NGen — Feasibility Studies

• Application Agreement
• Project Plan (gantt chart or schedule)
• Risk Register
• IP Strategy
• Financial Workbooks – one for each partner

Who is eligible?

• Any member of NGen (Canada’s advanced manufacturing Supercluster) may submit an application for project funding or apply to be considered as a partner or co-investor in Supercluster projects.
• Small or Medium Enterprises with less than 500 employees globally may receive Supercluster funding directly.
• For-profit organizations may receive Supercluster funding directly.
• Not-for-profit organizations that facilitate and fund research and development and whose funding is received primarily from private-sector organizations may receive Supercluster funding directly.

Who is not eligible

• Other publicly funded not-for-profit organizations are not eligible to receive Supercluster funding directly.
• Post-secondary institutions are not eligible to receive Supercluster funding directly.
• Federal Crown corporations and government departments or agencies are not eligible to receive Supercluster funding directly.
• International organizations, including offshore companies and research organizations without an incorporated presence in Canada, are not eligible to receive Supercluster funding directly.

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and wages for personnel based in Canada and working directly on the project, including CPP, EI and EHT, excluding discretionary benefits and bonuses.
• Sub-contracts and consultancy fees for work essential to the project where the expertise does not exist among the partners, at Fair Market Value and performed in Canada.
• Purchase of new equipment, rentals, and direct operation and maintenance costs, with minor capital expenditures eligible only in exceptional circumstances.
• Service fees and subscription/license fees directly related to the project, materials consumed by the project, and room or facility rentals in respect of the project.
• Conference facility rental and related telecommunication expenses directly linked to project activities, reasonable travel costs, reasonable patent protection costs for SMEs, publication costs of project results, and other direct costs specifically identified and measured as being incurred on behalf of project activities.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Experimental or theoretical work without any direct commercial application or use.
• Projects that develop products that are not used for advanced manufacturing, except that no more than 5% of the funding allocation can be related to product development when it contributes towards the achievement of the advanced manufacturing goals.
• Production activities themselves, activities that subsidize full scale production, and capital investment for production or for purposes not related to the project.
• Activities that could be viewed as anti-competitive, activities where benefits accrue to a single firm or organization, and projects that would be undertaken at the same scale or scope and within the same timeframe without Supercluster funding.
• Routine or periodic changes to existing products, production lines, manufacturing processes, services and other operations in progress; routine administration and operations; senior leadership oversight; use of existing equipment; project administration fees charged to the projects by NGen; travel to advanced manufacturing or industry association conferences; alcohol; infrastructure costs; and payments to federal entities, such as the NRC.

• Applications are assessed on the basis of 10 questions.
• Responses are equally weighted in assessments.
• Applications are scored out of 100 marks, with 10 marks per question, by independent experts.
• Assessment includes the opportunity the project addresses and the overall advanced manufacturing objectives it intends to achieve.
• Assessment includes the overall project and risk management plan and what is transformative about the project.

• Join NGen as an organizational member at www.NGen.ca/join.
• Under the Supercluster projects heading, select the funding stream by clicking project applications.
• Log in to the Hockeystick application portal using exactly the same credentials as your NGen account.
• Complete the project information page for screening, including the Application Agreement and the required certifications and project information.
• If invited to submit a Feasibility Study Application, provide partner names and contact information, the lead project partner, a short project title and description, answers to 10 questions, and the required appendices.

• NGen will screen all proposals to ensure they meet basic eligibility requirements before projects are formally accepted into completing the application.
• NGen will undertake a financial assessment of each participating project partner; if the information provided is insufficient, NGen may request additional information, reject the proposed program, or approve the project for a reduced amount of NGen funding until further assurances on liquidity are provided.
• Project proposals are subject to an independent assessment process undertaken by up to five external experts selected by NGen.
• Applications are assessed on the basis of 10 questions, with responses equally weighted and scored out of 100 marks by independent experts; only the highest scoring projects are recommended for funding.
• Following assessment, NGen staff advise applicants directly whether their project has been accepted or rejected; approved recipients must enter into a contractual agreement with NGen, and successfully assessed projects must put a Collaboration Agreement in place.

• NGen’s project team may provide high-level advice on funding rules, eligible activities, project requirements, potential project partners, and other sources of funding, mainly through workshops and webinars.
• Assessments are conducted by external experts whose identities are kept confidential; assessors sign non-disclosure agreements and conflict of interest disclosures.
• Applicants whose projects are not recommended for approval receive a summary of the evaluation and recommendations to strengthen their application, and may re-apply.
• NGen’s IP Manager is available to support applicants in preparing their Project IP Strategy.