life products, etc.); and/or
• support the development of best practices in technology, innovation and collaborative ventures (e.g., best practices to advance vertical integration across the sector, etc.).

Submission Process

Both the LOI and application stages will be administered via RMS.

STEP 1: LOI 

Using the NSERC On-line system, create an LOI. When you have completed all sections, Submit LOI. This will send it to Research Services where we will review and submit on your behalf to NSERC in the on-line system.

RSO Internal Deadline: September 1, 2023; NSERC Deadline: September 7, 2023

See the instructions for completing a letter of intent for more details.

STEP 1A: RMS record

Complete a "Pre-Award/Letters of Intent" record on RMS (login at https://research.ucalgary.ca/rms). Please use the “Alliance Missions: Critical minerals research” funding opportunity, and once completed - “Submit for academic approvals” (Under Save & Progress) in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. Ensure you receive all required RMS approvals in advance of NOON on September 1, 2023. Our team will then review the LOI and your eligibility and submit the LOI to NSERC on your behalf in advance of the sponsor deadline. 

STEP 2: FULL APPLICATION 

This step is by invitation only. NSERC will send notices to inform applicants if their LOI has been rejected or if they can submit a full application 

RSO Internal Deadline: November 6, 2023; NSERC Deadline: November 9, 2023

Complete your application in the NSERC On-line system. Once the application is complete (including required attachments and your CCV), verify each section, and then press "Submit". Your application will be sent to the Research Services Office. Please ensure your application is final and complete. Research Services will not review drafts, and, once received, your application may be submitted to NSERC without further notice. 

 STEP 2A: RMS RECORD

1. Once RSO receives confirmation from NSERC that you have been invited for a full application, we will mark your "Pre-award/Letters of Intent" record on RMS as awarded. This will automatically create a "Pre-award/Application" record with the same RMS number. You can now attach a copy of your full application to this record and send it forward for a review. 

2. Your application will not be considered submitted and will not be reviewed until both the application is submitted in the Research Portal (a paper copy is not required) and the RMS record have been received.

3. The final deadline of 12:00 pm on November 6 is a hard deadline. The 3-day deadline ensures that Research Services is able to complete a basic review of the application and secure institutional signature in a timely fashion.

4. As an optional service, if you would like a detailed review, Research Services must receive your complete RMS approvals record and NSERC Research Portal application by 4pm on October 26, 2023.

• The detailed review includes checking for eligibility and UofC commitments and risk, compliance with program guidelines, completeness of application, and the opportunity for feedback to improve the application.

• The basic administrative review involves a minimal check of the application for eligibility and any UofC commitment or risk.

The full application instructions are available here: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Innovate-Innover/AllianceMissions-MissionsAlliance/CFP-ADP/CMR-RSLMC/Index_eng.asp

Resources

• Alliance Grants Merit indicators
• Alliance Grants Proposal Template (.docx)
• Eligibility
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Evaluation Criteria
• Policy on Intellectual Property
• Professors Frequently Asked Questions
• Role of partner organizations
• How to complete 100A

Overhead

N/A

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

In the case where your application involves one or more partner organizations from the private sector, including when they participate alongside other partner organizations from the public and/or not-for-profit sectors, you must complete the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships' risk assessment form and include it as an integral part of your application.

At all times, Canadian researchers are encouraged to exercise appropriate levels of due diligence to safeguard their research. Resources to do so are provided by the Government of Canada on the Safeguarding Your Research portal.

Please consult the website for more information on the options. If you have any questions please contact Katie Cupello (katie.cupello@ucalgary.ca)