Idea to Innovation grants

The Idea to Innovation (I2I) grants program aims to accelerate the pre-competitive development of promising technology originating from the university and college sector, and to promote its transfer to a new or established Canadian company. I2I grants provide funding to college and university faculty members to support research and development projects with recognized technology transfer potential through defined phases by providing crucial assistance in the early stages of technology validation and market connection. There are four distinct funding options, characterized by the maturity of the technology or the involvement of an early-stage investment entity or industrial partner. The market assessment phase co-supports an independent and professional market study with institutions. In phase I (reduction-to-practice stage), NSERC covers 100% of direct research costs to advance promising technologies in order to attract early-stage investment and build valuable intellectual property. Phase II (technology enhancement) requires cost-sharing with a private-sector partner: Phase IIa involves early-stage investment entities with NSERC supporting up to two-thirds of costs, while Phase IIb involves partnerships with Canadian companies with NSERC funding up to half the project costs. Eligible research and development activities include refining and implementing designs, verifying applications, conducting field studies, preparing demonstrations, building prototypes, and performing beta trials. All proposals must include a technology transfer plan appropriate to the maturity of the technology, and the intellectual property must be managed by the institution's industry liaison office (ILO) or its equivalent. The combination of phase I and phase II is limited to a maximum of three years of funding for any given project.