PSCE – Component 3

• A detailed project description and a completed financial assistance application form
• Financial statements for the last two years, or projected financial statements for startups
• An export business plan
• Offers of service and partnership documents, if applicable
• Proof of compliance with francization requirements, a declaration of compliance with the Programme d’accès à l’égalité en emploi when applicable, and for hires a job description and the candidate’s curriculum vitæ

Who is eligible?

• For-profit enterprises legally constituted under Quebec or Canadian law
• Social economy non-profit organizations whose financial viability depends on more than 40% self-generated revenue from economic activities in the last financial year
• Non-financial cooperatives constituted under the Cooperatives Act or the Canada Cooperatives Act
• Applicants registered in Quebec with an establishment and active operations in Quebec
• Companies selected by Investissement Québec International according to sector and market priorities for targeted support

Who is not eligible

• Applicants listed, provisionally or permanently, on the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA), including planned subcontractors listed on the RENA
• Applicants not compliant with the francization process under the Charter of the French language when they have had 25 employees or more in Quebec for at least 6 months
• State-owned companies, companies directly or indirectly controlled by a government or a municipal entity, and companies majority-owned by a state-owned enterprise
• Applicants under the protection of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, and applicants that defaulted on obligations tied to prior Quebec government financial assistance in the previous 2 years
• Applicants whose principal business is in excluded sectors or activities such as agriculture, mining and oil and gas, utilities, construction, certain retail trade, broadcasting, telecommunications, finance, real estate, public administration, controversial weapons, fossil fuels, gambling, violent games, sexual exploitation, or tobacco- or drug-related activities

Eligible expenses

• Market studies or access to databases
• Testing, analysis, and standards documents needed to obtain approvals, compliance, or certifications that facilitate export
• Advertising, social media publications, newsletters, and search engine referencing
• Salary for a new commercial representative outside Quebec for up to 52 weeks
• Rental of exhibition space, office or premises outside Quebec, event registration or passes, shipment of samples or promotional materials, and access to a business matchmaking platform

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs incurred before the application was filed
• Debt service, future loan repayment, capital loss or capital replacement, and amounts paid as capital
• Regular operating expenses, capital expenditures and amortization, including software acquisition or development and software licence fees, and intellectual property maintenance expenses
• Land acquisition or development, and building acquisition, construction or expansion
• Related-party transaction expenses, Quebec sales taxes, meals, travel and accommodation, and hiring an intern

• Selection by Investissement Québec International according to sector and market priorities for targeted support
• Relevance of the company’s product or service offering to opportunities in the targeted markets
• Company capacity to carry out the project based on its financial and human resources
• Whether the financial assistance is a determining factor in the company’s decision to carry out the project
• Potential spin-offs in Quebec in terms of jobs and investments, alignment with government export priorities, and the project’s eco-responsibility

• Be selected by Investissement Québec International according to sector and market priorities for targeted support.
• If selected, receive instructions for filing your application.

• Applications are analyzed when the required information and documents have been submitted.
• The first installment may reach 20% once the grant agreement is signed.
• Interim payments are tied to progress reports, statements of expenses incurred or paid, and supporting documents.
• The final payment represents at least 15% of the assistance and is made after the final report, the results reporting form, and the statement of expenses with supporting documents are submitted.
• The project must start no later than 3 months after authorization.

• Investissement Québec administers this program as mandatary of the Government of Quebec, and it handles eligibility, analysis, and decision-making.
• Selected companies also gain access to export support services with specialized business developers.
• To preserve the program budget envelope, the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie and Investissement Québec may suspend the filing and analysis of applications without notice.
• The program’s normative framework is available for additional program details.