PSO-Biofood II – 144th call for projects

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.

• Step 1: Download and Review Guide
  • Obtain and carefully review the "Guide des déposants" for the PSO-Biofood II 144th call for projects from the CRIBIQ website.
• Step 2: Prepare and Submit Letter of Intent (LDI)
  • Download and complete the "Lettre d'intention" form as required.
  • Prepare necessary information on the project and collaborative partners.
  • Submit the completed Letter of Intent by November 20, 2025.
• Step 3: Financial Arrangement and Eligibility Validation
  • Prepare the financial plan using the provided templates.
  • Contact Ms. Laila Ben Said (laila.bensaid@cribiq.qc.ca) to validate project eligibility and obtain required forms for the detailed application.
• Step 4: Become a CRIBIQ Member
  • Ensure all project partners have paid their CRIBIQ membership fees by the time of detailed application submission.
• Step 5: Prepare Detailed Application (DD)
  • Gather all required documents and information per the guide’s instructions, including the detailed project description, budget, and membership confirmation.
  • Incorporate supporting documentation such as financial contributions and partnership agreements.
• Step 6: Submit Detailed Application
  • Submit the complete detailed application by January 15, 2026 according to submission procedures outlined in the guide or as directed by CRIBIQ.

• 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.