PSO

Only one industry partner is required to submit a project to InnovÉÉ. This partner must carry out production or R&D activities in Québec. Foreign and Canadian companies are accepted, as are Québec companies that do not carry out production or R&D activities in Québec, as a second (or third, etc.) industry partner. If Hydro-Québec is involved, please contact us.

InnovÉÉ's contribution to a project depends on the industry partners involved. There are two categories of eligible projects:

• • SME Project, involving at least one Québec SME, where InnovÉÉ can cover up to 40% of eligible costs. The industry partner(s) must collectively cover at least 20% of the research institutions' project costs in cash ($). In-kind contributions are not recognized.
  • Large Enterprise(s) Project (GE), where InnovÉÉ can cover up to 20% of eligible costs. The industry partner(s) must collectively cover the equivalent of at least 40% of project costs. In-kind investments are recognised, but may not exceed 50% of the total industry contribution, up to a maximum of 20% of the total budget.

Through InnovÉÉ, the MEIE may contribute to the funding of indirect research costs (IRC) for academic partners. An IRC rate of 27% may be applied to the MEIE's share of funding for certain expense categories. Where applicable, universities must also collect IRC from industry partners and other project funders. These costs must be paid directly to the research institution. Please contact us for more details.

InnovÉÉ is involved in managing all funded projects. A portion of the budget must therefore be allocated to InnovÉÉ to cover project management fees. RSRI management fees are eligible expenses counted as a direct cost of the project. As such, they must be included among the project's direct expenses in the financing plan.
They represent a maximum of 5% of the total project cost, up to a maximum of $50K, except in justified cases. The amount payable by industry partners corresponds to 3% of the project's eligible expenses.

$500,000 per year, for a maximum of 3 years, including IRC and MEIE management fees.

For all projects (SME and Large Enterprise):

1. Salaries, wages and employee benefits for personnel hired specifically by research institutions to carry out the project (students, postdoctoral fellows, research assistants, research professionals, technicians, etc.) who are not receiving any other public funding. Eligible expenses exclude any university professor salaries, as well as costs related to releasing college teachers from their duties to carry out project activities.
2. Student scholarships that are not receiving any other public funding.
3. Expenses for materials, supplies and other consumables incurred by research institutions specifically for carrying out the project.
4. The purchase or rental of equipment incurred by research institutions specifically for carrying out the project, with a value equal to or less than $25,000 before taxes (up to a maximum of 25% of total eligible expenses).
5. Travel expenses (conferences, fieldwork, meetings with partners, etc.) incurred by research institutions specifically for carrying out the project. Important note: If you are planning public presentations on the project, please plan at least one public presentation in Québec; contact us if this is not possible.
6. Other expenses, including professional and subcontractor fees, intellectual property management and operating costs, costs related to disseminating results (publication costs, etc.), etc., incurred by research institutions specifically for carrying out the project.

For Large Enterprise projects (GE):

• Partners' in-kind contributions are also eligible if:
  • They are auditable expenses (their value can reasonably be established and supported by documentation);
  •  They are essential to carrying out the selected project;
  • They correspond to costs incurred specifically to carry out the project;
  • They represent an item that would otherwise need to be paid for at an equal or higher cost;
  • They do not exceed 20% of the project's total financing plan (including management fees). 

For SME projects: in-kind contributions do not count toward the calculation of the industry partners' minimum contribution. However, these contributions represent a potential indicator for measuring industry partner involvement in the project and are therefore considered as part of the project evaluation (see evaluation criteria below). For example, if one industry partner's cash contribution is relatively limited, their involvement in the project could, in some cases, be justified by the extent of their in-kind contributions.

For Large Enterprise projects, see the previous question.

Allow 4 to 6 weeks on average between submitting an application and the announcement of InnovÉÉ's evaluation results. If the project is approved by InnovÉÉ, it must then be submitted for final approval to the MEIE. Approval timeframes in this case may vary.

The average project acceptance rate is 70%. We have found that support from our advisors significantly increases the likelihood of a successful application.

Although you will not yet know the outcome of your application, you may begin working on the project as of its submission date. These activities will be funded if the project is approved.

Project direct costs — that is, the cost of activities carried out by research personnel, salaries and employee benefits for research personnel, certain equipment expenses, consumables, equipment rental, travel and dissemination costs, etc. For more information, please refer to the Applicant's Guide.

The research centre may use these funds to rent equipment related to carrying out the project, or to purchase equipment with a value not exceeding $25,000 or 25% of the project.

However, the PSO program is not the right vehicle for funding industry equipment purchases (capital investments). Ask our advisors to suggest funding sources, and they will provide you with relevant recommendations tailored to your needs.

No. Funds provided by InnovÉÉ cover only research and development activities carried out by researchers within a public research centre. In some cases, the funded research centre may subcontract work to businesses or researchers, in Québec or elsewhere (see below). However, an industry partner cannot be both a financial partner of a project and a subcontractor.

These are the material resources used by the research centre over the course of the project.

Yes, but only if they represent a small percentage of the grant.

InnovÉÉ is not party to intellectual property management agreements. InnovÉÉ must receive confirmation that a signed agreement is in place between the project partners (public research centres and industry partners) before the project begins, and that this agreement includes provisions for managing intellectual property.

Yes. Public funding can generally cover up to 80% of project costs.

No.

Yes, ask our advisors to help you optimise your project's funding.

Please contact us as soon as possible to confirm the eligibility of the changes.

Please contact us as soon as possible to confirm the eligibility of the changes.

The industry partner(s) will receive an invoice from their public research partner (university, CCTT or public research centre) at the start of the project.

To limit the number of financial transactions and parties involved, InnovÉÉ's management fees are withheld at source from the first two payments made by InnovÉÉ to the public research partner. An equivalent amount will be invoiced by the research partner to the industry partners, since they are responsible for covering these fees.