NSERC-French Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) call for proposals on quantum technologies

Eligibility 

Applicants:

1. If you are a Canadian university researcher eligible to receive NSERC funds, you can apply independently or as a team with co-applicants who are also eligible academic researchers.
2. You must include at least one academic collaborator from France who meets ANR’s eligibility requirements. NSERC will internally review the eligibility of the Canadian researchers, and ANR will review the eligibility of the French collaborators.
3. For this collaborative call for proposals, collaborators and partner organizations (industry, public, not-for-profit) from outside academia are not permitted.
4. You are limited to one application as either a Canadian principal applicant or co-applicant. For any application limits applying to French collaborators, please consult with ANR

French collaborators

Your French collaborator(s) must be from the academic sector and meet ANR’s eligibility requirements. The French coordinator is subject to ANR’s rules (in particular of eligibility) to which all national scientific coordinators of the 2024 Generic call for proposals must comply (see AAPG 2024 Guidelines, § B.5.2. Eligibility of full proposals). Collaborators from CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique) are considered eligible by NSERC if they are affiliated with a Unité mixte de recherche (UMR) or hold an academic position at a French university.

For this collaborative call for proposals, collaborators and partner organizations (industry, public, not-for-profit) from outside academia are not permitted.

Summary

This collaborative opportunity with ANR is open to scientific challenges in quantum science that aim to advance the National Quantum Strategy (NQS) – Mission: Make Canada a world leader in the continued development, deployment and use of quantum computing hardware and software by advancing research in any of the following areas of quantum technologies, or a combination thereof:

• Quantum algorithms/encryption, including post-quantum cryptography
• Quantum communications
• Quantum computing
• Quantum materials
• Quantum sensing

Proposals may also combine any of these quantum technology thrusts with other research topics in the natural sciences and engineering. Proposals that do not address the NQS Mission: Make Canada a world leader in the continued development, deployment and use of quantum computing hardware and software and that do not have a primary research focus in the above areas of quantum technologies may be removed from consideration; see the Important note for additional information on what to include in your proposal. Questions about the appropriateness of a proposal should be directed to NSERC.

Through a lead agency model, the Canadian applicant will submit a single collaborative proposal on behalf of the Canadian and French research teams, which will undergo a review process by NSERC, the lead agency. Please refer to the Apply section for more details. Researchers in France will need to consult the Generic call for proposals – AAPG 2024 available on the ANR website for more information.

Successful Canadian participants will receive funding from NSERC via an Alliance International Collaboration grant to support their involvement in the joint project, while eligible French participants will be supported by ANR.

At all times, Canadian researchers are encouraged to exercise appropriate levels of due diligence when managing their research and establishing and/or continuing partnerships with national, international and multinational partners. Resources to do so are provided by the Government of Canada on the Safeguarding Your Research portal, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships. NSERC reserves the right to request additional information, as needed, before making a final funding decision. 

Funding Considerations

You can only include NSERC-eligible direct costs of research in your project budget, such as:

• Salary support for research trainees (undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral fellows) to perform research and related training;
• Salary support for technicians and research professional personnel;
• Materials and supplies;
• Activities that support collaborations and knowledge mobilization related to the project;
• Activities to develop and grow the research collaborations with the French collaborator(s).

Refer to the guidelines on the use of grant funds in the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration.

You can also include the costs of equipment, provided that the equipment is:

• essential to achieving the objectives of the research project;
• incremental to the equipment already available at the university or to your French collaborator(s).