Higher education in Canada is often less expensive than in the United States. However, this does not imply that obtaining a degree as a college or university student in Canada is simply inexpensive for everyone. You will most likely need to apply for financial help to cover tuition fees and living expenses. The government offers grants with partnerships with various top-notch universities and companies. These grants are not only for the students to benefit from, but even the universities and colleges can also avail funding from such grants and apply them further for the innovation and up-gradation of the education system.
There’s a good chance you’ll be able to identify organizations and businesses that provide grants to students and universities. If you’ve been accepted to a higher education institution, you should also look at your university’s website to see what admission grants are available. Many colleges provide scholarships for great academic accomplishment and financial assistance solely for being a student.
College and Community Innovation Program
CU-I2I Grants are designed to foster and improve research collaborations between colleges, universities, and enterprises to accelerate the development of promising technologies and promote their commercialization in the Canadian market. The company partner(s) and the CCI Program share direct project costs. Projects might last for up to three years.
Applicants who are eligible: To be eligible, a firm partner must be based in Canada and be able to fully exploit the outcomes of the applied research, resulting in considerable economic value to the company and/or Canada. Local or regional small and medium-sized businesses are required to be company partners.
Submission Deadline: No deadline.
Contact
- Contact Name: College-University Idea to Innovation
- Phone Number: 613-944-5802
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
University and College Entrance Preparation Program
The University and College Entrance Preparation Program seeks to enhance the number of First Nations students with the academic level required for admission to post-secondary institutions.
Eligible applicants:
Post-secondary First Nations students maintain satisfactory academic standing at an appropriate post-secondary school.
Because funding is limited, not all students may be supported. Partial funding may be available. Applications are only valid for one school year.
Date of Submission: For more information on the deadline, please see the link below.
Contact
- Contact Name: Government of Canada
- Phone Number: 1-800-567-9604
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
AgENT by Lethbridge College

AgENT is a Lethbridge College extracurricular programme that gives students practical learning opportunities to acquire core innovation and entrepreneurship skills. Students that participate in AgENT have the opportunity to develop their creative confidence and entrepreneurial perspective, which will help them become change agents.
Applicants who qualify: Any student
Submission Deadline: Ongoing
Contact
- Contact Name: Lethbridge College
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
Idea to Innovation Grants(I2I) by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
The Idea to Innovation (I2I) Grants aims to accelerate the pre-competitive development of potential technology in the university and college sectors and to facilitate its transfer to a new or established Canadian enterprise. The I2I Grants provide cash to faculty members at colleges and universities to support research and development projects with recognized technology transfer potential. This is accomplished in stages by offering critical help throughout the early stages of technology validation and market connection.
Who is eligible: Colleges and Universities
Eligibility for a Partner:
- Group of early-stage investors
- Companies
- Companies owned by researchers
Submission Deadline: January 7, 2022; April 4, 2022; June 27, 2022; September 26, 2022
Contact
- Contact Name: Idea to Innovation
- Phone Number: 613-947-9485
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
Applied Research and Development (ARD) Grant | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
The Applied Research and Development (ARD) Grants are designed to give enterprises with Canadian basis access to the unique knowledge, expertise, and capabilities available at Canadian schools and to train students in important technical skills required by businesses. ARD Grants fund well-defined applied research and development initiatives by college researchers in collaboration with private-sector partners. The commercial partner(s) and NSERC share direct project costs. Projects might last anywhere from one to three years.
Eligible applicants:
Canadian colleges determined to be eligible to administer awards by at least one of the three federal granting bodies (NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC) may apply.
The college must provide programmes in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and/or health sciences that are relevant to the planned applied research fields.
Faculty members at the college who participate in ARD Grants must be engaged in applied research in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and/or health sciences.
The college shall provide the space, facilities, and services necessary for its academic members in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and/or health sciences to perform applied research.
Submission Deadline: Ongoing
Contact
- Contact Name: Applied Research and Development
- Phone Number: 613-944-5802
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF)
The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund provides up to $2 billion for infrastructure projects at Canadian colleges and polytechnic institutions to improve and modernize research and commercialization facilities and industry-relevant training facilities.
The fund supports initiatives that are projected to be substantially finished by November 30, 2018, and fall into at least one of the three categories listed below:
- increase the size or quality of research and innovation facilities, including commercialization spaces;
- expand the size or quality of specialized training facilities at institutions focusing on industrial demands; or
- increase the environmental sustainability of post-secondary research and innovation infrastructure, as well as college training infrastructure
Eligible applicants:
Accredited universities, colleges, publicly funded polytechnic schools, institutes of technology, and CEGEPs are eligible institutions under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, as they are affiliated or federated with an eligible institution such as research and teaching hospitals, research parks, incubators, and accelerators.
