OCE VIA R&D Challenge: May 8, 2014 Deadline

The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) has issued a call for proposals with a deadline of May 8^th, 2014.  The Voucher for Industry Association R&D Challenge (VIA) program is a part of OCE’s Collaboration Voucher program that connects industry associations or formal industry consortia with Ontario’s publicly funded academic research institutions (such as universities, colleges, and hospitals). The program provides government funding for research and development on behalf of the province of Ontario to address sector-wide challenges.

Aerospace R&TD and “Made in Ontario” Examples of OCE’s VIA Partnerships

Examples of OCE’s existing VIA partnerships include the Ontario Aerospace R&TD Challenge Fund and “Made in Ontario” Advanced Manufacturing R&D Challenge, as well as the OCE-CQDM Life Sciences R&D Challenge.

How the OCE Voucher for Industry Association (VIA) Works:

• The total program fund created will be between $1 million to $2 million, with a minimum cash contribution expected from the association or consortium being $500,000.
• Contribution coming from the industry association or consortium may come from a variety of souces including the private sector or provincial or federal funds (i.e. NSERC, FedNor, FedDev, etc.).
• Industry or consortium partners are expected to contribute time and resources for support planning, networking events, outreach, marketing, etc.
• The association or consortium, once selected as a partner, will be expected to establish academic projects to run under the program.

How to Qualify as an OCE Voucher for Industry Association Partner:

The following criteria outlines who may qualify for this program:

• Must demonstrate economic impact in Ontario.
• Sector-specific industry consortia with operations in Ontario are eligible but must have at least a Memorandum of Understanding  (MOU) governing the consortia.
• Must be working with companies that have a significant presence in Ontario.
• Proposals from two or more consortia working together is acceptable.
• May be incorporated provincially, nationally, or internationally.
• The consortia must be working to foster innovation and commercialization.
• Must be willing to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding or equivalent agreement with OCE outlining the partnership framework.

Learn More about Government Funding for Industry Associations

Mentor Works has strong relationships with a number of leading provincial and federal industry associations in the advanced manufacturing space. To learn more about opportunities for industry associations, please contact Mentor Works. To stay up to date on Ontario government grants and loans programs available to small to mid-sized businesses that manufacture and/or perform R&D in Canada please sign up for our Canadian government funding weekly e-newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.