Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) is one of the oldest and most popular government funding programs for research & development. It is available for most of the established technology, manufacturing and agri-food firms that have specific upcoming R&D projects with a defined scope and resource allocation. Startups can also access funding if they meet certain conditions.
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) currently manages the program. In order to access the funding, you need to contact the NRC first and speak to a dedicated program representative called the Industrial Technology Adviser (ITA).
Now that’s about to change. The program is being reformed. Here is what you need to know.
- The Federal government will establish a new Canada Innovation Corporation (CIC)
- IRAP will be merged with CIC, and all ITAs will seamlessly transition to the new corporation
- There will be three program streams in the future:
– Applied Research
– Experimental Development
– Technological Adaptation - No major changes to the eligibility rules are expected
- The amount of funding will range from $50K to 5M, and up to 20M exceptionally
- The review process of smaller projects will be streamlined to enable faster decision making
- An extensive expert review of large-scale projects will be done at the beginning of the project to secure cash flow
The corporation is expected to be up and running by April 1, 2024, so you have the entire year to apply for the good old Industrial Research Assistance Program.
Need help with this or other government funding programs but don’t know where to start or how to prepare an application?