Support for pilot projects and plants

British Columbia’s Accelerating Manufacturing Scale-Up Grant Program will contribute 75% up to $250,000 in grant funding towards developing and commercializing innovative ideas or increasing supply chain resiliency by manufacturing critical goods currently being relied on through international markets. The funding is available to incorporated B.C. processors and manufacturers (e.g., aerospace, shipbuilding, food processing, forestry) with 2 to 149 employees, and have files B.C. taxes for no less than a 12-month period.  An eligible project can include any of the following activities:

New technology prototyping, piloting or demonstration

• Trialing production efficiency methods
• Pilot project design and construction for a potential customer,
• Pilot plant commissioning, plus mechanical systems testing,
• Data collection and recording
• Equipment, capital investment

New technology and/or product commercialization

• Supporting patenting/IP protection
• Product features and performance validation, testing and certification.
• Preparing reports and documentation

Market access/marketing

• Accessing co-manufacturing capacity
• Supply chain support or business development to enter new markets.

Manufacturing diagnostic

• process and operational improvements to increase production capacity, profitability or competitiveness,
• technology assessment to identify opportunities for systems, processes, and/or equipment improvement. Such assessment should focus on manufacturing modernization, building resilience, and developing new revenue generating opportunities.

Multiple businesses can apply together but the maximum funding is $500,000. Please note that the minimum requests for funding for all applicants is $50,000. Projects must be completed by January 31, 2022. The deadline for applications is Monday, May 31, 2021.

Manitoba’s Innovation Growth Program (IGP) offers 50% grant (non-repayable) funding up to $100,000 to businesses with less than 100 employees or sales under $15 million.

Eligible applicants can apply for the following activities under IGP:

1. Development of new innovative products and processes: building prototypes, testing, trial runs in an operational environment, obtaining certification, and registering intellectual property.  Tooling may be eligible if required as part of the prototyping or production process. Innovation in the context of the IGP is defined as a product or process that is not currently available in the market.
2. Commercializing market ready innovative products or processes: adapting commercially viable products for a new market, market development or expansion activities, and scale up activities, such as testing, obtaining certifications, packaging, translation, etc.
3. Net new Manitoba employee hires (internal labour): salaries and wages for net new Manitoba employees directly working on an approved project. Support for new Manitoba hires is capped at 50% of total funding received under IGP.

Eligible costs include:

• Designing and building of prototypes
• Tools, moulds,
• Testing costs,
• Product modifications for a new market
• Third party advisory, technical services certifications and legal fees associated with I.P. registration.
• Business to business tradeshows or events intended to secure distributors.
• Internal labour of net new Manitoba hires directly working on the project (capped at 50% of total funding received under IGP).

• The program does not pay be equipment purchases.

Open to for-profit, taxable Canadian Controlled Private Corporations with a permanent establishment in Manitoba that pay at least 50% of total salaries and wages to Manitoba resident employees. Application deadline is June 15, 2021.

Funding for Video Games but Not Songs about them 

The Production and Concept Definition component of the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Fund offers grant funding for projects such as e-learning content, mobile content applications, digital publishing projects and other web properties, video games, XR content projects, video and web series. Areas of “linear and non-linear” funding are:

1. Concept Definition: 50% up to $50,000 for early-stage activities for moving towards the production of a market-ready content project. The types of activities that may be supported include but are not limited to prototype creation, preparation of pre-production documents and pitch material, business planning and research.
2. Production: 50% up to $300,000 for the creation of a market-ready content project that will be released to end users. The types of projects that may be supported include but are not limited to video games, mobile content apps, e-learning content, XR experiences with substantial interactive content, digital publishing projects, video content and other web properties.

To be eligible, applicants must have at least:

• 25% of revenue or 50% of expenditures over the previous two fiscal years coming from the creation of completed screen-based content projects or
• 50% revenues over the previous two fiscal years comes from eligible publishing activities as described in the Ontario Creates Book Fund and Ontario Creates Magazine Fund.
• one owner or full-time employee with a minimum full-time equivalent of three years of experience in the creation of professional, commercialized content for interactive platforms, networks or devices.

Additionally, applicants having less than a year of operation or yet to release a product must:

• have an executive team including at least one owner or full-time employee with a minimum full-time equivalent of three years of experience in creating professional, commercialized content for interactive platforms, networks or devices or in the publishing industry. Work completed while enrolled in a post-secondary education program is not considered professional content creation.

