Alberta Export Grants

May 21, 2021

Planning to expand your business to the USA or other countries?

This blog provides a list of key grants that can help grow your business.

Although some expenses are on hold due to COVID-19, you will find several grants that support non-travel activities (e.g. Google Ads!).

Given the time it takes to write and wait for approval, you should begin your export grant applications well in advance of your planned activities.

Enjoy the read!

Alberta Export Expansion Program:

Value: $25,000. For-profit or municipal applicants may be reimbursed up to 50%, and non-profit applicants up to 75%.

Description:

The Alberta Export Expansion Program provides funding support to Alberta small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), municipalities, industry associations, Indigenous communities and economic development organizations promoting Alberta exports through:

outbound international business travel
bringing international buyers to Alberta

Eligibility:

have a minimum of one full-time employee in Alberta
be a recognized legal entity for a minimum of one year
have a permanent establishment in Alberta
must fully complete the application form

To be eligible for funding, a for-profit applicant must:

have annual sales of $50,000 to $25 million
have a minimum of one full-time employee in Alberta
be an incorporated legal entity in Alberta
be operating and have a permanent establishment in Alberta
must fully complete the application form
present an adequate market entry plan

Eligible Expenses:

accommodation
airfare
inter-city ground travel
registration for tradeshows or events
translation or interpretive services for marketing materials
conference room space

Deadline: Paused. Future deadlines to be determined.

Contact: Program Advisor │ edtt.aeep@gov.ab.ca

Website: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-export-expansion-program.aspx

CanExport Community Investments (CECI):

Value: Non-repayable contributions range from $3,000 to $500,000. The program provides reimbursement of up to 50 percent of eligible expenses.

Description:

As one of the many tools deployed by the Government of Canada to increase prosperity, the CanExport Community Investments program provides financial support to communities for their foreign direct investment (FDI) initiatives and activities.

The program provides support to Canadian communities seeking to improve their capacity to attract, retain and expand FDI in order to create jobs for Canadians, support innovation and increase exports.

Eligibility:

Eligible recipients are Canadian communities and non-profit, locally based organizations that are seeking assistance, for example:

to offset costs associated with developing marketing tools aimed at foreign investors;
for specific FDI training;
to identify potential investors and/or coordinate interactions with them; or
to develop and implement multi-year international investment attraction and retention strategies.

Eligible Expenses:

FDI Strategic Planning and Analysis
FDI tool and material development
FDI training
FDI Lead Generation and Meetings with Potential Investors

* Please be sure to align the expenses listed for each component of your project with the correct eligible expenses.

Deadline: The application period for 2022 projects will take place in September-October 2021.

Contact: Government of Canada │ icci@international.gc.ca

Website: https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/funding-financement/canexport/community-communaute/index.aspx?lang=eng

CanExport SMEs Program:

Value: Up to $50,000.

Description:

CanExport SMEs provides up to $75,000 to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) registered in Canada for international business development activities. The program helps develop export opportunities for products and services in new international markets. CanExport SMEs is a funding program designed to promote and enhance Canada’s trade diversification efforts. It offers grants and contributions to Canadian companies to help them prepare for and establish a presence in international markets where they currently have little or no sales.

Eligibility:
CanExport SMEs is open to all industry sectors. To be eligible, your company must satisfy 5 essential criteria:

Be for-profit
Be an incorporated legal entity or a limited liability partnership (LLP) in Canada
Have a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number*
Have 500 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
Have $100,000 to $100 million in annual revenue declared in Canada during its last complete tax reporting year (or during the last 12 months for monthly and quarterly filers)

Eligible Expenses:

Travel for meetings/events with key contacts from target market(s)
Participation in trade events to meet key contacts from target market(s)
Marketing tools creation, adaptation and translation for target market(s)
Interpretation services for target market(s)
Intellectual property protection, certification and adaptation of contracts for target market(s)
Consultant – Business, tax and legal advice for target market(s)
Consultant – Market research, feasibility studies, identification of key contacts and b2b facilitation for target market(s)

CanExport SMEs also support several categories of non-travel activities to help prepare for international markets. We also encourage virtual participation in international trade events and meetings.

Deadline: Year-round.

Contact: CanExport | 1-866-203-2454 | CanExportSMEs@international.gc.ca

Website: https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/tcs-sdc/funding-financement/canexport/sme-pme/applicant-guide-requerant.aspx?lang=eng

CanExport Innovation:

Value: Up to $75,000 in funding.

