PARTENAR-IA – Academic

Objectives

Through Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Quebec government aims to propel Quebec companies towards the adoption of new, more efficient, more up-to-date, and more competitive production methods. This program aims to explore the potential of emerging technologies linked to the use of AI, with the aim of generating new ideas for applications and/or validating technological elements within the framework of applied research projects proposed and supervised by the industry and led by researchers.

Eligibility criteria 

• Existence of a potential value-added aerospace application linked to AI.   
• Minimum partnership: 1 academic partner and 1 industrial partner (including at least 1 SME or start-up) in Québec. 

Project financing details

• Maximum financial assistance is $500,000 per year, per project. 
• Maximum financial assistance can represent up to 40%* of total project cost. 
• Government assistance can total up to 80% of the total project cost. 
• Private contributions must represent at least 20%* of total project cost. 
• A management fee is applicable on the total value of the project. 
• Unsubsidized contributions may be eligible for tax credits, such as the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit, according to the current criteria of these programs. 

*The rate of financial assistance and the minimum private contribution expected depend on the project partnership. Contact us about your project for more information.

Application and Approval Process  

The CRIAQ team assists project teams throughout the preparation of research proposals. It is essential to include a CRIAQ project manager as early as possible in the discussions to ensure that projects are eligible for funding programs. The CRIAQ team will also be able to advise project leaders on the project’s funding structure.  In this case, the NSERC form is accepted as a research proposal, with the addition of a few documents, including the following:    

• Project summary in French.  
• Technology maturation plan for the developed technology.  
• Project Gantt chart.  
• Depending on Ministry regulations, other documents may be required for submission.  

Project approval process 

• Evaluation and recommendation by the CRIAQ Scientific Committee, one month after the submission date.
• Board of directors’ approval (if required).
• Submission to MEI for final approval.
• Approval by other programs may be required where applicable. 

Evaluation criteria 

Submitted projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

• Project objectives, quality, and relevance. 
• The innovative nature of the project. 
• Marketing potential. 
• The level of commitment from financial partners or the stakeholder community. 
• The ability of the team and the company or organization to complete the project. 
• The number and relevance of implementing partners. 
• Contribution to the development of the next generation. 
• Intellectual property protection strategy. 
• Benefits for Quebec (economic and social spin-offs, knowledge consolidation, etc.).