NRC IoT: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
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- Scored mainly on your track record and who is on your team. 18 lead with that.
- Publishes the score sheet reviewers actually use. Only 30 do.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
The Internet of Things: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program (QSP) is a collaborative R&D initiative run by NRC's Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre from 2021 to 2028. The program provides grant and contribution funding to Canadian SMEs, academic institutions, and other eligible organizations to co-develop quantum photonic and chip-based sensor technologies with NRC researchers. Application areas include navigation, medical imaging, geological surveying, defence, and safety and security systems. The program is a sensor-domain parallel to the QUIN (Quantum Internetworking) Challenge, with distinct technical eligibility covering quantum metrology, chip-based quantum systems, and photonic sensor integration.
Eligibility Requirements
- Canadian SMEs, academic institutions, and other eligible recipients
- Must be willing to collaborate with NRC researchers on quantum sensor development
- Projects must address quantum photonics, chip-based quantum systems, quantum metrology, or applied sensor integration
- Application areas the program highlights include navigation, medical imaging, geological surveying, defence, safety and security — the funder lists these as examples, not as a restriction; funded projects also cover environment, natural resources and health care
- The program is hosted by NRC's Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre; the lead NRC research centre is set per project and is often the Metrology research centre instead
- The applicant must fund the share of eligible costs the NRC does not reimburse — at least 25% — and attests to that commitment on the NRC Industry Collaborator Information and Financial Form
- International collaborators are eligible if the project will result in a benefit for Canada and Canadians
- Small and medium-sized enterprises are defined as having fewer than 500 employees; companies with 500 or more employees are generally not eligible for grant and contribution funding, though they may still collaborate with NRC under other programs
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Grant and contribution funding sized to project scopeGrant and contribution funding sized to project scope; per-project ceiling not published
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Rolling — contact program team for current call status
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Difficult — significant preparation needed
High competition — many applicants
Complex — detailed documentation needed
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipLike all NRC challenge programs, QSP operates on a relationship-first model.
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How National Research Council Canada judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on nrc.canada.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-04.
6 of the sources
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What National Research Council Canada favours
Four equally weighted criteria; address all listed points◦
“The merit of your application is evaluated using the following four equally weighted criteria. The proposal must address all the listed points (criteria and sub-criteria) to be considered for funding.”
The form
Express your interest
- 1Express your interestshort answer
Industry organization
- A.1A.1 Industry Organization Detailstable
- A.2A.2 NRC Collaborative Program Informationtable
Rationale
- A.3A.3 Rationale for Financial Assistanceselection + written
Using the following table, please describe the rationale for receiving financial assistance for this project.
Budget
- A.4.1A.4.1 Allowable costs and CSTIP contributionlist
- A.4.2A.4.2 Budget Tablespreadsheet
- A.4.3A.4.3 Budget detailstable
Risk
- A.5A.5 Project Risk and Mitigationtable
- 9Access to NRC facilities / on-site workcheckbox
Background IP
- A.6A.6 Background Intellectual Property Declarationwritten answer
Provide information on any background IP (if applicable).
Certifications
- A.7A.7 Project Submission, Attestation and Certification — certificationscheckboxes
- 12A.7 Attestationcheckboxes
- 13A.7 Signatures — Primary Contact and Officer / Contracting Authority attestationsshort answer
Documents
- 14Documents Required with the Proposallist
Proposal — partner input
- 15Partnershipwritten answer
- 16Teamwritten answer
Research security
- 17National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships — risk assessment formwritten answer
National Research Council Canada states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
National Research Council Canada publishes its score sheet. in Premium
- 1
Will it advance quantum sensing for Canada?
Show them Place the work inside one of the three areas of focus and state the economic, social or environmental benefit to Canada.◦
In the funder’s words · 6
- Potential for the project to advance the objectives of the collaborative R&D program
- Anticipated benefits to organizations and Canada
- Relevance and outcomes equally weighted
- Significance of the intended outcomes and of the economic, social and/or environmental benefits for Canada
- Originality of the research to address the topic and the potential for generating new scientific knowledge
- Extent to which the strategy to apply the research results is likely to achieve the intended outcomes
- 2
Can this team, plan and budget deliver?
What to show, and the funder’s 6 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Is the partnership and in-kind contribution real?
