The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) has officially announced intakes for the second round for their key research and development programs. These OVIN Funding Programs provide automotive grants to encourage Canadian automotive companies to generate new and innovative technologies and systems and advance the automotive industry and place Canada as a leader among global competitors.
“OVIN capitalizes on the economic potential of advanced automotive technologies and smart mobility solutions such as connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs), and electric and low-carbon vehicle technologies, while enabling the province’s transportation and infrastructure networks to plan for and adapt to this evolution.”
Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network
The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) supports projects that develop, validate, test, demo, and prototype mobility technologies and services tailored to the unique demands of Ontario. The program is funded by the Ontario government.
The government has allocated an additional $56.4 million to this program for a total of $141 million invested by the Ontario Government in OVIN’s innovative programming to support research and development (R&D), talent development, technology acceleration, business and technical support, and testing and demonstration.
R&D Partnership Fund – C/AV & Smart Mobility (Stream 2)
Projects supported by Stream 2 include connected and autonomous vehicle (C/AV) development, testing, validation, and demonstration projects. These automotive grants are designed to improve Ontario’s road safety and condition monitoring systems, transportation data analysis, and partnerships with public and private collaborators.
Funding Amount
A maximum of $1,000,000 in funding can be provided over a maximum 24-month period through this stream. The applicant and/or the private sector are required to match each other’s funds by a minimum of 2:1.
Eligible Applicants
- Applicants are Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) defined as having fewer than 500 global, full-time employees; and
- Applicants are required to have operations in Ontario and carry out their project in Ontario.
Applicants must initiate a project with at least one partner. There is no limit to the number of partners that an applicant may have, if projects showcase that they can stimulate potential commercial opportunities.
- Academic institutions;
- SME’s;
- National or multinational enterprises;
- Municipalities;
- Indigenous communities; and
- More.
Project Eligibility
- Neither a feasibility study nor a basic technology research program are intended for this program. A project’s Technology Readiness Level should range from 3 to 9;
- Testing, validation, and piloting are all typical activities of a project;
- Partner and applicant must have strong collaboration and scalable outcomes that could be commercialized, have a competitive advantage, and align with the program’s intended outcomes; and
- In order to qualify, projects MUST demonstrate actual products that can be displayed at events, on the road, through partnerships, and/or at customer locations within Ontario.
Program Timelines
Stream 2 currently has an open intake for their second round of funding with an expression of interest (EOI) official submission deadline of November 16, 2022. This will be followed by an invitation for full proposal deadline of December 17, 2022, for successful EOI applicants.
R&D Partnership Fund – Electric Vehicle (Stream 2)
Projects within the Electric Vehicle stream deal with the development and demonstration of advanced technologies for electric vehicles (EVs) and battery manufacture. The funding will be allocated to targeted priority areas, such as mass light vehicles, heavy duty vehicle, charging infrastructure, intelligent transportation systems, and more EV related projects.
Funding Amount
It is possible to receive up to $3,000,000 of funding through this stream over a maximum of 24-months. A minimum of 2:1 match is required between the applicant and the private sector.
Applicant Eligibility
- Applicants are Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) defined as having fewer than 500 global, full-time employees; and
- Applicants are required to have operations in Ontario and carry out their project in Ontario.
Applicants must initiate a project with at least one partner. There is no limit to the number of partners that an applicant may have, as long as they can stimulate potential commercial opportunities.
- Academic institutions;
- SME’s;
- National or multinational enterprises;
- Municipalities;
- Indigenous communities; and
- More.
Eligible Projects
- Neither a feasibility study nor a basic technology research program are intended for this program. A project’s Technology Readiness Level should range from 3 to 9;
- Testing, validation, and piloting are all typical activities of a project;
- Partner and applicant must have strong collaboration and scalable outcomes that could be commercialized, have a competitive advantage, and align with the program’s intended outcomes; and
- In order to qualify, projects MUST demonstrate actual products that can be displayed at events, on the road, through partnerships, and/or at customer locations within Ontario.
Program Timelines
Stream 2 currently has an open intake for their second round of funding with an expression of interest (EOI) official submission deadline of November 16, 2022.
This will be followed by an invitation for full proposal deadline of December 17, 2022, for successful EOI applicants.
R&D Partnership Fund – WinterTech
OVIN’s WinterTech Development Program supports Ontario SME projects related to the development and demonstration of technologies designed specifically with Canadian winter road conditions in mind.
Funding Amount
Successful applicants for the WinterTech Development Program may receive up to $500,000 in OVIN funding support over 24 months. Investments must be met with a minimum 2:1 contribution required from applicants and the private sector.
Applicant Eligibility
To be eligible for this stream, applicants need to meet the following criteria:
- In order to qualify, the applicant must have no more than 500 full-time employees in Ontario and operating (R&D, manufacturing, product management, etc.) within the province;
- An applicant may collaborate with up to two Primary Partners (not academic institutions) and up to five Secondary Partners;
- Partnerships can be formed with SMEs, national and multinational businesses, municipalities, indigenous communities, and not-for-profit organizations; and
- The Technology Readiness Level of the project should be between 3 and 9.
Eligible Projects
Projects must focus on Commercialization of Ontario-made technologies and Demonstration of Ontario-made technologies to potential customers in the following priority areas:
- Mass light vehicles, such as cars, trucks and vans;
- Heavy duty vehicles, such as, trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), and others used for moving goods;
- Transportation infrastructure;
- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS); and
- Transit-supportive systems and vehicles.
Program Timelines
Stream 2 currently has an open intake for their second round of funding with an expression of interest (EOI) official submission deadline of November 16, 2022.
This will be followed by an invitation for full proposal deadline of December 17, 2022, for successful EOI applicants.
Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN): Talent Development Program
OVIN also has funding support for improving talent, via the Talent Development Program, which comes in the form of two streams: the TalentEdge Fellowship Program (TFP) and the TalentEdge Internship Program (TIP).
These programs have a rolling intake and offer the opportunity to better Ontario’s automotive and autonomous vehicle futures by capitalizing on newly educated minds, while providing life-changing industry experience to a younger generation.
Researchers and developers can participate in these programs if they are PhDs, postdoctoral fellows, or currently enrolled in college or university. Among the projects are ones in the areas of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), electric vehicles (EV), battery technologies, and metallurgical (metal & mining) technologies.
Businesses can utilize these programs to develop new and emerging technologies and systems by leveraging world-leading young talent.
Learn How to Apply for Autonomous Vehicle Funding
There are many automotive grants and government incentives available for Canadian autonomous vehicle companies. OVIN funding programs provide critical support to the emerging autonomous vehicle sector in Ontario, and Canada as well. However, autonomous vehicle funding may also be secured via other government funding programs, such as the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
To see a comprehensive list of the top programs available to Canadian automotive companies, visit the Automotive Funding Programs Directory today.
Moreover, the Mentor Works team offers free monthly webinars with industry partners and experts to bring Canadian businesses the information and strategies they need to secure successful funding applications. As part of our webinars and events, we’ll help you learn about government funding opportunities and how to take advantage of them.
Browse our upcoming free webinars today to register for your next event.