Financial Assistance

Your expenses incurred in connection with an applied research project conducted in collaboration with the ICI may be eligible for a tax incentive under the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or for a tax credit for research, innovation and commercialization (CRIC) at the provincial level.

You need our services for a consultation? There are financing solutions!

• You are small or medium-sized Canadian company and you need help to solve a technical problem, to innovate and increase your productivity?

You could be eligible for the Interactive Visits program. This program, funded by the NRC IRAP, provides you with access to the equipment, facilities, and expertise of a Technology Access Centre such as ICI to help solve your innovation challenge. These visits are short-term engagements focused on a specific issue and can take various forms (needs assessment and problem investigation, literature review, recommendations on technological solutions, etc.). They can also serve as a first step toward outlining a research and development project.

Interactive visits offer eligible companies 20 hours of collaboration with a TAC to address an innovation challenge. Strategic interventions provide 55 hours of collaboration involving 2 TACs, or one TAC and a college research centre, to tackle more complex problems.

Examples:

• • Develop an ink that meets specific criteria.
  • Improve productivity.
  • Validate the printability of a material.
  • Recommend new equipment (market study).
  • Assess the technical and economic feasibility of new products, processes, or services.
  • Provide short-term R&D support and prototype development.
  • Offer access to advanced technology not available in-house.
  • Provide scientific and technical guidance and advice to businesses.

Join our waiting list and we’ll contact you to discuss your needs.

For more information on this program, consult this leaflet (French only) or visit the Tech-Access Canada portal.

• Your company is based in Quebec and you need counseling and support to make your activities more sustainable?

ICI is recognized by the Fonds Écoleader as an expert in eco-responsible business practices and clean technologies. As such, our consulting services can help you select technologies (e.g., VOC-free drying, waste reduction and recovery, solvent recycling, etc.) or more environmentally friendly consumables. These services may be eligible for funding as part of a project submitted to the Fonds Écoleader program. For more information, please contact us.

You wish to collaborate with ICI on an applied research project? Several programs are offered by different levels of government, including the Government of Canada and the Government of Québec. Budget envelopes, project duration, financial contributions from industrial partner(s), and eligibility criteria vary from one program to another. Please contact us so we can help identify the funding option that best suits your needs.

• For companies based in Quebec
  • Programme d’aide à la recherche et au transfert (PART) of the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur (Québec). These projects, typically lasting one year, aim to maximize benefits for college-level education by encouraging the participation of faculty researchers and college students. Calls for proposals are issued twice a year, with funding decisions taking approximately 3 to 4 months (the funding application is submitted by ICI).
  • Financial assistance by research consortiums of Quebec: these consortiums are platforms for the development and funding of collaborative research projects between companies and research partners, that aim to support a specific ecosystem or sectoral area. The list of consortiums is available on the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation website. For example, PRIMA Québec  finances project with college-industry partnership to support activities of development, formulation, and integration of advanced materials. The type of funding application depends on the Technological readiness level (TRL) and one or several industrial project partners can be required. Calls for projects happen twice a year and projects are granted within approximately 4 months (the applicant is ICI).
• For companies based in Canada:
  • Applied Research and Development grants (ARD) of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This grant is intended for clients who have already carried out projects with ICI (for example, following an SEP) or for projects with requested funding amounts exceeding $25,000 and up to $150,000. The project duration can extend up to three years. There is no application deadline, and funding decisions are typically made within 3 to 5 months (the application is submitted by ICI).

• • Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). This program provides funding for research and development projects aimed at technological innovation and led by Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Companies must submit their applications directly to NRC IRAP. For more information, please contact an NRC IRAP advisor.