Financial Assistance

Through its Industrial Technology Advisors, NRC-IRAP offers two kinds of financial assistance to eligible firms

• Research and Technology Development Activities
• Youth Employment Strategy Programs
  
  

Research and Technology Development Activities

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) provides financial support to qualified small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada to help them develop technologies for competitive advantage. NRC-IRAP operates on a shared-risk model, providing cost-shared financial assistance for research and development projects that meet both the firm and project assessment criteria.

Financial support for firms

Financial support may be provided for an eligible research and development project, supporting up to 100 per cent of salary costs associated with the project, or up to 75 per cent of contractor fees.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for financial assistance, your business must:

• Be a small and medium-sized enterprise in Canada, incorporated and profit-oriented
• Have 500 or less full-time equivalents
• Have the objective to grow and generate profits through development and commercialization of innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services, or processes in Canada

The potential client must contact one of our Industrial Technology Advisors who work directly with many of our smaller clients to develop a technical proposal. Larger companies often come to the program with a clear technical proposal already in mind.

In order to be considered for possible financial support, both the firm and the project are assessed by NRC-IRAP. Specifically, the due diligence process assesses:

• the business and management capabilities of the firm and the company's potential to achieve the expected results and outcomes associated with the proposed project;
• the financial capabilities of the firm and its plan to commercialize the developed technologies; and
• the technical aspects of the project and its potential impact on the firm.

Based on a combination of the recommendation of project merit and available funding, a Contribution Agreement is generated, which details the project objectives and activities being funded, as well as the conditions of contribution, the expected results and conditions for payment.

To engage with NRC-IRAP, and to reach one of our Industrial Technology Advisors located in your community, please call our toll-free number at 1-877-994-4727.

Related Information

Institutes:

• NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program