Bringing Circularity to Life in the Bioeconomy: From Envisioning to Planning

Who is eligible?

• Private for-profit companies with establishments in Quebec, including cooperatives with activities similar to businesses.
• Joint municipal sector corporations.
• Non-profit organizations (NPOs) with establishments in Quebec, focusing on production, research and development, or commercialization activities, including cooperatives with similar activities, such as sectoral associations and private business associations.
• Research institutes and public research institutions in Quebec, including technology transfer centres, universities, and other applied research centres.
• Municipalities, cities, and regional county municipalities (MRC) in Quebec, including similar organizations and NPOs constituted under the Cities and Towns Act.

Who is not eligible

• State corporations and companies controlled directly or indirectly by a government (provincial or federal) or businesses majority-owned by a state corporation.
• Community Futures Development Corporations (SADC).
• Companies listed on the Register of Ineligible Businesses for Public Contracts (RENA).
• Companies in the tertiary sector whose main activity is the provision of services instead of manufacturing goods or trading.
• Applicants who, in the two years preceding the application, failed to meet their obligations after being duly notified by the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) concerning a previous financial assistance award.
• Companies under the protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

Eligible expenses

• Professional fees.
• Salaries and benefits of employees assigned to the project, reflecting the actual employer-paid salary proportional to the time devoted to the project.
• Direct costs for the use of materials and equipment, calculated according to the project's duration to justify the necessity.
• Equipment rental costs directly related to the project, calculated based on the project's duration to demonstrate the need.
• Costs for the use of IT tools calculated per the project's usage.
• Travel and accommodation expenses associated with project execution.
• Administrative follow-up costs (management fees) of RSRI, established at 5% of the project's eligible expenses.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• The financial support under this program consists of a grant that can cover up to 50% of eligible expenses for feasibility studies, with a maximum limit of $75,000 per study.
• The total government assistance for a project, including this grant, cannot exceed 70% of eligible expenses.
• The additional financial aid must not come from another program under the Quebec Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE).
• Projects are funded based on merit, as determined by the CRIBIQ's Technico-Economic Analysis Committee (CATE).