CQRDA — PARTENAR-IA — Academic

Who is eligible?

This grant is targeted at fostering collaboration between businesses and research institutions in Quebec, particularly focusing on AI technology projects that contribute to economic development. It supports SMEs, large enterprises, and a range of public research entities.

• Public research centers, universities, and technological transfer centers (CCTTs) in Quebec.
• Quebec-based SMEs and large enterprises legally constituted under federal or Quebec laws and registered with Quebec's enterprise registrar.
• Projects encouraging collaboration between Quebec SMEs, large enterprises, and public research institutions.
• Initiatives focusing on the development, commercialization, or adoption of AI technologies.

Who is not eligible

The "Partenar-IA – Académique" grant program aims to support academic and industrial projects in artificial intelligence, specifically targeting collaborations between public research centers and Quebec enterprises. To ensure clarity, here is a list of companies and industries that are not eligible for this grant based on the provided guidelines.

• Companies or entities not legally incorporated according to federal or Quebec laws.
• Organizations not registered with the Quebec Enterprise Registrar.
• Enterprises without an operational business location within Quebec.
• Companies lacking production or research and development (R&D) activities in Quebec.
• Large enterprises wishing to apply alone without involving a public research center or PME partner.
• Entities with more than 249 employees classified as PMEs.
• Projects not contributing to the advancement or integration of artificial intelligence technologies.

Eligible expenses

This grant supports projects aimed at integrating and advancing artificial intelligence technologies to enhance competitiveness, collaboration, and economic growth in Québec's industries. The eligible activities focus on technological development, research collaborations, and sector-wide adoption of AI innovations.

• Development and commercialization of new AI technologies.
• Adoption of AI technologies to improve business competitiveness.
• Collaborative research projects between businesses and public research centers.
• Projects promoting the large-scale adoption of AI in economic sectors.
• Efforts leading to significant and immediate economic impacts through AI.
• Development and consolidation of AI innovation initiatives.

Eligible geographic areas

This grant is designed to support companies with an operational presence in a specific region. Only companies fulfilling the regional criteria are considered eligible.

• Businesses must be located in Quebec.

Here are additional relevant details for this grant:

• Projects must begin within nine months of approval by the MEI.
• Indirect research costs are capped at 27% and require MEI approval for amounts payable to universities.
• Projects may receive non-refundable grants depending on involvement of SMEs or large enterprises.
• CQRDA management fees apply at 5% of project cost, up to $50,000, shared between the MEI and industry partners.
• International project travel expenses for Quebec researchers may not exceed 15% of total eligible expenses.