Canadian SMEs interested in receiving funding to support bilateral industrial research and development (R&D) initiatives with organizations in South Korea can now submit bids. Interested SMEs are asked to submit joint proposals for technology commercialization projects with their South Korean partners. The Canadian International Innovation Program has issued a request for applications (CIIP).
The Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) assists Canadian businesses in pursuing international research and development (R&D) collaborations with foreign partners on projects with commercialization potential. CIIP can assist you in locating R & D collaborations in the following areas: Brazil, China, India, Israel, South Korea
Sectors of Focus
- Smart factories and smart manufacturing, sophisticated materials, automotive production, robotics, and automation are all examples of advanced manufacturing.
- Water management, smart grid, energy storage, battery-related technologies, renewable energy, smart cities, and hydrogen technologies are all examples of clean technology.
- Artificial intelligence for industry, cyber security, smart vehicles, and smart cities are all examples of digital technologies.
- Pharmaceuticals, digital health, medical equipment, and mobile health are examples of health and biosciences.
Read more: 6 Energy-Saving Tips for Electronics
Why Should SMEs in Canada Apply?
- South Korea’s thriving private-sector R&D provides chances for forward-thinking Canadian businesses.
- South Korea is ranked second in the Bloomberg Innovation Index for 2020, with high R&D, value-added manufacturing, and patent activity levels.
- South Korea spends more than 4% of its GDP on research and development, with multinational corporations such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai accounting for three-quarters of overall R&D spending.
- Canada’s sixth-largest trading partner in South Korea.
- South Korea is not only a prominent economic actor in its own right and a key market for Canada; it also acts as a gateway for Canadian firms to the rest of the vibrant Asia-Pacific region.
- CIIP funding of up to $500,000 is available to eligible Canadian businesses.
Eligibility
Applicants must form a project consortium and develop a collaborative research and development (R&D) project that meets the following requirements to be considered for funding:
Applicant from Canada
- The Canadian applicant must be a profit-oriented small or medium-sized business incorporated in Canada.
- Have 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees develop and commercialize innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services, or processes in Canada to expand and profit.
- Have a unique and patentable technology that could help them compete in global marketplaces.
- Be committed to significant growth through international market expansion. Have sufficient working capital and resources to undertake a multi-year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results with sufficient working capital resources to undertake a multi-year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results.
SME applicants with a minimum of 15 full-time equivalent employees, have commercialized one or more products domestically or globally, and have annual revenue of more than CAD 500,000 may be given priority.
Consortium
At the very least, the project consortium must include:
- In Canada, one incorporated small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) is defined as a for-profit business with 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees.
- One foreign partner who qualifies
- The individuals listed above must be unrelated (i.e., no direct, indirect, beneficial, or constructive ownership interest between these parties)
The consortium’s project partners must agree on a strategy for dealing with intellectual property rights and commercialization.
Project
The project must be focused on the co-development, adaptation, and validation of an innovative product, process, or technology-based service that has: significant commercial potential and outcomes that can be realized within 2 to 3 years of the project’s completion; and a civilian (non-military) purpose.
The project must demonstrate each partner’s complementary technological contribution, a clear advantage and added value arising from the participants’ cooperation, and a balanced contribution across project partners and countries (i.e., no more than 75 percent of the effort contributed by anyone partner or country).
Funding
Participants in collaborative projects selected through this call for eligible ideas may be able to receive financing from their respective national funding authorities. Funds will be distributed following the relevant national funding bodies, countries, jurisdictions, and programs’ applicable laws, regulations, rules, and procedures.
Non-eligible project participants (e.g., universities, research institutions, and participants from other countries) are welcome to join on a self-financed basis or as subcontractors to sponsored participants, subject to the funding regulations of each nation. Note that no single country or project partner can account for more than 75% of the total project budget.
Additional financial parameters for each country are listed below:
Canada Funding
This call for ideas is being held in Canada as part of the Canadian International Innovation Initiative (CIIP), a global innovation R&D funding program run by Global Affairs Canada in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). The NRC IRAP is in charge of delivering this call for proposals and managing any funding agreements that result.
Eligible Canadian SMEs may receive up to 50% reimbursement of eligible project costs over a 12- to 36-month period, up to a maximum funding amount of CAD 500,000.
Foreign Funding
The Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology is hosting this call for proposals in South Korea (KIAT). KIAT is in charge of delivering this call for proposals and managing any financing agreements that follow.
International applicants should review the financing requirements mentioned on the Korean call for proposals announcement homepage.
Application Process
Each national funding organization will conduct its application processes and reviews following its own national and institutional rules and regulations. After each national funding authority has examined the submissions received, a final joint project selection will be made.
Each candidate must provide all required paperwork to their appropriate national funding authority and pass their due diligence process. Failure to do so at any stage or for any reason may result in the entire collaborative project application being deemed incomplete application procedure in Canada
The application procedure in Canada is divided into four stages:
Step1: Registration Phase
Each Canadian candidate must complete the application process by clicking the Register button given on the official website. Registration will necessitate basic information about the applicant and the organization.
NRC IRAP will review registrations for this request for proposals, and candidates will be contacted if additional information is needed. Qualified applicants will be invited to fill out an expression of interest form and advance to the next level.
Step2: Expression of Interest Phase
Each Canadian application seeking financing must submit an expression of interest (EOI) form detailing basic information about the applicant and the joint project during this phase.
Each Canadian applicant is urged to contact their NRC IRAP representative while filling out the EOI form to discuss their project concept and obtain assistance in finalizing their submission.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their EOI as soon as feasible. The applicant’s NRC IRAP representative and the NRC IRAP International Office will review the EOIs. Qualifying applicants will be requested to collaborate with their project partners to submit a more thorough international consortium project proposal.
Step 3: Proposal Phase for an International Collaboration Project
All project partners collaborate to compile and submit an international consortium project proposal (ICPP) package to each concerned national funding authority during the international consortia project proposal (ICPP) phase. Each national funding body’s ICPP package has its own set of contents.
The Canadian ICPP application package for this call for proposals includes:
1. A form called an International Consortium Project Proposal (ICPP) that outlines the following:
- Project consortium
- Collaborative project
- Expected outcomes
- A funding request
2. A draught International Consortium Agreement includes definitions of each consortium member’s tasks and responsibilities, a project management framework, a financial plan, intellectual property rights division, confidentiality and publication agreements, and liability terms.
Step 4: Proposal and Funding Agreement with a National Funding Body
During the proposal and financing agreement phase with their respective national funding authority, all qualified project partners work individually to prepare funding proposals and sign legally binding funding agreements. An NRC IRAP financing proposal and contribution agreement will be prepared by Canadian applicants in collaboration with their NRC IRAP representative.
Deadlines for Submitting Applications
- The deadline for Canadian registration is April 6, 2022.
- The deadline for Canadian Expressions of Interest is April 20, 2022.
- The deadline to submit a proposal for an international consortium project is July 6, 2022.
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