Saskatchewan Critical Minerals Innovation Incentive (SCMII)

The eligibility criteria for applying to the Saskatchewan Critical Minerals Innovation Incentive (SCMII) program are defined by specific requirements related to the innovation's characteristics, activity focus, and cost considerations.

• The innovation must be new to Saskatchewan’s industry for a qualifying material or be demonstrated on a significantly different scale or under significantly different conditions.
• The innovation must have a minimum "SCMII Technology Readiness Level" rating of Level 7, indicating it is a prototype ready for demonstration in an appropriate operational environment.
• The project must aim to improve qualifying material recovery, manage adverse environmental impacts, increase value-added processing capacity, or commercialize production byproducts or waste for a qualifying material.
• The project must involve a minimum investment of CAD$1 million in eligible capital and operating costs.
• The project must not be operational prior to the submission of the application.

Who is eligible?

This grant targets companies or industries involved in the commercialization of innovations within Saskatchewan's critical minerals sectors. Eligible projects must focus on specified criteria related to innovative advancements and operational expansion.

• Projects demonstrating new technologies specific to critical minerals like aluminum, cobalt, and lithium among others.
• Initiatives aimed at scaling commercial operations or maximizing resource recovery.
• Projects aiming to enhance environmental management or process efficiency within critical minerals extraction or processing.
• Innovations in commercialization of byproducts or waste resulting from critical minerals production.

Who is not eligible

This grant does not exclude any specific types of companies or industries explicitly. The information provided does not specify particular restrictions based on the status or main activity of the company.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses for the SCMII grant focus on costs directly associated with implementing and advancing qualifying projects.

• Costs that meet a minimum of CAD$1 million related to eligible capital and operating expenditures.
• Costs incurred for activities aimed at improving qualifying material recovery.
• Expenses for managing adverse environmental impacts related to the project.
• Expenditures to increase value-added processing capacity.
• Costs associated with commercializing production byproducts or waste for qualifying materials.

Eligible geographic areas

This grant program is open to companies potentially located across various regions as the funding body is a provincial government. However, no specific geographical limitations are mentioned in the available information.

Here are additional relevant details for this grant:

• The SCMII credits are fully transferable, allowing applicants who do not pay royalties to benefit from the program.
• The program allows for the inclusion of costs incurred by firms other than the principal applicant within multi-company projects.
• The credit cap is project-specific, with a maximum of CAD$5 million in credits, recognizing up to CAD$20 million in eligible costs per project.
• The program allows for costs recognized from April 1, 2024, onwards, except for helium and lithium projects, where costs are recognized from January 1, 2018.
• SCMII credits can be used alongside other incentive and grant programs available in Saskatchewan.
• The program permits projects executed on multiple sites and those with multiple phases under a single application.