Those interested in applying should first discuss their project with a program representative. Deadlines for applications are 5:00 p.m. April 12, 2021 by 5:00 pm and August 30, 2021.

UP TO $10 MILLION AVAILABLE

Western Canada’s Business Scale-up and Productivity program offers 50% up to $10 million in 7-year-interest free loan funding for eligible projects undertaken by Western Canadian businesses operating for at least 2 years, with 500 employees or less, and, who have experienced significant growth (e.g., 20%) prior to Covid-19. Eligible projects include accelerating or supporting:

• Productivity Improvement: includes acquiring, adapting, and adopting new technologies and processes; process re-engineering; improving manufacturing capacity.
• Business Scale-up: includes market development or expansion, adopting best management practices, processes and systems; business opportunity development.
• Technology Commercialization: includes late-stage product development to grow and diversify markets, as well as technology showcasing and technology demonstration. (Technology Readiness Levels 7-9 as defined by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada)

Priority will be given to projects involving advanced manufacturing, clean resources or technology (e.g., zero-emissions heavy equipment vehicles), digital information  or communication technologies, health/biosciences (e.g., health analytics and diagnostics), and value-added natural resource and agriculture (e.g., plant-based foods and ingredients) processing.

Intake of applications will be from March 15^th to April 14th, 2021.

UP TO $1.5 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING AVAILABLE

The Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF) advertises 15% up to $5 million in grants and four-year interest-free loans towards investments that create jobs and lead to economic growth. Eligible expenditures include equipment, consulting services, facility retrofits and expansions, as well as employee training and other project-related costs. Projects must be between 3 and 4 years in length to be undertaken by businesses located or plan to be in one of the following Eastern Ontario counties: Frontenac, Halliburton, Hastings, Kawartha Lakes, Lanark, Leeds, Grenville, Lennox, Addington, Muskoka, Northumberland, Ottawa, Peterborough, Prescott, Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Stormont, Dundas or Glengarry. Applicants are required to have 3 years of financial statements and represent one of the following sectors: manufacturing, processing, information or communication technology, life sciences, tourism, or the cultural industry.

Applicants in rural communities with populations less than 100,000 can receive the first 15% funding up to $500,000 as a grant, are required to make an investment of no less than $200,000 and create 5 jobs. Applicants in communities with populations more than 100,000 are required to invest $500,000 and create 10 jobs to be eligible for a 15% interest-free loans of up to $5 million, of which, 30% to a maximum of $500,000 is forgivable if the applicant achieves job creation and investment targets.

Strategic new investments to Ontario (companies without a presence in Ontario), or companies whose investment plans (including new mandates, expansion or re-shoring/relocation) are subject to significant risk due to incentives offered from other jurisdictions, are eligible to receive 15% up to $1.5 million as a grant.

 Next deadline is March 4, 2021.

UP TO $1.5 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING AVAILABLE

The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SODF) advertises 15% up to $5 million in grants and four-year interest-free loans towards investments that create jobs and lead to economic growth. Eligible expenditures include equipment, consulting services, facility retrofits and expansions, as well as employee training and other project-related costs incurred over 3 to 4 years. Only expenses incurred after receiving approval (i.e. June 2, 2021) will be eligible for reimbursement.

Businesses are required to have 3 years of financial statements and be (or plan to be) located in one of the following Southwestern Ontario counties: (Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Dufferin, Elgin, Essex, Grey, Haldimand, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth, Simcoe, Waterloo and Wellington)

Applicants in rural communities (populations under 100,000) must have at least 5 employees and may receive up to $500,000 as a grant. Rural businesses are required to make investments of no less than $200,000.

Applicants in communities with populations over 100,000 may receive 15% up to $5 million as an interest-free loan. These businesses must have 10 or more employees and plan to invest at least $500,000. Up to 30% of the loan is forgivable to a maximum of $500,000 if the applicant achieves its job creation and investment targets.

Strategic new investments to Ontario (companies without a presence in Ontario), or companies whose investment plans (including new mandates, expansions or re-shoring/relocation) are subject to significant risk due to incentives offered from other jurisdictions, are eligible to receive 15% up to $1.5 million as a grant.

Businesses with 15 or more employees must create 5 jobs by project completion. Companies with fewer employees are required to increase their workforce by 30%. Only costs incurred after approval are eligible for funding.

There is also 50% grants funding up to $1.5 million for community economic development.

Next application intake deadline is March 4, 2021.