Eligible recipients were defined by the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund as institutions that were directly or indirectly authorized by agreement, under the terms of provincial or territorial statutes, to deliver post-secondary courses or programmes leading to recognized and transferable post-secondary credentials. This includes public and non-profit private colleges, Aboriginal-controlled (schools established by Aboriginal organizations, band councils, or governments), and Government of Canada-controlled post-secondary education institutions.
Submission Deadline: Ongoing
Contact
- Contact Name: Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund
- Phone Number: 1-800-328-6189
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment Program (FNNRYEP)
The First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment Program (FNNRYEP) is a two-year pan-Boreal programme with the stated goal of raising awareness, generating interest, and providing a pathway for First Nations youth aged 16 to 18 to pursue education, training, and employment in natural resources science-based industries such as forestry and mining.
This programme allows you to:
- Aboriginal teenagers (16-18 years old) in Northern Ontario will be placed for two years.
- Work on forestry and mining projects, receive workplace training and participate in personal development seminars.
- Recruitment will occur in the spring through Confederation College and in collaboration with First Nations communities.
Applicants who are eligible: Youth aged 16 to 18 from First Nations communities
Submission Deadline: Ongoing
Contact
- Contact Name: Confederation College (Riley Burton – Program Manager)
- Phone Number: (807) 475-6274
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
Canadian Conservation Institute Paid Postgraduate Internship Program
The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) offers one-year paid postgraduate internships. Interns must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who have recently (within the last five years) finished a degree programme at a recognized university or a two-year diploma programme at a recognized post-secondary college specializing in conservation or historical information management.
Eligible applicants
Candidates must meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply:
- be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants;
- have recently graduated (within the last two years) from a recognized university or college in a programme related to the internship;
- And have recent (within the last five years) relevant experience obtained through post-secondary studies, volunteer work, or extracurricular activities.
Submission Deadline: Open and close.
Contact
- Contact Name: Canadian Conservation Institute
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
Engage Grants by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Engage Grants are intended to provide innovative Canadian-based enterprises with access to the unique knowledge, skills, and capabilities offered at Canadian universities and colleges (see the List of Eligible Institutions). These awards are meant to encourage new research collaborations by funding short-term research and development initiatives that solve a company-specific challenge, i.e. a problem connected to the company’s core skills or activities.
Because of the streamlined application and decision-making processes, university and college researchers can immediately embark on new research collaborations that expand academic expertise to these concerns. The mutually beneficial projects are expected to generate economic benefits for both the company and Canada and impactful long-term collaborations between the applicant and the company.
Who is eligible: Engage Grants are available to researchers at universities and colleges. The collaborating company must be active in the project and give in-kind assistance, and the company and the researcher must have never collaborated before.
Submission Deadline: Ongoing
Contact
- Contact Name: NSERC – Prairies Regional Office
- Phone Number: 1-877-767-1767
- E-mail Address: [email protected]
Mitacs Business Strategy Innovation Program
A $10,000 or $15,000 scholarship allows the best students – from college students to undergrads, grads, postdocs, and recent graduates – to participate in a joint internship. Students apply their technical experience to your business difficulties to help your innovation activities, whether an operations issue or you wish to safeguard your intellectual property. Students from all areas, including law, STEM, social sciences, and humanities, are eligible for the award.
Eligible applicants:
- College students, undergrads, graduates, postdocs, and even recent graduates are welcome.
- All enterprises and eligible non-profit organizations are welcome.
Submission Deadline: Ongoing
Contact
- Contact Name: Mitacs
- E-mail Address: https://discover.mitacs.ca/business-strategy/e-2-lightbox.html
Conclusion
Colleges and universities invite students from all over the world and aim to provide them with the best education and infrastructure. Thus, to achieve that, many colleges and universities partner with government or private sector enterprises with the sole motive of raising funding for their institution. The funding provided will then be used for the innovation and up-gradation of the education and infrastructure of the institutions so that the students coming to these institutions do not feel disappointed.
Also, some universities partner with the government and other companies to provide funding to the students who can’t afford the price of education and thus help them reduce their financial burdens.
The grants mentioned above are some of the best options for funding available in Canada.
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