MAPAQ — Biofood Innovation Program – Component 3

• Completed and signed financial assistance application form.
• Project budget forecasts using the financing and implementation schedule form.
• Partner commitment attestation, when required.
• Curriculum vitae of project team members, including external experts if applicable.

Who is eligible?

• Commercial fishing companies
• Commercial aquaculture companies
• Processors of aquatic products
• Band councils

Who is not eligible

• Provincial or federal ministries, budgetary organizations, Crown corporations, and government-controlled companies.
• Municipal entities.
• Financial cooperatives and banking institutions.
• Companies or subcontractors listed in the RENA register.
• For-profit companies with more than 100 employees requesting $100,000 or more that do not meet employment equity requirements.

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and social charges for staff and students directly involved in the project.
• Consultant fees and specialized research contracts.
• External laboratory analyses.
• Travel, accommodation, equipment rental, materials, specialized training, communications, and dissemination costs.
• Equipment purchases and experimental infrastructure setup, up to $7,000 per unit.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs not directly related to the project.
• Costs incurred before the minister accepts the financial assistance.
• Cost overruns requested as additional aid.
• Building construction, expansion, and land acquisition costs.
• Debt service, financing fees, legal fees, operating costs, and refundable GST/QST.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• Relevance to sector and ministry priorities.
• Expected short- and long-term outcomes for the sector.
• Scientific quality of the literature review and experimental protocol.
• Technical, organizational, administrative, and financial capacity.
• Commercial potential, project feasibility, and funding plan realism.

• Step 1
  • Complete the application form and required attachments in French.
  • Prepare the financing and implementation schedule.
  • Gather partner attestations and CVs of the project team.
• Step 2
  • Send all documents in a single email to pib.depot@mapaq.gouv.qc.ca.
• Step 3
  • Wait for the automatic receipt confirmation.
  • Check spam or junk mail if needed.
• Step 4
  • Respond to any request for additional information or missing documents.
• Step 5
  • Receive the decision by email.
  • Sign the financial assistance agreement if approved.

• The Ministry sends an acknowledgment after receiving a complete application.
• If information or documents are missing, the applicant receives a written request.
• Applications are reviewed for admissibility, then assessed by a ministry evaluation committee.
• The applicant is notified by email of the decision.
• If approved, a financial assistance agreement must be signed.

• Applications and attachments must be submitted in French.
• All documents must be sent in a single email to pib.depot@mapaq.gouv.qc.ca.
• An automatic receipt confirmation is sent after submission.