SME in action

• Total financial assistance of $17.5 million was allocated for the period from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2019.
• In projects supported under Component 1 of the program, 74 projects were slated for investments totaling $852 million, representing an average investment of $11.5 million per project.
• The program achieved a leverage effect of 3.9 for financed projects, significantly surpassing the target leverage of 2, indicating a strong capacity to mobilize additional private investment per dollar of government support.

• The applicant must be a Quebec-based small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).
• The project should aim to increase productivity, particularly in the business or manufacturing sector.
• The initiative must align with objectives of business growth, competitiveness, or productivity improvement.

Who is eligible?

• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Quebec
• Companies in the manufacturing sector in Quebec

Eligible expenses

• Costs related to preliminary studies such as process or technology evaluations and market analyses.
• Expenses for implementing integrated management systems or customer relationship management systems.
• Costs for optimizing supply chains and implementing cost accounting systems.
• Expenses associated with preserving major industrial assets.
• Financial or operational situation assessments of the company.
• Development and monitoring costs for business recovery plans.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• Relevance of the project in addressing persistent productivity challenges among Quebec SMEs, particularly in the manufacturing sector.
• Potential effectiveness of the project in contributing to business development and achieving targeted outcomes for productivity and competitiveness.
• Coherence and complementarity of the proposed project with other government support programs aimed at SME growth.
• Reasonableness of project costs relative to expected results (cost-efficiency).
• Proper alignment of project management and reporting practices with the program’s normative framework.

• The program's evaluation emphasizes maintaining complementarities with other government support programs targeting business growth.
• There are proposed improvements related to digitalizing project result data collection and ensuring completion of all result forms for finished projects.
• High satisfaction rates were recorded among program beneficiaries, with levels exceeding 94% across surveyed elements.
• The evaluation recommends considering the addition of quantified targets in the program's normative framework during future renewals.