PSO-Biofood II – 144th call for projects

• Maximum grant amount of $500,000 per year, up to $1,500,000 total over three years, subject to ministry budget allocations.
• For projects led by SMEs: minimum 20% industrial contribution in cash, up to 40% CRIBIQ funding, up to 40% from other public sources.
• For projects led by large enterprises: minimum 40% industrial contribution (up to 50% of which may be in kind), up to 20% CRIBIQ funding, up to 40% from other public sources.
• Industrial contributions must not be sourced from government aid.
• The acquisition of equipment is limited to a maximum of 25% of eligible expenses, with no single equipment purchase exceeding $25,000 before taxes.

• The project must be submitted by a Quebec public research institute in partnership with at least one company or industry association.
• The participating company must conduct business in Quebec and have a French-language website (international partners are exempt from the website requirement).
• Companies with 25 or more employees must provide a francization certificate or equivalent official documentation regarding French language compliance.
• All partners involved in the project must be members in good standing of CRIBIQ at the time of detailed application submission.

Who is eligible?

• Quebec public research institutes (in partnership with companies or industrial associations)
• Companies in the biofood sector (including food production, food processing, functional foods, and bio-ingredients)
• Industry associations related to the biofood sector

Who is not eligible

• Companies whose industrial contribution is funded by other government grants (industrial contributions must not originate from government aid).
• Companies with 25 or more employees that do not provide required French language compliance documentation.
• Companies doing business in Quebec without a French-language website (this restriction does not apply to international partners).
• Organizations not members in good standing of the CRIBIQ at the time of detailed application submission.

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and social benefits for project staff (excluding university professor-researchers already salaried by their institution or public funders, and college teachers released for project-related activities).
• Student or postdoctoral fellowships (at least 20% of the budget must be allocated to the training of students).
• Materials (including small laboratory devices), consumables, and supplies (excluding expenditures on equipment).
• Purchase or rental of equipment, up to 25% of total eligible expenses and not exceeding $25,000 per item before taxes.
• Animal facility and platform usage fees.
• Travel and accommodation expenses, following Quebec Treasury Board standards.
• Management and operation costs for intellectual property.
• Professional fees (contracts, subcontracting, etc.) incurred by public research institutes, justified and up to 10% of the total budget (maximum $25,000).
• CRIBIQ analysis and project monitoring fees (5% of total project costs, plus applicable taxes).

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• Innovative character or potential for innovation compared to the current state of the art (eliminatory criterion).
• Quality and relevance of the management team, including adequacy between scientific expertise and the needs of the participating companies, as well as the active collaboration and roles of industrial partners.
• Scientific quality of the project, methodology, and quality of the overall project plan, including feasibility, structure, and identification of milestones and deliverables.
• Potential project impact, especially the likelihood of industrial partners adopting results and the prospects for economic and commercial applications or competitive advantages (eliminatory criterion).
• Realism of the timeline, justification of the financial structure, and inclusion of qualified personnel training (graduate students, postdocs, technicians, interns, etc.), including involvement in technology transfer.

• At least 20% of the project budget must be allocated to student training or postdoctoral fellowships.
• The maximum grant amount is $500,000 per year, with a cumulative cap of $1,500,000 over three years, subject to budgetary adjustments by the ministry.
• All project partners must be up-to-date members of CRIBIQ upon submission of the detailed application.
• Successful applicants are reminded that changes to program modalities and funding amounts may occur without prior notice.