Description:

Through CanExport Innovation, Canadian innovators who aim to commercialize technology can access up to $75,000 in funding to establish new R&D collaborations with foreign partners to co-develop, validate or adapt their technologies for commercialization.

Eligibility:

Canadian small or medium-sized enterprises
Canadian academic institutions
Canadian non-government research centres

To be eligible, your organization must:

be registered in Canada
have a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number
own, co-own, or have decision-making authority over the intellectual property (IP) rights for the technology
have a prototype (Technology Readiness Level 4 or higher)
intend to commercially launch the technology within 5 years

Eligible Expenses:

We support the following non-travel activities:

Applying for intellectual property protection in international markets
Applying for certification in international markets
Seeking expert legal and business advice
Shipping technology to determine feasibility/compatibility with a partner’s technology
Translating, adapting and creating promotional plans or materials
Attending virtual networking functions, meetings or conferences

When travel resumes, we also support:

Travel abroad or in Canada to meet with pre-identified foreign partners
Travel abroad or in Canada to meet with pre-identified foreign investors
Attending an event or conference to meet with pre-identified foreign partners or investors

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: Going Global Innovation | innovation@international.gc.ca

Website: http://tradecommissioner.gc.ca/funding-financement/ggi-vmi/index.aspx?lang=eng

CanExport Associations:

Value: Up to $400,000 in annual funding.

Description:

Canadian national industry associations and trade organizations may access up to $400,000 in annual funding. We will cover up to 75% of eligible costs for new or expanded international business development (IBD) activities that benefit an entire industry: organization’s members and non-members alike.

Eligibility:

Proposals will be accepted from:

Canadian national industry or trade associations
Canadian national bilateral Chambers of Commerce and Business Councils;
Canadian national horizontal / multi-sectoral organizations
Canadian national organizations representing companies majority owned by under-represented groups in trade (e.g. Indigenous, women, LGBTQ2+)

To be eligible, your organization must:

be a not-for-profit corporation
not sell products that are sold by your members
have sufficient private revenues to cover 25% of costs for proposed activities, confirmed by 2 years of financial statements
have a 3-year, board approved, international business development strategy

Eligible Expenses:

We support the following non-travel activities:

Export training
Creating/updating strategy for international business development or market diversification
Gathering market intelligence (custom research, reports and studies)
Translating, adapting or creating marketing tools and materials
Attending virtual trade shows, networking functions, meetings or conferences

When travel resumes, we also support:

Visits to foreign markets
Organizing trade missions for SMEs in your industry
Organizing an incoming delegation of foreign buyers
In-person participation at trade shows, networking functions, meetings or conferences

Deadline: The 2022-23 application process for projects taking place between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, is scheduled to commence in fall 2021.

Contact: CanExportAssociations@international.gc.ca

Website: https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/funding-financement/canexport/associations/index.aspx?lang=eng

Creative Export Canada:

Value: Varies.

Description:

Creative Export Canada offers funding for projects that generate export revenues and help Canadian creative industries reach more people around the world.

The program is highly competitive, therefore only a limited number of projects are funded each year.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for funding, a company/organization must:

be incorporated under the laws of Canada, a province or a territory;
be a for-profit company or not-for-profit organization;
be Canadian-owned and -controlled;
have a maximum of $500M in annual revenues; and
have a minimum of one full-time employee.

Eligible Expenses:

Only project-related cash expenses are eligible; these may include:

acquisition of digital or other technologies;
professional services or the portion of employees’ salaries directly related to the project;
travel-related expenses, which must be directly related to the project and must not exceed the rates permitted for travel on government business, in accordance with the National Joint Council Travel Directive;
marketing expenses;
project-related administrative costs (e.g. general office supplies, mailing, and cloud storage costs), limited to a maximum of 15% of the total recommended amount;
project-related translation and interpretation expenses, limited to a maximum of 10% of the total amount of funding requested from the program.

Deadline: The period for submitting a funding application for project expenses starting between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022 is now closed. We will accept new applications in the Fall 2021 (for projects starting in 2022-2023).

Contact: Department of Canadian Heritage │ 1-866-811-0055 (toll-free) │ pch.ecc-cec.pch@canada.ca

Website: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/creative-export-canada.html

Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) – Partnership development activities (PDA):

Value: Up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum of $15,000 for approved PDA Projects.

Description:

Partnership Development Activities (PDAs) are networking, educational, and matchmaking activities. We design our PDAs to facilitate collaborative research and development (R&D) projects between Canadian companies and foreign partners.

