Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects

Q: How much funding can be received?

Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects Funds up to 60% of admissible expenses, capped at $75000 per project.

Q: What is the deadline to apply?

The program is accepting continuous intake

Q: Is the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects a grant, loan, or tax credit?

Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects is a Grant and Funding

Q: Who are the financial supporters of the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects?

Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects is funded by Investissement Québec (IQ), Gouvernement du Québec

Q: Who can I contact for more information about the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects?

You can contact Investissement Québec (IQ) by email at startups-innovation@economie.gouv.qc.ca.

Q: Where is the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects available?

The Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects program is available the province of QC.

Q: Are startups eligible for the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects program?

Yes, startups are eligible to apply for the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects program.

Last Update: July 22, 2025

QC, Canada

Encouraging innovation through early technology adoption partnerships

At a glance

Eligible Funding

Max. $75,000
Up to 60% of project cost

Timeline

Open Date : April 19, 2025
Closing date : July 18, 2025

Financing Type

Grant and Funding

Eligible Industries

All industries

Funds Providers

Unspecified

Program status

Closed

Overview

The Programme Innovation - Primo-Adoptants aims to encourage early adoption of innovative technologies developed by high-growth potential startups through a collaboration with established companies, providing funding up to $75,000. Eligible activities include project planning, development or improvement of products or processes, testing and validation, commercialization planning, and real-world demonstration.

Financing terms and conditions

The maximum grant awarded per project is $75,000.
The maximum funding duration is 18 months per project.
The financial aid rate cannot exceed 60% of the total eligible expenses of the project.
First-time applicants must contribute at least 20% of the eligible expenses, with the contribution made in cash only.

Activities funded

Carrying out preliminary and necessary activities and studies for project planning and implementation, including project structuring with partners, execution plan development, international support by specialists, detailed market studies, technical studies, financial studies, and proof of concept.
Development or improvement of a product or process, including design, engineering, and prototyping.
Testing and validation of the product or process, including prototype trials, pilot production testing, and demonstration in a controlled environment (e.g., laboratory).
Development of a commercialization plan for the product or process, including quantification and verification steps for obtaining certification or homologation.
Demonstration in real-life operating or usage situations, outside laboratories, for scaling up or completing the development or improvement of the product or process.

Examples of admissible projects:

$ 75,000

Development of a health analytics platform for hospitals

$ 75,000

Implementation of a real-time energy management platform

$ 75,000

Development of a smart agriculture drone system

Eligibility

To be eligible for this grant, young innovative companies with high growth potential and prime adopters must meet the following criteria:

Be legally constituted under federal or Quebec laws and registered with the Quebec Enterprise Registrar.
Have their head office in Quebec and employ staff or subcontractors primarily working in Quebec.
Conduct research and development primarily from Quebec.
Be in the pre-commercialization phase without significant sales.
Be accompanied by an incubation or acceleration organization located in Quebec at the time of application.
Be less than 50% owned by other companies or organizations.
Not be created as part of a merger, restructuring, business expansion, or takeover of existing activities.
Possess the rights to use the intellectual property of their product or innovation.
Be led by a founder or a founding team, with at least one member dedicated full-time (35 hours or more per week).
Allocate the majority of financial resources to the development of the business, from product conception to market launch.

Who is eligible?

Young innovative companies with high growth potential, often with a strong technological component
Established companies in Quebec (potential first-time adopters) seeking to partner with young innovative companies on technology adoption projects

Who is not eligible

Young innovative high-growth potential companies that have already received financial support from the Ministry for an innovation project with a first-time adopter under a previous call for projects.
Enterprises in pre-commercialization phase cannot act as first-time adopters (primo-adoptants); they must be established companies that regularly sell products or services.
First-time adopter companies holding equity in the young innovative high-growth potential company involved in the project.
Enterprises whose projects have employment links with any of the partners or service providers involved in the project.
Projects not accompanied by an incubator or accelerator at the time of application.
Companies or organizations whose activities represent continuation, restructuring, expansion, or takeover of pre-existing activities.

