OVIN's R&D Partnership Fund - WinterTech Development Program supports Ontario SMEs and partners to develop winter weather automotive technologies. Eligible applicants include SMEs with operations in Ontario and full-time employees less than 500.

Applicants must be Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Applicants must have operations in Ontario.
Partners can be SMEs, NEs, MNEs, academic institutions, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and more.
Projects should be at Technology Readiness Level 5-9 and focus on technology development, demonstration, and validation.

Who is eligible

Eligible types of companies for this grant include Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 500 global, full-time employees and operations in Ontario. Partners can also include national and multinational enterprises, academic institutions, municipalities, Indigenous communities, not-for-profit organizations representing industry, Crown Corporations, and Transit Authorities.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
National and multinational enterprises (NEs and MNEs)
Academic institutions (as clients only)
Municipalities
Indigenous communities
Not-for-profit organizations representing industry
Crown Corporations
Transit Authorities

Eligible expenses

There are eligible expenses for this grant. Eligible expenses include:

Technology development
Demonstration activities
Product/service validation
Testing
Piloting

Eligible projects & activities

There are eligible projects and activities for this grant:

Development, testing, and demonstration of new products and technologies for winter weather conditions in the automotive and mobility sector.
Validation, prototyping, and showcasing of mobility products and services in severe winter weather conditions.

Evaluation & selection criteria

There are evaluation and selection criteria for this grant. The criteria include:

Commercialization of Ontario-made technologies
Demonstration of Ontario-made technologies to potential customers
Relationships with researchers to extend company R&D
Marketable solutions to current challenges
Public/private partnerships and collaboration
Increased road safety
Better road condition monitoring
Better collection and analysis of transportation-related information
Innovative new products and services to improve driver performance
Reduced environmental and carbon footprint

How to apply

Step 1: Complete the client intake form to inquire about the program and open an application.
Step 2: An OCI Business Development Manager will contact you to discuss the opportunity and provide assistance.
Step 3: Maintain oversight responsibility for the OCI components of any approved project.
Step 4: Reference available documentation such as the Program Guidelines, OCI Funding Agreement, Eligible Expenditures Guide, Full Proposal Questionnaire, Letter of Support Template, and Data and Information Sharing Protocol (DISP) documents.
Step 5: Submit the intake form to see if the program is a good fit for your business.

Documents and links

WinterTech Development

Apply to this program

Grant Summary:

Ontario's WinterTech Development Program offers funding of up to $500,000 over 24 months to support Ontario SMEs and partners in developing winter weather automotive technology and mobility solutions.

WinterTech Development Program Overview:

The R&D Partnership Fund - WinterTech Development Program by OVIN aims to validate, test, prototype, and demonstrate innovative products and technologies tailored for harsh winter conditions in Ontario. This program supports projects in priority areas like mass light vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, transportation infrastructure, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and transit-supportive systems. Eligible applicants and partners can expect to enhance road safety, improve transportation monitoring, reduce environmental impact, and commercialize Ontario-made technologies through close collaboration and innovative solutions.