Eligibility:

This program is for Canadian companies that:

are incorporated, profit-oriented small and medium-sized enterprise, with up to 500 full-time equivalent employees
are ready to collaborate on a R&D project with a foreign partner
are seeking to commercialize new or improved products, services, or processes
own or co-own the intellectual property of the technology that will be commercialized
have sufficient resources to support the shared cost of attending the PDA
are not entirely funded by Canadian government organizations (federal, provincial, territorial, or municipal or Crown corporations)

Eligible Expenses:

economy class airfare
accommodations
meals (per diems)
local transportation
translation and marketing material
conference and tradeshow fees

Deadline: Varies depending on PDA mission. Previous Open Activity: Canadian Advanced & Smart Manufacturing R&D Mission to South Korea.

Contact: Science, Technology and Innovation Division | innovation@international.gc.ca

Website: http://tradecommissioner.gc.ca/funding-financement/ciip-pcii/index.aspx?lang=eng

Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) – Collaborative Research and Development Projects:

Value: Up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum of $600,000 for approved R&D Projects.

Description:

We help Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in collaborative research and development (R&D) projects with a foreign entity. Our funding is available for projects in the following markets:

Brazil
China
India
Israel
South Korea

Eligibility:

This program is for Canadian companies that:

are incorporated, profit-oriented, small and medium-sized enterprises, with up to 500 full-time equivalent employees
are ready to collaborate with a foreign partner in one of the countries listed above
are seeking to commercialize new or improved products, services, or processes
have sufficient resources to make a serious new market entry push
have a world class, distinguishable, and protectable technology which may already be commercialized in Canada

Eligible Projects:

Technology adaptation: Projects that help adapt already commercialized products to reach a new market. This can be either a foreign or Canadian market.
Technology validation: Projects that include a new product that is not yet commercialized. The product must require technical and business validation from potential early adopter customers.
Technology co-development: Projects that involve creating a new product, service, or process with an uncertain path to commercialization.

Eligible Expenses:

salary costs
contractors’ fees
reasonable travel costs

Deadline: Varies. Open calls for proposal: Canada and Brazil 2021-2022. Canadian Registration is until May 26, 2021.

Contact: Science, Technology and Innovation Division | innovation@international.gc.ca

Website: http://tradecommissioner.gc.ca/funding-financement/ciip-pcii/index.aspx?lang=eng

Going Global Innovation (GGI):

Value: Up to 75 percent of eligible expenses, to a maximum of $75,000 for any approved project.

Description:

Going Global Innovation (GGI) helps pioneering small and medium‑sized enterprises, universities and nongovernmental research centres in Canada pursue collaborative R&D opportunities abroad, with the aim to commercialize Canadian technologies. Now the unique TCS initiative has increased financing and other enhancements, and it has been streamlined so that organizations can more easily take advantage of it.

Eligibility:

Eligible beneficiaries are innovators from Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and non‑government research centres.

Eligible Expenses:

Eligible expenses include international and local travel, accommodations, meals, meeting costs, legal fees to support the formalization of partnership agreements and other costs related to pursuing international collaboration.

Application guides and additional information can be requested by contacting the GGI Team.

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: GGI Team │ innovation@international.gc.ca

Website: https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/canadexport/0003487.aspx?lang=eng

Canadian Technology Accelerators:

Value: Varies.

Description:

Canadian Technology Accelerators initiative helps Canadian companies with an existing technology, product or service explore opportunities in foreign markets. The program aims to help you expand your operations in international markets and will continue doing so during these challenging times.

Eligibility:

CTAs are open to innovative Canadian tech companies that can demonstrate:

Traction in the Marketplace: You have at least a minimum viable product (MVP), along with quantifiable evidence of maturity (revenue, investment, or number of users). Life Sciences and Health companies must have a proof of concept and be post-seed.
Product Market Fit: You can define your target audience, articulate the problem you solve, and demonstrate differentiation of your product/service.
Strong & Experienced Executive Management Team: You can commit to send at least one senior member (C-level or Founder) to take part in the program and have the financial resources to cover in-market costs.
Potential to Scale: You have a well thought out go-to-market plan for the CTA location along with KPIs to match.

Eligible Expenses:

Mentoring, workspace in foreign markets and introductions to potential partners, investors and customers.

