PROMPT — Artificial intelligence

• Letter of intent
• Signed funding application form
• Signed project submission letter for each company
• Financial statements and cash flow forecasts
• Signed partner commitment letters and service offers

Who is eligible?

• Quebec SMEs
• Quebec startups
• Groups of Quebec companies collaborating on AI projects
• Large enterprises with an operational establishment in Quebec

Who is not eligible

• Companies listed in the Register of enterprises ineligible for public contracts
• State-owned companies or companies controlled by a government or municipal entity
• Companies under bankruptcy or insolvency protection
• Holding companies
• Companies whose main business activity is weapons, fossil fuels, gambling, violent games, sexual exploitation, tobacco or drugs, or protected political or religious activities

Eligible expenses

• Professional fees for specialized services, including subcontracting
• Direct labour costs linked to the project, including benefits and project management fees
• Travel and lodging expenses related to the project
• Direct material, inventory, and equipment costs
• IP protection, certification, commercialization, and technology showcase costs

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Expenses incurred before a complete and receivable application is submitted
• Debt service, loan repayment, capital loss, and capital replacement costs
• Routine operating expenses, recurring software subscriptions, and software updates
• Property maintenance, land, building acquisition, and building expansion costs
• Sales taxes and expenses paid to related companies or partners

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• Quality of the application, including clarity and completeness
• Scientific and technological quality of the project
• Innovation level and collaborative strength of the project
• Economic and strategic benefits for Quebec
• Business capacity to successfully carry out the project

• Step 1: Read the guide and prepare the application
  • Review the program guide in full.
  • Complete the letter of intent and the funding application form.
• Step 2: Gather required documents
  • Prepare the documents required for the submission.
  • Have the application and supporting materials ready in French.
• Step 3: Submit the letter of intent
  • Send the letter of intent to the accompanying organization before the deadline.
• Step 4: Submit the application
  • Submit the electronic application to the appropriate body depending on the project type.
• Step 5: Await acknowledgment and review
  • The Ministry sends an electronic acknowledgment after submission.
  • Applications are then reviewed by the evaluation committee.

• The Ministry first reviews applications for administrative admissibility.
• Eligible applications are then assessed for scientific, technological, and economic merit.
• Projects are also subject to eliminatory criteria and a national security risk review.
• Shortlisted projects are ranked and selected based on the available budget.
• Approved projects require a funding agreement signed by the parties.

• The grant program is currently on pause; new application deadlines will be announced at a later date.
• A 5% management fee is applied to eligible project expenditures.
• Unsubsidized project expenses may qualify for tax credits such as the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit, subject to standard program criteria.
• Applicants may benefit from guidance and support throughout the preparation and final submission of their funding application.