What to show, and the funder’s 4 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
What could go wrong, and who is trained?
What to show, and the funder’s 5 criteria behind it in Premium
Where applicants fail
“The Applicant possesses an accounting system that accurately tracks and records project costs (particularly hours of direct labour) associated with the performance of the project”
“The cost accounting system must clearly establish an audit trail that supports all costs, in particular Salary Costs, as described below, must clearly indicate the allocation of an employee’s hours worked on the Project.”
“The proposal must address all the listed points (criteria and sub-criteria) to be considered for funding.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 19 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
15 more rules that can reject you · 15 more criteria · 11 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
Your business
Applicant is an SME under 500 employees
Small and medium-sized enterprises (those with fewer than 500 employees)
Your organisation
Applicant is an academic institution
Academic institutions
Applicant is a not-for-profit organization
Not-for-profit organizations
Your partner
International collaborator benefits Canada
International collaborators are eligible if the project will result in a benefit for Canada and Canadians.
1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Maximum reimbursementUp to 75% of eligible costs
Overall, the NRC will support up to 75% of eligible project expenditures.
Indirect cost capMax 10% of direct eligible costs
Recipient Indirect Eligible Costs will be capped at a maximum 10% of the total Funded Direct Eligible Costs and supported by the NRC at the maximum rate of 75% for contributions.
Reimbursement scheduleQuarterly to Canadian SME partners
The NRC will reimburse the predetermined portion of eligible expenses to the partnering Canadian SME(s) on a quarterly basis.
RepaymentNon-repayable grant or contribution
The Collaborative Science, Technology and Innovation program offers non-repayable grant and contribution funding.
StackingUp to 100% of eligible costs
Recipients can receive additional funding from Canadian federal, provincial, territorial or municipal governments, up to a maximum of 100% of eligible costs
What it pays for · 6
- Gross wages or salaries and non-discretionary benefits
- Expenditures for implementing the project, such as for research materials or information technology, as well as expenditures to collaborate externally, for example, to work on reports, studies, seminars, conferences and workshops
- Expenditures for transportation, accommodations and meals incurred by the recipient to carry out the project
- Amounts invoiced to the recipient by a contractor for services rendered that are directly related to the project
- Expenditures for acquiring new equipment, including reasonable amounts for delivery, installation or commissioning of the equipment.
- Indirect costs of up to 10% of eligible project costs are generally eligible.
What it does not pay for · 4
- the purchase of land, leasehold interest in land or the payment of property taxes
- any portion of costs, including HST / GST / PST subject to refunds, rebates or credits
- costs incurred by the NRC
- salaries of Canadian academic principal investigators
From application to money
- Email the QSP teamContact NRC program team directly
- Scope with the NRC leadName NRC lead centre and researcher
- Submit the NRC packageSubmit workbook, statement of work, financial form
- NPO assessmentNPO assesses SME and expense eligibility
- Sign the agreementsSign CSTIP and multi-party agreements
- Report regularlyReport regularly on funds and outcomes
In the funder’s words · 6
- Email the QSP team
- Collaborators interested in working with NRC researchers on projects under these 2 programs can deal directly with NRC program teams through workshops and engagement sessions.
- Scope with the NRC lead
- Scoping must settle the NRC lead research centre and the NRC lead researcher, because the form later requires both to be named.
- Submit the NRC package
- The NRC-directed package comprises the Proposal Workbook, the Annex A Statement of Work and the Industry Collaborator Information and Financial Form.
- NPO assessment
- The NPO will assess the eligibility of the applying SME and the expenses considered as part of the CSTIP reimbursement request.
- Sign the agreements
- A CSTIP grant or contribution agreement sets the funding, milestones and IP, and on the joint route a multi-party collaborative research agreement must be in place for funding to be released.
- Report regularly
- You and your partner organizations must report regularly on how you use the funds from your Alliance Quantum grant and the CSTIP contribution, the activities you and your partner organizations carry out during your funded project and the outcomes of this project.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win NRC IoT: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 5-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 3-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 5
Eligible Expenses 8
Ineligible Expenses 4
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
- 5 more application steps
- 3 more required documents
- 8 eligible expenses
- 4 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow NRC IoT: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program Compares
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Frequently Asked Questions
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