Note: Due to travel restrictions, they are currently offering their CTA programs virtually. The decision to resume in-market programming will be based on:

Canada’s domestic and international travel advisories
Advice from public health agencies

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: Canadian Technology Accelerators – Government of Canada │ cta-atc@international.gc.ca

Website: https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/cta-atc/index.aspx

Alberta Innovates offers various programs that will help you become more globally competitive by developing innovative technologies and research-based alliances. Check-out these programs:

Export Readiness Micro-Voucher Program | Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF):

Value: Up to $20,000 paid directly to the Service Provider.

Description:

The Export Readiness Micro-Voucher Program, (the “Program”) is a part of the Alberta Export Expansion Package (AEEP) presented by the Government of Alberta, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (“EDT”). The Program has been designed to provide a relatively quick and flexible financial solution to support Alberta Small and Medium Enterprises (“SME” s) which are considering entering new international markets by offsetting the cost of obtaining an expert market assessment. The Program is funded by the EDT and is administered by Alberta Innovates.

Eligibility:

To qualify as an Applicant, an SME is required to satisfy the following criteria:

be a for-profit Alberta SME; with a minimum of $20,000 of revenue (sales) in the current or previous fiscal year; no conflict of interest in the relationship between the Applicant and Service Provider; have a physical presence in Alberta; a company with fewer than 500 Full Time employees, and less than $50,000,000 annual gross revenue; be a legal entity; be in good financial standing with Alberta Innovates and its subsidiaries InnoTech Alberta and C-Fer Technologies; and have had no more than one previous ERMV.

For Service Provider Eligibility Criteria:

be Arm’s Length from the Applicant (cannot have any legal relationship with the Applicant); provide the service(s) and/or product(s) at reasonable market rates; provide a detailed Statement of Work; be a legal entity; be legally permitted to enter, remain in, and perform the services in Canada during the Project Term; and be in good financial standing with Alberta Innovates and its subsidiaries InnoTech Alberta and C-Fer Technologies.

Project Eligibility Criteria:

demonstrate clear activities that lead to export and market expansion; expand research for export to new jurisdiction; be completed by March 17, 2021; be approved by both Alberta Innovates and Alberta Economic Development Trade and Tourism; submit to other criteria that Alberta Innovates may develop from time to time.

Eligible Expenses:

Labour costs – for those individuals specifically identified as performing the service for the service provider
Materials costs – of which can be specifically identified for use in the Project; Printing cost related to translation materials
Capital Assets & Software – Costs to support international point of sale system development as part of the Project
Other – Costs which Alberta Innovates pre-approves in writing as an eligible expense

Deadline: Currently not accepting new applications. Stay tuned for updates.

Contact: Sandra Candie, Director, Industry & Global Partnerships – Entrepreneurial Investments | 780-450-5550 | Sandra.Candie@albertainnovates.ca

Website: https://albertainnovates.ca/programs/export-readiness-micro-vouchers/

Alberta- China International Technology Partnership Program |Alberta Innovates:

Value: Maximum allowable funding per project from Alberta Innovates is $250,000 Canadian. This must be equally matched by both Alberta Applicant and China Industry Partner with 50% as cash towards the project and 50% in-kind towards the project.

Description: The ITP Program leverages the Government of Alberta memorandum of understanding (MoU) with specific regions in China including: the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong, and the direct controlled municipality of Shanghai. This program provides Alberta for-profit Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) support to access funding to develop strategic, industry-driven commercialization projects that involve novel and innovative projects with a partner in China.

Currently the priority sectors are determined by both Alberta and the China Funding Partner.

Clean Energy (Clean Tech, Energy-saving and Renewable Energy Technologies) – Guangdong,

Zhejiang

Environmental Technologies – Guangdong, Zhejiang
Energy Storage Technologies (Innovative battery storage, and energy management) – Guangdong
Life Sciences (Biotechnology, Natural Source Health Products, Pharmaceutical and Medical Products) – Zhejiang, Shanghai
Platform Technologies (Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), Mobile, Sensor, Advanced Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advanced Manufacturing and Materials (Nano) – Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shanghai
Agriculture and Forestry Technologies – Zhejiang

Eligibility:

be a for-profit SME;
demonstrate the relationship between the Alberta Applicant and the China Industry Partner does not create a conflict of interest;
have a physical presence in Alberta;
be a legal entity: incorporated in Alberta; or incorporated federally or in another jurisdiction and extra-provincially registered in Alberta; or a General Partnership, Limited Partnership or Limited Liability Partnership and registered in Alberta;
have no outstanding balance or otherwise owe money to Alberta Innovates or its subsidiaries;
demonstrate advanced technology-oriented business developing innovative new products for growing markets.

