Maturing SMEs on the international market – Horizon 2026

This project call is part of the Quebec Aerospace Strategy Horizon 2026 (QAS) launched in 2022 by the Quebec Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, offering financial support to facilitate the integration of Quebec SMEs into large-scale projects led by networks outside Quebec, and internationally.   This call is particularly aimed at: 

• Supporting the emergence and implementation of collaborative research projects that promote the development of new products by Quebec companies. 
• Building partnerships between universities, colleges, institutions, and the industry, in Quebec, outside Quebec, and internationally. 
• Supporting the integration of Quebec SMEs in large-scale projects led by international networks to help maintain or increase their competitiveness. 
• Integrating SMEs into global aerospace value chains. 
• Highlighting research results with commercial potential. 
• Increasing exports, quality jobs and investments in Quebec.

Partner regions

To optimize the impact of this measure and help teams target their projects, CRIAQ has established agreements and collaborations (coordination calls, animation, and mobilization platforms, etc.) with key partners in certain target areas. These framework agreements serve to guide the actions of project teams.  The territories where SMEs can benefit from this framework and its established relationships are: 

• Germany 
• Other Canadian provinces 
• Belgium 
• United States 
• France 
• Italy 
• Czech Republic 
• United Kingdom 

Partners from outside Quebec, including elsewhere in Canada, are considered international partners for the purposes of this call. 

Les partenaires hors Québec, y compris ailleurs au Canada, sont considérés comme partenaires internationaux dans le cadre cet appel.

Section 1: “Set-up and Partnership”

Open to all, this project call is aimed at preparing and setting up international partnerships between SMEs and is a complementary tool to CRIAQ’s Maturation Innovation project calls. It aims to achieve: 

• Networking and setting up partnerships. 
• Preparing and setting up international partnerships for SMEs. 

Eligibility

The collaborative research partnership must include at least:  

• A Quebec SME*. 
• A university, a College Centre for the Transfer of Technologies (CCTT) or a Quebec public research centre (CRP). 
• A company and/or research organization in the region of collaboration. 
• *For the purposes of this call, SMEs are defined as for-profit companies with fewer than 250 employees in Quebec, including subsidiaries of large international groups. 

Financing

• Maximum financial assistance is $50,000 per project for the “Set-up and Partnership” section.  
• Financial assistance can cover up to 50% of eligible project expenses. 
• Cumulative public funding can reach up to 80% of eligible project expenses. 

All project funding is provided by the Government of Québec’s ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE), as part of the Québec Aerospace Strategy Horizon 2026. CRIAQ’s project portfolio team will help you prepare your budget with proven tools to pre-qualify and obtain financing. 

Section 2: “SME Demonstrator With International Collaboration”

This call for proposals is aimed at bringing collaborative research projects to fruition between Quebec SMEs and Quebec research partners working bilaterally outside Quebec (or multilaterally, as the case may be).  Targeted research and development projects involve the participation of strategic clusters, Quebec centres of excellence or companies in major networks, international research and innovation consortiums or R&D framework programs in priority areas for Quebec.

Eligibility

The collaborative research partnership must include at least :   A Quebec SME*. 

• A university, a College Centre for the Transfer of Technologies (CCTT) or a Quebec public research centre (CRP). 
• A company and/or research organization in the region of collaboration. 
• *For the purposes of this call, SMEs are defined as all-for-profit companies with fewer than 250 employees in Quebec, including subsidiaries of large international groups. 

Financement

• Maximum financial assistance is $1M per project for the “SME Demonstrator with International Collaboration” section. 
• Financial assistance can cover up to 50% of eligible project expenses. 
• Cumulative public funding can reach up to 80% of eligible project expenses. 

 CRIAQ’s project portfolio team will help you prepare your budget with proven tools to pre-qualify and obtain financing.  *Funding for these projects comes entirely from the Quebec government’s ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie MEIE, as part of the Quebec Aerospace Strategy Horizon 2026.