Eligible expenses

Salaries, wages, and employee benefits.
Professional fees for specialized services, including subcontracting.
Travel and accommodation expenses in accordance with Quebec government policies.
Direct costs of materials and inventory.
Direct equipment costs, calculated proportionally to the duration of the project and the useful life of the equipment.
Equipment rental fees.
Fees for preparing an intellectual property protection strategy, obtaining intellectual property protection, or acquiring intellectual property rights or licenses (including patent agent fees) specifically for the project.
External costs for testing and certification.
Costs for project verification and compliance with standards conducted by external auditors.
Costs related to certification activities.
Management fees by the accompanying organization (up to 5%).

Eligible geographic areas

This grant is available to companies based in the province of Quebec. Eligibility is restricted to ensure alignment with local economic development and innovation strategies.

Organizations must have their headquarters located in Quebec.
Research and development activities should primarily occur within Quebec.

Selection criteria

Scientific/technological quality of the project (30 points)
Collaboration and expertise for the implementation of the project (20 points)
Project implementation, milestone planning, and financial structure (including supporting opinion from Investissement Québec on the economic feasibility of the project) (20 points)
Scientific, technological, and social benefits (30 points)

Note: Projects are recommended for funding if the overall score exceeds 70%.

How to apply

Preparation of the request

Draft a request including the official form, a commitment letter from the incubator or accelerator, the financial statements, and other required documents.
Provide a Gantt chart for the project.
Obtain a commitment letter from the first adopter company confirming its participation and financial contribution.

Submission of the request

Send the completed financial aid application form with all required documents to the department responsible for the call for projects by email before the deadline.
Ensure that the file is complete and signed correctly.

Acknowledgment of receipt

Receive an electronic acknowledgment of receipt from the Ministry within two working days following the submission.

Evaluation

The projects will be evaluated by a committee based on technical and scientific criteria.
Wait for the publication of the results on the Ministry's website regarding the selected projects.

Engagement

If the project is selected, sign a financial aid agreement and comply with the reporting and verification obligations.

Additional information

The financial support agreement will be signed between Investissement Québec (IQ) and the innovative startup, and the startup will be responsible for the project schedule and reporting.
An attestation of accompaniment or proof that steps toward accompaniment have begun with an incubator or accelerator must be included with the application.
Applicants may be asked to provide additional documents such as the CVs of key project participants or other documents necessary for project analysis.
The application and all required documentation must be submitted in French, in accordance with Quebec’s language requirements.
The funding recipient must retain intellectual property and developed prototypes in Quebec for five years after project completion, unless authorized by IQ or after reimbursing the contribution received.
If the funding recipient fails to meet obligations set out in the financial aid agreement, payments may be suspended or reduced, or the agreement terminated, with the possibility of reimbursement of previous funding required.
Project proposals submitted after the deadline will not be accepted, and the Ministry will confirm receipt of applications within two business days by email.
Applicants are required to participate in a survey conducted by an external firm regarding the financial aid received.
Confidentiality of personal and sensitive information is protected under Quebec law, and committee members involved with project evaluation sign confidentiality agreements.
It is not permitted to combine financial support from this call with any other aid from the same Ministry or programs funded by the Economic Development Fund.
Any sale or transfer of intellectual property, or the granting of exclusive or non-exclusive licenses to entities not based in Quebec, is prohibited for five years unless prior authorization is obtained or the grant is reimbursed.

Contacts

startups-innovation@economie.gouv.qc.ca

Apply to this program

Frequently Asked Questions about the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects Program

Here are answers to the most common questions about the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects. This section explains what the program is, how much funding is available, eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and other important details to help you determine if this grant is right for your business.

What is the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects?

How much funding can be received?

What is the deadline to apply?

Is the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects a grant, loan, or tax credit?

Who are the financial supporters of the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects?

Who is eligible for the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects program?

To be eligible for the Innovation program — Call for First-time Adopter Projects program, you must: The company must be a young innovative enterprise with high growth potential, legally constituted under applicable federal or Quebec laws, and registered with Quebec's Enterprise Register. The company must have its head office in Quebec and primarily employ its workforce in Quebec. The company must be in the precommercialization phase, without significant sales, and accompanied by a Quebec-based incubation or acceleration organization.