Eligible Expenses:

Related labour costs, Costs of materials, Capital assets and software, Travel, Sub-contractors, Others

Deadline: Temporarily on hold because of the Coronavirus. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements.

Contact: Deryl Williams │ deryl.williams@albertainnovates.ca

Sandra Candie │ sandra.candie@albertainnovates.ca

Website: https://albertainnovates.ca/alberta-zhejiang/

Alberta – Jalisco │ Alberta Innovates:

Value: Varies.

Description:

Alberta – Jalisco aims to provide assistance to for-profit SMEs from Alberta and Jalisco interested in entering into a joint project to develop strategic, industry-driven technology that involves novel and innovative products and materials leading to commercialization. The program is designed to provide opportunities for Alberta and Jalisco SME’s to collaborate in technology development leading to commercialization opportunities and mutual benefit to both regions.

Areas of focus: This collaborative program is intended to improve opportunities for joint projects in innovative technology development and commercialization activities between Alberta and Jalisco in the priority areas of:

ICT – mobile, security, IoT, data analytics, interactive digital media, artificial intelligence, and robotics;
Life Sciences – e-personal health, e-health and e-agriculture;
Clean Technologies – environmental tech, green tech, renewable tech.

Eligibility:

be a for-profit SME;
demonstrate the relationship between the Alberta Applicant and the Jalisco Applicant does not create a conflict of interest;
have a physical presence in Alberta;
be a legal entity:
incorporated in Alberta; or
incorporated federally or in another jurisdiction and extra-provincially registered in Alberta;
a General Partnership, Limited Partnership or Limited Liability Partnership and registered in Alberta;
have no outstanding balance or otherwise owe money to Alberta Innovates or its subsidiaries

Eligible Expenses:

To qualify for funding all projects must:

have the participation of at least one Applicant from each jurisdiction;
fall within the round priority areas of technology;
attend all program workshops and program related sessions (mandatory);
be completed within two (2) years from project beginning;
Jalisco applicant must be approved by COECYTJAL in Jalisco prior to application;
not be pure research in nature and must have potential for commercialization, including patents;
include a commitment to 4 face-to-face meeting during the term of the project

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: Deryl Williams │ deryl.williams@albertainnovates.ca or Sandra Candie│ sandra.candie@albertainnovates.ca

Website: https://albertainnovates.ca/focus-areas/entrepreneurial-investments/alberta-jalisco/

Alberta – Nuevo Leon │ Alberta Innovates:

Value: Varies.

Description:

Alberta – Nuevo Leon aims to provide assistance to for-profit SMEs from Alberta and Nuevo León interested in entering into a joint project to develop strategic, industry-driven technology that involves novel and innovative products and materials leading to commercialization. We work with SMEs in matchmaking initiatives and engaging the Nuevo Leon market. Alberta Innovates and the government of Nuevo Leon’s Secretaria de Economia y Trabajo are seeking to generate economic and social benefits for both Alberta and Nuevo Leon.

Areas of focus:

This collaborative program is intended to improve opportunities for joint projects in innovative technology development, and commercialization activities between Alberta and Nuevo Leon in the priority areas of: ICT (mobile, security, Internet of Things, data analytics, interactive digital media, artificial intelligence, and robotics).

Eligibility:

be a for-profit SME;
demonstrate the relationship between the Alberta Applicant and the Nuevo Leon Applicant does not create a conflict of interest;
meet the following definition of an SME: a company with fewer than 500 Full Time employees, and less than $50,000,000 annual revenue;
have a physical presence in Alberta or Nuevo Leon;
be a legal entity:
incorporated in Alberta or Nuevo Leon;
incorporated federally or in another jurisdiction and extra-provincially registered in Alberta; or
a General Partnership, Limited Partnership or Limited Liability Partnership and registered in Alberta;
have no outstanding balance or otherwise owe money to Alberta Innovates and its subsidiaries, InnoTech Alberta and C-FER Technologies, or with the government of Nuevo Leon.

Eligible Expenses:

have the participation of at least one Applicant from each jurisdiction;
fall within the round priority area of technology;
attend all Program workshops and Program related sessions (mandatory);
be completed within two (2) years from Project beginning;
Nuevo Leon Applicant must be approved by Secretaria de Economia y Trabajo in Nuevo Leon prior to Application;
not be pure research in nature and must have potential for commercialization, including patents;
include a commitment to 4 face-to-face meeting during the term of the Project;

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: Alberta – Nuevo Leon │ NuevoLeon@albertainnovates.ca

Website: https://albertainnovates.ca/focus-areas/entrepreneurial-investments/alberta-nuevo-leon/

Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge │ Alberta Innovates:

Value: $200,001 up to $500,000 CAD.

