Business Scale-up and Productivity in British Columbia

• The applicant must be a high-growth for-profit company incorporated to conduct business in Canada.
• The business must have been operating in British Columbia for a minimum of two years.
• Preference is given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with less than 500 full-time employees (FTEs).
• The company must be scaling up and producing innovative goods, services, or technologies.
• Applicants must have staffed operating facilities in British Columbia.
• At the time of EOI submission, funding from all other sources, including government and non-government, must be confirmed; non-government funding must represent at least 50% of the proposed project costs.

Who is eligible?

• High-growth companies producing innovative technologies, goods, or services.
• Small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
• Export-oriented companies.
• High-tech manufacturing sector.
• Clean technology industries.
• Digital industries including information technology and digital media.
• Biological and health sciences.
• Value-added processing sector of natural resources.
• Ocean technologies.
• Value-added agro-technologies.

Who is not eligible

This grant is specifically designed for high-growth businesses in British Columbia and comes with certain restrictions regarding the status and activity of the company. These restrictions ensure alignment with the program's objectives of supporting scalable, innovative enterprises.

Eligible expenses

• Cost of labour (e.g., wages and benefits)
• Capital costs (e.g., purchase of machinery, equipment)
• Marketing costs
• Operating costs that are directly related to the project
• Professional, advisory, and technical services
• Costs related to intellectual property
• Technological development and commercial demonstrations
• Subcontracting costs
• Production and distribution of promotional material and management tools
• Maintenance costs

Eligible geographic areas

• British Columbia

The evaluation and selection of projects for the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program are based on specific areas to ensure alignment with PacifiCan’s objectives and strategic priorities.

• Alignment with BSP objectives and agency priority areas.
• Market potential of the proposed project.
• Capability of the management team to execute the project.
• Applicant’s financial capacity and ability to repay the funds.
• Economic benefits and outcomes, including job creation and revenue growth.
• Technology readiness, applicable specifically to technology commercialization projects.

• Funding is interest-free but must be repaid within six years after project completion.
• A one-year grace period for repayments is provided after project completion, followed by a requirement to make 60 equal monthly payments.
• Interest charges of the average bank rate plus 3% will apply to any late principal payments.
• Applications are handled through a competitive process, requiring demonstration of strong alignment with the program objectives and expected substantial economic benefits.
• Applicants will need to include a business plan and may be subject to a credit check.
• Diverse groups and inclusivity factors such as gender, Indigenous Peoples, and youth participation are considered during the assessment process.
• The program supports the Government of Canada's commitment to inclusive innovation by encouraging applicants to track inclusiveness indicators throughout the project duration.
• Environmental impact compliance may be necessary if projects involve physical works.
• Applicants must be aware of the impact of BSP funding on their eligibility for tax credits like SR&ED, as this can alter total government assistance levels.
• Proposals focusing on clean technology, clean resources, or digital industries have higher prioritization.