Rural Vitality Fund – Automation and Digital Practices

• The applicant must be an industrial, commercial business, or a non-profit organization (NPO).
• The business must be located in one of the 13 rural municipalities of the Haut-Richelieu territory, excluding Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
• The proposed project must involve the acquisition of digital equipment and/or automation aimed at improving productivity.

Who is eligible?

• Industrial companies
• Commercial enterprises
• Non-profit organizations (NPOs)

Who is not eligible

• Companies based in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

Eligible expenses

• Purchase of equipment that increases productivity.
• Renovations required for installing eligible equipment.
• Purchase of software that results in productivity gains.
• Professional fees for software implementation.
• Professional fees for employee training on the new equipment or software (if not covered by Services Québec).
• Software rental fees for the first two years only.
• Professional engineering fees for designing custom automated equipment.
• Feasibility studies or option analyses related to the project.

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies located in one of the 13 rural municipalities within the MRC du Haut-Richelieu, excluding those based in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.

• Submission of up-to-date financial statements and supporting documentation for project and business viability analysis.
• Assessment by NexDev business advisors for compliance with fund objectives and requirements.
• Evaluation by the Common Investment Committee (CIC) and select advisors for project selection.

• The annual eligibility rules for this fund may be revised based on the volume of grants awarded.
• NexDev reserves the right to use the beneficiary company's name for promotional purposes and to highlight community impacts.
• Funding is available only until the allocated envelope is depleted.
• All admissible expenses must be incurred after confirmation of eligibility.