Description:

The Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge (‘CFGC’) is a $15 million three-phase competition with the objective of accelerating the development of large-scale production pathways for short and continuous carbon fibre from bitumen-derived asphaltenes and promoting their use in manufactured products.

The Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge aims to produce new carbon fibre products and processes, reduce lifecycle GHG emissions of carbon fibres and aid in the economic diversification of Alberta. There exists significant potential to increase the value of Alberta bitumen and grow Alberta’s green economy, all while increasing employment and export potential.

Eligibility:

The Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge is open to technology developers, industry (including small medium and large size enterprises), industrial associations, research and development (R&D) organizations, post-secondary institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and government research labs, providing they are legally able to execute the Investment Agreement (link in Resources section below). Applicants are not required to be based in Alberta but must demonstrate a clear value proposition for the province.

Eligible Expenses:

Labour
Materials
Capital Assets & Software
Travel
Sub-contractors
Others

Deadline: Phase I concluded in February 2021. Phase II – April 27, 2021. Phase III – Demonstration: January 2023 – December 2024

Contact: Paolo Bomben, PhD (Senior Manager, Clean Technology Development – Clean Energy) │ 587-779-2917 │ Paolo.Bomben@albertainnovates.ca

Website: https://albertainnovates.ca/programs/carbon-fibre-grand-challenge/

Lastly, here is the list of international networks that may help your company or organization to expand globally and be known globally.

EUREKA:

Value: Varies.

Description:

EUREKA is an international network for market-driven industrial R&D that includes over 40 economies from the EU, Europe, Israel, South Korea, and now Canada. Through Canada’s associate membership in EUREKA, Canadian innovators have a new advantage in accessing technology, expertise, and markets in Europe and beyond. NRC is the national contact point for EUREKA.

Eligibility:

With the goal of increasing competitiveness in world markets, EUREKA brings together small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), large companies, research centres, universities, and other innovators from EUREKA countries to work together on market-driven industrial R&D.

EUREKA has been operating successfully since 1985 supporting market-oriented R&D and innovation projects in all technology sectors. Initially a European intergovernmental network, EUREKA has expanded beyond Europe to include Israel, South Korea, and now Canada. To date, EUREKA has resulted in:

4,000 projects
10 billion euro in public funding
19 billion euro in private investment
93 billion euro of additional economic activity
378,000 jobs created or safeguarded

In addition to the European Commission, EUREKA has 40 member countries, including Israel. These members are now reaching out globally to enhance cooperation with countries outside Europe, such as Associated Country members South Korea and Canada.

Eligible Expenses:

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: Melanie Cullins – National Project Coordinator │ 613-991-0917 │ Melanie.Cullins@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Website: https://nrc.canada.ca/en/support-technology-innovation/eureka

Mitacs Entrepreneur International:

Value: Up to $5,000.

Description: Mitacs Entrepreneur International assist with travel costs — up to $5,000 — to help you explore new business opportunities abroad. The matching grant enables start-ups to connect with international incubators allowing you to explore new business development opportunities in global markets.

Eligible:

Be a for-profit company
Be an incorporated legal entity in Canada
Be housed for a minimum of three (3) months and maximum of two (2) years in an eligible university-linked incubator or accelerator (Home Incubator)
Have planned business travel for full-time employees, founders, or owners with soft-landing at a host incubator in an eligible target market. Applicants must submit their application a minimum of 4 weeks before their planned travel dates

Eligible Expenses:

Travel grants support up to half of eligible business travel costs, with a maximum grant of $5,000. Up to two (2) full-time employees, founders or owners may claim eligible expenses per travel grant. In-kind contributions from the Home or Host Incubators cannot be used towards matching Mitacs funds.

Economy class air or ground transportation fare to new target market:

Applicants are expected to provide reasonable, economy class return air or ground transportation costs that take advance booking into account. If the amount is deemed excessive, the applicant will be expected to amend their budget to advance booking economy fare estimates.
Applicants are expected to select direct transit routes between the travellers’ home base(s) in Canada and the location of travel without any additional stops/destinations. Layovers or stops are acceptable to secure a more economical price.

Transportation costs in target market country:

Applicants may claim taxi, car rental, train or internal flights for travel to the host incubator and for meetings with existing or potential international investors, clients, partners, suppliers and/or distributors.
Applicants are expected to select direct routes between the travellers’ accommodation and the host incubator, and/or to meeting locations.

