PSO

Only one industrial partner is required to submit a project to InnovÉÉ. This partner must have production or R&D activities in Quebec. Foreign and Canadian companies are admitted as well as Quebec companies not carrying out production or R&D activities in Quebec as second (or third, etc.) industrial partner. If Hydro-Québec is involved, please contact us.

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

• • SME project, involving at least one Quebec SME, InnovÉÉ can cover up to 40% of eligible costs. The industrial partner(s) must collectively cover at least 20% of the project costs of the research institutions in cash ($). The in-kind contribution is not recognized.
  • For Large Enterprise (LE) projects, InnovÉÉ can cover up to 20% of eligible costs. The industrial partner(s) must collectively cover the equivalent of at least 40% of the project costs. In-kind contributions are recognized, but cannot exceed 50% of the industrial total, up to a maximum of 20% of the total budget.

MEIE, through InnovÉÉ, can contribute to the funding of indirect research costs (IRF) of academic partners. A 27% IRF rate can be applied to the MEIE's share of funding for certain expenditure items. If applicable, universities must also collect IRFs from industrial partners and various project funders. These fees must be paid directly to the research institution. Please contact us for more details.

InnovÉÉ is involved in the management of all funded projects. Therefore, a portion of the budget must be allocated to InnovÉÉ to cover project management costs. STIP management costs are eligible expenses and are included in the direct cost of the project. As such, they must be included in the direct project expenses in the financial package. They represent a maximum of 5% of the total cost of the project for a maximum amount of $50k, except in justified exceptions. The amount payable by the industrial partners is 3% of the eligible project expenses.

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

For all projects (SME and LE):

1. The salaries, wages and fringe benefits of staff hired by research institutions specifically for the project (students, postdoctoral fellows, research assistants, research professionals, technicians, etc.) who are not subject to any other public financial support. Eligible expenses exclude the salary of any university professor, as well as the costs associated with the release of college teachers to carry out project activities.
2. Student scholarships that are not subject to any other public financial support.
3. Expenses for materials, supplies and other consumables incurred by research institutions specifically for the project.
4. The purchase or rental of equipment incurred by research institutions specifically for the realization of the project whose value is equal to or less than $25,000 before taxes (maximum 25% of total eligible expenses).
5. Travel costs (conferences, field work, meetings with partners, etc.) incurred by the research institutions specifically for the project. Important note: If you are planning public presentations on the project, please plan at least one public presentation in Quebec, please contact us if this is not possible.
6. Other expenses, including the fees of professionals and subcontractors, the costs of intellectual property management and exploitation, the costs of disseminating findings (publication costs, etc.), etc., incurred by research institutions specifically for the project.

For GE projects:

• In-kind contributions from partners are also accepted if:
  • They are auditable expenses (their value can be reasonably established and backed by supporting documents)
  •  They are essential to the selected project
  • They correspond to costs incurred specifically to carry out the project
  • They represent an item for which it would otherwise be necessary to pay at equal or greater cost
  • They do not exceed 20% of the total financial package for the project (including management fees) 

For SME projects: in-kind contributions are not counted for the calculation of the minimum contribution of industrial partners. However, these contributions represent a potential indicator of the industrial partners' involvement in the project and are therefore considered in the evaluation of the project (see evaluation criteria below). For example, if the cash contribution of one of the industrial partners is relatively limited, its involvement in the project could in some cases be justified by the extent of its in-kind contributions.

For EG projects see previous question.

It takes an average of 4 to 6 weeks from the time an application is submitted to the time InnovÉÉ announces the results of its evaluation. If the project is approved by InnovÉÉ, it must then be submitted to MEIE for final approval. Approval times in this case vary.

The average project acceptance rate is 70%. We have noticed that support from our advisors significantly increases the likelihood of an application’s success.

Although you do not know the outcome of your application, you can start working from the date of submission of the project. These activities will be funded if the project is approved.

Direct project costs, i.e., the cost of activities carried out by research staff, the salaries and fringe benefits of research staff, certain equipment expenses, consumables, equipment rental, travel expenses and dissemination costs, etc. For more information, please refer to the Applicant’s Guide.

The research centre may use these funds for the rental of equipment related to the project or for the purchase of equipment whose value does not exceed $25,000 or 25% of the project.

However, the PSO program is not the appropriate vehicle to secure funding for industrial equipment (capital investments). Ask our advisors to suggest sources of funding, and they will provide you with relevant recommendations in keeping with your needs.

No. InnovÉÉ funds only cover research and development activities carried out by researchers in a public research centre. In some cases, the funded research centre may subcontract work to companies or researchers in Quebec or elsewhere (see below). However, an industrial partner cannot be both a financial partner on a project and a subcontractor.

Consumables are the material resources consumed by the research centre during the project.

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

InnovÉÉ is not a party to intellectual property management agreements. InnovÉÉ must receive confirmation that there is a signed agreement between the project partners (public research centres and industrial partners) prior to the start of the project and that this agreement includes the terms and conditions for management of intellectual property.

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

No.

Yes. Ask our advisors to help you optimize the funding of your project.

Please contact us at your earliest convenience to confirm the eligibility of the changes.

Please contact us at your earliest convenience to confirm the eligibility of the changes.

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

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