Collaborative Industrial Research and Support to Innovative Entrepreneurship — Stream 1

• Maximum financial assistance of $1,500,000 per project for up to 24 months.
• Funding covers up to 35% of eligible expenses for SMEs and large companies, and up to 50% for startups.
• Assistance increases to 50% for expenses incurred by an eligible public research centre (if at least 20% of total eligible project costs), or for access to specific quantum computing resources.
• Each partner may receive no more than 80% of the total grant awarded.
• The combined public funding may reach up to 75% of total eligible project expenses, including related tax credits and incentives; a minimum of 25% of eligible costs must be covered by private contributions.

• The applicant must be a consortium of Quebec-based companies or cooperatives, including at least one SME or a high-growth startup.
• All applicant businesses must be legally incorporated under federal or Quebec law and registered with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec.
• Businesses must have their head office in Quebec, with employees or subcontractors primarily working in Quebec.
• The project must involve the development or significant improvement of a solution using artificial intelligence or quantum technologies, with demonstrable innovation and short-term economic impact.
• The project must require research and development efforts and align with at least one principle of the Quebec Sustainable Development Act (RLRQ, chapter D-8.1.1).

Who is eligible?

• Consortiums of Quebec-based companies and cooperatives, including at least one SME or high-growth potential startup
• Startups legally incorporated and operating in Quebec with less than 250 employees
• Quebec SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) with less than 250 employees
• Large Quebec companies for structuring and large-scale projects
• Sectors eligible through designated sectoral industrial research clusters (e.g., advanced materials, aerospace, energy, aluminum, industrial bioprocesses, medical technologies, ICT and digital, biopharmaceutical research, metal transformation)

Who is not eligible

• Companies that are not legally constituted under federal or Quebec law and not registered with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec.
• Businesses that do not have their head office, operational establishment, and principal employees or subcontractors in Quebec.
• Companies with more than 250 employees in Quebec (for PME/startup categories).
• Companies owned 50% or more by other existing businesses or organizations (except for management companies owned by founders of the startup).
• Companies without a French-language website.

Eligible expenses

• Expenses incurred by an eligible public research center when they represent at least 20% of total eligible project expenses.
• Costs for access to quantum computing resources provided by PINQ2, Calcul Québec, and DistriQ.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• The most recent update to the grant information was made on March 27, 2025.
• For certain project streams (such as those under Confiance IA), applications must be sent directly to a specific government email address.
• Managing the consortium for funded projects is entrusted to a sectoral industrial research group (RSRI), except for projects from the Confiance IA initiative.
• The grant is overseen by the Government of Quebec and involves multiple sectoral industrial research organizations (RSRIs) as partners.