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Source verified July 28, 2026
innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants
Supports collaboration between startups and early technology adopters
Funding available
$ 75,000
Deadline
November 4, 2026
Location
Quebec, Canada
Who can apply
Young innovative high-growth companies that want to carry out innovation projects with the first users of their technology.
See full eligibility
Overview
Appel de projets Primo-adoptants offers up to $75,000 to support Quebec young innovative high-growth companies working with first-time adopters to accelerate the development and commercialization of a first technology. Eligible projects include research and development, prototyping, testing, validation, and real-world demonstration activities.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Conduct research and development activities
- Reduce environmental footprint
- Start a business
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 75,000 $
- Up to 60% of project cost
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Quebec
Legal structures
- For-profit business
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Startups
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Partnership projects between an innovative startup and a first-time adopter to refine or complete a technology.
- Research and development projects carried out in an in-situ test environment at the first-time adopter’s site.
- Real-world demonstration, validation, or testing of a first product, process, or service.
Documents Needed
- Completed and signed financial assistance application form.
- Signed incubator or accelerator letter issued within the three months before submission and containing the required support details.
- Letter of commitment from each first-time adopter enterprise with its cash contribution, participation, interest in the solution, and expected benefits.
- Service offer from the eligible public research centre or consultants, if applicable, and the curricula vitae of the resource persons involved in the project.
- Financial and project planning documents: financial statements for the last two fiscal years, a two-year cash budget, two-year financial forecasts, and a Gantt chart with timelines, responsible persons, estimated hours, and associated costs.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Young innovative high-growth companies that want to carry out innovation projects with the first users of their technology.
- A group of Quebec businesses that includes at least one eligible young innovative high-growth company and one first-time adopter enterprise.
Who is not eligible
- Applicants or subcontractors listed, provisionally or permanently, in the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA).
- Applicants that defaulted on obligations tied to prior Quebec government financial assistance within the previous two years after formal notice.
- Applicants listed on the Office québécois de la langue française list of enterprises non-compliant with the francization process.
- Holding companies, state-owned corporations, entities directly or indirectly controlled by a government or municipal entity, and businesses under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
- Applicants whose main business is controversial weapons, fossil fuels except transition activities, gambling, violent games or combat sports involving living species, sexual exploitation, or tobacco- or drug-related products and services, except interventions related to cannabis and industrial hemp specified in the program.
Eligible expenses
- Salaries, wages, and employee benefits.
- Specialized service fees, including subcontracting.
- Travel and accommodation expenses.
- Direct material and inventory costs.
- Equipment rental, direct equipment costs, external testing and certification, intellectual property protection, and project management fees within the stated limits.
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Expenses incurred before the complete and eligible application is submitted.
- Fees paid to the first-time adopter.
- Fees paid to companies with shared shareholders with the first-time adopter or the startup.
- Debt service, loan repayments, capital replacement, and working capital uses.
- Operating costs, fixed asset purchases, land, building, and land development costs.
Selection criteria
- Scientific and/or technological quality of the project, 30 points.
- Collaboration and expertise for carrying out the project, 20 points.
- Project execution, implementation stages, and financing structure, 20 points.
- Scientific, technological, and social benefits, 30 points.
- A project is recommended for funding if it scores more than 75%, and the ministry may limit the number and value of approved projects to fit the budget envelope.
How to apply
- Step 1
- Review the program guide.
- Download the application form and prepare the annexes required by the guide.
- Step 2
- Save the form on your computer and complete it in Adobe Reader.
- Do not complete or modify the PDF in a web browser.
- Step 3
- Prepare the signed electronic and scanned versions of the form.
- Gather the mandatory supporting documents.
- Step 4
- Submit everything in a single sending by email to startups-innovation@economie.gouv.qc.ca.
- Applications can also be submitted online through clicSÉQUR Entreprises using the Primo-adoptants form.
- Step 5
- Submit by one of the announced 2026 deadlines.
Processing and Agreement
- Applications are first reviewed for admissibility.
- Eligible files are assessed by a sector-based evaluation committee.
- Projects are scored on scientific or technological quality, collaboration and expertise, project feasibility and financing, and scientific, technological, and social outcomes.
- The ministry publishes the list of selected projects or successful companies on its website.
- A financial assistance agreement is signed before funding is paid, and reports may be required after approval.
Additional information
- Selected projects or companies receiving a subsidy are published on the ministère website.
- Businesses already doing business in Quebec must have a French version of their website before financial assistance is awarded.
- Selection committee members sign a confidentiality agreement, and their names remain confidential.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants Program
What is the innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants?
Appel de projets Primo-adoptants offers up to $75,000 to support Quebec young innovative high-growth companies working with first-time adopters to accelerate the development and commercialization of a first technology. Eligible projects include research and development, prototyping, testing, validation, and real-world demonstration activities.
How much funding can be received?
innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants Funds up to 60% of admissible expenses, capped at $75,000 per project.
Who is eligible for the innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants program?
To be eligible for the innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants program, you must:
The applicant must be a young innovative high-growth company legally incorporated under federal or Quebec law and registered in Quebec.
The company must have its head office and main research and development activities in Quebec and be in the precommercialization phase.
The project must involve an eligible first-time adopter and support from an eligible incubator or accelerator.
What expenses are eligible under innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants?
Partnership projects between an innovative startup and a first-time adopter to refine or complete a technology.
Research and development projects carried out in an in-situ test environment at the first-time adopter’s site.
Real-world demonstration, validation, or testing of a first product, process, or service.
Who can I contact for more information about the innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants?
You can contact innovÉÉ by email at startups-innovation@economie.gouv.qc.ca.
Where is the innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants available?
The innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants program is available the province of Quebec.
Is the innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants a grant, loan, or tax credit?
innovÉÉ — Primo-adoptants is a Grant and Funding