Accommodations:

Applicants are expected to provide reasonable costs that take advance booking into account. If the amount is deemed excessive, the applicant will be expected to amend their budget to advance booking estimates.

Per Diem

Applicants may claim a per diem for meals and incidentals in accordance with the rates set by the National Joint Council for each day of travel.

Deadline: Ongoing

Contact: Trevor Wiltzen | 587.334.0532 | twiltzen@mitacs.ca

Website: https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/entrepreneur-international#business

Alberta-Europe Technology Collaboration Fund │ German- Canadian Centre For Innovation and Research:

Value: Up to $250,000 CAD.

Description:

The overarching goal of this program is to help participants become more globally competitive by developing innovative technologies and research-based alliances with the potential to foster economic growth. Further goals include:

Connecting industry players and researchers across multiple jurisdictions;
Development of new models of collaboration between Alberta and Europe that leverage key research & technology capabilities, address common priorities, and accelerate the commercialization of technology; and
Launching revolutionary product development and commercialization projects that aim to bring new products and services to market, and deliver economic benefits to citizens in both jurisdictions

Eligibility:

Albertan small and medium-sized enterprises (1 to 499 employees and less than $50 million in gross revenues, Source: Industry Canada, Statistics Canada). European partners can be small or medium-sized enterprises, as well as larger companies or independent research institutions.
All proposals to the program must involve an industry partner from each jurisdiction (i.e. Alberta and Europe) with an interest in commercialization.
Research organizations and university institutes are welcome to participate as additional project partners on the Albertan side, however they cannot receive GCCIR funding. European SMEs may apply for approximately matching funding in their respective jurisdictions.

Eligible Expenses:

At present the maximum project contribution by GCCIR is $250,000 CAD, which would be granted to the Albertan applicant and distributed in the form of reimbursements following the submission of pre-set milestone reports. The Albertan company is required to match GCCIR funding through a combination of cash and in-kind contributions to the project. Funding for the European partner may be applied for through one of the agencies below, or through other appropriate sources. Should the European company be too large to be eligible for funding, then the requirement for their participation in the project will be to match the funding contributed by GCCIR. All funding sources must be disclosed.

Deadline: On a rolling basis.

Contact: German- Canadian Centre for Innovation and Research (GCCIR) │ 1-780-492-4287 │ info@gccir.ca

Website: http://www.gccir.ca/alberta-europe-collaboration-fund/

Soft Landing Program | Canadian Tech Network:

Value: Up to $4,000 in reimbursable expenses.

Description:

The CDMN Soft Landing program offers qualified, mature startups and scale-ups exposure to business opportunities outside of Canada. The goal of the program is to support Canadian tech driven companies to open new markets, close international sales, secure investment and connect with new partners abroad.

Eligibility:

Canadian technology driven company, (established startup or scale-up) headquartered in Canada;
Product has launched and generating revenue;
Demonstrate a strong probability of creating jobs, closing sales or securing investment outside of Canada;
Clearly defined meetings and the expected outcome(s) in dollar value;
Applying to attend an event, conference, program, trade show or trade mission is NOT eligible; and
Applying to travel within Canada is NOT eligible.

Eligible Expenses:

Reimbursable expenses include transportation and accommodation costs incurred to complete your business activity in the market(s) you have been approved for. This includes airfare, ground transportation and hotel costs. Companies are encouraged to contact CDMN prior to incurring expenses if they are unsure whether the expense meets the reimbursement criteria.

Deadline: Closed due to COVID-19. Stay tuned for updates.

Contact: Canadian’s Tech Network │ Info@canadastechnetwork.ca

Website: http://cdmn.ca/program/soft-landing

Canadian Export Challenge │ Start Up Canada:

Value: A chance to win up to $25,000 cash and up to $100,000 for the Grand Finale.

Description:

2020 Canadian Export Challenge: A one-day Global Accelerator is an event designed to get your company export-ready! There will be workshops, panels, and keynotes from industry experts—and opportunities to connect one-on-one with Canada’s global expansion support providers and gain privileged access to trade information, market intelligence, global accelerators, and more!

Eligibility:

Applicants:

Start-ups and scale-ups companies across Canada

Eligible Expenses:

Competing entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch to win $2,500 (startup category) and $5,000 (scale-up category). Winners from each region will move onto the CXC Grand Finale in October. There, they will compete again for a chance to win up to $25,000 cash and up to $100,000 in support.

