Canada - UK 2024-2025 multisector collaborative industrial research and development

• Innovate UK IFS project application form
• NRC IRAP Canadian SME annex form
• Draft international consortium agreement

Who is eligible?

• Canadian incorporated, profit-oriented SMEs
• UK registered businesses of any size
• UK SMEs and other UK project partners such as academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, public sector organisations, and RTOs

Who is not eligible

• Canadian partners cannot start the application on Innovate UK IFS
• Canadian partners cannot be invited onto the Innovate UK IFS platform
• Fundamental research projects
• Projects dependent on export performance or domestic input usage

Eligible expenses

• Eligible project costs for Canadian SMEs, including labour, contractor costs, travel, and other approved project costs
• Eligible project costs for UK participants, subject to UK funding rules

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Fundamental research
• Projects dependent on export performance
• Projects dependent on domestic input usage

Eligible geographic areas

• Canada
• United Kingdom

• Canadian registrations are reviewed first before invitation to the EoI stage
• EoIs are assessed by NRC IRAP representatives and the NRC IRAP International Office
• Canadian ICPP applications are evaluated by an NRC IRAP evaluation team
• Final funding selection is made jointly after national evaluations
• Successful applicants must complete project setup and sign funding agreements before funding starts

• The competition was jointly run by Innovate UK and NRC IRAP.
• Canadian applicants had to complete an EoI before joining the joint proposal stage.
• Project proposals required a balanced contribution between countries and partners.
• Selected applicants had to sign legally binding funding agreements with their national funding body.