1. Why and How to Grow Your Engage Project into a Longer-Term Collaboration
Beyond ENGAGE
A special workshop for Engage researchers & industry partners.
Presented by: NSERC Research Partnerships Division and NSERC Regional Development Division

2. Engage 101
6 - month R&D project aimed at solving a company-specific problem
New relationship between a company and a university researcher or college
$25,000 grant paid to the post-secondary institution (no cash required from the company)
IP belongs to the company
Applications accepted anytime
6 weeks turnaround time with a 90% success rate

3. Seven Years of ENGAGEment
NSERC’s Engage investment has created 6,800 new collaborations involving…
4,200 companies
72% new to NSERC
3,200 professors
53% new to NSERC-funded industry collaboration
15,000 HQP

4. Participants like Engage (we know because we asked)
94% of companies describe their project as a success
86% of companies state their problem was fully or partially solved through the Engage project
2/3 of professors report using the results of the six- month Engage project in a publication and student thesis
One in six projects results in an Engage student being hired by the company

5. Company’s problem solved. Is that the whole story?
Not quite. Engage companies also report:
Enhanced R&D activity (66%)
New business directions (62%)
Improved competitive position (49%)
New investment attracted (26%)
Enhanced knowledge base and skills (83%)

6. Engage ROI (stats from the 5,900 Engage projects completed to Sept
1,370 NSERC-funded follow-on collaborations*
1-in-4 conversion rate to a longer-term project
$55M invested by NSERC. $97M invested by Engage companies
(* and many more by other agencies like OCE, FedDevOnt, etc.)
500 researchers & companies introduced to Partnerships through Engage were motivated to start new projects with a different collaborator.
300 ‘Engage Plus’ follow-on projects to date

7. Why re-engage after Engage?
You’ve invested six months of effort to establish trust and visibility with a new industry partner.
Your visibility with the company diminishes over time.
Seize the opportunity! Capitalize on the momentum!
Planning + Effort (+ NSERC) = Results

8. The Path from Engage to CRD Options
Engage Plus > CRD
Direct-to-CRD
Cash Contribution
Mandatory $4K - $12.5K
Mandatory No min / max
Cash Leverage of In-Kind No
Yes - 1:1
IP Agreement
Not required (like Engage)
Required
Project Length
6 months max.
1 – 5 years
Award Limit
1:1 up to $12.5K
2:1 with no limit
Project Budget
Up to $25K
From $15K to ‘very large’
Co-PI’s?
Yes
Collaborators?
Academic – yes
Industrial – yes
Application Deadline
6 mo. after Engage end
No deadline
Evaluation
NSERC Committee
External Peers
Application Turnaround
4 – 6 weeks
12 weeks

9. Advancing to a CRD