Deadline: Closed. Previous deadline: September 9, 2020.

Contact: Start Up Canada │ hello@startupcan.ca

Website: https://www.startupcan.ca/cxc/

Foreign Exchange Facility Guarantee | EDC:

Value: Varies.

Description:

Protect yourself against foreign exchange risk without locking up your capital with EDC’s Foreign Exchange Facility Guarantee. Through this program, you can avoid posting collateral as payment assurance for your foreign exchange contract provider and keep your cash free for doing business.

Eligibility:

Eligibility is determined by EDC based on the managerial, technical and financial capabilities of your company.

Eligible Expenses:

Foreign exchange derivative contracts, with a duration up to three years.

Additional Note:

EDC is dedicated to supporting Canadian businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’ve adjusted the Foreign Exchange Facility Guarantee (FXG) to meet the current needs of Canadian businesses.
EDC has traditionally focused on supporting companies that export their products and services. Due to the pandemic, that has changed. Until the end of 2021, EDC will be offering this solution to companies that do not export.

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: EDC │ 1-800-229-0575

Website: https://www.edc.ca/en/solutions/working-capital/foreign-exchange-facility-guarantee.html?frompage=CPL_CanadaBusinessNetwork

OTHER RESOURCES

Pan- Canadian AI Strategy │ Invest in Canada:

Value: $125M funding.

Description:

The artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning revolution is well underway, and Canada is at its forefront. From top-ranked educational institutions and market-leading tech companies to world-renowned researchers, Canada’s AI ecosystems are leading global AI developments.

To continue to foster this growth and maintain its leadership position, Canada launched the $125M Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy in 2017—making it the first country to release a national AI strategy. Pan- Canadian AI Strategy is designed to further build on the existing AI ecosystems in Canada by:

Increasing the number of highly-skilled researchers and graduates;
Enhancing research capabilities and discoveries through collaboration across three centres of excellence;
Demonstrating global leadership around the economic, ethical, policy and legal implications around advancement in AI technologies; and
Supporting a national research community on AI.

Eligibility:

The Pan-Canadian AI Strategy is founded on a partnership between the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and the three centres of excellence: the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII) in Edmonton, the Vector Institute in Toronto, and the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (Mila) in Montreal. Together, they provide the support, resources, and talent for AI innovation and investment.

Eligible Expenses:

By establishing roots in a country that prioritizes and leads AI research and development, global companies can:

Tap into a growing AI talent pool
Leverage national AI research capabilities
Partner with leading AI research institutes on new technology developments

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: Invest in Canada │ info@invcanada.ca

Website: https://www.investcanada.ca/incentives-programs/pan-canadian-ai-strategy

Accelerated Investment Incentive │ Invest in Canada:

Value: 100% first-year CCA on M&P Machinery and Equipment Investments; 100% First-year CCA on clean energy equipment investments.

Description:

Introduced in Canada’s 2018 federal fall economic statement, the Accelerated Investment Incentive provides an enhanced capital cost allowance (CCA) on equipment purchases. Full expensing in the first year for manufacturing and processing (M&P) and clean energy equipment purchases was also introduced as part of the Accelerated Investment Incentive.

How It Works:

The Accelerated Investment Incentive allows investors to write off a larger share of the costs of newly acquired capital assets in the year the investment is made or the asset becomes available for use. This measure involves:

A 50% increase in the available CCA deduction for property* acquired after November 20, 2018 that becomes available for use before 2024.
The suspension of the existing CCA half-year rule in respect of property acquired after 20 November 2018 that becomes available for use before 2028.

This incentive applies to property for which CCA is calculated on a declining-balance basis, as well as for classes of property with straight-line depreciation or classes for which depreciation is based on unit of use. Property that becomes available for use after 2027 is not eligible for the Accelerated Investment Incentive.

Deadline: Ongoing.

Contact: Invest in Canada │ info@invcanada.ca

Website: https://www.investcanada.ca/incentives-programs/accelerated-investment-incentive

OTHER RESOURCES

Nearly every company exporting is looking to hire staff. As you probably heard, the Alberta Government announced the Alberta Jobs Now Grant. It’s up to $25,000 per employee. You can find details of that grant on this page. You can search other employee grants for free in our grant database.

Before you begin writing your grant applications, you should always reach out to the grant agency first. Here are six questions you can ask them.

Interested in having us write your export grant application? The first step is to fill out a Contact Us form or send us an email to support@albertabusinessgrants.ca.

All the best,

David Kincade